Easy Danish Rolls

"I'm a Danish, I'm a Danish...oh, oh, oh, I'm a Danish..." C'mon, sing it with me!


My house smells so good right now, it'd make you cry. Seriously. I don't think I even want dinner now.

Easy Danish Rolls

8 Rhodes Dinner Rolls, thawed but still cold
4 oz. (half a package) cream cheese
1/3 cup sugar
1 t. vanilla
1 T. flour
splash of half & half

Extra toppings: chocolate chips; sliced almonds; pecan halves; Nutella; jam or preserves; fresh or frozen berries; etc.
Glaze: 1 T. butter, melted; 1 t. honey; mix these together
Frosting: 1/2 c. powdered sugar; 2 T. milk; 1/2 t. vanilla

1. Thaw rolls in microwave by placing on plate and heating for 25 seconds; turn dough balls over; heat another 20 seconds. DO NOT OVER HEAT.
2. Flatten each roll and place on a buttered cookie sheet. Cover with waxed paper and allow to rise until doubled in size.
3. Meanwhile, mix cream cheese, sugar, vanilla, flour and half & half with an electric mixer. By hand probably won't get all the lumps out, so just get the mixer, and don't argue with me, okay? Keep in fridge until dough is risen and ready.
4. Depress each roll in the center; brush each with honey-butter, using a pastry brush.
5. Spoon some of the cream cheese mixture into the center of each roll. If you choose, add extras such as chocolate chips, nuts, jam or fruit.
6. Bake at 350˚ for 15 to 18 minutes.
7. Drizzle with frosting, and enjoy!!!!

Concept adapted from the Rhodes Bread recipe:
Cream Cheese Danish

Monkey Bread in individual servings

Individual serving sizes is a great innovation for this recipe; borrowed from the Rhodes Bread website.

Mini Monkey Breads

12 Rhodes dinner rolls, thawed but still cold
6 T. butter, melted
1/2 c. brown sugar
2 t. cinnamon

Icing:
1 c. powdered sugar
1 T. butter, melted
1-2 T. half and half (or milk)
1/2 t. vanilla

1. Heat oven to 350°.
2. Cut each dinner roll into 6 equal pieces.
3. In a bowl, melt butter in microwave.
4. In another bowl, combine sugar and cinnamon and mix well.
5. Dip each roll piece in the butter and then in the sugar mixture.
6. Place 6 pieces in each well sprayed cup of a 12 cup muffin tin. (or use individual custard cups, ramekins, or other small oven-safe baking dishes. Set them on a cookie sheet for ease in placing into and removing from oven.)
7. Cover with sprayed plastic wrap and let double in size.
8. Remove wrap and bake at 350° 15-20 minutes.
9. Cool 3-4 minutes before removing from pan(s).
10. Combine icing ingredients and mix well. Drizzle over monkey breads.

LINKY:
Rhodes Bread

random amusements

This was a discussion I first had with Casey the other day, and it popped into my head because he said he could eat my French Toast Casserole every day for the rest of his life and be perfectly happy. Which made me think of the colors of food, and my mind when in to hyper-drive, and...

One Color of Food...

If you could only eat ONE color of food for the rest of your life, what color would you choose?


ME: brown. WHY?: coffee, chocolate & steak. I'm sure there are other things to put on my list, but those were my top three.

CASEY: yellow. WHY?: corn, cheese, butter, "stuff fried in butter turns yellow," eggs, squash, pancakes, cereal, cake, Twinkies, A&W Cream Soda, French vanilla ice cream...

The "rules" would be rather lax, I think, and it's my game, so I can make them whatever I want. For instance, my steak would need to still be pink in the middle, yet its outward appearance would be brown, so it would count as brown. Believe me, I can come up with an argument for steak if I need to! LOL!

So, I'm not going to make this a poll, but if you want to play along and post your answer, that'd be cool.

Gripe Of The Day

Aren't you sick of Keith Urban?

I mean, yeah, he's sorta cute and I like a few of his songs, but enough already! They play him constantly on radio stations around me, and I'm sick and tired of Keith Urban! Besides, you can't see him on the radio...kinda pointless...

[/end rant]

random amusements

Tag...you're it...

I found this on another cooking blog where I stop by daily. And, although it wasn't passed along to me in particular, it seemed like a fun little survey to provide answers to...


