Cinnamon Rolls

Adapted from allrecipes.com

1 cup warm milk (110 degrees F/45 degrees C)

1 packet or 8 grams yeast
2 eggs, room temperature

1/3 cup margarine, melted

4 1/2 cups bread flour

1 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup white sugar

1 cup brown sugar, packed

2 1/2 tablespoons ground cinnamon

1/3 cup butter, melted

1 (3 ounce) package cream cheese,softened

1/4 cup butter, softened

1 1/2 cups confectioners' sugar

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/8 teaspoon salt

1. Place warm milk & yeast in the bowl of stand mixer and allow to sit for about 10 minutes.  Add eggs, margarine, flour, salt & white sugar.  Attach the dough hook and allow to mix & need for about 10 minutes (or until the dough is stretchy and not too sticky).  Remove bowl and cover, allowing the dough to rise in a warm dry place for about an hour.
2. After the dough has doubled in size turn it out onto a lightly floured surface, cover and let rest for 10 minutes. In a small bowl, combine brown sugar and cinnamon.
3. Roll dough into a 16x21 inch rectangle. Spread dough with 1/3 cup butter and sprinkle evenly with sugar/cinnamon mixture. Roll up dough and cut into 12 rolls. Place rolls in a lightly greased 9x13 inch baking pan. Cover and let rise until nearly doubled, about 30 minutes. 
4. Meanwhile, preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C).  Bake rolls in preheated oven until golden brown, about 15 minutes. Once complete, place a cookie sheet on top of your pan and turn the rolls out upside down and allow them to cool for a few minutes.  While rolls are baking, beat together cream cheese, 1/4 cup butter, confectioners' sugar, vanilla extract and salt. Spread frosting on warm rolls before serving. 

To make the night before, complete recipe through step 3, then cover and refrigerate.  In the morning, allow rolls to sit at room temperature for about 30 minutes, then complete step 4.

To freeze, complete through step 3, cover & freeze.  The day before you want to cook them, move them from the freezer to the fridge.  When ready to cook, allow rolls to sit at room temperature for about 30 minutes, then complete step 4.

Rolled Sugar Cookies

 Adapted from allrecipes.com

1 1/2 cups butter, softened

3 cups white sugar

4 eggs

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

5 cups all-purpose flour

2 teaspoons baking powder

1 teaspoon salt

In a large bowl, cream together butter and sugar until smooth. Beat in eggs and vanilla. Stir in the flour, baking powder, and salt. Cover, and chill dough for at least one hour (or overnight).

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C). Roll out dough on floured surface 1/4 to 1/2 inch thick. Cut into shapes with any cookie cutter. Place cookies 1 inch apart on ungreased cookie sheets. 

Bake 6 to 8 minutes in preheated oven. Cool completely & ice with sugar cookie icing.

Reindeer Cookies

From Let's Explore

Cookie dough:  store bought or homemade, any flavor
Pretzel twists
Chocolate chips
Red M&Ms


Start with a round cookie shape and pinch the middle gently to create the face shape.  Add eyes, antlers, and Rudolph’s shining red nose.  Bake according to your recipe’s directions.

Classic Waffles

 From allrecipes.com

2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt
4 teaspoons baking powder
2 tablespoons white sugar
2 eggs
1 1/2 cups warm milk
1/3 cup butter, melted
1 teaspoon vanilla extract 

In a large bowl, mix together flour, salt, baking powder and sugar; set aside. Preheat waffle iron to desired temperature.

In a separate bowl, beat the eggs. Stir in the milk, butter and vanilla. Pour the milk mixture into the flour mixture; beat until blended.

Ladle the batter into a preheated waffle iron. Cook the waffles until golden and crisp. Serve immediately.

Easy Pizza Crust

from allrecipes.com

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

1 tablespoon white sugar

2 1/4 teaspoons active dry yeast
3 tablespoons olive oil

1 teaspoon salt

2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

Stir water, sugar and yeast together until dissolved. Add the olive oil and the salt. Stir in the flour until well blended. Let dough rest for 10 minutes.

Pat dough into pan or on to a pizza stone using fingers dipped in olive oil. If desired sprinkle basil, thyme or other seasonings on crust. Top with your favorite pizza toppings and bake for 15 to 20 minutes in a preheated 425 degree oven.

