One Hour Cinnamon Rolls

We were playing Monopoly today, and my son drew the card that said, "It's your birthday!  Claim $10 from every player."  We all forked over our ten dollars and said, "Happy birthday" in the most un-enthusiastic voice we could muster.  His response?  "Should I get in my birthday suit?!"  Ha!  That kid cracks me up.  I'm happy to report that he did not get in his birthday suit, and we continued to play Monopoly fully clothed.  That could have gotten really awkward really fast!

I've been doing this blog for a few years now, and I have never had a very good camera with a macro lens.  Those days are over now, my friends!  My husband got me a new camera with three lenses for Christmas.  Hip, hip!  I love that camera, and look at these lovely pictures!  I was having too much fun.  These cinnamon rolls deserve all the pictures they get.

These bad boys were on the table in one hour!  Ooh!  It's a miracle!  I rarely do cinnamon rolls because they usually take three hours, and by the time they're ready my kids are famished and squirming on the floor from the hunger pangs.  Well, well, well.  You can have these ready in one hour.  They use yeast, they rise beautifully, and they taste amazing.  I'm so glad that I found this recipe!

Check out the fluffiness in the middle!  I'm telling you.  These are tender and delicious.  Be sure to the rapid rise yeast!  This doesn't take as much time to activate, hence the quicker rising time.  

If you don't like cream cheese frosting, I'll forgive you, but you're missing out!  They really make the cinnamon rolls so much better.  *drool*

One Hour Cinnamon Rolls:

recipe source: http://www.gimmesomeoven.com/1-hour-easy-cinnamon-rolls-recipe/

yield: One dozen cinnamon rolls

Ingredients:

Dough:

1 c milk

1/4 c butter

3 1/2 c flour, divided

1/4 sugar

1/2 t salt

1 packet instant or "rapid rise" yeast

1 egg

Filling:

1/3 c sugar

1/3 c brown sugar

2 T cinnamon

1/4 c butter, softened

Icing:

1/4 c butter

2 T cream cheese

3/4 c powdered sugar

1/2 - 1 T milk (if needed)

In a microwave safe bowl,  combine the milk and butter and cook on high for one minute.  Remove and stir.  If the butter isn't melted, put it back in for 20 seconds at a time, stirring after each interval.  When it's done, make sure that the milk is warm but not hot.  If it's too hot, set it aside to cool for a bit.  When it's too hot, it kills the yeast.

In a large mixing bowl, add three cups of the flour, sugar, and salt.  Whisk to combine.  Set aside.

In the bowl of your mixer, add the yeast and lukewarm milk mixture.  Stir with a rubber spatula to combine.  Add in the flour mixture and the egg.  Beat on medium-low until it is mixed well. If the dough is still too sticky and not forming a ball, add the remaining flour, 1/4 c at a time.  Continue to beat for five minutes.  Place a damp towel over the bowl and let the dough rest and rise for ten minutes.

While that is rising, combine the sugar, brown sugar, and cinnamon for the filling.  Set aside.

Once the ten minutes has passed, place the dough on a floured surface.  Roll out to a 14x9 rectangle.  Spread the softened butter over the entire area of the rectangle.  Sprinkle the sugar-cinnamon mixture over the entire area as well.  Use it all!  

Roll the dough up from the 14 inch side.  Roll it tightly as you go.

Use dental floss to cut the ends off, then cut the dough into 12 even rolls.  Place into a greased 13x9 baking pan.  Place them in a warm place to rise until doubled in size, about 25 minutes.  I always boil water in a Pyrex measuring cup, place in the back corner of the microwave and put the bread in there.  It rises perfectly every time!

Bake the rolls for 15-20 minutes or until lightly browned on top.

For the icing:

In a mixing bowl, beat the butter and cream cheese on high until light and fluffy.  Turn off the mixer and add the powdered sugar.  Turn it on low and beat until well-mixed.  If it is too thick, add a little milk to thin it out.  Spread or pipe it onto the rolls.  Just an FYI- I actually halved the cream cheese recipe here because I didn't want too much frosting on them.  If you like to really like to cake it on and have a ton of frosting, double the recipe I have here.  

Pumpkin Bread with Vanilla Pudding

My son was looking through a bunch of my pictures from when I was a kid trying to figure out who was who.  He saw a picture of me like the one below of good ol' Will Ferrell.

