Who needs Cinna-you know what..when you can make these!

ohhh....don't you just love the smell of cinnamon in your kitchen? ...and the smell of fresh baked goods wafting throughout??
These to me are still homemade because you get a quality dough versus using things that came out of can...
just say NO!

If you like Cinnamon Buns, Rolls or just goeey stuff..I got just the thing for you!
Here is what you need:
Frozen white bread loaves (such as Bridgeford or Rhodes)
3/4 cup of brown sugar
1/4 cup of white sugar
3 teaspoons of Cinnamon
dash of nutmeg
dash of salt
1 stick of butter (melted)

Frosting:
2 oz. of Cream Cheese (1/4 pack)
1/2 stick of butter
2 teaspoons of REAL vanilla
about one cup of 1 1/2 cup of powdered sugar
1/4 cup of milk or half & half

Notes:
 Spray loaf with a light coat of cooking spray and wrap with plastic wrap. Thaw out one loaf of bread in the fridge overnight.

Unwrap your thawed dough. Use a 9" inch round pan and cover bottom with parchment paper. I let the parchment paper hang over until the rolls have been place inside my dish, then I cut the remaining overhanging paper off.

Roll out dough onto parchment paper as thin as you can get it.

With a pastry brush or spoon cover the dough from edge to edge with melted butter. Add 80 percen of your sugar mixture on top spreading it just shy of the edge..and add almost all of the butter over it. Do not spread the sugar mixture all the way to the edge...trust me...it will leak anyway.
Start rolling the dough to form a log - you want to work from the widest, roll away from you...and gently pinch the edge together when done.
Use a metal scraper (one of the items I believe is a must have in any kitchen) or a very sharp knife (serregated will be best) and cut the log into pieces. About two inches for each roll. You should end up with about seven or eight. If you like your rolls bigger..then cut bigger chunks..three or four inches.
Start out by adding your first roll in the middle, then make a ring around the center. Rolls should not touch, they will expand. Gently push on the top to flatten out the rolls to have them even in height...and the rest of sugar on top and then the melted butter.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. This gives the rolls a chance to sit a bit longer before going into the oven.
Once oven is heated up, bake rolls for about 15-20 minutes.  DO NOT OVER BAKE.

While the rolls are baking in the oven, make the frosting by creaming your Cream Cheese, Butter and Vanilla together. Add 1 tsp of milk..and slowly add powdered sugar....add more milk if you need to make the frosting a bit smoother and creamier. Mix frosting for about five minutes - this helps eliminate the sugar taste and will be absorbed into the other ingredients.

When rolls come out you can ice them with the Cream Cheese Frosting immediately.

They are ready to eat if you can either pick them up...or put a bite into your mouth without burning yourself.
Store at room tempurate for no longer than two days. Heat in microwave if necessary.
This dish is not for those that are diet consious...this desert is meant for those that want some gooey goodness. Just don't eat the entire thing!! Call your friends..or neighbors to save you if you are tempted to be a little piggy...and make them smile..!


BON APPETIT!

Cooking & Baking Must Have's - Metal Dough Scraper

I am a HUGS Alton Brown fan! He only confims what my grandmother always told me...FIND A TOOL THAT CAN MULTI TASK IN YOUR KITCHEN.
One of the things I can NOT do without is a metal 6" Dough Scraper. This tool helps me work with dough, cut dough and scrap dough off the counter. It also is an excellent garlic crusher! I love cooking with garlic and when I have to peel more than one clove I will use my scraper and cover the clover and well...hit it..smash it...whatever you want to call it! A lot of people will use a knife..hmmm..however, I prefer not to up the chance in cutting myself. The garlic clove will be open and I can gently peel the outter layer off...
plus...the flat blade of the scraper allows me to hit it gently if I only want to smoosh it a little bit..or hit it hard to get it nice and broken up.
The one I use has a ruler on it as well...perfect...because when I am trying to cut the same size I am good to go and don't have to roll out a measuring tape as some will do.
I can go on and on and on about this...for an investment of about five bucks, it is one of the greatest items I own for baking.

Chicken Panang (Curry) - my crack in a pan!

Let me talk to you about Thai food..hmm ...well...let me say let's talk about PANANG Curry. Curries, even though original from India have made their way around many cultures, as many foods have. THANK GOODNESS. Can you imagine not having coffee or chocolate? phew....I can't even think about that!

Panang can be made at home, but why I say? If you can find a good brand...especially if you have a international store near you...I say BUY IT.
Panang is made from red chilies (usually dried), Shallots and Garlic, Lemongrass, Kaffier leave, Suger, Salt and spices..such as Bay leave, Cumin, Cardoman...however..each panang may have been made with just a few other spices...soooooooo
the one I LOVE???  Is a Panang Curry Paste by MAESRI. Authentic and NO PRESERVATIVES or MSG. Yes it is IMPORTED. But you won't believe the price ...a four ounce can is usually about three bucks. But I say...go buy the big can ...14 oz. of love in a can! And hey...we paid six bucks for it...
I will use half of it for my recipes and yes...I got a half can left for the next time I make Panang.
I am crazy about Panang Curry...and I will choose it every single time over a red or green curry. And especially yellow curry (those can just be overpowering to my palate). I like layers upon layers when I am eating a dish. And Panang gives me just that! There is that simmering heat that isn't overwhelming...and ohhh gosh...a touch of sweet comes along....mmmmmmmmm....
You get a creamy texture from the coconut milk and peanut butter...and then this wonderful crips crunch from your veggies.
Before I go into sharing the recipe, let me give you a few of my hmmm tips....
If I have it on hand...I will add lemon grass to the onion and curry paste. And when I am done I will add slivers of Kaffier Leaves along with Basil leaves. It just gives another layer to this wonderful dish.
My other thing about Panang is...I only want to get a HINT of Peanut Butter in my sauce. I prefer my sauce to be towards the coconut with the unmistakalbe hint of Lemongrass...rather than a coconut Peanut Butter taste. However..isn't that the wonderful thing about a recipe? You can adjust as you need to...and even delete or add...
You can use any veggie you like to add to most Thai Curry Dishes. I like it simple. I usually only add red pepper strips and Broccoli florets. The list of veggies are endless of course...but please...don't make me eat baby corn....(yuck..yuck and YUCK!!).
now...I have finished cooking...I have had my bowl of Panang Curry...ohhhhhhhh...and...
please please please...serve this dish with JASMINE RICE. Do not use Basmati! And if you have to use ordinary white grain rice....use COMET Rice. If you are however like me....and moved away from NC..... You may or may not be able to find it in your local grocery stores. I can find it usually at Food Lion and will grab several boxes.
Last but not least..the smell...ohhh THE SMELL...I love the aromas of this dish in the air...not just in my kitchen but my house! I think I would wear this as a perfume! *grin
Enough babbling...let's get to the recipe.
BON APPETIT!!!