This is a very good, quick simple pizza crust. We topped ours with Italian Seasoning & Garlic Powder & the crust was delicious. I actually wish I would have made some bread sticks out of it...next time :)

Soft Pretzels

Adapted from allrecipes.com

4 teaspoons active dry yeast

1 teaspoon white sugar

1 1/4 cups warm water (110 degrees F/45 degrees C)

5 cups all-purpose flour

1/2 cup white sugar

1 1/2 teaspoons salt

1 tablespoon vegetable oil

1/2 cup baking soda

4 cups hot water

Spray butter & 1/4 cup kosher salt, for topping (optional)

In a small bowl, dissolve yeast and 1 teaspoon sugar in warm water. Let stand until creamy, about 10 minutes.

In a large bowl, mix together flour, 1/2 cup sugar, and salt. Make a well in the center; add the oil and yeast mixture. Mix and form into a dough. If the mixture is dry, add one or two tablespoons of water. Knead the dough until smooth, about 7 to 8 minutes. Lightly oil a large bowl, place the dough in the bowl and turn to coat with oil. Cover with plastic wrap and let rise in a warm place until doubled in size, about 1 hour.

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (230 degrees C). In a large bowl, dissolve baking soda in hot water.

When risen, turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface and divide into 12 equal pieces. Roll each piece into a rope (pretzels in photo above were rolled to about 15-inches before twisting...to get a more 'pretzel' look, you'll probably need to roll them to 20 inches or so) and twist into a pretzel shape. Once all of the dough is all shaped, dip each pretzel into the baking soda solution and place on a dish towel or paper towels to remove some of the moisture from the bottom. Place pretzels on a parchment lined baking sheet (optional: spray each pretzel with a couple squirts of spray butter). Sprinkle with kosher salt.

Bake in preheated oven for 8 minutes, until browned. Once baked, pretzels can be frozen and reheated in the oven as needed. These are simply AMAZING!! We decided to make them cinnamon/sugar pretzels by dunking each in melted butter and topping with fresh ground cinnamon and sugar after baking. Everyone asked for more :)

Banana Oat Muffins

Adapted from allrecipes.com

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup rolled oats
1/2 cup white sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 egg
3/4 cup milk
1/3 cup unsweetened applesauce
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup mashed bananas

Combine flour, oats, sugar, baking powder, soda, and salt.

In a large bowl, beat the egg lightly. Stir in the milk, oil, and vanilla. Add the mashed banana, and combine thoroughly. Stir the flour mixture into the banana mixture until just combined. Line a 12-cup muffin tin with paper bake cups, and divide the batter among them.

Bake at 400 degrees F (205 degrees C) for 18 to 20 minutes.

I made mini muffins, cooking for 12 minutes

T&J's Trailmix

4 cups Cheerios
1 1/2 - 2 cups mini marshmallows
1/2 cup chocolate chips
1/2 cup dried cranberries

Mix all ingredients together in a large zip lock baggie.

Strawberry Cream Cheese Chocolate Chip Angel Roll

1 Angel Food boxed cake mix
1 cup confectioners sugar
2 tbsp butter or margarine, softened
1 tsp vanilla
8oz cream cheese
1/2 cup mini chocolate chips

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 15x10x1 inch baking pan and line with parchment paper. Grease and flour the paper.
2. Prepare angel food cake mix per the instructions on the box. Bake for 15-30 minutes or until cake springs back when lightly touched and toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Immediately turn out onto a linen towel dusted with confectioners sugar. Peel off paper and roll cake up in the towel, starting with the short end. Cool.
3. To Make Filling: Mix confectioners sugar, vanilla, butter or margarine, and cream cheese together till smooth. Stir in chocolate chips.
4. Carefully unroll the cake. Spread filling over cake to within 1 inch of edges. Roll up again. Cover and chill until serving.
5. Slice cake, place on plate and top with fresh strawberries and whipped cream.
   

Sour Cream Enchiladas

2 cups cooked chicken, cubed or shredded
1 can cream of chicken soup
8 oz sour cream
2 cups cheese, divided
1 can diced green chilis
4 flour tortillas, soft taco size torn into strips

Preheat oven to 350. In a large bowl, combine chicken, soup, sour cream, green chilis and 1 cup of cheese. Spray a 8x8 pan with non-stick spray and place a small layer of the chicken mixture on the bottom. Add a layer of tortilla strips and repeat layering (be sure to end with mixture on top, not tortillas). Top with a layer of cheese and bake uncovered for 30-35 minutes.