1. A – Available/Single? Nope—sorry to anyone looking for a woman who's a good cook! LOL!
2. B – Best friend? Casey, of course!
3. C – Cake or Pie? blueberry pie
4. D – Drink of choice? COFFEE
5. E – Essential item you use every day? coffee-maker
6. F – Favorite color? almost any shade of blue
7. G – Gummy Bears Or Worms? Swedish Fish!
8. H – Hometown? Chicagoland area
9. I – Indulgence? chocolate
10. J – January or February? …uh, for what?…
11. K – Kids & their names? No thanks.
12. L – Life is incomplete without? Casey/love
13. M – Marriage date? December 12th
14. N – Number of siblings? just one
15. O – Oranges or Apples? …it depends…
16. P – Phobias/Fears? Spiders, vampires, envelope flaps, car accidents, and death.
17. Q – Quote for today?
"This soldier, I realized, must have had friends at home and in his regiment; yet he lay there deserted by all except his dog. I looked on, unmoved, at battles which decided the future of nations. Tearless, I had given orders which brought death to thousands. Yet here I was stirred, profoundly stirred, stirred to tears. And by what? By the grief of one dog."
- Napoleon Bonaparte, on finding a dog beside the body of his dead master, licking his face and howling, on a moonlit field after a battle. Napoleon was haunted by this scene until his own death.
18. R – Reason to smile? Somebody loves me.
19. S – Season? Spring, when all my little floweries start to bloom!
20. T – Tag 3 People? Auntie D, and Gwen, and....?
21. U – Unknown fact about me? I was in gymnastics when I was little. I mean…when I was a kid…
22. V – Vegetable you don't like? Peas! Ugh, horrid peas!
23. W – Worst habit? Indecisiveness, no, wait, I take that back…
24. X – X-rays you've had? Neck, shoulder, arm, teeth, knee, ankle…
25. Y – Your favorite food(s)? Steak, salmon, scallops, crab legs, when Casey grills chicken, blueberry pie, yellow cake with chocolate frosting, tiramisu, anything with artichoke hearts in it, spinach salad, hard salami, turkey pepperoni, bacon, any type of squash, chocolate, coffee, almonds, pecans, fresh pineapple….really, must I go on…?
26. Z – Zodiac sign? Taurus


The Rules
1. Link the person who tagged you.
2. Post the rules on your blog.
3. Share the ABCs of you.
4. Tag 3 people at the end of your post by linking to their blogs. (optional!!)
5. Let the 3 tagged people know that they have been tagged by leaving a comment on their website.
6. Do not tag the same person repeatedly but try to tag different people, so that there is a big network of bloggers doing this tag.



NOTES:
I pilfered/scammed this from Bob @ Cooking Stuff

Cocoa Cappuccino Mousse Pie

This turned out a little flat and messy. I think I needed to cool the cocoa mixture longer before folding in the whipped cream.

Cocoa Cappuccino Mousse Pie

1 prepared graham cracker pie crust
1 can (14 oz.) sweetened condensed milk (not evaporated milk)
1/3 c. cocoa
3 T. butter
2 t. instant coffee, dissolved in 2 t. hot water
2 c. (1 pt.) cold whipping cream

1. Combine sweetened condensed milk, butter and coffee in medium saucepan. Sift in cocoa (important to sift it, to avoid lumps).
   
2. Cook over low heat, stirring constantly, until butter melts and mixture is smooth.
3. Remove from heat; cool in fridge for 1 hour.
4. Beat whipping cream in large bowl until stiff.
5. Gradually fold chocolate mixture into whipped cream.
6. Spoon into pie shell.
7. Refrigerate until set, about 2 hours.

I wish I had some leftover whipped cream and chocolate-covered coffee beans to garnish this!

random amusements

What happens when you put a blanket on the floor in the sunlight? = Cat magnet

I must attribute my recent productivity to my cat, Thumper. He's been hanging out with me a lot in the craft room while I am on the computer. Also, I've learned to keep my digital camera on the countertop by the phone in the kitchen, where it is handy. He makes a good subject, too.

More Thumper photos:

Snoozing on the couch...

Wants to play...

Wants to be brushed...

Wants his morning coffee...?

Wants to sleep...

Wants...something...

