Cinnamon Roll Waffles ~ by Sarah

My friend Angela made these the other morning for her daycare kids and Gavin raved and raved.  Since Mom and Dad got us a new waffle maker for Christmas I wanted to give them a shot.  Super easy and super good!  These little suckers will tempt you to eat more than one...

Ingredients:

1 roll refrigerated cinnamon rolls (the kind in a can)

cooking spray

Directions:

Grease waffle iron with cooking spray.  Place one cinnamon roll per section of your waffle iron.  (If your waffle iron is small you might not want to do four like I did in our big, Belgian one.)  I just cooked mine until the beeper went off on the waffle iron.  If yours doesn't have a beeper, just keep checking them until they're golden.  Spread with icing (from the can--it comes with them) and enjoy!

Slow Cooker Beef Dip Sandwiches ~ by Kelsey

I found this recipe in my Woman's Day magazine.  I modified it a little to fit what we like.  It was AMAZING!  So easy, and delicious.  It has a little kick to it, so it's a little more exciting than a regular French Dip.

Ingredients:
Small beef roast, your choice of cut.  I used a cross-rib roast, and it worked really well.
Jarred pepperoncini peppers, your choice of quantity.  I used about three peppers, sliced, and it was fairly spicy.
1 cup of pepperoncini juice
1/4 cup each of water and oil
1 pouch of Italian dressing mix
1 tbsp minced garlic
Ciabatta rolls
Walla Walla Sweet onion

Put the roast in the slow-cooker.  Mix the peppers, pepper juice, oil, water, and salad dressing mix.  Pour over the roast.  Cook for 4-5 hours on high, or 7-8 hours on low.  Take the meat out of the slow cooker, let it rest for 15 minutes.  Saute the onion in a little butter in a frying pan.  Brush the juice that is left in the slow cooker on the halved ciabatta rolls.  Broil until lightly toasted.  Slice or shred the roast, put it on the bun, top with the onion.  Serve with a side of juice from the slow-cooker for dipping.  The kids didn't want it as a sandwich, so they ate the shredded meat with the bun on the side, minus onions.

Monkey Bread (aka Sticky Buns) ~ by Sarah

Angela knows these as "monkey bread". I know them as "sticky buns" (Wes's mom made me a fan years ago and now they're our Christmas morning tradition). We both know them as absolutely delicious!

Ingredients:
24 frozen Rhodes Rolls
1/4 c. sugar (Part of Angela's recipe, but not mine, so I've never done it.  Guess I'm getting fewer calories!)
1/2 c. brown sugar
1 t. cinnamon
1 3oz. box cook and serve vanilla pudding
1/2 c. butter melted (or sliced thinly)

Directions:
Layer rolls in bundt or angel food pan. Mix sugars and cinnamon together and pour over rolls. Sprinkle with pudding. Pour melted butter over top (or place butter slices on top).

Cover and let rise overnight.

Bake at 350 for 30 minutes.  Remove from oven and turn over on a cookie sheet.

 Note:  Whenever I make these, they tend to overflow the bundt pan while in the oven.  This makes a big, stinky mess when all the goo burns, so I always set the pan on a cookie sheet when I put it in the oven.

Cinnamon Rolls with Maple Icing ~ by Sarah

This is a recipe from my Pioneer Woman cookbook.  I made them last Sunday up at Mom's and they were delish.  Wes even ate three in one sitting--and he doesn't normally like sweets!  They are a lot of work, though.  Definitely something you do when you have lots of time and other people watching your kids!

Dough:
1 qt. whole milk
1 c. vegetable oil
1 c. sugar
2 packages (4 1/2 t.) active dry yeast
9 c. all-purpose flour
1 heaping teaspoon baking powder
1 scant teaspoon baking soda
1 T. salt

Filling:
2 cups melted butter, plus more as needed
1/4 c. ground cinnamon for sprinkling
2 c. sugar, plus more as needed

Maple Icing:
2 lbs. powdered sugar
1/2 c. whole milk
6 T. (3/4 stick) butter
1/4 c. strongly brewed coffee
dash of salt
1 T. maple flavoring or maple extract

Directions:
For the dough, heat the milk, vegetable oil, and sugar in a medium saucepan over medium heat; do not allow the mixture to boil.  Set aside and cool to lukewarm.  Sprinkle the yeast on top and let it sit on the milk for 1 minute.  Add 8 cups of the flour.  Stir until just combined, cover with a clean kitchen towel, and set aside in a relatively warm place for 1 hour.  Remove the towel and add the baking powder, baking soda, salt, and the remaining 1 cup of flour.  Stir thoroughly to combine.  Use the dough right away, or place in a mixing bowl and refrigerate for up to three days, punching down the dough if it rises to the top of the bowl.