This can also be made in the crockpot following the same layering technique and cooking on low for 4 hours.

Creamy Chicken Spaghetti

Adapted from allrecipes.com

1/2 package spaghetti or angel hair pasta
1 can Rotel tomatoes & green chilis
1 can condensed cream of mushroom or cream of chicken soup
1/2 cup cream cheese
2 cups chopped cooked chicken breast
1/2 cup shredded cheese
salt and pepper to taste

Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Add pasta and cook until al dente; drain and return to pot.

To the pasta add the diced tomatoes with green chili peppers, soup, cream cheese, chopped chicken, salt and pepper. Cook and stir over low heat until cheese is melted and mixture is heated through.

I have made this with leftover pasta noodles and cooked chicken. Mixed all the ingredients together and baked covered for 30-45 mins (until warmed through) on 350.

Non-Fat Raspberry Frozen Yogurt

6oz fresh raspberries

2 cups non-fat yogurt
1 TBS vanilla extract
1/3 cup of Splenda

Combine all ingredients in a blender and blend until smooth. Pour mixture through a strainer to remove seeds and place in an ice cream maker. Freeze according to manufacturer's directions (ours was 20 minutes in the mixer and 2+ hours in the freezer).

This a tart yogurt, not a sweet yogurt, but it is very yummy!

Vanilla Cookies

Adapted from: Allrecipes.com

Diabetes is very prevalent in both of our families, so I am always cautious of the amount of sugar my boys have. I have been looking for a low sugar treat for them, and while browsing the cookie aisle at the grocery store, I had the idea to try and make my own vanilla wafers. I found a recipe and then adapted it to contain much less sugar and whole wheat flour. The result is a good little cookie that the boys seem to enjoy. And, if I'm being honest, I have had a few too many of these little yummies myself!

1/2 cup butter (no substitutes), softened
1/2 cup sugar (I used slightly less than 1/2 cup)
1 egg
2 tablespoons vanilla extract
1 1/3 cups whole wheat flour
3/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt

In a mixing bowl, cream butter and sugar. Beat in egg and vanilla. Combine dry ingredients; add to creamed mixture and mix well. Drop by teaspoonfuls onto parchment lined baking sheets. Bake at 350 degrees F for 12-15 minutes or until edges are golden brown.

These cookies don't really spread much so you can place them pretty close together and if you want them flat, you will need to press them down before you put them in the oven.

Almond Bars

From: Jennifer Corum

3 c. Bisquick mix
2 c. white sugar
3/4 c. butter, softened
2 eggs, slightly beaten
2 T. almond extract
1 t. vanilla extract
1/2 c. almond slivers

Combine Bisquick mix and sugar and then cut in margarine until mixture is crumbly. Add in beaten eggs and extracts; mix until combined. Press mixture into a jell roll pan or 9 x 13 inch pan. Sprinkle almond slivers on top. Bake at 350 degrees for about 20 to 30 minutes, until lightly golden and a toothpick or knife come out clear in the center. Cut into squares before they cool completely.

The boys LOVE these...so, I tried to health-ify the recipe by cutting more than 1/2 of the sugar, adding 1 cup of applesauce, 2 cups of oatmeal, doubling the extracts and leaving off the almonds. The result was good, more like a crumbly cake than a bar, but tasty :)

Oatmeal Banana Bread

From: Weight Watchers

Makes 10 servings / 4 points each

1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup brown sugar (not packed)
1/2 teaspoon table salt
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
1 large egg, beaten
2 medium egg whites, beaten
1 tablespoon canola oil
3 ripe large bananas
1 cup uncooked old-fashioned oats

Preheat oven to 350°F. In a large bowl, stir together dry ingredients (except oatmeal). Add whole egg, egg whites, and oil; mix thoroughly.

In a medium bowl, mash bananas with a potato masher or fork. Add bananas and oatmeal to batter.

Spray a loaf pan with cooking spray. Pour batter into pan and bake until top of loaf is firm to touch, 45 to 55 minutes. Remove from oven and allow to cool in pan for 5 minutes. Flip out and cool on a wire rack for another 10 minutes.

