Sweetie's Kitchen Adventures

I DID IT!! Yep, I finally got around to making PW's cinnamon rolls. You see, I have a fear of yeast. A great big, I don't know what's wrong, why doesn't this stuff ever, ever, ever work kind of fear. And that isn't an exaggeration. Well, fear no more! I discovered rapid rise yeast. AWESOME! Not only does it save time, it works! And I don't need to tell you how good these are, because they are by PW... right! Well, lets get to cookin'! Ingredients: dough 2 cups milk 1/2 cup vegetable oil 1/2 cup sugar 1 pkg rapid rise yeast 4 1/2 cups flour 1/2 heaping tsp baking powder 1/2 scant tsp baking soda 1/2 tsp salt filling 1 cup melted butter 1/8 cup cinnamon 1 cup sugar maple icing 1 lb powdered sugar 1/4 cup milk 3 tbsp butter, melted 1/8 cup strong coffee dash salt 1 1/2 tsp maple extract Directions: Heat the milk, oil and sugar in a sauce pan over medium heat, do not allow to boil. Set aside and cool to lukewarm (120 - 130 degrees). Mix yeast...

WOW... it's been a while :o) It's not that I've been out of the kitchen, I've just been busy with life, you know how it goes. It's always crazy here and I rarely get a chance to get on here. Well, enough chit chat, lets get on to the good stuff! Banana Bread!! I love banana bread, and this is by far my favorite recipe. It comes from my great aunt, and it is unbelievably easy to make. Ingredients:  2 cups flour 1 tsp baking soda 1/2 cup shortening 1 cup sugar 2 eggs, well beaten 1 cup mashed bananas 1/2 cup sour milk 1/2 cup nuts Directions: Preheat oven to 350. Grease and flour a loaf pan. Mix all ingredients well, pour into pan and bake 1 hour. Let cool 10 min, then remove from pan to cool completely. Store in an air tight container to keep moist.

The most wonderful, delicious, tender, easiest cinnamon rolls.... ever! Now dont get me wrong, I'm a lover of yeast but the fact that this recipe is without yeast makes it all the better, quicker... easier! Ingredients: For the dough: 3/4 cup cottage cheese (4% milk fat) 1/3 cup buttermilk 1/4 cup granulated sugar 2 oz. (4 Tbs.) unsalted butter, melted 1 tsp. pure vanilla extract 9 oz. (2 cups) unbleached all-purpose flour; more for rolling 1 Tbs. baking powder 1/2 tsp. table salt 1/4 tsp. baking soda For the filling: 3/4 oz. (1-1/2 Tbs.) unsalted butter, melted 2/3 cup packed light or dark brown sugar 1-1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon For the glaze: 2-1/2 oz. (scant 2/3 cup) confectioners' sugar 2 to 3 Tbs. cold whole or low-fat milk 1 tsp. pure vanilla extract Directions: Heat the oven to 400°F. Grease the sides and bottom of an 8 or 9 inch square pan with cooking spray. Make the dough: In a food processor, combine the cottage cheese, buttermilk,...

Oh my... how cute are these!! I cannot believe they turned out so well. My husband's aunt gave me this recipe. She actually called it a ding dong recipe, but I just couldn't resist putting those little white swirls on top! Next time I think I'll make them look like ding dongs... now where did I put that biscuit cutter??? Ingredients: 1 box milk chocolate cake mix 1 box chocolate fudge intant pudding 3 eggs 1/3 cup sour cream 1 1/4 cups water 1 can whipped vanilla frosting 3 squares chocolate almond bark 1/2 cup white chocolate chips 3 tsp shortning, divided Directions: Preheat oven to 350. Line standard size cupcake pans with liners. Mix cake mix, pudding, eggs, sour cream and water with mixer on medium speed, about 3 min, until well combined. Spoon mixture into lined pans, filling about 2/3 full. Bake 18 - 20 minutes. Remove cupcakes from pan and place on cooling rack to cool completely. Once cool, fill a pastry bag (or sandwich baggie) fit...

Wow, it's been a while huh?!? I can't believe that I missed the February Cake Slice Bakers cake (toffee and chocolate… I'm still planning on making it). Not to mention weeks of IHCC with Giada… she's my favorite! Where has the time gone. Well, this weekend I played a little catch up! It took me about 12 hours and I am completely exhausted but it was so worth it!! I stocked both freezers with dinner… for a whole month!! How awesome is that!!! Oh yeah, I made breakfast and lunch stuff too! I came across a web site called Once a Month Mom a while back, and did a little crazy thing called volunteering to be a test kitchen. If you're wondering… it was awesome!! They make it so easy, from the grocery list to packaging the food… it's all there! Even labels (so you're not wondering what's in that bag 'giggle'). I enjoyed it so much that I'm already planning my menu for next month! Now what… I'll be sharing some of the recipes I made and maki...

Recipe courtesy Giada De Laurentiis I love cinnamon rolls, and hazelnuts and icing... but mostly, I love that this recipe starts with a loaf of frozen dough!! I love short cuts and things that make my life easier... in general. I'm submitting this to IHCC for Potluck week. Ingredients 3 tablespoons butter, melted 1/3 cup hazelnuts, toasted and coarsely chopped 1/4 cup packed dark brown sugar 2 tablespoons sugar 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon 1/8 teaspoon ground cloves 1 (1-pound) loaf purchased frozen white bread dough, thawed  3/4 cup powdered sugar 3 tablespoons mascarpone cheese 1 tablespoon buttermilk Directions Brush 1 tablespoon of melted butter over the bottom and sides of an 8 by 8 by 2-inch baking dish. Mix the nuts, brown sugar, sugar, cinnamon, and cloves in a small bowl. Roll out the thawed dough on a lightly floured surface to a 12 by 9-inch rectangle. Brush 1 tablespoon of butter over the dough. Sprinkle the nut mixture over the dough, leaving a 1/2-inc...