To assemble the rolls, remove half the dough from the pan.  One a floured baking surface, roll the dough into a large rectangle, about 30 x 10 inches.

To make the filling, pour 1 cup of the melted butter over the surface of the dough.  Use your fingers to spread the butter evenly.  Generously sprinkle half of the ground cinnamon and 1 cup of the sugar over the butter.  Add more if desired.

Beginning at the long end farthest from you, roll the rectangle tightly toward you.  Use both hands and work slowly, being careful to keep the roll tight.  Some filling might ooze out the side, but that is normal!  When you reach the end, pinch the seam together.  With a sharp knife, make 1 1/2-inch slices.  One log will produce 20 to 25 rolls.

Pour a couple tablespoons of melted butter into the desired pie pans or baking dishes and swirl to coat.  Place the sliced rolls in the pans, being careful not to overcrowd.  Repeat with the rest of the dough.

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.  Cover the pans with kitchen towels and set aside to rise on the counter top for at least 20 minutes before baking.  Remove the towel and bake for 13 to 17 minutes, until golden brown, but not overly brown.

While the rolls are baking, make the icing.  In a large bowl, whisk together the powdered sugar, milk, butter, coffee, and salt.  Splash in the maple flavoring.  Whisk until very smooth.  Taste and add in more maple, sugar, butter, or other ingredients as desired.  The icing should be thick, but still pourable.

When the rolls are done, and while they're still warm, generously drizzle icing over the top.  Be sure to get it all around the edges.

Mmmmmm....

*Note...Having step-by-step pictures in her cookbook was very helpful.  If you want to see pictures of each step, click this link: http://thepioneerwoman.com/cooking/2007/06/cinammon_rolls_.

Rosemary Butter Rolls ~ by Sarah

Let's just get it over with.  Yes, this is another Pioneer Woman recipe.  Yes, I'm obsessed.

I've made these rolls a couple of times.  The first time my dough was expired.  (I didn't realize it until after they never rose properly.  I cooked them anyway and they were delicious.)  I made them again tonight with dough that actually had live yeast.  Let's just say I could make myself sick eating them.

Ingredients:

a cast-iron skillet (not an ingredient, but necessary to make them look cool!)
frozen yeast rolls (I buy the Rhodes brand)
melted butter
fresh, chopped rosemary
coarse sea salt (but I used fine sea salt because that's what I had)

Directions:
Spray cast-iron skillet with cooking spray.  Place rolls an inch or so apart around skillet.  Spray saran wrap with cooking spray and cover the skillet tightly.  Place skillet in a non-drafty area in your house until they are at least doubled in size, light, and fluffy.  (I put them by my wood stove that was just warm, not hot, and it took about 3 1/2 hours for them to rise.)

Brush each roll very lightly with melted butter (they're delicate, so be careful!).  Sprinkle chopped rosemary on top.  Brush with a little more melted butter.  Sprinkle sea salt on each roll.

 

Bake at 400 degrees for about 15-20 minutes until they're nice and golden on top.  Um, yum.  I ate four.  And I would have eaten five, but my guilt started to get to me.  And now, three hours later, I'm dying of thirst from all the salt.  Seriously, these are good.

 

Yummy Rolls ~ by Kelsey

These rolls are very simple, and very yummy.  I make them frequently.  This recipe only makes about 12 rolls, so you may want to double it.  It takes about 2 hours and 15 minutes to complete them.

Ingredients:
3/4 cup milk
3/4 cup water
1/2 cup white sugar
1 teaspoon salt
2 eggs
5 teaspoons active dry yeast
5 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup butter, melted

In a medium saucepan over medium heat, warm milk, water, sugar, and salt.  Remove from heat and mix in the eggs and yeast.  I think it is important to only WARM the milk mixture slightly before you put the eggs and yeast in, otherwise you will cook the eggs and kill the yeast.  But, I'm no cooking expert, so who knows.  Anyway, measure the flour into a large bowl (I use my KitchenAid mixing bowl).  Make a well in the flour, and pour milk mixture into it.  Do not stir.  Cover with a tight lid or saranwrap (make sure it is tight).  I also put a dishtowel over the top.  Find a patch of Eastern Oregon sunshine out-of-reach to your children, and let it rise for 20-30 minutes.

Pour melted butter into flour and mix well.  This is where I use my KitchenAid.  Add more flour if it's too sticky, which it is.  I usually add at least an additional 1/2 cup.  Knead lightly in the bowl.  Cover, rise again for 20-30 minutes.  Shape the dough into rolls, and place in greased baking dish.  Let rise again for 20-30 minutes.  Bake in a pre-heated 400 degree oven for 15 minutes or until done.  I like mine slightly under-done.