Cheddar-orange Rolls

(Note: I don't know why this post is centered. I've edited it back to left justification three times, and it just goes back to centered. So, it is what it is.)

I love sweet rolls. Who doesn't? I first fell in love with them when I discovered Cinnabon in the airport as a teenager. My goal after that was to create a cinnamon roll that was EVEN BETTER. Why not? It's just a matter of trial and error to create the right taste.

I do believe I have succeeded. But in order to keep these cinnamon rolls extra special, I only make them twice a year.

That's not the recipe I'm sharing, though it is amazing. 

Why bring it up, you ask? For two reasons: 1) Because I now make this recipe twice a year with my cinnamon rolls and 2) the dough is the same dough! so you can modify this recipe to make cinnamon rolls too.

But there's a story to these recipe, also. When I was in the eighth grade, I stayed the night with a friend whose mom worked at a hotel. In the morning, she brought us home rolls from the hotel. They were some kind of orange cheese sweet roll, and they were divine. I consumed way too many.

Fast forward twenty years, and I've searched high and low for that recipe. There are tons of cheese roll recipes out there. Even more orange rolls. But no CHEESE ORANGE ROLLS. So I created this. It's mine, all mine. And I like it even more than the cinnamon roll recipe, but that's just me! After you've tried it (and loved it), feel free to change it and make it yours, all yours!

Ingredients:

dough: 2 1/2 C warm water

2 T yeast

1/2 C oil

2 t salt

1 C sugar

6-8 C flour

filling:

1 C sugar

1/2 C butter

2 oranges, zested and juiced

2 C shredded cheddar cheese (other cheeses that would be good: Asiago, Havarti, Manchego, Gouda)

glaze: 

juice from the oranges

3 C powdered sugar

First, let's make the dough. I usually give myself two hours to get this done because it has to sit, then sit, then sit again. But it's not hard.

Mix water, sugar, and yeast together. Let sit for 15 minutes. Add the rest of the ingredients. Knead until smooth. Cover and let rise in a warm place for 1/2 hour.

Looks good!

Roll the dough out on a floured surface into a rectangle. There's no right or wrong here, just make it rectangular. (I roll out half the dough at a time because it's a lot of dough!)

Melt the butter and spread it across the rectangle.

Next, sprinkle on the sugar and blend it into the butter.

Add the orange zest. 

And the cheese!

Roll up the dough, starting with the long end.

The rolled up dough.

Cut the dough with a sharp knife every two inches.

Lay out on a baking sheet, leaving space between each one.

Cover and let rise for half an hour.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Bake the rolls for 20 minutes.

This is them as they come out. Aren't they perfect?

Oh, and don't forget the glaze. You should make this while they're in the oven.

Mix the reserved orange juice and powdered sugar in a small saucepan over medium heat until the sugar dissolves.

Dissolved.

Pour over the rolls when they come out of the oven. 

Enjoy with a glass of milk. And yes, I did make cinnamon rolls at the same time. I made the full dough amount, then did half cinnamon rolls and half orange rolls. These are best warm, so nuke them for ten seconds in the microwave the next day and they're good again!

Yield: 24 orange rolls

Tastefully,

Tamara 

Best Biscuits Ever (and I mean Ever)

I need to get in the habit of photographing everything I make, because I never know how it's going to turn out. This was one of those quick and easy Sunday breakfasts. I felt like I was cheating, serving biscuits and jam for breakfast.

Maybe it was cheating because it was so easy. But it turned out sooo good. I ate five biscuits for breakfast, then one more before church, then two more when we got home. Eight. I ate eight biscuits that day.

Ingredients:

2 C flour

1 T baking powder

2 T sugar

1 t salt

1/2 C cold butter, diced

1 C whole milk

Directions:

Mix flour. baking powder, sugar, and salt in a large bowl. Cut in the butter with a pastry cutter or fork. Add the milk and stir until everything is wet, but don't over mix it. (You can also use a food processor which is oh-so-easy.) Roll out gently to 1/2 an inch, then fold it in half and roll out again (this gives it the fluffy layers). Don't press it down. Use a biscuit cutter to cut out the biscuits. Roll out the scraps and keep cutting out biscuits until the dough is used up.

Bake at 450 degrees F for 12-15 minutes. Yield: about 20 biscuits.

You could substitute the whole milk with buttermilk if you want, but these are so wonderful just the way they are. Serve with eggs and bacon and butter and jam. And then make some more and do it again. (I have to make two batches for my family of six.)

Tastefully,

Tamara 

Pecan and Rhubarb Sticky Buns

I made these wonderful confections for breakfast at my recent family reunion. I was in a hurry with each step and sixteen hungry people, so I didn't take the best pictures. Please forgive me. Although it takes time for the dough to rise, these were easy to make and not too much trouble.

I do like my sticky buns sweet. Think, Cinnabon sweet. So if it looks like too much sugar to you, feel free to adjust. 

Don't skip the rhubarb! The soft, slightly tangy vegetable is the best part.

Ingredients:

4 1/4 to 5 1/4 C flour

2 pkg active dry yeast

1 1/2 C water

1/3 C sugar

1/3 C butter

1 tsp salt

1 egg

2 C packed brown sugar

1 C butter, softened

2 C chopped fresh rhubarb or frozen, thawed and drained

1/2 C chopped pecans

1 C sugar

1 tsp cinnamon

6 T butter, melted

In a large mixing bowl, stir together 2 1/4 C flour and the yeast; set aside. In a saucepan, heat the water, 1/3 C sugar, 1/3 C butter, and the salt until warm and the butter almost melts (don't make it too hot or boiling or your yeast will die).

Add to the flour mixture along with the egg. Stir in as much of the remaining flour as you can. Kneed for 3 to 5 minutes. Dough should be soft and malleable but not sticky. Add more flour as needed. Shape into a ball, cover, and let rest 20 minutes.

Grease a 9x13 pan. In a medium bowl, stir together the brown sugar and 1 C butter. Add the rhubarb and pecans. 

Spread the mixture evenly in the prepared pan and set aside.

In a small bowl, stir together 1 C sugar and the cinnamon. On a floured surface, roll dough to an 18x12 inch rectangle. Spread dough evenly with the 6 T melted butter. Sprinkle with the sugar mixture, making sure to spread it out to the edges. Roll up, starting with the long side. Using a sharp knife, cut roll into 16 even slices. Arrange rolls in the prepared pan on top of the rhubarb mixture.

Cover and let rise 30 minutes. 

Bake in a 350 degree F oven for 35 minutes or until golden brown. Cool for five minutes.

Invert onto a serving platter. Cool at least 20 minutes before serving.

Serve warm with milk. Makes 16 rolls.

Tastefully,

Tamara 

Egg Omelet Muffin

This turned out to be one of those perfect Saturday morning breakfasts. It was really quite easy and so yummy. These will be a frequent meal for us.

Ingredients:

12 slices bacon

12 eggs

salt and pepper

green onions

bell peppers

mushrooms

tomatoes

cheese

Grease your muffin tins. Fry up your bacon and layer a slice in each muffin tin.

Beat the dozen eggs and distribute uniformly in each muffin tin (I skipped this step and regretted it. Each omelet would definitely taste better not being a chunk of yolk or egg white). Sprinkle with salt and pepper to taste.

Put the veggies on top, as many or as few as you'd like.

Sprinkle with your desired cheese. I used cheddar and cotija.

Bake at 400 degrees F for 15 minutes. These beauties pop out of the tin easily and even the kids loved them.

(This recipe was inspired by a recipe in Going Against the Grain.)

Tastefully,

Tamara