Sweet Cinnamon Biscuits

March 5th is arguably one of the three most important dates in our family. It is my husband's birthday. We like to celebrate big around our house, but unless my husband's birthday happens to fall on a weekend we usually do not get to make him a special birthday breakfast. You see on a typical day he leaves the house by 5:30am, and no matter how much we love him we are not getting up that early to make him breakfast. And by we, I really mean me. So, imagine how excited I was when I realized that even though his birthday was on a weekday this year, I happened to have scheduled our son's allergy testing appointment for later that morning so he would be home for breakfast.

I wanted this meal to be something that was a special treat, but I also needed it to be fast and easy to make. I did not want to slave away in the kitchen all morning, or even have to do prep in the days leading up to his birthday. While burning up a few extra minutes one afternoon I came across a recipe for the perfect combination of special, yet quick and easy. Say hello to Sweet Cinnamon Biscuits!

The recipe that I followed did not call for raisins and nuts but I wanted to at least do half that way since I am a raisin and nut lover, hence the photo with half of the dough and cinnamon/sugar mixture with walnuts and raisins. Waaaaay back in the day, say back in junior high home economics class, I learned a little trick for cutting your cinnamon rolls without squishing them. What is that trick, you ask? Dental floss. Yes, you heard right, dental floss. Tear yourself off a piece of dental floss, slide it under the rolled up log of dough to about where you want to make the cut, wrap it around the dough and pull the strings and you have a nice clean cut edge. Works like a charm every time. Enjoy!


Sweet Cinnamon Biscuits
Source: C Mom Cook

2 cups sifted all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 cup vegetable oil
3/4 cup buttermilk
about 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
3/4 cup granulated sugar (I did half white sugar and half brown sugar)
1 teaspoon cinnamon


Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Grease a 9 inch round baking pan lightly.

Combine flour, baking powder, salt and baking soda in a medium bowl and mix well. Stir in vegetable oil. Add buttermilk and stir just until blended.

Knead the dough on a lightly floured surface until smooth. Roll dough into a 15 x 8 rectangle. Spread butter over the dough.

Combine sugar and cinnamon in a small bowl and mix well. Sprinkle over butter. Roll up rectangle, jelly roll fashion, starting from one long side. Pinch seam to seal.

Cut the roll into 1-1/2 inch slices. Arrange the slices, cut side up, in prepared baking pan. Bake until lightly browned, about 15 to 20 minutes.

Rainbow Cake (Single Layer Version)

The first variation of a rainbow cake that I ever encountered was one in which each cake layer was a different color of the rainbow. Yes, that would be 6 layers of cake with plenty of sugary frosting between each layer and all over the sides and top of the cake. I knew this size would be over the top for our family of three, even if we did share with our friends and neighbors, so I began a search for a single layer version. One day I do plan to make the ultimate 6 layer rainbow cake (or at least a version of it) but for now, this single layer cake with do just fine for us.

After mixing the golden vanilla cake mix according the directions on the package, I separated the batter into six bowls. Being the type A baker that I am I felt the need to somewhat measure my portions so that I could make sure that I had successively smaller amounts of batter for each color. You can see from the picture that my largest color was red, followed by orange, yellow, green, blue, and finally violet. There is about a 2:1 ratio of red to violet. Once I separated the batter I added the appropriate food color. Gels work the best to get the most vivid colors.

The next step was to pour the batter into the springform pan. I poured the red batter into the center of the pan and then tapped it on the counter to get it spread out to about an inch or two from the edge. Each color you add will push the previous layers out so you don't need to go all the way to the edge with the red. Pour each successive color and tap between layers to spread out the color. Tap just a few times for green, and no taps for blue or violet. I would suggest that you put a cookie sheet below your springform pan when you bake it since the cake expands out the crack in the bottom of the pan.

Cool the cake completely before frosting. Did you know that you can cool your cake in the freezer if you don't want to wait all day for it to cool on the countertop? When it does come time to frost, choose a neutral or plain colored frosting. The beauty of this cake is on the inside so it's fun to use a plain color or even gray frosting so that you can take your cake eaters by surprise! I used both chocolate and vanilla and did yin and yang since I love chocolate and Ron loves vanilla; the best of both worlds. Enjoy!

Updated to add that you can also do cupcakes and mini cupcakes. A LOT more work than a single layer cake though, so be prepared.

Rainbow Cake

Makes one 9-inch springform pan

1 box golden vanilla cake mix (you can also use vanilla, yellow, or white)
1-1/4 cups water
1/3 cup vegetable oil
3 eggs
gel food coloring
frosting

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees (or 325 degrees for dark or non-stick pans). Grease and flour a 9 inch springform pan.

