Ice Box Cinnamon Rolls

These cinnamon rolls won a blue ribbon at the 2012 Tillamook County Fair!

Ice Box Cinnamon Rolls

2 TBSP yeast    
1/2 c warm water
2 c lukewarm milk   
1/2 c sugar
1/2 c vegetable oil
1 tsp baking powder
2 tsp salt
1 egg
1/4 tsp nutmeg
5-6 c flour

Filling:
2 c brown sugar
1 c butter (no substitutes)
Dissolve yeast in warm water. Stir in milk, sugar, oil, baking powder, salt egg and 2-3 cups of flour and nutmeg. Beat until smooth. Add enough remaining flour to make dough easy to handle. Knead until smooth. Let rise until double (about an hour). Grease two 13 x 9 inch pans. Divide dough in half and roll into 12 x 10 inch rectangle for each half. Heat brown sugar and butter until melted. Remove from heat and stir in 2 tsp cinnamon. Spread over each half of dough and sprinkle with nuts if desired. Roll and slice. Place in greased pans and wrap tightly with foil. Refrigerate at least 12 hours - not more than 48 hours. To bake, remove foil. Bake at 350 degrees for 30-35 minutes.
*May also let rise after placing in pan and bake without refrigeration.

Granola

I am always on the lookout for good granola recipes. This would be one of many I've come to really like. This recipe was part of the June 2010 Aussie/NZ recipe swap and my teammate is gailanng from the Deep South.

Granola
3 cups regular oats, uncooked
1 (2 1/8 oz) sesame seeds
1 (3 3/4 oz) salted sunflower seeds (I believe I only had unsalted.)
1 (2 1/4 oz) sliced almonds
1/2 cup coconut (I left this out.)
3/4 cup pure maple syrup
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp vanilla
1 cup raisins
1/2 cup chopped dates (I omitted these and used 1 cup craisins instead.)

Preheat oven to 325. Combine first 5 ingredients in large bowl. Combine maple syrup with next 5 ingredients. Pour over oat mixture and mix very well. Spread evenly on a 15x10 baking sheet. Bake 3o minutes or until golden stirring every 10 minutes.
Turn oven off and leave for an additional 5 minutes. Remove. Stir in fruit. Let cool and store in airtight container.

Scrambled Eggs with a Twist

The true name would be Brunch Eggs. The teammate is JustJanS from Warrnambool Victoria Australia. She found the recipe on the internet. I think it's just a fancy way to make scrambled eggs. The kids really liked it and it reheated just fine in the pan (NOT the microwave) for Russell when he got home from work late. The original recipe called for corn kernels - but that just doesn't sit well with me. Eggs and corn? Not at this house. At least together. For a meal. Oh - and I learned the bell peppers are called capsicum in Australia!

Scrambled Eggs with a Twist
4 oz cream cheese, softened for about 1 minute in the microwave
3/4 cup diced green bell pepper
3/4 cup diced red bell pepper
3/4 cup thinly sliced green onion
4 TBSP butter or margarine, divided
9 eggs
1/4 tsp red chili powder (You can't taste it. I promise.)
salt and fresh ground black pepper to your tastes
6 slices of bacon, cooked and crumbled
hot buttered toast for serving
extra chopped green onions for garnish

Saute bell peppers and onion in 2 TBSP butter or margarine over medium heat just until softened. Add sauted veggies to the cream cheese and mix well. Combine eggs and spices. (I prefer to do it in a blender until the eggs are nice and frothy. That's just me though.) Melt remaining 2 TBSP butter or margarine in pan. Add in cream cheese/veggie mixture and egg/spice mixture. Cook over medium heat until eggs are done to your specifications. Not everyone likes them the same. I prefer to have them not soft. Serve over hot buttered toast. Sprinkle with crumbled bacon (I figure one bacon slice per person) and garnish with extra chopped green onion.
We had this for dinner and used my homemade bread for the toast to make a very satisfying meal.

Sourdough Pancakes #2

This is another Sourdough Pancake recipe we really like. You will just have to scroll down to find the first one. :) This one comes from UnknownChef86 from recipezaar.

