Fastest Ever Cinnamon Buns

Today is my birthday!  Happy birthday to me!  I wanted cinnamon rolls for breakfast, but didn't want the time grueling dough raising.  I found this recipe in an older magazine.  I was a little leary at first, but was pleasantly surprised at the end.  They are especially good when you put the icing on during the five minute wait period.  It allows it to soak in.  Enjoy!


Yields 12 buns

For the Dough:
3/4 c cottage cheese
1/3 c buttermilk
1/4 c granulated sugar
4 TB unsalted butter, melted
1 tsp vanilla
2 c all purpose flour
1 TB baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp baking soda

For the Filling:
1 1/2 TB unsalted butter, melted
2/3 c packed light or dark brown sugar
1 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground allspice
1/4 tsp ground cloves
1 c chopped pecans

For the Glaze:
2/3 c powdered sugar
2-3 TB cold milk
1 tsp vanilla

Heat the oven to 400 degrees.  Grease the sides and bottom of 9 or 10 inch springform pan with cooking spray.

In food processor, combine the cottage cheese, buttermilk, sugar, melted butter, and vanilla.  Process until smooth, about 10 seconds. Add the flour, baking powder, salt and baking soda and pulse in short bursts just until the dough clumps together (don't over-process).  The dough will be soft and moist.

Scrape the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and knead it with floured hands 4 or 5 times until smooth.  With a rolling pin, roll the dough into a 12x15 rectangle.

Brush the dough with the melted butter, leaving a 1/2 inch border unbuttered around the edges.  In a medium bowl combine the brown sugar, cinnamon, allspice and cloves.  Sprinkle the mixture over the buttered area of the dough and pat gently into the surface. Sprinkle the nuts over the sugar mixture.

Starting at the long edge, roll up the dough jelly-roll style. Pinch the seam to seal, and leave the ends open.  With a sharp knife, cut the roll into 12 euql pieces.  Set the pieces, cut side up, in the prepared pan, they should fill the pan and touch slightly, but don't worry if there are small gaps.

Bake until golden brown and firm to the touch, 20 to 28 minutes. Set the pan on a wire rack to cool for 5 minutes.

Glaze: In a small bowl, mix the powdered sugar, 2 TB milk and vanilla to make a smooth glaze.  Drizzle over the rolls. Let stand 15 minutes then serve.

Fiesta Rice

Along with some beef and black bean enchiladas we had this tasty fiesta rice. It was simple to make and once again, not on the spicy side.  I am sure you could doctor it up to your taste and add more spice, but with young ones in the house we have to stick a little milder.

Fiesta Rice

2 cups water
1 (5.4 oz) packet quick cooking fiesta rice
1 (12-oz) bag frozen whole kernel corn
3 tablespoons chopped green chiles (undrained)

Place water in medium saucepan.  Cover and bring to boil on high.

Stir in rice (with seasonings), corn and chiles, cover and return to boil

Stir, cover and reduce heat to medium, cook 8 minutes

Remove from heat; let stand 5 minutes. Fluff with fork and serve.

Southwest Beef and Black Bean Enchiladas

I love when I walk into a grocery store and they have their little "chef" cooking a recipe that scents up the whole place. I get a chance to try something new without having to fix it first and hear the complaints of "I don't like it". Recently my husband tried a recipe in our local Publix. He pulled the card with the recipe on it and brought it home. I was actually surprised at how easy they were to make and how good they tasted.

Southwest Beef and Black Bean Enchiladas

1 (17-oz) package fully cooked beef pot roast
1 (8-oz) can tomato sauce
2/3 cup salsa verde
6 (10-inch) flour or corn tortillas
8 oz. shredded Monterey Jack cheese, divided
1 (15-oz) can black beans, drained and rinsed
2 tablespoons chopped green chiles, divided

Preheat oven 400. Microwave roast on HIGH 2-3 minutes or until warm. Transfer gravy from roast to medium saucepan. Finely shred meat using two forks; place in medium bowl.

Stir in tomato sauce and salsa verde into gravy; cook on medium 3-4 minutes or until hot. Add 3/4 cup of the gravy mixture to pot roast. Spread 1/2 cup gravy mixture over bottom of 9x13 baking dish.

Spoon down center of each tortilla: 1/3 cup beef mixture, 1/4 cup cheese, 3 tablespoons black beans, and 1 teaspoon chiles. Roll tortillas around filling and place, seam side down, in baking dish. Top enchiladas with remaining 3/4 cup gravy mixture and 1/2 cup cheese. Bake 18-20 minutes or until cheese melts and enchiladas have browned slightly. Serve.

I loved these! They are not spicy since the salsa verde was mild. That is the only thing that adds any sort of spice to it, so if you like extra spicy, find a spicier salsa verde.

Blueberry Muffins

I am not one for early morning cooking, but I found this recipe and thought I would try it. I was not disappointed. They were awesome! My husband said they tasted better than the ones from the store he works. That is a definite compliment since it is a high end gourmet store.