Prepare cake mix according to directions on box. Divide batter into six bowls. Measure out the batter so that the red has twice as much as the batter that will be violet. (For example, if there is 1 1/2 cups of batter for red then you will have about 3/4 cup of batter for violet.) Once all the battered is divided out, add the appropriate food coloring (gel coloring works best).

Pour the red batter into the bottom of the springform pan. Tap the pan on the counter to spread the batter to within an inch or two of the edge. Pour the orange batter directly onto the center of the red batter. Tap the pan; the red batter will continue to spread as the orange batter spreads. Continue with all colors: yellow, green, blue, then violet. For green you shouldn't need to tap much, and for blue and violet you shouldn't need to tap at all. Place cake pan on a cookie sheet to protect your oven from dripping.

Bake according to directions on the box (checking for doneness often since it is a double layer cake being baked as a single layer). Cool completely. Frost.

Chocolate Peanut Butter Cookies

I have made quite a few cookies in my lifetime, and a few different varieties of chocolate peanut butter cookies no less, but when I saw the pictures for this particular variety I could not get them out of my head. For at least a week, I would think about them anytime I thought about what I should make for breakfast, lunch, or dinner, or when I thought about how I could otherwise occupy my time when I was bored. I finally gave in last night and baked them for our movie night treat.

I think that because it was the first time that I made them they were a bit more time consuming than if I had just made any of my regular standby cookie recipes. One batch only made 18 which was a good and a bad thing. Good in that you don't have a lot of extra cookies hanging around and they end up being pretty good size; bad in that it takes a bit of time to only get 18 cookies out of the process.

One tip that I have is please, please, please, use fresh peanut butter. We use Adam's natural peanut butter for everything, but since the recipe called for Skippy or "kids" peanut butter I found that I had some hanging around in the cupboard so I used that. Probably not a good idea to use peanut butter that is a few years old. Probably not a great idea to use peanut butter that is not supposed to separate but it did separate and you just stirred it back together. Probably not the best idea to use peanut butter that has an oily odor to it because it has separated. Probably a bad idea when the peanut butter makes you think about how long it takes peanut butter to go rancid. I think you get the idea; probably not a good one. Surprisingly the cookies did not taste too bad even with the old peanut butter, so I know they will be positively yummy the next time I make them with fresh, creamy peanut butter.

I followed the ingredient list exactly. The only change I made in the process was to roll out all 18 peanut butter balls first to make sure I had 18 and that they were all about the same size; then I did the same with the larger balls of chocolate dough. I didn't want to get to the end of wrapping them up only to realize that I was a few short for some reason. Enjoy!

Chocolate Peanut Butter Cookies
Source: 99% Cacao Dark Chocolate

1-1/2 cups all purpose flour
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 cup butter
1/4 cup "kids" peanut butter (like Skippy or Jif)
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 egg
---
1/2 cup "kids" peanut butter
1/2 cup powdered sugar



Preheat oven to 375 degrees. In a small bowl, whisk together flour, cocoa, and baking soda - blend it well; set aside. In a large bowl, beat together the sugar, brown sugar, butter, and 1/4 cup peanut butter until it is light, fluffy, and well combined. Add the vanilla and egg; beat well.


In a medium bowl, combine the 1/2 cup peanut butter and powdered sugar until completely combined. Roll the filling into 18 one-inch balls; set aside.

Stir the flour/cocoa mixture into the large bowl containing the creamed butter/sugars mixture until the ingredients are blended together.

Take a heaping tablespoon of chocolate dough (about the size of a ping pong ball) and roll it into a ball. (I would recommend you do this for all 18 cookies so you know you have enough dough.) Then use your hand to flatten the chocolate ball; place a peanut butter ball onto the middle; fold and shape the dough to entirely encase the peanut butter ball. Roll in your hands to make a smooth ball. Place on an ungreased cookie sheet (or you can cover with parchment paper).

Use the bottom of a drinking glass (or some other smooth glass object) to flatten the cookie balls to approximately 1/4- inch thick. Sprinkle granulated sugar over the top of the cookies - fairly liberally or the sugar will disappear when baked.

Bake for 7 to 9 minutes, or until the cookies are barely set and slightly cracked; they should still be soft. Do not overbake them or they will be dry. Let cool on cookie sheet for a few minutes before transfering to a cooling rack.

Box of Chocolates

 

Ahhhhhh, sweet February, commonly thought of as the month of love. How perfect would it be to offer a sweet box of chocolates to your sweetheart? Yes, I know that Valentine's Day has come and gone, but I still have one more day before it is no longer the month of February and I'm sticking with the love theme until the last possible minute.