He said, "Is that you, Mom?" pointing to one of the faces.

"Yep,"

Then, pointing to the other one, "Is that.... Uncle Erik?!"

I laugh and say, "Nope, that's me, too."

With a the most quizzical look on his face, he frantically said, "What?!?  Why are there two of you in that picture?!"

I think I laughed for a good five minutes.  I'm pretty sure that every kid that was born in the 80s has a picture like these.  They are completely ridiculous.  I wish I could have been a fly on the wall when they were taking these pictures.

"First, look right here.  At me.  At the camera.  Don't smile though!"

"Now, for the second shot.  Look off into the distance and picture something wonderful.  Unicorns, cotton candy, swimming in a pool of spaghetti, anything that conjures up happy, wonderful thoughts and let those thoughts show through that perfectly, cheesy smile. Perfect."  Click!

Good times.

Now, this pumpkin bread is something that one could think about to conjure up a perfect little smile.  It's tender and delicious.  I thought I had the most perfect pumpkin bread recipe, but this one takes the cake- or the bread in this matter.  No need to hunt for another recipe for pumpkin bread or to go to your local Great Harvest to buy some.  This puts it all to shame!  Now, get baking!





















Vanilla Pudding Pumpkin Bread
PHOTO and recipe source: http://chindeep.com/2015/09/03/vanilla-pudding-pumpkin-bread/

1 and 3/4 cup all purpose flour

1 (3.4 oz.) package dry, instant vanilla pudding (unprepared)

1 Tablespoon baking powder

1 teaspoon baking soda

2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1/2 cup butter, melted (or oil of your choosing)

1 cup sugar

15 oz. pure pumpkin puree

2 large eggs, lightly beaten

1/3 cup chopped walnuts or pecans (optional)
1/3 cup chocolate chips (optional)

Preheat the oven to 350.  Grease an 8x4 loaf pan.

In a large bowl, combine the first six ingredients (flour, dry vanilla pudding mix, baking powder, baking soda, pumpkin pie spice, cinnamon).  In another bowl, combine the butter (or oil), sugar, pumpkin puree, and eggs.  Whisk well.  Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients; whisk until just combined.  Add the chocolate chips, if using.

Pour the batter into the prepared pan.  Top with chocolate chips or nuts (if using).  A sprinkling of cinnamon sugar will turn out delicious as well.

Bake for 60-65 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean.  Cool for ten minutes in the pan.  Remove from the pan and place on a wire rack to complete cooling.  

Pumpkin French Toast

Pumpkin spice latte.  Pumpkin doughnuts.  Pumpkin coffee creamer.  Pumpkin cookies.  Pumpkin bread.  Pumpkin oatmeal.  Pumpkin spice Oreos (ew.) Pumpkin yogurt.  Pumpkin tea.  Pumpkin is everywhere as soon as October starts!  It's nuts!  Pumpkin McNuggets.  Pumpkin salsa.  Pumpkin potato chips.  Pumpkin mayonnaise.  Pumpkin fries with a side of pumpkin ketchup.  Why not?!  While I do get tired of everything pumpkin sometimes, I made two pumpkin recipes in the same day that were worth sharing.  This pumpkin french toast was great, and I made some ridiculously amazing Pumpkin Bread that I'll post later.  I figure since I refuse to eat pumpkin pie for Thanksgiving, I may as well do something pumpkiny for the fall season.  And if you're still in shock about me not eating pumpkin pie for Thanksgiving, when there are chocolate desserts around the dessert table on Thanksgiving, I'm not touching anything with a vegetable in it!

Pumpkin French Toast
source: http://www.cookingclassy.com/2014/08/pumpkin-french-toast/

3/4 c milk
1/2 c pumpkin puree
4 eggs
2 T brown sugar
1 t vanilla
1 t cinnamon
1/4 t nutmeg

9 slices bread
butter, for griddle

whipped cream

In a pie plate, combine the milk, pumpkin puree, eggs, brown sugar, vanilla, cinnamon, and nutmeg.  Whisk well until mixture is frothy and well combined.

Preheat a griddle over medium heat.  Once it is hot, spread butter on the griddle.  Dip a piece of bread in the egg mixture on both sides and place it on the griddle.  Cook for 2 minutes or until golden brown on the bottom.  Flip and cook the other side until golden brown on the bottom.