French Toast Casserole

Holy crap!!! This was awesome!!!!! I had invited my mom over for brunch this morning, with the idea of making this dish—I forget now where the recipe came from—and we were all amazed by how flippin' good it tastes! Although, pretty much anything doused in real maple syrup is going to be delicious…

French Toast Casserole

1 baguette, sliced thin
2 c. heavy cream
3 eggs
2/3 c. pure maple syrup
1/4 t. salt
1/2 c. pecans, coarsely chopped

1. Heat oven to 325˚.
2. Butter a 2 qt. baking dish.
3. Arrange sliced bread on two cookie sheets (you can crowd them as needed) and bake for 10 to 15 minutes. Allow to cool.
4. In medium bowl, whisk cream, eggs, syrup, vanilla and salt.
5. Dip bread slices one at a time into egg mixture, allowing it to soak in a little.
6. Stand bread slices in rows in baking dish. Doesn't have to be too pretty.
7. Pour any leftover egg mixture as evenly as possible over the top of the bread. Sprinkle with pecans and bake for about 30 to 40 minutes, or until set. Check the front of the dish and make sure that any egg batter gooey stuff is no longer liquidy.
8. Serve hot with butter and more syrup.

NOTES:
I'm trying to figure out how to make this and incorporate either fruit; or, a combination of cocoa and ricotta...like a tiramisu breakfast casserole...I know, brilliant, huh?!

Qu'est-ce que c'est?

Qu'est-ce que c'est?

What is this? Why is this here? Why do I have this?

Why is this frying pan so shallow? Isn't stuff going to spill and overflow all over my stove when I use this thing?

It's a crêpe pan. The idea is that the pan should be shallow, because you are only going to make the thinnest layer of egg pancake, and I would think that it might help in turning the crêpe, maybe.


Mix your crêpe batter—either homemade recipe, or a box mix (yes, there are such things—spoon or pour a very small amount of batter and then quickly tilt the pan to spread the batter out to cover the flat bottom of the pan. Wait for it to brown, then flip and continue cooking until done.

It does not take very long to cook a whole stack of crêpes, and once you've got the hang of it, you'll probably want to make crêpes all the time. Or, you can even freeze a batch of cooked crêpes, stored with waxed paper between them, in a zip-lock freezer bag.

Qu'est-ce que c'est? It is a crêpe pan. An all-around good thing to have in your kitchen.


The one I use is made by T-Fal, but many different brands manufacture them.


LINKS:
Steel Crêpe Pan $17.95 @ Stonewall Kitchen

Nonstick Crêpe Pan $19.95 @ Crate & Barrel

Crêpe Pan $16.99 @ The Home Marketplace

Crêpe definition: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crepe



NOTE:
I have a fun-and-delicious-looking recipe for a multi-layered crêpe cake which is stacked in a springform cake pan, but I have not attempted this recipe. Yet.

CoaSB: Basic Crepe Recipe

Minnesota Soup

I made some Minnesota soup the other day, because the weather has turned cool, and I had some fresh veggies in the fridge that I wanted to put to good use. Plus, it always reminds me of Grandpa...

REPOST: Minnesota Soup

Towards the end of his life, my grandfather had spells of forgetfulness and some confusion. It didn't change his personality, but he would sometimes use the wrong word in a sentence. As I had previously mentioned, I often took large containers of soup (and bread!) to him for lunch and dinner. One day when my mom was there, she offered to make him some lunch. When asked what he wanted, he remembered I had left minestrone soup. "I'll have some of that...Minnesota soup..."

Minnesota Soup II

2 cans beef broth
1 can chicken broth
6 c. water
1 small sweet onion, minced
2 stalks celery, chopped
4 to 6 cloves garlic, minced/pressed
1 can mushrooms
1 can (15 oz.) navy beans
1 c. fresh cabbage, shredded
1 stalk broccoli spears, cut into bite-sized pieces
2 c. cauliflower spears, cut into bite-sized pieces
3 medium baking potatoes, diced small
1 handful baby carrots, sliced
1 can (15 oz.) diced tomatoes
1/4 package frozen green beans
1/2 package frozen lima beans
1/2 package turkey kielbasa, cut into chunks
2 handfuls tubini pasta
2 t. Italian seasoning
salt to taste

1. In large stock pot, sautee onion in butter until slightly browned.
2. Add beef broth or use bouillon cubes with enough water to fill pot about half way full.
3. Add all other ingredients, except pasta.
4. Allow to simmer for 30 to 40 minutes; until potatoes are done.
5. Add pasta; stir well.
6. Add Italian Seasoning to taste.
7. Simmer until pasta is cooked. Serve with wheat bread or some other hearty textured bread.

Links:
Minnesota soup

random amusements

Photo of me and Denise from New Years Eve...date unknown... (notice the bottle in her hand...?)

That was a really one!

Denise and I have been friends since high school. Best friends, partners in crime, trusted allies, mutual therapists, dance instructors…many things. These days, we don't see each other very often, but when we do, it is as though no time has passed and we fall right into our old joke routines.

