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...