Sourdough Pancakes
4 cups sourdough starter
1/4 cup sugar
1/2 tsp salt
2 TBSP oil
1 egg, beaten
1/4 cup milk
1/2 cup flour
1 1/2 tsp baking soda

Mix all ingredients very well. Make pancakes on hot griddle. Serve with your favorite pancake toppings. Enjoy!

Carrot-Apple Bars or Muffins

This recipe actually comes from Taste of Home. I have had it for many years. The original recipe calls it Teddy Carrot Bars because they use Teddy Grahams. I changed some things in the actual recipe to make it work for our jars and jars of food storage.

Carrot-Apple Bars or Muffins

2 1/2 cups flour

2 cups sugar

2 tsp baking soda

2 tsp cinnamon

1 tsp salt

1 pint carrots, drained

1 pint applesauce

4 eggs

4 TBSP vegetable oil

Combine all ingredients well in a large mixing bowl. You have enough batter here to do a couple different things. You can make 2 9x13 pans OR lots of muffins OR 1 9x13 pan and 12 muffins.

Spray your pans and divide the batter evenly. Bake at 350 degrees. About 20 minutes for the muffins and closer to 30-35 minutes for the 9x13 pan. Cool completely. If desired - frost with favorite cream cheese frosting. I like to frost the 9x13 pan but leave the muffins as is.

Sourdough Starter and Sourdough Pancakes

Sourdough Starter

Sourdough Pancakes

Sourdough Starter

I got this recipe from UnknownChef86 on recipezaar. I have been searching for years for how to make starter and was excited for the information she gave me. I had some at one point many years ago but eventually I forgot about it and it went bad.

1 1/2 tsp yeast

4 cups flour

1 TBSP sugar

3 cups cold water

Stir the yeast into the flour til well mixed. In a medium bowl - whisk the flour yeast mixture and sugar into the water until thoroughly combined. Store in a glass or plastic container. Allow room for fermentation. It will bubble up. Cover top with cheesecloth or towel to allow for ventilation. Stir down occasionally with a wooden or plastic spoon. NEVER use metal utensils or containers. It will react with your starter in a bad way. Refresh the batter at least once a week with 1/2 cup cold water and 3/4 cup flour. If necessary - you can refresh it every three days.

Sourdough Pancakes

This recipe actually belongs to my Grandma Dysart. It's really hard to make without starter so was happy to be making this once again!

3 cups flour

2 cups cold water

2 eggs

1/4 cup sugar

1 tsp salt

1/2 cup vegetable oil

1/2 tsp baking powder

1 tsp baking soda

1 TBSP hot water

Combine 1 cup sourdough starter with 2 cups cold water and mix well. (Remember - no metal for mixing or bowls.) Slowly add in the 3 cups flour - mix well. It should be the same consistency as the original starter. (Consistency should be like pancake batter.) Cover and set aside overnight. Take out approximately 1 cup starter for next use. (I put this 1 cup starter back in the jar with the above starter recipe and stir it in.) Keep refrigerated.

Beat together eggs, sugar, salt and oil. Add to remaining sourdough "starter." Dilute the baking powder and baking soda in 1 TBSP HOT water. Add to batter just before you are ready to cook. Mix very well, cook pancakes on a griddle and serve.

This makes a lot of pancakes even for our family. We usually have about 6 or so leftover. The kids like to use the leftovers - spread with jam and rolled up.

Yogurt Berry Muffins

I made these for an afterschool snack today. They went over quite well with the family. This recipe comes from my Canadian teammate ~Leslie~ in the Aussie/NZ recipe swap for February 2010. Her recipe calls for strawberry yogurt and strawberries. I went with blueberries. Peach or raspberry would also work well I think.

Yogurt Berry Muffins
2 1/2 cups flour
1 cup sugar
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp salt
1 1/4 TBSP baking powder
2 eggs
1 cup blueberry yogurt (I did notice the yogurt at the store only comes in 6 oz now - it still works.)
1/4 cup vegetable oil
2 cups fresh or frozen blueberries

Glaze:
1/3 cup powdered sugar
3 TBSP orange juice

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Grease muffin tins or use cupcake liners.
Combine all muffin ingredients except glaze. Pour into 18 muffin cups and bake for 25 - 30 minutes. Let cool.
For the glaze:
Combine both ingredients. This makes a runny glaze. Just so you know. Pour over muffins. Wait for a little bit and the glaze will harden.