Serve with whipped cream or syrup.

Bakery-Style Blueberry Streusel Muffins

See this lovely picture below?  I didn't take that awesome picture.  The girl at littlesweetbaker.com did.  However, when I made these muffins, they actually looked like that when I took them out!  I couldn't believe my eyes.  These muffins come out so tall and perfectly-streuseled.  They were so delicious, too!  My son ate three of them and said they were the best blueberry muffins he's ever had- but then again, he's 7.  They were pretty darn close to being the best I've tasted!  They turned out perfect. Box mixes are dead to me.


Recipe and Photo Source: http://littlesweetbaker.com/2015/02/13/bakery-style-blueberry-streusel-muffins/

Yield: 12 muffins

Ingredients:

• 2 & ½ cups all-purpose flour
• 1 tbsp baking powder
• 1 tsp baking soda
• ½ tsp salt
• ½ cup unsalted butter, melted and cooled
• 1 cup sugar
• 2 large eggs
• 1 cup milk (any kind, whole or buttermilk is best)
• 1 tbsp vanilla extract
• 1 & ½ cups blueberries (fresh or frozen)
• 
  
• For the streusel topping
• ¼ cup sugar
• 1 tbsp all-purpose flour
• 2 tsp unsalted butter, melted
• ⅛ tsp ground cinnamon

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.  Place muffin liners in a muffin pan.

Prepare the streusel topping.  Put the ingredients in a bowl and use a fork to mix until it resembles coarse crumbs.

In a large bowl, add the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.  Whisk to combine.  Set aside.

In a medium bowl, add the melted butter and sugar.  Whisk to combine.  Add the eggs, milk, and vanilla.  Whisk until smooth.

Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients.  Gently stir with a rubber spatula and flour is incorporated.  Gently fold in the blueberries.

Fill the muffin cups about 3/4 full.  Top with streusel topping.

Bake for 5 minutes.  Reduce the temperature to 375 and bake another 15 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean.

Red Velvet Chocolate Chip Pancakes with Cream Cheese Glaze

One morning for breakfast, we went to this amazing place called "Rise and Shine Cafe" in Southern Highlands.  Hands down the most amazing breakfast place I've ever been to.  Their eggs benedict and hash browns makes my taste buds dance like a couple of tweens listening to One Direction music.  This time when I went, I got the red velvet pancakes.  My goodness... Sweet mercy... Best pancakes ever.  I wish I could have eaten every last bite.  They were amazing!  Well, thank goodness for Pinterest!  I found this recipe for red velvet pancakes, and they were pretty darn close!  My family thought they were incredible and request them all the time.  They do take come effort, but they are well worth it!

Red Velvet Chocolate Chip Pancakes with Cream Cheese Glaze

source: cookingclassy.com

yield: 16 pancakes

2 c flour

3 T cocoa powder

2 t baking powder

1/2 t baking soda

1/2 t salt

2 c milk

2 T white vinegar

1/2 c sugar

2 lg eggs

1 1/2 T red food coloring

2 t vanilla

1/3 c salted butter, melted

mini chocolate chips

Cream Cheese Glaze:

3 oz cream cheese, softened

3 T butter, softened

1 c powdered sugar

1/4 c milk, more if desired

1/2 t vanilla

Preheat a griddle over medium heat or an electric griddle to 350 degrees.

Make the cream cheese glaze:

In a mixing bowl, cream the cream cheese and butter until fluffy.  Add in the powdered sugar and mix well.  Add the milk, a little bit at a time until your desired consistency is reached.  Add in the vanilla.

In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.

Measure the milk in a liquid measuring cup and add the vinegar.  Let this mixture set for a few minutes.  Pour this into a large mixing bowl and add the sugar, eggs, red food coloring, vanilla, and melted butter.  Mix well.  While still whisking, add in the flour mixture.

Pour about 1/4 c of batter onto the hot griddle.  Use a spoon to spread the pancakes out so they aren't thicker in the middle.

Optional: Sprinkle on some mini chocolate chips.  Not too many- just enough to get a bit of chocolate flavor in without it being too sweet.

Once the top has some bubbles popping on the surface, flip the pancake and cook the other side for about 1 minute.  

Place two pancakes on a plate.  Put a small pile of chocolate chips in the center like in the photo above.  Drizzle with the cream cheese glaze.

