Cinnamon rolls....part drool

Cinnamon rolls. Picture Homer Simpson drooling--that's how I feel right about now.

I've always had issues making cinnamon rolls. Why? I'm not sure, but they never turned out right. I've used frozen bread dough, I've made them by hand, made them in the bread machine and yet, they never turn out right. Finally, I can say I made them and they were good! Yipee!



The lovely rolls after pulling them out of the oven. Makes you want to drool, huh?


Frosting added. Mmm, frosting.




Mine. All mine. Notice the dripping cinnamon filling.




After a few bites.

You are probably dying for this recipe that made me sucessful at making cinnamon rolls, so without further ado....

Bread Machine Cinnamon Rolls
recipe courtesy of Money Saving Mom
Thanks Money Saving Mom!!

Dough:
1 cup plus 2 tablespoons warm milk
3 tablespoons canola oil
1 egg, lightly beaten plus 2 egg whites
1/2 cup sugar
4 cups flour (Add a bit more if dough seems too wet after first few minutes of kneading in the bread machine.)
1 teaspoon salt
3 teaspoons bread machine yeast

Filling (I doubled this since we like our filling, oh yes we do!):
2 tablespoons butter
2/3 cup brown sugar mixed with 1 tablespoon cinnamon

Icing:
1 teaspoon milk
1 1/2 cups confectioners sugar
4 tablespoons (or less) butter, softened
1 teaspoon vanilla

Put the dough ingredients in the bread machine in the order listed and run on the dough cycle. After the dough cycle is finished, roll the dough into a large rectangle and spread it with 2 Tablespoons melted butter and 2/3 cup brown sugar mixed with 1 Tablespoon cinnamon.

Roll up and cut into 10-15 rolls and place in two greased round cake pans. Bake at 325 degrees for 20 minutes or until browned. Spread the icing on as soon as they come out of the oven.

You can also cover the unbaked rolls with plastic wrap, stick them in the refrigerator overnight, and then bake in the morning.

Be sure to check out Money Saving Mom's blog for GREAT deals, freebies and more!

So what items do you have issues with cooking or baking? Do tell so I don't feel so bad!

Foodie Blogroll Giveaways

Are you on the lookout for giveaways? My blog has been added to the Foodie Blogroll--horray! So, check out the Foodie Blogroll widget on the right side of the page and be sure to enter some of the giveaways!

On to the pizza

As I said, the pizza was tast-y. All I have is this sad looking picture of 2 leftover pieces.

I made a sauceless pizza--just added a bit of olive oil to the crust and topped with a mix of Italian cheeses and some regular old mozzarella. Added some garlic from the Dane County Farmers Market, red onions and yellow, orange and green peppers. Yum.

The crust was easy and good. Thin, crispy and a bit of a chewy texture. Perfect.

Here is the crust recipe, courtesy of Lino's Restaurant:

4 ½ Cups All Purpose Flour
2 tsp Salt
1 tsp Dry Yeast
7oz Water
7oz 2% Milk

Directions:
Combine flour, salt and yeast in a mixing bowl. Combine milk and water in a measuring cup. Heat water and milk mixture until it is 100 deg. F. Mix all ingredients together. Use a mixer if possible. It will make the job easier. Cover with a towel and let rise at room temperature for two hours. Roll and cut dough to start your pizza.

Notes: I cut the recipe in half and used Skim instead of 2% milk.

Recipe Results

The pizza was sooo good. Soo good. I wanted to bathe in it. OK, so maybe not quite.

But, first-- the granola bars I made. I used the recipe from Make and Takes, whose picture looks oh so good!

Here is the recipe from Make and Takes:
Chewy Granola Bars Recipe:

* 2 1/2 c. Oats – quick rolled oats
* 1/2 c. Rice Krispies
* 1/4 c. coconut
* 1/2 c. M&M minis
* 1/2 c. brown sugar
* 1/2 tsp. salt
* 1/2 c. butter, softened
* 1/4 c. honey
* 1/2 tsp. vanilla

Add all of the ingredients and mix together until combined. Press into a square 8×8 pan. Bake at 350° for 18-20 minutes. Cool for 10 minutes and score into bars. Let it set completely and then cut into bars. For thinner bars, press mix into a 9×13 pan. They seem to set a little better in the 9×13 pan.

My changes: Left out the coconut (didn't have any), subbed mini chocolate chips for the M&M's (again, didn't have any) and used peanut butter in place of the honey (yes, you guessed it, out again). They were tasty, but I think I did something wrong. Mine didn't stay together as well as I would have hoped. I think I might have gotten the butter a tad too soft. That said, they are good. I'm already thinking about a different version--fruit and nuts--for next time! Thanks Make and Takes!

Long time gone

Trying to get back into the groove after an unintentional blogging break.

I'm spending this very dreary Sunday trying to add some life into January! Cleaning, organizing and baking. One room down, so far. :)

Mixed up a batch of pizza dough--a new recipe. It's from my very favorite restaurant. We'll see if it resembles the real thing. I'm also going to make a batch of granola bars.

Have you read the ingredients in granola bars? Just a few of the ingredients in Quaker's 25% Less Sugar Chocolate Chip Granola Bars:
Partially Hydrogenated Soybean and Cottonseed Oils (Adds a Dietary Insignificant Amount of Trans Fat) with TBHQ and Citric Acid Added to Preserve Freshness. For real? Nasty. The same thing, TBHQ, is used in varnishes and lacquers. Good times.