Open Omelette

This was a very tasty, hearty and filling breakfast! It takes little time to gather the ingredients. This recipe comes from JoyfulCook. My teammate in the February 2010 Aussie/NZ recipe swap. She lives in South Wales, UK. I am changing a couple things in her recipe to make it more to my tastes.

Open Omelette
vegetable spray
1 or 2 eggs, beaten
1 slice ham or bacon, chopped and precooked
1 TBSP tomato, chopped (I didn't have tomatoes so did mushrooms instead)
1 tsp fresh chives, chopped (or green onion tops - the flavor is comparable)
1/2 potato, precooked, diced (I used 1/2 of a baked potato left from another meal- I also warmed them up in the microwave before adding to the pan.)
salt and pepper to taste
small amount of cheese

Heat frying pan that has been sprayed with vegetable oil. Add beaten egg(s). Add other ingredients. Cook over medium heat for about 5 minutes or until the egg(s) is set. I even covered the pan to steam cook the mushrooms and keep the heat in for the potatoes. Very carefully slide the open omelette to a plate and serve with your favorite toast or breakfast bread.

Peanut Butter Granola

I think this is by far my most favorite granola that I've made! It comes from weekend cooker - my teammate for the January 2010 Aussie/NZ recipe swap. This is a filling granola - which I like. I have a feeling you will love it too. :)

Peanut Butter Granola

3 cups regular oats

1/4 cup wheat germ

1/4 cup toasted coconut

1/4 cup sunflower kernels (NOT the shells)

1/4 cup raisins

1/2 cup butter or margarine

1/2 cup creamy or crunchy would be good too - peanut butter

1/2 cup brown sugar

Combine first 5 ingredients in a crock pot. Melt final 3 ingredients either in a saucepan or microwave. Pour over oatmeal mixture and mix well. Cover and cook on low for 1 1/2 hours, stirring every 20 minutes.

Spread onto a cookie sheet and place in 300 degree oven for 20 minutes - stirring every 5 minutes to dry out granola if you prefer it crunchy.

Breakfast Cream Cheese Coffee Cake

This recipe won a red ribbon at the 2012 Tillamook County Fair!  The only change to the below recipe was the handful of fresh blueberries I threw in.  That's it!
Seasoned Cook from Eastern North Carolina had this in her recipe files in our Aussie/NZ recipe swap this month. We had Mom and Dennis over and this was almost gone before I got a picture. It was that good!

Breakfast Cream Cheese Coffee Cake
1/2 cup butter, softened
8 oz cream cheese, softened
2 eggs, beaten
1 cup sugar
1 tsp vanilla
2 cups flour
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 cup milk

Combine all ingredients until mixed well. Pour into greased 9x13 baking pan.
Topping:
1/4 cup butter, softened
1/2 cup flour
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1 tsp cinnamon
Combine topping ingredients and sprinkle over coffee cake. Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes.

Chocolate Oatmeal Walnut Muffins

I made these yummy muffins over General Conference weekend. It was perfect snacking on these while we watched the speakers share their messages on the computer!
This recipe comes from Mom2Rose from recipezaar. She is from Michigan, USA and found the recipe on the Hershey's website.

Chocolate Oatmeal Walnut Muffins
1 cup quick cooking or regular oats
1 cup buttermilk
1/3 cup vegetable oil
2/3 cup light brown sugar
1 egg
1 tsp vanilla
3/4 cup flour
1/4 cup baking cocoa
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp baking soda
1 cup walnuts, coarsely chopped

Heat oven to 400 degrees. Combine all ingredients gently in a mixing bowl. Pour into muffin tins lined with paper baking cups.
Bake 16-18 minutes. I was able to get 12 muffins from this recipe.

Crunchy Oat Cereal

What a great idea to use up all that oatmeal in my food storage! Jen T from New Zealand shares this recipe on recipezaar - I chose it as part of my recipe selections for the swap in September 2009. Use this recipe in the recipe below as well.

