Cinnamon Rolls, really good Cinnamon Rolls

So I have FINALLY mastered a Cinnamon roll recipe. I have tried many many different recipes, but this is it! Also, the frosting I use on these is so flipping good it's a wonder how any ever makes it on the rolls.
I don't have a bread machine. It's on my Christmas list that I'm sending to Santa. But there's a lot on my list, so if I don't get one there's always next year. I don't mind doing it the old school way. And that's just how this recipe goes.


You'll need:
1/4 cup warm water
1/4 cup softened butter, unsalted
1 small pkg. instant vanilla pudding mix
1 egg
1 cup warm milk
1 tbsp. brown sugar
1/2 tsp. salt
4 cups flour
1 pkg. (.25 oz.) active dry yeast

filling-
1/2 cup butter, softened
1 cup brown sugar
4 tsp. cinnamon
3/4 cup raisins
Mix the butter, sugar, and cinnamon, and set aside.

frosting-
2 oz. cream cheese
7 tbsp. salted butter, softened
1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
2 tbsp. milk
1.5 cups powdered sugar
1/4 sp. salt

To get started, Dissolve the 1 tbsp. sugar in the warm water, along with the 1/4 butter. Add the yeast and set side.
In the bowl of an electric mixer, combine the pudding mix, egg, and milk. Stir together. Add the yeast mixture (once it's foamy) to the pudding mixture. One cup at a time, mix in the flour. Mix just until a ball has formed. It will be a little sticky. If it's too sticky to handle, add a little more flour. I then remove the dough, and in the same bowl, I drizzle in some oil. Place the dough back in the bowl and turn to coat. Cover the bowl with a towel and let the dough rise until doubled, about an hour.
I've made these a lot, and when I made them this weekend, it was extremely humid out, and so it took my dough more like an hour and a half to rise. Just keep that in mind, if you're making these when it's humid.
Once the dough is doubled, roll it out onto a floured surface. You want a rectangle shape, about 10x17 inches. Spread the filling all over the top of the dough, going as close to the edge of the dough as you can. Sprinkle with raisins. Starting on a long side, roll the dough up into a long log. Slice into 12 rolls (about an inch thick). Place in a greased 9x13 pan. Cover with a towel again and let rise until doubled, about 45 min.
Preheat oven to 350.
Once they're risen, bake for 20 minutes. Keep an eye on them, everyone's oven is different. Mine bakes fast and high.

While the rolls are baking, prepare the frosting.
Beat together the cream cheese and butter with an electric mixer in a large bowl until creamy. Mix in the vanilla and milk, then gradually mix in the powdered sugar and salt until smooth and fluffy. Spread over rolls.

Enjoy!!!

                                                                      

Pork Steak Tacos with Avocado Tomatillo Salsa

I watched Rick Bayless make something like these on PBS a few Saturdays ago. I tweeked the recipe a little to my liking and they came out perfect. The pork is marinated in spicy chipotle sauce and then grilled alongside the pineapple slices. I served them with just a few toppings- avocado salsa, red onion, and queso fresca. The grilled pork and pineapple went so well together!
I had to go to 2 different grocery stores for the pork steaks. FYI- Albertsons doesn't carry them, not my Albertsons anyway. I found them at Smith's though. I love Smith's meat selections! They always have what I'm looking for.
Also, you may have to search hi and low for the Achiote paste. Another thing I could never find at my local grocery stores. I got it at this little Mexican Market in Downtown Henderson.

For the Avocado Tomatillo salsa, you'll need:

4 medium tomatillos, husked and rinsed
1/2 cup cilantro
1 jalapeno, stemmed and roughly chopped
2 ripe avocados, pitted and scooped from the skin
1 small white onion, roughly chopped
1/2 cup water
salt
 In a food processor, or blender, combine the tomatillos, cilantro, jalapeno, onion, and water. Puree. Add the avocados and pulse just until incorporated. Season with salt.
Chill in the fridge.

For the Pork Steaks you'll need:

A package of Achiote paste, 3.5 oz.
3 canned chipotle chilies, in adobo sauce, with about 4 tbsp. of the sauce
1/4 cup olive oil
3/4 cup water
1.5 pds pork shoulder steaks
1 red inion, sliced into long thin pieces
1/4 of a pineapple, sliced into 1/2 inch rounds
queso fresca (Mexican crumbling cheese)
corn tortillas


In a blender or food processor, combine the paste, the chipotle peppers, the adobo sauce, the oil, and the water. Puree. Pour over meat and chill in the fridge for at least an hour.
Once you're ready to grill, start with the pineapple. Oil the slices and grill them just for about a minute on each side. Keep warm.
Now grill up the meat. They will only take about a minute or two per side.
Once the meat is done, chop it up and serve it on warm corn tortillas along with a slice or two of the pineapple. Top with the Avocado Tomatillo salsa, red onion, and some queso fresca.

