EDITED FEBRUARY 26, 2013: recipe is now here on my blog as the original blog is defunct.
They’re sweet. They’re salty. They’re crunchy. They’re the best new addition to your lunchbox. Check out my post on Today’s Housewife for the recipe!
Category: Breakfast
Bread Machine Cinnamon Rolls with Maple Icing
So, I don’t use my breadmaker nearly enough. Maybe because it’s a bit clunky, maybe because I’m a little too lazy to pull everything out of the cabinet to get it out. But I really should use it more. Especially when it makes delicious treats like these, at a fraction of the effort as regular from-scratch cinnamon rolls take!
Well, I suppose to be perfectly honest, these babies don’t come out of the breadmaker perfectly formed or anything, so there is still some work to be done… but really not much at all. These cinnamon rolls are perfectly sweet, perfectly gooey, and have just the right ratio of filling to icing to satisfy even the toughest critic. An unexpected burst of Maple syrup in the icing takes these cinnamon rolls one step further from amazing to incredible. Or is it incredible to extraordinary? Or wonderful to fantastic? No matter how you put it… these are worth pulling out the ‘ole breadmaker for. If you don’t think two people can polish these off… think again. You can do it! 🙂
Can ‘o cinnamon rolls, you don’t got nothing on these!
Bread Machine Cinnamon Rolls [from Faithful Provisions, icing from Taste of Home]
click to print
Ingredients:
for the dough
- 1 1/8 cup warm milk [microwave for 30 seconds]
- 3 tablespoons canola oil
- 1 egg, plus 2 egg whites, beaten
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 2 cups bread flour
- 2 1/2 cups white flour
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 3 teaspoons bread machine yeast
for the filling
- 3 tablespoons butter, melted
- 1 cup brown sugar, not packed
- 2 tablespoons cinnamon
for the icing
- 1 cup powdered sugar
- 3 tablespoons maple syrup
- 3 tablespoons butter, melted
- 1-2 teaspoons milk
Directions:
Put dough ingredients in breadmaker according to the manufacturer’s directions [for mine this is liquids and salt, dry, yeast], and run on dough cycle.
Remove dough from breadmaker when cycle is complete, then preheat oven to 325 degrees. Grease two round cake pans or pie dishes and set aside.
Roll dough out into a large rectangle, approximately 12×24 inches.
Brush with melted butter, then cover evenly with brown sugar and cinnamon. Be sure to leave about a 1-inch gap around the edges; otherwise filling will spill out when you roll.
Roll up dough lengthwise, then cut in half. Continue cutting each piece in half until you have 16 pieces total. Place in prepared pans.
At this point, you have three options:
- Refrigerate overnight and bake in the morning, following steps below [bring to room temperature 30 minutes or so before baking].
- Cover and let rise for 30 minutes [I find this is necessary in colder temperatures].
- Bake and enjoy now!
Bake for 20 minutes, or until golden brown.
While baking, mix together icing. Whisk together powdered sugar with maple syrup and butter, then add enough milk to reach spreading consistency. Ice cinnamon rolls immediately after coming out of the oven, serve, and enjoy!
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Alice’s Vanilla Tea-Infused Granola
I’ve never been to New York City, but I know that when I do someday, Alice’s Tea Cup will be my first foodie stop. My mom owns about a zillion cookbooks, and one that I always love to browse when I’m home was created by the owners of the NYC area chain of tea shops. It’s aptly named Alice’s Tea Cup and it is full of recipes for fun teatime sweets, breakfast treats, and even good info about the proper way to brew tea. I’ve made a scone recipe from the cookbook that was just so-so [probably because I didn’t make the buttery glaze to go on top], but I wanted to give the cookbook another chance. I am so glad I did, because Alice’s Vanilla Tea-Infused Granola is simply magnificent.
This phenomenal granola combines three types of nuts [almonds, pecans, walnuts] plus sesame seeds and coconut, as well as two types of dried fruit to make a nutty-sweet comination that is absolutely essentail in a good granola. It is a bit more museli-like than a traditional chunky granola, but that doesn’t detract from it’s crunch. But the real added bonus to this granola comes from its spices: the usual suspects of cinnamon and nutmeg… and vanilla tea! I’ve never used tea as a spice before, so I was a little unsure what it would be like, but it’s absolutely wonderful. The tea adds some delicate sophistication to the crunchy hippie treat [ha, ha].
Overall, this is a granola recipe that is perfect as is… but could definitely be improvised based on the contents of the cupboard. We enjoyed it served over yogurt or with milk, but as with any other granola recipe… the possibilities are endless. I can’t wait to make it to NYC to try the original version, but for now, I’m glad I can enjoy it at home when the mood strikes.
What’s your favorite granola fixings? Have you ever been to Alice’s Tea Cup in NYC? Wanna take me? 🙂
Alice’s Vanilla Tea-Infused Granola [from Alice’s Tea Cup]
click to print
Ingredients:
- 2 1/2 cups old-fashioned rolled oats
- 1/2 cup chopped walnuts
- 1/2 cup chopped almonds
- 1/2 cup chopped pecans
- 3/4 cup sweetened shredded coconut
- 1/4 cup sesame seeds
- 2 heaping teaspoons vanilla tea leaves [I used a vanilla-cinnamon tea, and just cut open one tea bag]
- 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
- 1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 1/2 cup chopped dried apricots
- 1/2 cup dried cranberries
- 1/3 cup honey
- 1/4 cup unsalted butter, melted
Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees, and spray a large jelly roll pan with cooking spray.
In a large bowl, mix together all ingredients except honey and butter. Mix together thoroughly, then stir in honey and butter.