Crunchy Oat Cereal
1 1/4 cups large rolled oats
1 1/4 cups roughly chopped nuts (I used sliced almonds and walnuts)
6 TBSP maple syrup - the good stuff
6 TBSP butter or margarine, melted

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Mix all ingredients together and spread onto a large shallow baking pan sprayed with vegetable spray.
Bake for 30-35 minutes - or until golden and crunchy.
Let mixture cool before storing in an airtight container. May be stored up to 2 weeks in a cool dry place.

Use this cereal in the recipe below.

Breakfast Cranachan

Jen T from New Zealand is the chef for this tasty breakfast. She says it is a traditional Scottish recipe brought up to date - found in a "3 Ingredient Cookbook." If you like - add a bit of honey to make this a little sweeter. I liked it without the honey addition.

Breakfast Cranachan
Serves: 4
3 oz crunchy oat cereal (see above recipe)
2 1/2 cups plain vanilla yogurt
1 1/3 cups raspberries ( I used frozen) may also use any berries you like

Preheat oven broiler. Spread the cereal in a shallow pan and place under heat for 2 - 2 1/2 minutes. I found this to be a good amount of time compared to the 3-4 minutes in the recipe. I didn't want it burned.
Set aside to cool.
When cook - fold into the yogurt. Gently fold in 1 cup of berries. Careful! Don't crush the berries!
Spoon into 4 dishes. Top with remaining berries.
Enjoy right away!

All-In-One Breakfast

This picture doesn't do justice to the yummy breakfast this makes! I remembered to take a picture when the pan was already half gone! The whole family really enjoyed this tasty casserole on the first day of school back to school breakfast. This recipe comes from Laurlie41 in Indiana. The hardest part about this recipe is actually getting out of bed early enough to have the casserole ready before the kids leave for school!

All-In-One Breakfast
6 English muffins, split in half
1 lb bulk sausage
12 eggs
8 oz sour cream
1 (4 oz) can diced green chilies, drained
1 cup cheddar cheese

Arrange english muffins in the bottom of a greased 9x13 baking pan. Overlap as necessary so the muffins all fit. Set aside.
Brown sausage. Drain.
In a large bowl whisk eggs. Add in sausage, sour cream and diced chilies. Mix well and pour over english muffins. Press lightly to thoroughly moisten the muffins.
Sprinkle cheese on top. Cover pan and refrigerate overnight.
Bake at 375 degrees for 35-40 minutes the next morning. Let stand for 10 minutes before serving.

Krispy Kreme Copycat Doughnuts

I have never been a very good doughnut maker until I came across this recipe. This is our new family favorite. It's easy and they don't stay around very long! This recipe was found on the internet at recipezaar.com. The chef who gets the credit is Roosie. I've made these a few times now. I don't do the doughnut holes. I think they are wasteful of good doughnut material. You can choose to do what you like.

Krispy Kreme Copycat Doughnuts
2 TBSP yeast
1/4 cup water
1 1/2 cups lukewarm milk (scalded, then cooled)
1/2 cup sugar
1 tsp salt
2 eggs
1/3 cup shortening
5 cups all purpose flour
oil for frying

Glaze
1/3 cup butter
2 cups powdered sugar
1 1/2 tsp vanilla (I use a bit less)
4 - 6 TBSP hot water

Dissolve yeast in warm water in large mixer bowl. Add milk, sugar, salt, eggs, shortening and 2 cups flour. Beat on low for 30 seconds, scraping sides of bowl. Beat in medium speed for 2 minutes, scraping sides of bowl occasionally. Stir in remaining flour until smooth. Make sure the dough is soft - yet not sticky. Put dough into a greased bowl - turning once. Cover and let rise until double - about 1 hour.
The dough will not rise significantly like a bread dough would. The dough is ready when an indentation remains when touched. Turn dough onto floured surface; roll around lightly to coat with flour.
Gently roll dough 1/2 inch thick with floured rolling pin. Cut with doughnut cutter. Place cut doughnuts on a clean kitchen towel. Cover and let rise for about 40 minutes. They will get bigger this time. I promise.
Heat vegetable oil in deep fryer if you have one. Otherwise if you are like me - I use a large pan with 3 inches sides. Or you can use a dutch oven. Heat oil to 350 F. Slide doughnuts into hot oil with wide spatula. A metal one works best. That way your nice rubber ones won't melt. I use a large slotted spoon. Turn doughnuts as they rise to the surface. Fry until golden brown on each side. This part goes really fast so you have to watch carefully! :)
Remove carefully from oil and place back on the towels you had the doughnuts rising on. This is an easy step so I don't have to dirty something else.