Enjoy!!

 

Sweet Rolls

In my opinion, bread baking is the best smell ever. I don't use air fresheners, candles, etc. I bake bread.
I got this recipe online a long time ago. Maybe from allrecipes.com, maybe Taste of Home, I don't remember. It has become a staple in my kitchen though.
The recipe makes about 16 rolls and they stay good for a few days. Usually, the day after I make them, I split them open and place a slice of provolone cheese and ham in the center and nuke it in the microwave. Perfect lunch.

You need:

1/2 cup warm water (110 degrees F/45 degrees C)                                                    

1/2 cup warm milk                                                                     
1 egg                                                

1/3 cup butter, softened         

1/3 cup white sugar                                                    

1 teaspoon salt                                                                     

3 3/4 cups all-purpose flour                                                                     

1 (.25 ounce) package active dry yeast                                                                     

In a large bowl, or bowl of your electric mixer, combine the water and milk, then stir in the sugar until it dissolves, then stir in the yeast. Once yeast starts to foam, mix in the salt, butter and egg. Then, add the flour a half cup at a time, continuously stirring.
Cover and let rise for about 45 minutes in the bowl.
Punch the dough down and divide into 16 pieces. Form your rolls and let rise again, for about 45 minutes again.Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Bake in preheated oven for 10 to 15 minutes, until golden.

Enjoy!

Baja Fish Tacos

 

First off, I apologize for the bad pictures lately. I broke my cool phone that had a nice camera on it so I'm using a temporary piece of crap phone for a while. I do have a big sweet Nikon that takes amazing pictures, but I never get it out. I'm so lazy. It's this heat I tell ya. I blame everything on it. My laziness. My lack of good pics. My falling meringues. Everything. Gotta love summer time!

Know what else is comes with summer? Fish tacos. Who eats Fish tacos in the winter? Oh, maybe Floridians do. 

Anyway...I love fish tacos, all kinds of fish tacos and I'm always trying new recipes. I got this one off of food network, but switched it up a little. The original recipe calls for Halibut, like most do. But seriously, at like $29 a pound, I ain't using Halibut! I used Tilapia. $5.99 a pound at my Smiths. I added a can of beer to the flour coating too because I prefer a crispy fish taco :)
What makes these tacos so good is the cabbage slaw.
Also, I used my favorite Tomatillo-Avocado salsa on top of these. I'll post that recipe too.

Vegetable oil, for frying

1/2 bag cabbage mix

1/2 cup fresh cilantro, roughly chopped

Juice of 1 lime, plus wedges for serving

2 tablespoons honey

1/2 cup mayonnaise

Kosher salt

12 corn tortillas

3/4 cup all-purpose flour
1 can of beer, I used Coors Light

1/2 teaspoon chili powder

Freshly ground pepper

1 1/4 pounds skinless tilapia fillet, cut into 2-by-1/2-inch pieces

 

 

Heat about 3 inches vegetable oil in a medium pot over medium-low heat until a deep-fry thermometer registers 375 degrees F. Meanwhile, toss the cabbage, cilantro, lime juice, honey and mayonnaise in a bowl. Season the slaw with salt.
Warm the tortillas in a skillet over medium-low heat. Wrap in a towel to keep warm.
Mix the flour, beer, chili powder, and salt and pepper to taste in a shallow bowl. Dredge the fish in the flour-beer mixture, then fry in batches until golden and just cooked through, 2 to 3 minutes. Transfer with a slotted spoon to a paper-towel-lined plate to drain. Season with salt.
Fill the tortillas with the fish, slaw and salsa. Serve with lime wedges.


Tomatillo-Avocado Salsa

4 medium tomatillos, husked and rinsed
1/2 cup (loosely packed) coarsely chopped cilantro
1 small jalapeño stemmed and roughly chopped
2 ripe avocados, pitted, flesh scooped from the skin
1 small white onion, cut into 1/4-inch pieces
Salt

 

Roughly chop the tomatillos and scoop them into a food processor with the onion, cilantro and jalepeno.  Measure in 1/4 cup water and process to a slushy, coarse puree.  Roughly chop the avocado, add it to the processor and pulse just until it is incorporated into the salsa. Taste and season with salt, usually about 3/4 teaspoon.