Veggie Chicken Pasta

Steam fresh broccoli & cauliflower
2-4 chicken breasts cooked
1 box cooked Pasta
Spray butter or butter spread
fresh Parmesan cheese

Cook broccoli and cauliflower following package directions. Finely chop broccoli, cauliflower and chicken and mix together in a large bowl. Add cooked pasta, butter and cheese; mix well. Dish into bowls and top with additional Parmesan.

Makes 4-6 servings

We like to use the Kraft 'Grate it Fresh' Parmesan Cheese because I'm a busy mama and it's easy :)

Tableside Guacomole

This recipe was inspired by the table side guac at the Iron Cactus...yumm!!

1 Large Haas Avocado
1/4 small onion finely chopped
1 medium jalapeno pepper chopped (membranes and seeds removed)
1 medium orange
1/2 small lime
salt & pepper

Cut the avocado in half length wise. Carefully, but firmly, tap the seed with your knife in order to embed it in the seed. Then, gently twist the knife to pop the seed out. Scoop out the avocado into a small bowl and mash with a fork. Add the onions and jalapeno.

To maximize the amount of juice in the orange, roll it back and forth on a counter with the palm of your hand, pressing firmly down. Cut the orange in half and squeeze the juice from both halves into the bowl and then add the juice from the 1/2 lime. Mash all ingredients together with a fork until well blended and to the consistency of your liking. Salt and pepper to taste.

The heat from a jalapeno pepper is in the membrane and seeds. With this part removed, the pepper adds lots of flavor, but not heat...don't be afraid :) Use within 24 hours. If you plan to make the guacamole ahead, reserve the avocado pit and add to bowl to keep from browning.

You can also add some chopped tomato. We are not a tomato loving family so we opt to leave it out :)

Blueberry Oatmeal Pancakes

I am pretty picky about what I feed my kids, especially at breakfast. I like to make sure they start off the day right with something filling and nutritious. My boys, and their daddy, love pancakes. After a little trial and error, I have found a way to pack my pancakes with nutrition, but still keep it quick and simple. The boys enjoy these blueberry pancakes almost every Wednesday morning, but ask for them all week long.

1 cup Bisquick Heart Smart pancake mix
2/3 cup of non fat milk
2 TBS egg substitute
1-2 servings of Motts Healthy Harvest (no sugar added) Blueberry Applesauce
3/4 cup dry oatmeal

In a small bowl, wisk together Bisquick, milk and egg substitute until well mixed. Add applesauce and oats; stir well. Pour batter by slightly less than 1/4 cupfuls onto hot greased griddle. Once edges start to look cooked, flip and cook until golden brown.

These do take a little longer to cook through than regular pancakes and have a softer consistency due to the applesauce.

Delish Spinach Dip

8 oz Sour cream
1 block cream cheese
1 packet ranch dressing mix (powder)
1 package frozen chopped spinach
1 red bell pepper chopped
1 small can water chestnuts diced

Defrost spinach and remove moisture with cheese cloth or paper towels. Mix sour cream, cream cheese until completely smooth. And ranch dressing until well blended. Add spinach and mix. By Stir in bell pepper and water chestnuts by hand. Place in an air tight container and refrigerate for at least 1 hr (best if over night). Serve with crackers or whatever your heart desires (We love it with the wheat thins - the big ones if you can find them).

Yummy and a total party hit! You can even make it light or fat free by using fat free or light sour cream and cream cheese. I have actually never made it with the full fat stuff and I always get rave reviews!

Pumpkin Bread

From: Sierra Schmidt

3 cups flour
1/2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
4 tsp of Pumpkin Pie Spice (or 1 tsp nutmeg, 1 tsp cloves, 1 tsp cinnamon and 1/2 tsp ginger)
3 cups sugar
1 cup vegetable oil
1 egg
2 cups canned pumpkin (16 oz)

Preheat oven to 350. Mix first 4 ingredients in a mixing bowl. Mix last 4 ingredients in a separate (large) bowl. Gradually stir pumpkin mixture into dry mixture. Pour into greased and floured loaf pan. Bake time: 1 hour 20 minutes

Recipe yields one large loaf

My boys love this bread. I make it for them with whole-wheat flour, 1 1/2 to 2 cups of sugar (instead of 3) and unsweetened applesauce instead of oil and it is super tasty. The recipe says 1 large loaf, but I have a mess when I try to just make one. I split it and have 2 descent size loafs. It also freezes really well.