Tag Archives: food

Pumpkin-Cinnamon Streusel Buns

Okay, I admit that starting the New Year with sweet, decadent Pumpkin-Cinnamon Streusel Buns isn’t necessarily what you might want to look at if you are resolving to eat healthy in the new year. Sorry, I couldn’t help myself! I’ve had this recipe tucked away for a long time but never made it because recipes with yeast always intimidate me. Not only do you have to get the warm water just the right temperature to activate the yeast, the dough needs time to rise, usually more than once. My patience is usually much more suited for quick breads but now that I’ve made this recipe successfully, I’m intimidated no more! Yes, these are still a little time consuming and require patience but my, oh, my, are they worth it! The pumpkin isn’t overpowering but adds the slightest bit of flavor and the cinnamon streusel filling is warm, homey, and exactly what you want in a roll like this. Even if you are watching what you eat, these buns are lower in calories than most cinnamon rolls so don’t feel guilty about indulging just this once.

The ingredients:

Dissolve yeast in warm water and let sit for 5 minutes.

Add in flour, pumpkin, milk, melted butter, salt, and nutmeg. Mix with a hand mixer until combined and smooth.

Roll dough out onto a floured surface and knead until smooth and elastic, about 10 minutes.

Place dough in a bowl sprayed with non-stick spray, making sure spray covers all of the dough. Cover and place in a warm place for 45 minutes until the dough has doubled in size. Dough is ready when an indentation from two fingers remains.

While dough is rising, prepare the filling by adding sugar, brown sugar, flour, and cinnamon in a small bowl. Cut in cold butter.

After dough has risen for 45 minutes, punch down the dough and allow to rise for another 5 minutes. Place dough on a floured surface and roll out into a rectangle. Sprinkle the filling over the dough, leaving a slight border.

Starting with the long end, carefully roll the dough into a log and cut into 12 pieces.

Place rolls into a pan and bake in a 375°F oven for 20 minutes. Allow to cool for 15 minutes.

While rolls bake, mix the powdered sugar, hot water, and vanilla in a small bowl.

After the rolls have cooled slightly, poor the glaze over the top.

Serve the buns while still warm.

Additions: None

Omissions: None

Substitutions:

  • Canned pumpkin for homemade pumpkin purée

Overall Rating: Love It

Source: Cooking Light Magazine

Molten Spiced Chocolate Cabernet Cakes

Want to make an impression on someone this weekend? Try these Molten Spiced Chocolate Cabernet Cakes. These cakes have cinnamon and ginger and are super chocolatey with a warm molten center that will impress anyone. I used regular cinnamon in these although the recipe calls for Saigon cinnamon (anyone know what that is?) and it tasted delicious. These bake quickly in the oven and should be eaten within a few hours of baking in order to keep the molten center. Just be careful that you don’t dig in too quickly or else the entire center might come flowing out. Don’t have Cabernet? No big deal. Use any red wine you might have on hand. These pair deliciously with wine (or milk!) so if you are planning on a low key New Year’s Eve and want to put a smile on your sweetie’s face, definitely consider these.

The ingredients:

Melt the butter and the chocolate in the microwave for one minute. Stir until the mixture is fully melted and mixed thoroughly.

Add in wine, vanilla, and powdered sugar.

Stir in eggs and yolk.

Mix in flour, cinnamon, sugar, and cloves (if using which I didn’t).

Spray four ramekins with non-stick spray and divide the batter evenly. Bake for 15 minutes in a 425°F oven.

Additions: None

Omissions:

  • Ground cloves

Substitutions:

  • Ground cinnamon for Saigon cinnamon

Overall Rating: Love It

Source: McCormick Gourmet

Spice-Rubbed Chicken

As I’ve mentioned before, I don’t eat any beef or pork so I eat a LOT of chicken. Therefore, I’m always interested in any new way to prepare chicken that’s not boring or ho-hum. I have a fully stocked spice cabinet so this recipe for Spice-Rubbed Chicken was a no-brainer for me. Brown sugar is mixed with paprika, coriander, garlic powder, cayenne pepper, salt and pepper and rubbed on chicken breasts and baked until fully cooked. This spice mixture is sweet and spicy and utterly tasty. The recipe calls for 16 chicken breasts (really?!?) but I only baked up 3 and still made the full amount of spice mixture that it called for. I plan on keeping the rest in an air-tight container for future use because I will make this again. Whip some of this up and tuck it away for those nights when you just don’t know what to do with those chicken breasts that have been sitting in your fridge for a couple of days and either need to be made or frozen. Serve this with a salad or side of veggies and you’ve got a quick meal for last minute guests as well. They’ll be impressed!

The ingredients:

Mix the brown sugar and all of the spices in a small bowl.

Lay chicken breasts flat and light rub each side with a little bit of vegetable oil (or spray with non-stick spray). Sprinkle the spice mixture on the chicken and rub until the whole side is coated. Repeat on the other side.

Refrigerate chicken for 15 minutes and place chicken on a baking sheet. Bake for 15-18 minutes (or until a meat thermometer reads 165ºF – 170ºF) in a 400ºF oven (mine took only about 15 minutes).

Additions: None

Omissions: None

Substitutions: None

Overall Rating: Love It

Source: Better Homes and Gardens Magazine

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