One particular memory stands out. It is a phrase that was coined over 20 years ago, and still remains one of those things that will always crack us up. I have shared this story with scores of new friends over the years, and many pick it up and use it in their conversations. A little something that Denise and I have donated to the world.

You see, I don't have to be drunk to be stupid and amusing; I just have to be tired. When I'm tired from, oh, say, staying up all night, I stop making sense. Unfortunately, I don't stop talking. Things will come out of my mouth, and I have no idea what I'm saying. Which is exactly what happened that infamous night.

Denise had invited me, and another friend of hers, to stay the night at her house. It was a weekend, so we were not too concerned about disturbing her parents, and we ended up staying up all night long. It must have been about 6am, after hours of talking, laughing, singing along to the radio, and telling jokes.

I'm not very good at remembering jokes, but at 6am one happened to pop into my mind. What I meant to say was, "wait, wait, wait, this is a really funny one."

But I left out the word "funny."

Denise and Carrie are cracking up, and I'm thinking, "I didn't tell the joke yet…"

"This is a REALLY ONE?!" Denise shouts/laughs.

"It's a really FUNNY one," I explain.

"You said 'this is a really one'," she says, and then falls over onto Carrie, both of them laughing/snorting.

"No, I said, 'this is a really FUNNY one'," I repeat.

"No, you left out the word 'funny' and said, 'this is a really one'," Denise insists and cracks up all over again.

So, ever since then, when one of us heard a good joke, we'd say, "hey, I heard a really one the other day…"

It's catchy. Somebody does something funny, you say, "hey, that was a really one!" Movie cracks you up—it was a "really one."

Maybe it's not translating well into the written word, but if you're around me enough, it'll turn up in conversation. And when it does, you will laugh. It's inescapable.

Here's to Denise, old friends, and good memories….and really ones.

Apricot & Goat Cheese Bites Revisited

I reworked this recipe because I had some leftover won ton wrappers sitting around in the fridge. Initially, I knew I wanted to make little appetizer cups, but I didn't know what to fill them with. Then I remembered trying to find that apricot-goat-cheese recipe and I thought, "hmmm…" This was the result.

Apricot & Goat Cheese Bites Revisited

12 won ton wrappers
3 T. butter, melted
1 container crumbled goat cheese (you won't use it all)
1 jar apricot preserves (you won't use it all)

1. Preheat oven to 375˚.
2. Lightly brush a mini muffin pan with melted butter.
3. Cut won ton squares in half (to make rectangles), then fold in half to double-up the thickness (see photo; makes two layers). Arrange in mini muffin or mini tart pan. Dab with a little bit of melted butter. Bake for only 4 minutes—they should be very lightly brown on edges.
4. Remove pan from oven and carefully fill each won ton cup with about 1/2 teaspoon of goat cheese. Top that with about 1/4 teaspoon of apricot jam. (NOTE: I didn't measure these quantities, I'm just estimating.)
5. Bake for another 3 to 4 minutes or until the won tons look browned and crispy on the edges. (NOTE: the first batch I did, I was conservative with the oven time, and the second batch came out better because I left them in longer to brown.)
   

Links: Croustade Appetizers
Apricot & Goat Cheese Bites

Oatmeal Wheat Bread

I'm so distraught! First my bread didn't rise well after I did the slashing thing on top, and then it fell apart when I turned it out of the pan! ARG!!! Not an epic fail, and it still tastes good.

Oatmeal Wheat Bread

2 T. active dry yeast
1/2 c. warm water
1 1/2 c. scalded milk
1/3 c. canola oil
2 t. salt
1/2 c. molasses
4 1/2 to 5 c. whole wheat flour
2 c. quick cooking oats

1. Sprinkle yeast over warm water (110˚) and allow to proof for 5 minutes.
2. In a 2-quart saucepan measure and scald the milk; add the canola oil, salt and molasses. Allow to cool to 110˚.
3. In a large mixing bowl place the yeast-water mixture and the milk-shortening mixture.
4. Add 1 cup of the whole wheat flour; mix well. Add 2 cups of the quick oats; mix well.
5. Add 1/2 cup at a time of the whole wheat flour, kneading with each addition in the bowl until you have used enough to make a soft dough.
6. Place dough on a lightly floured work surface and knead until the dough has become elastic and smooth, approximately 10 minutes.
7. Put dough in a lightly greased bowl and turn to coat.
8. Cover and let rise until almost doubled in bulk.
9. Punch down and let rest 10 minutes.
10. Form into loaf and place in well-greased round casserole pan.
11. Cover and let rise until almost doubled.
12. Preheat oven to 375˚ and bake 35-40 minutes. Remove from pan immediately and allow to cool on wire rack.