with Marshmallow Frosting!!! Recipe adapted from Cake Keeper Cakes by Lauren Chattman This was January's cake at the Cake Slice Bakers. My favorite part... the frosting!! I read another baker's review before I had a chance to bake mine and adjusted the ingredients to make it more marshmallowy :o). The frosting was oh so good... can I have s'more please!! (giggle) The cake itself was almost salty, If I were to make it again, I would probably decrease the salt and increase the sugar a little. Even the over sweetness of the frosting didn't balance it out. Did I mention that I wanted more frosting? Ingredients 1 cup graham cracker crumbs 1/4 cup flour 1 tsp baking powder 1/2 tsp salt 6 Tbsp butter, softened 1/4 cup sugar 1 egg 1 egg yolk 1 tsp vanilla 1/4 cup milk 1/2 cup semisweet chocolate chips Frosting 1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened 3/4 cup powdered sugar 1/2 tsp vanilla 1 cup marshmallow fluff Directions Preheat the oven to 350ºF. Grease a...

Recipe courtesy Giada De Laurentiis Resolutions... My resolution is always to lose weight... Always! I find it very difficult because I am a self diagnosed Chocoholic with a huge sweet tooth and no self control! True diagnosis, I swear!! My favorite place is my kitchen, and I find cooking to be very calming, so while I can't resolve to stay out of the kichen I can chose healthier recipes to prepair... At least in January ;o)  The theme at IHCC this week is Resolutions so I decided to find a healthy recipe to make and I saw Giada make the parmesan crisps on a show once and it kind of stuck in my mind, so when I saw this recipe I knew I had to try it. Perfect! Pretty, don'tcha think!! Ingredients: For the Parmesan Frico Cups: 1 1/2 cups grated Parmesan For the Citrus Vinaigrette: 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil 1 tablespoon lemon juice 1 tablespoon orange juice 1/2 teaspoon lemon zest 1/2 teaspoon orange zest 1 teaspoon honey 1/2 teaspoon...

I know it's the middle of winter but we had some leftover Hawiian Rolls and you know I'm all about the desserts. So this idea just came to mind... I've never made a bread pudding before but it sounded good. My Husband asked me why I was making this because I don't like bread pudding. You see the problem is that I dont like wet bread. The thought of it makes me gag... so I am not sure why this sounded so good. I will say I was disapointed when I first tried it out of the oven, it was very much like I expected. Very Wet Bread. But, the next day, it was so magnificently wonderful! More like a very moist cake full of flavors of coconut and pineapple. Wonderfully delicious, and made even better topped with a Rum Sauce. SO GOOD! Wish I had some more right now!  Ingredients: 10 - 12 Hawaiian Rolls 1 cup milk 1 cup cream of coconut 2 eggs 1 cup sugar 2 tsp vanilla 1 8oz can pineapple 1 cup sweetened coconut Directions: Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degr...

Where do I begin??? My oh my… This was so good! Rich and creamy full of flavors but nothing overpowering. Every flavor worked together beautifully, and the colors on the finished plate were magnificent!! I found the recipe over at Get Off Your Butt and Bake , one of my new favorite blogs! Ingredients: 1 1/2 cups of Cooked diced or shredded Chicken breast 1 cup of diced fried ham 1 cup of crumbled cooked bacon (for the top) 1 diced Roma Tomato ( for the top or can mix in) 5 to 6 stalks of cooked Tender Asparagus for the top 1 cup grated Parmesan Cheese and additional for the top Pasta: Whatever your family likes. SAUCE: 1 cup milk 1 cup chicken Broth 1 cup Whipping Cream 1 cup grated Cheddar Cheese 1 cup grated Parmesan Cheese 2 Tablespoons butter 2 Tablespoons flour 1/4 tsp. garlic powder 1/4 tsp. onion powder a few sprinkles of Red pepper flakes (opt) 1 Teaspoon white sugar 1/2 tsp. cracked black pepper Directions: Fry bacon until crispy, place on Paper tow...

Quinoa - Superfood! As well as an excellent choice for those new years resolutions of healthy eating. I found it over at Mel's Kitchen Cafe . (I love every recipe I've tried from her blog)  I was so happy to have tried this recipe and have made it now several times. I love the texture of the quinoa and black beans, and the hint of heat from the cayenne is the perfect touch. Ingredients:  1 tablespoon olive oil 1 medium yellow onion, chopped 2 cloves garlic, minced 3/4 cup uncooked quinoa 1 1/2 cups chicken or vegetable broth 1 teaspoon ground cumin 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper 1/2 teaspoon salt 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper 1 cup frozen sweet white corn 2 (15-ounce) cans black beans, drained and rinsed 1/2 cup cilantro, chopped Directions: In a medium pot, heat the olive oil over medium heat. When shimmering and hot, add the onions and saute for 4-5 minutes, stirring often. Add the garlic and stir for a minute or two until the garlic is fragrant, be...

Happy New Year Y'all! It's a tradition to eat black eyed peas and cabbage on new years... for luck and prosperity.  I did a little research this morning and this is what I found. For New Years, pork represents health and wealth, and continued prosperity. Some say also that a pig also represents progress - since pigs pretty much can't just look backward without completely turning around, so a pig represents forward progress. The tradition of black-eyed peas for southerners is believed to have originated back during Civil War times when Sherman's soldiers raided southern homes, taking virtually all of the food and burning the crops, but mostly ignoring the fields of black-eyed peas, because they thought them to be food for the livestock and of no value otherwise. As one of the few food sources left to sustain the people and the southern soldiers, those black-eyed peas came to represent good fortune. The black-eyed peas represent coins, cabbage represents paper ...