I actually made these tasty treats back in August for the celebration of our 15th anniversary. Imagine how hard it is to find pink and red candies and a heart shaped chocolate box in the month of August. The guy at the local candy store finally had pity on me and let me buy one individual chocolate instead of one pound of chocolate so that I could buy a velvet heart shaped candy box.

So what is so special about these chocolates . . . they are cupcakes, of course. The idea is from the book Hello Cupcake which has sooooo many fun cupcake ideas. Since my husband is not a huge fan of chocolate I decided to make the mini cupcakes using a yellow cake mix. The back of the book has several different recipes for homemade cupcakes as well as ways to spruce up boxed cupcakes. I used both dark chocolate and milk chocolate frostings. The dark chocolate frosting was warmed in the microwave to make it look more like a ganache and then the edges were rolled in colorful jimmies. The milk chocolate frosting was smoothed over the top of the cupcakes and then large marshmallows, cut in half and then dipped in dark chocolate, were added to the top and then swirled with milk chocolate or vanilla frosting.

These were so fun to make and I enjoyed seeing my husband's face when he saw these sitting on the table the next morning. Don't you love it when you are able to do something that comes as a complete surprise to the recipient.

Cranberry Pecan Salad

Cranberry pecan salad is a great partner to many different main dishes. The unfortunate thing is that I like to use candied pecans and we only get them during the local street fair in the spring or around Christmas time. We have learned to stock up when these events happen, but it is a sad day when we get to the end of our stash and we still have to wait until the next opportunity comes around to buy more.

Side note: The salad above is pictured without the blue cheese dressing.

Cranberry Pecan Salad
(adjust ingredient amounts based on your preference)

green leaf lettuce
diced apple
dried cranberries
candied pecans
blue cheese dressing

Almond Chicken with Green Beans

 

Do you remember long before the invention of the internet when cooks and bakers actually had a special place where they kept their recipes? It might have been a notebook, binder, recipe box, or special drawer where they kept their treasure trove of tried and true recipes, as well as those recipes that looked so scrumptious they vowed that they would have to try it one day. 

Well, I have such an item. It is a notebook that looks like your average grade school three ring binder, but the secret lies in what is in the inside of the notebook. Lift the cover and you'll find oodles of recipes that have been collected over the past 15 years, ranging from appetizers, to salads, to main dishes, to cookies, all the way to desserts. Back before Mr. G.oogle, I used to clip out recipes from magazines and newspapers that would catch my eye. 

The following recipe happens to be one of those that caught my eye many years ago. It has been sitting in my recipe notebook for years just waiting for the day that I would open up to the main dish section looking for a healthy, new chicken recipe. Imagine my surprise when it was so easy and so tasty that it became a regular rotation on our bi-monthly menu. And now, I give you Almond Chicken with Green Beans. Enjoy!

Almond Chicken with Green Beans

Makes 4 servings

4 boneless skinless chicken breasts
1/4 cup zesty italian dressing
1 cup chicken broth
2 cups green beans, trimmed, halved
1 pouch long grain & wild rice (Uncle Ben's - 90 second)
1/4 cup sliced almonds

Toss chicken with dressing in resealable plastic bag. Add chicken with dressing to large nonstick skillet (or skillet with slightly heated olive oil); cook on medium-high heat for 4 minutes on each side or until browned.

Stir in broth; bring to boil. Cover. Simmer 10 minutes. Add beans. Cook 5 minutes or until chicken is cooked through. While chicken is cooking, heat rice in microwave (or cook rice if you are using another type).

Serve chicken and green beans over rice. Sprinkle with almonds.

Whole Wheat Penne with Chicken and Spinach

 
Yum!!! I could not seem to stop eating this. Seriously. I ate a bit before I served it, I ate quite a bit when I served it, I ate a bit when I dished up leftovers, I ate a bit when my husband came home and tried it, and I ate a bit for lunch the next day. I will definitely be making this again. Super easy, yummy, healthy, and inexpensive. Enjoy!


Whole Wheat Penne with Chicken and Spinach
Source: betterrecipes.com


4 small chicken breasts
10 slices turkey bacon
1 small box whole wheat penne pasta
1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
2 garlic cloves, minced
3 tablespoons dried Italian seasoning
4 cups fresh baby spinach
1/2 cup parmesan cheese

Grill or bake chicken breasts; once cool, cut into cubes or tear into chunks. Cook turkey bacon until crisp, then break into small pieces. Boil water and cook penne about 10 minutes; drain. Add olive oil to a large pot; add minced garlic. Cook on low for 2-3 minutes. Add pasta, chicken, bacon, Italian seasoning, spinach, and parmesan cheese to pot; cook on low heat until spinach had wilted (I had to put a lid on mine). Toss to combine all ingredients. Serve hot, or chill and serve cold.