Glaze
Heat butter until melted. Remove from heat source - whether microwave or stove top. Stir in powdered sugar and vanilla until smooth. Stir in water - 1 TBSP at a time until desired consistency.

Using a spoon - spread a little glaze over each doughnut until your glaze is all used up. You just might have to go back and add glaze a second time!

Your family will love you for making this tasty treat and if you take it to say a cub scout dinner - it will be requested forever more. Enjoy with a tall glass of milk! :)

Orange & Strawberry Cream Smoothie

This recipe comes from morgainegeiser in Michigan. This was made for the September 2008 Aussie/NZ recipe swap. I like the fact that we are on teams from all around the world. Lots of variety to be found. :) I like a good smoothie. This one has lots of fruit and flavor.

Orange & Strawberry Cream Smoothie
1/2 cup plain yogurt
3/4 cup strawberry yogurt (I used a whole little container - it's pretty close)
3/4 cup orange juice
1 cup strawberries
1 banana (morgainegeiser says to slice and freeze) I didn't have time to do to that part - I just threw it in the blender.

Combine all ingredients in the blender. If you like - stick in the freezer for about 15 minutes before drinking.
Man o man! Were these ever good!

Easy Hash Brown Pancakes

I made these little tasty morsels today for the September 2008 Aussie/NZ recipe swap. The poster is morgainegeiser from Michigan. She in turn got it from an old "Taste of Home" magazine. Michael liked them so much he gave me a HUGE thumbs up!

Easy Hash Brown Pancakes

3 cups frozen hash brown potatoes**
2 TBSP flour
2 eggs, beaten
3 TBSP butter, melted
1 1/2 tsp water
1/2 tsp salt (OR) salt and pepper to taste - that's what I did
1 TBSP vegetable oil
Place the hashbrowns in a strainer, rinse with cold water until thawed. Drain thoroughly; transfer to a large bowl.
Add the flour, eggs, butter, water and salt; mix well. Heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Drop batter by 1/3 cupfuls into oil; fry until golden brown on both sides. Drain on paper towels.
**I didn't have frozen hashbrowns. I did have dehydrated ones though. So - I rehydrated them and proceeded making the recipe. They worked out really, really well. We had these for dinner along with french toast. It was perfect.

Biscuits and Sausage Gravy

One of my most favorite comfort foods is biscuits and gravy. It has to be homemade though. I am rather picky that way. I like it served with this yummy fruit salad.

Biscuits and Gravy
Biscuits:
2 cups flour
2 tsp sugar
1 TBSP baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 cup shortening
2/3 cup milk*
*If you want to use buttermilk - use 3/4 cup buttermilk and add 1/4 tsp baking soda to dry ingredients.
Gravy:
1/3 cup butter or margarine
1/3 cup flour
3 cups milk
1/2 lb ground sausage, precooked
Melt butter. Add flour. Mix well until no lumps are left. Gradually add milk to make a thick gravy. Add sausage, salt and pepper to taste. For biscuits - combine dry ingredients. Cut in shortening and add milk. Roll out and cut into desired size. Bake at 450 degree oven for 10-12 minutes. Serve gravy over biscuits.

Fruit Salad

1 8 oz Pina Colada yogurt

2 medium bananas, sliced

1 cup fresh strawberries, sliced

1 cup green grapes

1 cup red grapes

1 11 oz can mandarin oranges, drained

Combine all ingredients well in bowl. Serve right away.

** Of course other fruits can be added. This is what I had available. Any yogurt can used as well. This one happens to be my favorite. Enjoy!

Strawberry Nut Rolls /with variations

Peach Nut Rolls - my creation
Cinnamon Rolls - an adaptation from the cinnamon roll recipe I already make.