1 1/2 cups flour
3/4 cup white sugar
1/2 tsp salt
2 tsps baking powder
1/3 cup vegetable oil
1 egg
1/3 cup milk
1 cup fresh bluberries (I used frozen, worked fine)
1/2 cup white sugar
1/3 cup flour
1/4 cup butter, cubed
1 1/2 tsps ground cinnamon

Preheat oven to 400. Grease muffin cups or line with muffin liners.

Combine 1 1/2 cups flour, 3/4 cup sugar, salt and baking powder. Place vegetable oil into a 1 cup measuring cup; add the egg and enough milk to fill the cup. Mix this with the flour mixture. Fold in the blueberries. fill muffin cups right to the top, and sprinkle with crumb topping mixture.

To make crumb topping mixture ~ Mix together 1/2 cup sugar, 1/3 cup flour, 1/4 cup butter, and 1 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon. Mix with fork, and sprinkle over muffins before baking.

Bake for 20 to 25 minutes in the preheated oven, or until done.

Pastitsio - Greek Macaroni and Meat Casserole

I recently had the great joy of having my brother visit. He took the time from his busy schedule to come down and see me. I think he just came because of the warm weather. Living in Chicago is a little chilly this time of year. He loves Greek food, as this is of our background. I prepared this dish, amongst many, for him.

2 large onions, minced
3 TB butter
2 pounds lean ground beef
Salt and pepper to taste
1 (8 oz.) can tomato sauce
1 cup water
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
Dash of sugar
1/2 cup bread crumbs
2 1/2 cups grated parmesan cheese
1 pound elbow macaroni
1 1/2 TB melted butter
Cream Sauce (recipe follows)

In a large saucepan, saute onions in butter until tender. Crumble meat into the pan and brown well. Drain off fat. Add salt, pepper, tomato sauce, water, cinnamon and sugar; simmer for 35 to 40 minutes or until liquid is absorbed. Remove from heat and cool. Add half the bread crumbs and 1 1/4 cups cheese to the meat mixture.

Cook macaroni in boiling, salted water with oil until almost done. Rinse; drain well. Butter a 17X11 inch baking pan; sprinkle with 2 TB bread crumbs. Spread half of macaroni on bottom. Sprinkle 1/2 cup cheese over the macaroni. Cover with meat mixture. Pour half the cream sauce over the meat; then spread remaining macaroni; sprinkle with 1/2 cup cheese. Top with remaining sauce. Sprinkle with remaining bread crumbs and cheese. Bake at 350 degrees for 50 minutes or until golden brown. Let stand 20 minutes before cutting. Freezes well. To reheat, place frozen pastitsio, covered loosely with foil, in a 350 degree oven for 1 1/2 to 2 hours or until heated through completely. Makes 24 squares

Cream Sauce

3/4 cup butter
3/4 cup all purpose flour
6 cups warm milk
Dash of nutmeg
8 eggs
1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese

In a saucepan, melt butter and blend in flour, stirring constantly with a wire whisk. Gradually add warm milk, stirring vigorously until sauce thickens. Add nutmeg, remove from heat and cool. Beat eggs with wire whisk. Add 1/2 cup cooled sauce; then pour back into cream sauce. Stir in cheese.

Ezekiel Bread

I have done some research on finding a simple Ezekiel bread. Most of them you have to grow some of the ingredients yourself, mix them, and wait. Too much work. I finally found a recipe that is a little less cumbersome to make.


3 packages active dry yeast (1/4 ounce each)
5 cups warm water (110 to 115 degrees), divided
1 tablespoon plus 2/3 cup honey, divided
2/3 cup canola oil
1/2 cup sugar
2 teaspoons salt
4 cups whole wheat flour
1 cup toasted wheat germ
6 to 8 cups bread flour

In a large mixing bowl, dissolve yeast in 3/4 cup warm water and 1 tablespoon honey. Add the remaining water and honey, the oil, sugar, salt, whole wheat flour, wheat germ and 3 cups bread flour. Beat until smooth. Stir in enough remaining bread flour to form a soft dough (dough will be sticky).

Turn onto a lightly floured surface; knead until smooth and elastic, about 6-8 minutes. Place in a bowl coated with cooking spray, turning once to coat the top. Cover and let rise in a warm place until doubled, about 1 hour.

Punch dough down. Shape into four loaves. Place in 9x5x3 inch loaf pans coated with cooking spray. Cover and let rise until nearly doubled, about 30 minutes.

Bake at 350 for 30-35 minutes or until golden brown. Remove from pans to wire racks to cool

Yield: 4 loaves (16 slices each) 1 slice equals 108 calories.

Greek Rice Pudding - Rizogolo

I haven't tried this one personally, but it sure looks good!


1 quart milk
1/4 cup rice
5 TB sugar
1 slice of lemon
1/4 cup butter
3 eggs
1/3 cup water
cinnamon


Boil rice in water over high flame until it reaches the boiling point, then lower heat and cook on medium until rice absorbs all of water. Add milk, sugar, butter and lemon.

Over high flame let come to a boil. Lower to medium and cook for 40 minutes stirring occasionally. Remove from fire. Beat eggs well with rotary beater for 8 minutes. Add to mixture slowly, and beat for 2 minutes longer. Replace on stove and continue beating. Cook 2 minutes longer.

Pour into individual custard cups, sprinkle with cinnamon and serve cold. Serves 10