Spread the mixture on prepared baking sheet, and pack down with a spatula. Bake for 20 minutes, flipping at the halfway mark. Remove granola from oven when it is golden brown. It will harden as it cools.
Break granola into chunks and store in an airtight container. Serve with milk or yogurt.
Time: 30 minutes.
Yield: about 7 cups.
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SRC: Quinoa Pancakes
Another month, another dose of the Secret Recipe Club. 🙂 My favorite Monday of the month, by far. If you’ve missed my other SRC posts, the premise is this: you’re assigned a different member’s blog every month. You visit their blog, choose any recipe you want, then make it and share it on your blog. It’s a great way to find new blogs and expand your repertoire with new recipes, cooking styles, etc. Then, everyone posts about their assigned blog on the same day. It’s so fun–if you have a blog, definitely check it out and consider joining! I highly recommend it.
For March, I was assigned Rachel’s blog, Not Rachael Ray. While perusing her site, there were so many things I wanted to try [that is, when I wasn’t sidetracked by the precious photos of her baby daughter]. I’ll have to come back later when it’s rhubarb season to make this cake. I’m also very intrigued by these pumpkin cheddar muffins–that’s one pumpkin combo that I have not experienced! But for March, I decided that a cozy, comfy breakfast was in order… hence, Quinoa Pancakes.
I love breakfast, I love quinoa. Why not put the two together? I know it sounds a tad bit strange, but take away your side-dish associations with quinoa and just think of it as the “grain” that it is. And I say “grain” because it is actually is a seed and a relative of spinach and Swiss chard, unlike our modern connotations. Check out this link for more info on this nutritious addition to your new favorite pancake recipe.
These pancakes were nutty and filling–just sweet enough to be satisfying, but not that over the top sweet that a little extra maple syrup and fresh blueberries would be considered overkill. Nope, not at all. Ben and I both loved these pancakes and are sure that you will too! Thanks, Rachel, for the new addition to our breakfast rotation. 🙂
Quinoa Pancakes
from Not Rachael Ray
Ingredients:
- 1 cup cooked quinoa or brown rice [approximately 1/3 cup dry cooked in 2/3 cup water]
- 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1/4 cup skim milk
- 1 large egg + 1 large egg white
- 1 tablespoon unsalted butter, melted, plus more for the skillet [I used canola oil]
- 2 tablespoons real maple syrup
- 2 tablespoons ground flaxseed, optional [I used about 2 teaspoons because I only have a hand crank grinder and my hand was tired!]
Directions:
Heat a large skillet over medium heat.
In a large bowl, mix together quinoa, flour, and baking powder. In a measuring cup, measure milk, then add in eggs, butter, and maple syrup. Whisk together, then fold into the quinoa mixture. Stir in flax if using.
Add butter or oil to skillet, then drop batter on skillet. [see yield for size info] Cook on first side for about 90 seconds to 2 minutes, or until bubbles form, then flip and cook until golden brown. Serve with fresh fruit, preserves, and/or more real maple syrup.
Click on over to check out other posts from today’s reveal of the SRC. Have a great day!
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Sausage, Apple, and Egg Casserole
Happy Leap Day! Speaking of holidays, my family always has the same egg casserole, Easy Cheese Souffle, on Christmas morning. [Yes, I know it’s February, and I’m talking about Christmas. So what? And is Leap Day a holiday? I’m pretty sure it is, right?] It’s a pretty simple make ahead egg casserole dish–full of layers of cheese, eggs, and bread with a little bit of spice. There’s so much cheese in Easy Cheese Souffle that it rivals the eggs for prominence in the name. In fact, cheese is such an integral part of my Christmas breakfast experience that I have a hard time reconciling breakfast casseroles that include meat and do not include cheese. Even if I’m eating said egg casserole and it’s not Christmas.
So it came to me as a shocking surprise that I was drawn to this recipe for Sausage, Apple, and Egg Casserole.
No cheese? Whaaaaat?
Did I read that right?
I had to check myself from throwing some cheese in there out of habit when I was prepping it on a Friday night for Saturday’s brunch with friends. And you know what? I am so glad I didn’t add any cheese.
[Cue another “whaaaaat?”]
See, not adding cheese allowed the other flavors–bread, sausage, apples, eggs, onions, milk, and pepper–to stand out. And with only seven ingredients [and no cheese], everything had a chance to shine in every bite. The maple sausage added an extra level of wow to this dish, and it’s definitely going to be a keeper in my breakfast repertoire–even without cheese!
Question of the day ~ Are there certain recipes you feel just have to be so, like me and egg/cheese casserole?
Sausage, Apple, and Egg Casserole
from The Brunette Foodie [blog disabled now]
Ingredients:
- 1 pound ground maple sausage
- 1/3 baguette, cut into 1 inch cubes
- 1/2 cup onion, minced
- 2 Gala apples, diced
- 1/2-1 1/2 cups skim milk
- 8 eggs
- freshly ground black pepper
Directions:
Spray a 9×13 inch baking dish with cooking spray. Then, cook the sausage in a large skillet over medium-high heat, breaking the sausage as it cooks. Meanwhile, place the baguette cubes in a single layer in the baking dish, then evenly add onion and apple on top.
After sausage is cooked, drain grease then add sausage to baking dish. In a bowl, whisk together 1/2 cup milk and eggs, making sure that yolks break. Pour mixture over top everything else, and add up to 1 additional cup milk if needed. I used more of a softer baguette [which is more like Italian bread], but if you use a true baguette you probably won’t need the extra milk–mine just needed more moisture.
Top with some freshly ground black pepper, then cover and refrigerate overnight or up to 24 hours.
In the morning, preheat the oven to 350 degrees and then bake, uncovered, for 35-45 minutes or until golden brown.
The Pajama Chef 