This recipe comes from recipezaar. RecipeNut posted it. I didn't use all her recipe - I adjusted it a bit. However - she does get the credit for such as tasty, tasty roll. I used my cinnamon roll recipe dough with her filling and frosting. I dare you to eat just one. The smell while they were baking was heavenly! :)

**A side note - this recipe makes 24 rolls. The dough can be cut in half. If you choose to make a smaller amount - still use the 1 egg.

Strawberry Nut Rolls
Dough:
2 TBSP yeast
1/2 cup warm water
2 cups lukewarm milk
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1 tsp baking powder
2 tsp salt
1 egg
1/4 tsp nutmeg
5-6 cups flour

Dissolve yeast in warm water. Stir in milk, sugar, oil, baking powder, salt, egg and 2-3 cups flour and nutmeg. Beat until smooth. Add enough remaining flour to make dough easy to handle. (This means soft but not sticky.) Knead until smooth. Let rise in a greased bowl - turning dough once - until double. About 1 hour. Grease 2 9x13 pans. Roll dough into a gigantic rectangle. (I choose to do it this way so I don't have to repeat myself.)

Strawberry Filling:
6 TBSP butter or margarine, softened
2/3 cup strawberry jam (you can use something different if you want to.)
1 TBSP sugar
1/2 tsp cinnamon

Peach Filling:

6 TBSP butter or margarine, softened

2/3 cup peach jam

1 TBSP sugar

1/2 tsp cinnamon

Cinnamon Roll Filling:

6 TBSP butter or margarine, softened

1 cup brown sugar

1 tsp cinnamon

1/2 - 3/4 cup chopped walnuts

Spread butter over the dough you just rolled out. Spread jam over the butter. You might need to add more jam. Mix the sugar and cinnamon together. Sprinkle over the jam. (If you are like me and have cinnamon sugar already mixed up - go ahead and just use that.)

For the cinnamon roll filling - spread butter over the dough. Combine the brown sugar and cinnamon in a bowl. Spread over butter. Sprinkle nuts over the sugar.

Roll the dough from long side to long side. With a piece of string - slice this very long log into 24 sections. Place 12 rolls in each 9x13 pan. Let rise for an additional 30 minutes. Bake at 375 degrees for about 20-25 minutes. Until golden brown - not burnt. :)

Frosting:
4 oz cream cheese, softened
1 3/4 cups powdered sugar
1-2 TBSP milk
1/2 tsp vanilla

Mix well. RecipeNut's recipe says let the rolls cool then frost. I only waited about 10 minutes then frosted mine. Partly because I wanted to see how the frosting stood up to the "heat" test. I was surprised. It didn't melt all over like other glazes have been known too. Therefore - you can choose how hot/cold you want your rolls to be before frosting them.

Now you can feed the restless natives - oops - I mean kids. DS#1 really liked them. DS#2 said "Thanks so much Mom for making these! They were so yummy!" DS#3 gave a thumbs up. DS#4 didn't say anything. Which is a good thing.
I did share with the neighbors as well since it is the husband's birthday. He is 81 years old today. Unfortunately his wife probably didn't remember as she has Alzheimers and is rapidly digressing in her memory.

Homemade Tortillas

I am a sucker for homemade tortillas. I can't even tell you when the last time was that I actually bought them from the store. It's been a long time. These are so easy to make. If you can mix, roll and put on a griddle - then you can make these.
Homemade Tortillas
3 cups flour
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
1 cup hot water
1/4 cup vegetable oil

In a medium bowl, combine flour, baking powder and salt. Stir in water and oil. Turn dough onto lightly floured surface and knead for 2-3 minutes until it is smooth and has no lumps. Cover dough with a towel and let it rest for 15 minutes.

Divide dough into 10 pieces. (You can do 12 if you really want to. I like my tortillas thicker.) Roll into balls.
Roll each tortilla into a circle about 8 inches round. You are allowed to roll these babies as thick/thin as you like. I like them thick.
Place on hot griddle. Turn over when these brown spots begin to appear.
Tacos anyone? How about enchiladas? Quesadillas? What was that you said? You wanted a cheese quesadilla with taco soup? Okay. :)