Enter extreme salivation.

Strawberry Coffee Cake Muffins

My son told me about his dream from last night.  In short, there was a hole in our back yard, and the kids heard a growl.  My son said it was a tiger, and my oldest daughter didn't believe him.  Sure enough, a tiger pops out of the hole, and I beat it with a rake and shoo it back into the ground.  Take that tiger!!  Aren't dreams awesome?!  

Now you can awake from your awesome dreams and make these delicious muffins for breakfast.  They are tender, delicious, and all that a muffin should be!  Enjoy!

Strawberry Coffee Cake Muffins
photo source: http://www.sugarandsoul.co/2014/07/strawberry-coffee-cake-muffins.html (my photo wouldn't load!)
source: livingbettertogether.com

Muffins:
1/4 c softened butter
3/4 c white sugar
1 egg
1 t vanilla
1 1/2 c flour
2 t baking powder
1/2 t salt
1/2 c milk or buttermilk
1 1/2 c fresh strawberries, diced small

Crumble:
1/4 c butter, cold
1/2 c flour
1/4 c brown sugar
1/4 c sugar

Preheat the oven to 375.

Line a muffin pan with liners.

Cream butter and sugars in a mixing bowl for two minutes or until the mixture is light in color and fluffy.

Add the egg and vanilla.  Mix well.

In a bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, and salt.  Whisk to combine.  Add this to the mixing bowl alternately with the milk, beginning and ending with the flour.

Gently toss in the strawberries.

Divide evenly among 12 muffin cups.

In a bowl, combine the flour, brown sugar, and sugar.  Using a fork, cut in the butter until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs.  Sprinkle this over the raw muffin batter.

Reduce the oven temperature to 350.  Bake for 18-20 minutes.

Giant Sunday Pancakes

'Cause sometimes you just need giant pancakes.  These turned out giant- as big as my three year old's noggin, and they were tasty.  The flavor was great, and no buttermilk was required if you're ever craving delicious pancakes and don't have buttermilk on hand.
















Giant Sunday Pancakes
source: Bon Appetit Cookbook by Barbara Fairchild pg. 36

Ingredients:
3 large eggs
1/4 - 1/2 c sugar (the original called for 1/2 but I thought it was far too sweet)
6 T melted butter
1 1/2 c flour
1 c milk
1 T baking powder
1/4 t salt
Blueberries (optional)
Whipped cream (optional, but seriously... who doesn't like whipped cream?)

Butter for greasing the griddle

Preheat oven to 250 degrees.

In a large bowl, whisk the eggs, sugar, and melted butter until blended.

Add the flour and milk, alternately, in three additions.  A bit of flour, a bit of milk, a bit of flour, a bit of milk, the rest of the flour, the rest of the milk.  Whisk after each addition.  Finally, whisk in the baking powder and salt.

Brush some butter onto the griddle.  Heat the griddle over medium heat.  Once the butter starts to sizzle add 3/4 c of batter onto the griddle.  Use a spoon to spread it a bit or tilt the griddle until it's about 6 inches in diameter.  If using, add the blueberries.  Just sprinkle them on top of the pancake batter.Cook for two minutes or until the bottom is lightly browned and bubbles are popping on the surface.  Carefully flip the pancake and cook for another two minutes.

Put the pancake into the pre-heated oven while you cook the others.

Top the pancakes with syrup or whipped cream.

Cinnamon Scones

This was my first attempt at making scones, and my family asked why in the world I had never made them before.  It's basically a thick, cinnamon-glazed covered pie crust.  Sweet mercy.  It was tasty,  Next time, I'm going to add blueberries or chocolate chips.  It'll be fantastic!  

Cinnamon Scones
source: http://moneysavingmom.com/2011/01/glazed-cinnamon-scones-recipe.html

Yield: 1 8-inch pie/scone/breakfast torte thing

Ingredients:
2 c flour
2 t baking powder
1/2 t baking soda
1/2 t salt
1/2 c butter
1 egg, separated
3 T honey
1/3 c buttermilk (or 1/3 c milk mixed with 2 t lemon juice)

Crumb Topping:
1-2 T sugar
1/2 t cinnamon

Glaze:
1/2 - 1 c powdered sugar
1-3 t milk
1/2 t vanilla

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.  Whisk together.  Cut in the butter with a fork until crumbly.