Shrimp Taco Salad

I wanted something "light" last night because after being out in the sun all day, the last thing I wanted to do was turn the oven on. This is pretty much the case all summer. We've been eating a lot of sandwiches lately!
I found this salad recipe in one of my many Taste of Home books. I loved it, but next time I think I will add some avocado to the mix. It was a really good dinner though, plenty filling with taco-seasoned shrimp, black beans, and crispy tortilla strips.

You need:

1 pound uncooked large shrimp, peeled, deveined, and tails removed

1 envelope taco seasoning, divided
1/2 cup plus 3 tbsp. olive oil
3 tbsp. cider vinegar
1 small white onion, diced
1/2 of a red pepper, diced
6 cloves of garlic, minced
1/2 tsp. coriander, or 2 tsp. minced fresh parsley
1/4 tsp. sugar
3 corn tortillas (6 inches), cut into 3 in. strips
1 package (8 ounces) of ready to serve salad
1 medium tomato, diced
1 can (8 ounces) black beans, drained and rinsed
2 cups finely shredded Colby Jack cheese

Place shrimp in a large bowl; sprinkle with half of the taco seasoning. Set aside.
In a small bowl, whisk 1/2 cup oil, the onion, vinegar, red pepper, garlic, coriander and sugar; set aside.

In a large skillet, stir-fry tortilla strips in remaining oil; drain on paper towels. Sprinkle with remaining taco seasoning. In the same skillet, saute shrimp for 8-10 minutes or until shrimp turn pink.

In a large bowl, combine the greens, tomato, beans, shrimp and tortilla strips. Just before serving, whisk dressing and pour over salad; sprinkle with cheese and toss to coat. 
Serves 4 (as a meal)
Enjoy!

 

Chocolate Dipped Brownie Cookies with Sprinkles

 

These taste just like they sound! Chocolate brownies in a cookie form, dipped in even more chocolate. They're rich. They're decadent. They're delicious. I can't wait to make more of these at Christmas time with red and green sprinkles.

I found the recipe on LoveandOliveOil.com (thanks Pinterest :))

 

You will need:

1/2 cup all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons dark or dutch-processed cocoa powder
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
8 ounces dark or semisweet chocolate, chopped
1/4 cup (1/2 stick) unsalted butter, cut into cubes
2 large eggs, room temperature
3/4 cup granulated sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup mini semisweet chocolate chips
For Dipping:
6 ounces dark or semisweet chocolate, finely chopped
1 to 2 tablespoons vegetable shortening, as needed
Rainbow sprinkles

Preheat oven to 350.
Line a baking sheet with a silicone baking mat or parchment paper.
Sift flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, and salt into a mixing bowl. Set aside.
Combine chocolate and butter in a double boiler or a heat-proof bowl set over a pot of barely simmering water. Stir until melted and smooth. Remove from heat and set aside.
In a mixing bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer, cream together eggs, sugar, and vanilla.
Mix in melted chocolate mixture. Add dry ingredients and stir until just incorporated. Fold in chocolate chips.
Drop batter using a small cookie scoop by the tablespoonful onto cookie sheet, leaving two inches of space between cookies. The batter will be somewhat loose at this point, but shouldn't be runny. It will thicken the longer it sits.
Bake for 7 to 8 minutes or until tops are shiny and cracked. Like a brownie, you don't want to over bake these cookies. Remove from oven and let cool on cookie sheet for 2 to 3 minutes, then transfer to a cooling rack to cool completely.
To dip, gently melt chocolate together with 1 tablespoon of shortening. You can use a microwave, heating on low power in short, 15 to 20 second bursts, or in a double boiler, setting the bowl over the simmering water and then removing it from the heat.
Add more shortening as needed to thin out the chocolate to a dipping consistency, then dip half of each cookie into the melted chocolate. Place on a parchment lined baking sheet and top with sprinkles.
Enjoy!

Macaroni Tuna Salad

 



 

I stole this dish from my Aunt Pam. She always makes it for family get togethers and it's just delicious. I make it often in the summer. Me and my girls munch on it for days. It's a great side dish for burgers and hotdogs!

 

 

You need:

1 box small elbow macaroni

3/4 cup miracle whip

1 whole cucumber, peeled and chopped

6 hard boiled eggs, peeled and chopped

1/4 cup diced onion

2 cans of tuna, drained

salt and pepper

 

Boil water and cook pasta until al dente. Drain and rinse pasta in cold water. In a big bowl, add all ingredients to pasta and fold together. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Chill, covered, in fridge until ready serve.

Enjoy!