This stuck in the pan, and another part fell on the floor....Casey ate that part, anyways! LOL!


I ate the part that was stuck in the pan...it was crunchy goodness!



Hmmm, I forgot to get a photo of the top of the loaf... I may post one later.

random amusements

Say what?!

Am I the only one who has to look up those cryptic clothes label washing instruction hieroglyphics?

I just bought a new clothes item and it has no washing instructions, as it is a "tag-free" garment. Super. Great. How do I wash it? Oh, lookie here--there are symbols to indicate how it is to be cared for...

Weird polygon thing with one dot, no-black-triangles, mailing envelope...

Say what?!!!!

I looked it up. Here you go:
http://www.textileaffairs.com/c-common.htm#wash

Thought I should share.

: )

Basic Crepe Recipe

My mom taught us how to make crepes when we were kids. Of all the fillings to choose from, I think just a little butter and powdered sugar is still my favorite. Or, if I'm feeling ambitious, homemade vanilla custard.

Basic Crepe Recipe

1 c. flour
1 1/2 c. milk
3 eggs
pinch of salt

1. Mix all ingredients together in a blender. (NOTE: this is the best mixing method. However, it can be whisked by hand if you don't mind lumps.)
2. Ideally, you should let the batter stand for 30 minutes, then blend again. But you don't have to.
   
3. Take a flat-bottomed, non-stick, 8 to 10 inch skillet and brush the bottom with a light coat of melted butter. (Or you can use cooking spray, with a light hand.)
4. Heat the pan until a drop of water will skitter across when hitting the surface—this lets you know the pan is properly heated.
5. Pour a small amount of batter—about 2 tablespoons—from the blender pitcher into the pan and quickly lift and tilt the pan to spread the batter across the bottom surface of the skillet, making a thin layer.
6. Allow to cook over medium heat until the edges begin to curl a little and pull away from the pan. Using a pancake turner, carefully pick up an edge of the crepe to see if it is beginning to brown on the underside. It should be a very pale shade—you don't want it to get too done, or else it'll affect the texture and flavor. Turn the crepe over to finish cooking and brown on the other side.
7. Slide onto serving plate and prepare with your favorite fillings and roll up to eat.
   

Fillings can include any (or all) of the following:

• butter
• powdered sugar
• cocoa powder (sifted on! do not clump!)
• Nutella
• any leftover chocolate frosting you might have hanging around
• mini chocolate chips
• mini marshmallows
• toasted marshmallows
• coconut
• toasted coconut
• chocolate shavings
• jam/jelly/preserves
• pudding/custard
• strawberries & whipped cream (don't use Cool Whip or it will melt and ooze)

I have also had some savory-filled crepes, such as mushroom & sirloin tips, which were fabulous.

This one is Nutella and a cocoa & powdered sugar mix:

random amusements

Toasted Marshmallow Day

Okay, now how can you argue with this? Today is Toasted Marshmallow Day. I think s'mores are in order, for everyone!

Chocolate Coconut Marshmallow Pie

Yes. Yes, it is as good as it sounds. We had friends over for dinner last night and I was late getting this pie made, but it was WELL worth it in the end!

Chocolate Coconut Marshmallow Pie

crust:
2 c. shredded coconut
1/2 c. chopped pecans
1/2 stick butter, melted

filling:
1 c. semi-sweet chocolate chips
2 c. mini marshmallows (I used 14 large ones)
1/2 c. heavy cream
4 oz. (1/2 a package) cream cheese
3 1/2 c. Cool Whip

1. Heat oven to 350˚.
2. Mix coconut, pecans and butter in 9-inch pie plate; press onto bottom and up sides.
3. Bake crust 20 minutes or until lightly browned. Allow to cool.
   
4. Microwave chocolate, marshmallows and cream in LARGE microwavable bowl on high for 30-second intervals, stirring frequently. Remove from microwave and continue stirring until marshmallows are blended in and chocolate is completely melted.
   
5. In separate bowl, beat cream cheese with electric mixer until smooth. (NOTE: this is an important step, otherwise you may have lumps in the filling.)
   
6. Beat cream cheese into chocolate mixture.
   
7. Refrigerate for 15-20 minutes, or until slightly thickened and no longer warm.
8. Fold in Cool Whip, gently.
9. Pour into crust, and refrigerate about 3 hours.
   

NOTE: I made this without the pecans in the crust because we have someone in the family who has tree nut allergies, and it still turned out fantastic.


JST devours:


Going, going...


GONE!

random amusements

http://icanhascheezburger.com/