Separate the egg.  Set the egg white aside.

In a bowl, combine the egg yolk, honey, and buttermilk.  Add the the dry ingredients and stir until just combined.

Flour a surface and plop the dough out.  Shape it into a ball then pat it into into a 1/2 inch thick 8 inch round.  Using a pizza cutter, cut it into 8 pieces just like a pizza.  Transfer it to a greased cookie sheet.  Whisk the reserved egg white until frothy.  Brush it onto the tops of the scones.  Sprinkle the cinnamon sugar on top.

Bake at 400 degrees for 10-12 minutes.

While it's baking, combine the glaze ingredients.

When the scones come out, drizzle them with the glaze and serve warm.

Muffin Tin Doughnuts

If you like cake doughnuts, you're going to love this recipe!  These muffins taste just like a good cake doughnut.  I think my kids each ate three of them within a few hours this morning.  My husband said he liked my muffins, too, but based on the smirk on his face, I think he meant something other than these.

Muffin Tin Doughnuts
source: America's Test Kitchen The New Family Cookbook

Doughnuts:
2 3/4 c flour
1 c sugar
1/4 c corn starch
1 T baking powder
1 t salt (omit if you use salted butter)
1/2 t ground nutmeg
1 c buttermilk
8 T butter, melted
2 large eggs, plus 1 egg yolk

Coating:
1 c sugar
2 t cinnamon
8 T melted butter

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.  Grease the muffin tin very well.

In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, corn starch, baking powder, salt, and nutmeg.  In a separate bowl, combine the melted butter, buttermilk, eggs, and egg yolk.  Make a large well in the dry ingredients.  Pour in the wet ingredients.  Use a rubber spatula to combine the wet and dry ingredients.  Mix until no flour remains.

Divide batter into the 12 cups.  The batter will be thick, and you'll fill them to about 3/4 full.  Use all of the batter.

Bake for 19-22 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the middle comes out clean.  Let them cool in the muffin tins for 5 minutes.

Pour them onto a clean counter.

Combine the sugar and cinnamon in a bowl.  Working on one doughnut at a time, brush it completely with butter.  Roll it in cinnamon sugar.  Repeat with all doughnut muffins.

Let rest for another 5-10 minutes.

Baked French Toast Muffins

You've got to love the Christmas season.  Shopping every day for a Christmas party, gift exchange, work gathering, baking extravaganza.  It's madness!  Well, when I go out, I try to take my two year old since she is cooped up at home all day.  If you've ever had a two-year-old, you know eventful a simple trip to pick up a couple things can be.  She is in this stage now where she fancies bringing about 80 random objects into the car and always insists on taking all of them into whatever store we are venturing into.  Well, today, she had a shoebox filled with three little baby blankets, a pine cone, a rock, a fake flower, a little stuffed hippo, a small purse, and a bouncy ball.  When it was time to go into Target, I told her that she couldn't take her box.  Oh, no, I didn't!  She wigged out!  She was screaming and flailing about and letting the entire block of Silverado Ranch and Eastern that she wanted to take her box into Target.  I calmly held her and said that she wasn't taking her box.  As she screamed like Christmas was canceled, I got dirty looks by passerbys and police officers considering taking me in for child abuse.  Finally, I saw a police car parked out front.  I said, "Hey, Scarlet, do you want to see the lights on a police car?"  She calmly replied, "Okay."  That was that.  The end.  I laughed about the whole thing a few minutes after it was over, but I laughed harder at the picture that my eight year old drew to depict the situation:

I love how my hands are up in the air with a tornado of confusion/frustration above my head.  I'm glad my older daughter can bring humor to situations like this and laugh at my craziness of being a mom of three.  

Anyway- these little French Toast muffins are tasty!  My family loved them, and they are a bit different than your usual French Toast.  They taste the same but are in cute little muffin form!  What's not to love?!

Baked French Toast Muffins
source: http://www.averiecooks.com/2014/12/baked-french-toast-muffins.html

3 lg eggs
1/2 c milk
1 T brown sugar
1 T sugar
2 t cinnamon
1 t vanilla
8 slices bread

Preheat oven to 350

Prepare your muffin tin.  Grease each muffin cup very well.  I used the PAM with flour, and it worked like a charm!

Combine the first six ingredients in a large bowl.  Mix well.