Panang Curry Chicken

For every two to three people you need:

2 Tbsp vegetable oil
1/3- 1/2 cup yellow onion, sliced thin
1 large chicken breast, sliced in 1/4 inch thick strips
1 can of coconut milk (brand: Chaokoh)
 4 oz of panang curry paste (brand: Maesri) or to taste. (I usually use about 7 ounces)
1 Tbsp peanut butter (if I double my recipe I do not add more peanut butter)
1 Tbsp sugar (adjust for taste)
1 Tbsp brown sugar (adjust to taste)
1 tsp salt (adjust for taste)
1 cup of frozen broccoli florets
1 red Pepper julienned (or green or a mixture of red/green)
1/4 cup Carrots sliced or julienned or any other veggies you like - the choice is yours
Basil (fresh! a dozen leaves or so)

Multiply for total number of people you need to serve for larger amounts.

Heat a wok or sauce pan to medium heat. Add oil. Saute onions for 3 min.

Add curry paste and cook until you can smell the curry releasing it's oil.
Add peanut butter and mix with curry paste.

Add 1/2 can of coconut milk and heat until bubbling. 

Add chicken.
Lower heat to simmer and leave until chicken is cooked.

Add sugar and salt.
Add second 1/2 of coconut milk.
Increase to medium heat and bring to bubble.
Heat until sauce is thickened. Add veggies and let simmer for about five more minutes.

When vegetables are cooked (slightly crispy), add basil and serve over rice.

NOTES: Both regular Basil or Thai Basil works well with this dish. This dish also is wonderful with a ton of veggies and no meat!
If your sauce gets to thick you can thin it by adding a little water.

And this is what you are going to end up with....and yesss....I have left overs...! Freezes well for up to 3 months. When ready to use, let sauce thaw in fridge and then gently heat up. Voila.

Love me some CHILI! This one with Adobe Chilies and Chocolate --- YUMMY

Chili! Perfect cold weather food and so many ways to make it. Even though I am cooking for two, I like to make extra so I can freeze meals and be ready. I have to plan ahead because Tommy (dear hubby) has to take his lunch with him and I want to make sure he has great tasting food and as healthy as I can make it.
Tommy likes heat in his food, almost a slap-me-in-the-face-and-I-don't-mind-sweating kind. Me...not so much! I prefer a slow...lingering...heat...something that will tingle on my lips, but not make me cry!
With all of that said, when cooking with chilies or chili powders you need to be careful.....you can always add to make it spicier, it is very hard to tone it down.

This recipe can be used with or without meat....ground beef or ground turkey. I love love love beans...soooo my ratio is heavy on beans....
The fun of cooking...well..you can experiment with your recipe to find out what you like best.
This particular recipe I make mostly in a crock pot to let the flavors have time to permeate through out....
Four hours on high. Shut if off. Portion out. Freeze any portions up to six months.

RECIPE:

• 2  cups  diced onion (about 1 large)
•   2 cloves of finely chopped garlic
• 1  pounds  ground turkey or ground beef
• 3  tablespoons  brown sugar
• 2  tablespoons  ancho chile powder
• 1  tablespoon  unsweetened cocoa (you know...Hershey's...the stuff we all make cookies with!)
• 1  teaspoon ground cumin
• 1/2  teaspoon  freshly ground black pepper
• 1/4  teaspoon  salt
• Beans: 1 large can of light red Kidney Beans, 1 sm. can of Black Beans, 2 sm. cans of Cannelli Beans
• 1 lg can of diced tomatoes (do not drain)
• 2 cups of chicken stock or yes...water
• 2  chipotle chiles, canned in adobo sauce, minced
• 2  ounces  unsweetened chocolate, chopped (I use Ghirardelli 60% Cocoa Bittersweet Chocolate baking chips)
• 1/2  cup  (light) sour cream

Add drained beans into your crock pot.

Add spices on top of your bean mixture. In a pan saute your meat, once done add it to your beans.

Saute onions and garlic over low heat until translucent. Add the chopped/minced chipolte chiles into the mixture. Add your tomatoes. And finally...add your chocolate chips and stir until they are melted.
Then pour over your mixture in the crock pot.
Stir throughly and after four hours on high heat..voila...you have a delicous meal.

Top with sour cream before serving...or shredded cheese. Sour Cream of course will let you cool down your heat ....
I recommend if you are not into spicy food, just use half of the chili powder and half o the chipolte chilies.
Do not  add any extra salt until your Chili has finished cooking.
BON APPETIT!!! I hope you will enjoy this fantastic and fairly healthy meal.
My crock pot will give me approximately 8 servings. If you used ground Turkey a bowl would be about 300 calories.