Use a pizza cutter to slice each slide of bread into 1 inch cubes.  Add the bread cubes into the egg mixture and toss to combine.  Let it rest for 3-5 minutes to allow the egg mixture to soak into the bread.

Spoon some of the mixture into the muffin cups until it's about 3/4 full.  This will be enough to fill all 12 muffin cups.

Bake for 25 minutes or until the tops are light brown.  Start checking around 20 minutes to ensure they don't burn.

Take them out and let them cool for 5-10 minutes.

Drizzle with syrup and perhaps some butter because butter makes everything better.

Pumpkin Cinnamon Rolls with Cream Cheese and Caramel Frosting

There is this recipe... Because who doesn't need pumpkin and cinnamon rolls and cream cheese frosting and caramel frosting all wrapped into one breakfast?  These were a tasty alternative to the traditional cinnamon roll.  I love those, too!  However, I had to make about 15 dozen of them for a fun raiser over the summer, and I could barely muster up the motivation to make some again.  :)  I'm traumatized!  These were well worth the time though.

Pumpkin Cinnamon Rolls with Cream Cheese and Caramel Frosting
source: http://tastesbetterfromscratch.com/2013/09/pumpkin-cinnamon-rolls-with-cream-cheese-and-caramel-frosting.html

Yield: 12 rolls

1/3 c milk
2 T butter
1/2 c canned pumpkin
2 T sugar
1/4 t nutmeg
1 T pumpkin pie spice
1/2 t salt
1 egg, beaten
1 package dry yeast (or 2 1/2 T)
2 c flour (bread flour is best, but regular flour is fine)
1/2 c brown sugar, packed
2 t cinnamon
2 T melted butter

Caramel Frosting
2 T butter
1/4 c brown sugar, packed
1 drop vanilla
1/8 t pumpkin pie spice
1 dash salt
1/3 c powdered sugar

Cream Cheese Frosting
4 oz. cream cheese, softened
1 T milk
3/4 c powdered sugar
One drop vanilla extract

In a small saucepan, heat milk an 2 T butter just until the milk starts to boil and the butter is melted, stirring constantly.  Remove from heat.  In your mixer bowl, combine the pumpkin puree, sugar, nutmeg, pumpkin pie spice, and salt. Stir with your paddle attachment until it's combined.   Add the milk/butter mixture. Beat with an electric mixer until well-mixed.  Beat in the egg and yeast.

Add half (1 cup) of the flour to the pumpkin mixture.  Turn the mixer on low and beat for five minutes.  Add the other 1 c of flour and mix thoroughly.  Lightly grease a large bowl, and put the dough in the bowl.

Cover the bowl and allow to rise until doubled, about 1 hour.  Punch the dough down to roll into a 12x10 rectangle.

In a small bowl, combine the brown sugar and cinnamon.  Brush the softened/melted butter onto the surface of the dough.  Sprinkle with the brown sugar/cinnamon mixture.  Start rolling it up from the long side.  Pinch end seams to seal.

Use dental floss to slice the dough. Slide it under the dough, cross the threads, and pull.  It'll slice up perfectly!  Cut into 12 1-inch slices.

Place the rolls into a greased 9x13 pan.  Cover and allow to rise until doubled- 30-45 minutes.

Bake at 350 for 15-20 minutes or until golden brown.  Cool for 10-15 minutes.

For the Caramel Frosting:
While they are baking, prepare the caramel frosting.  In a saucepan, heat the butter until melted.  Stir in the brown sugar and milk.  Cook over medium-low heat for 1 minute.

Remove from heat.  Stir in the vanilla, pumpkin pie spice, salt, and powdered sugar.  Stir until well blended.  Turn heat as low as you can, and keep it there until the cinnamon rolls are done.

For the Cream Cheese Frosting:
Beat the cream cheese until it's light and fluffy.  Add powdered sugar and vanilla.  Beat in milk.  Stir until smooth.

After the cinnamon rolls have cooled for 5-10 minutes, spread the cream cheese frosting on top.  Drizzle the caramel frosting on top of that.

Apple Nut Muffins

Let me take you back to the last week of September.  My kids had already started begging me to let them put up Halloween stuff.  I put it off as long as I could, but the last Saturday before October I gave in.  I brought out my giant bin of Halloween decorations, set it inside, and I went back outside to finish cleaning the garage.  My kids took it upon themselves to put out all the decorations- in the best way that they could as a 6 and 8 year old.  It was all I could do with my OCD issues to let some things be different than they have been for years and years.  Luckily, I baked some of these tasty muffins to mellow me out.  These were great!

If you read the post that goes along with the Caramel Apple Pie, I still have some apples from my friend that gave me a giant load of apples and pears!  They are never going away!  When I went to get apples from her, she handed me some photocopied pages of a small cookbook and smiled.  When I read the title, it was a "Fall Baking Cookbook" and there was a whole section on orchard fruit baked goods.  Oh, dear!  I could have made a different one every day of the week for two weeks!  I did try these muffins, which were phenomenal.  My kids gobbled them up,  

Source: From a small "Fall Baking" cookbook from a friend

1 1/2 c flour

2/3 c packed brown sugar

1/2 c oats

1 T baking powder

1 t cinnamon

1/2 t salt

1/8 t nutmeg

1/8 t ginger

1 c coarsely chopped peeled apples

1/2 c chopped walnuts

1/2 c chopped pitted dates (I omitted these- mainly because I think they look like mummified cockroaches)

1/2 c butter, melted and cooled

2 eggs

1/4 c milk

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  Grease muffin tins or use paper muffin liners.

Combine the flour, brown sugar, oats, baking powder, cinnamon, salt, nutmeg, and ginger in a large bowl.  Add the apples, walnuts, and dates (If using)

In a small bowl, whisk the butter, eggs, and milk until well-mixed.  Stir into dry ingredients until all the flour is incorporated.  Spoon the batter into the muffin cups.  It makes 12 muffins.

Bake for 20-25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean.  

Cool and eat!

Pumpkin Streusel Waffles with Vanilla Syrup

I always like to imagine that someday I'll own a little Bed & Breakfast in some beautiful vacation spot where I can cook amazing meals for guests.  If I did, I'm pretty sure that these waffles would make an appearance in the fall.  The vanilla syrup and waffles came from two different sources, but they are so perfect for each other.  I may have to keep canned pumpkin on hand year round for these bad boys.  I promise they are worth the effort!

Source for waffle recipe: http://www.twopeasandtheirpod.com/pumpkin-cinnamon-streusel-pancakes/

Source for vanilla syrup: http://houseofyumm.com/banana-cream-waffles-with-homemade-vanilla-syrup/

Vanilla Syrup:

• 1 cup sugar

• 2 tablespoons cornstarch

• ¼ cup butter

• ¼ teaspoon salt

• 1 tablespoon vanilla

• 2 cups water

For the cinnamon streusel:
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup brown sugar, packed
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
6 tablespoons cold unsalted butter, cut into chunks

Pumpkin Waffles:
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup whole wheat flour
2 tablespoons light brown sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
1/8 teaspoon ground ginger
1/8 teaspoon ground cloves
1 cup milk
1/2 cup canned pumpkin (not pumpkin pie filling)
1 large egg
2 tablespoons canola oil
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

For the syrup:
In a medium-sized pot, bring the water to a boil.  Combine the cornstarch and water.  Add to the water, stirring constantly for 2-3 minutes until thickened.  Remove from heat.  Add in the butter, salt, and vanilla.  Let this cool while you make the waffles.

For the waffles:
Prepare the streusel topping first.  In a bowl, combine the flour, brown sugar, and cinnamon.  Mix with a fork.  Add the cold, chunked butter and using a fork, cut the butter into the flour mixture until it resembles coarse crumbs.  Set aside.

In a large mixing bowl, combine the dry ingredients for the waffles.  In a medium bowl, mix the milk, canned pumpkin, egg, oil, and vanilla.  Stir the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and mix just until all the flour is incorporated.  

Heat the waffle iron and spray it with cooking spray.

Pour about 1/3 cup onto the waffle maker.  Close the waffle lid and let it cook for 3-4 minutes or until it's golden brown.

Place the waffle on a plate, sprinkle some streusel on top, and drizzle with the vanilla syrup.  

The original recipe was for pancakes, so feel free to use it either way.  It's delicious no matter what!

Gingerbread Waffles

I love that most movies will have a little sneak peak of a guy without a shirt when he's all buff.  Well, I'm watching harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2 for the umpteenth time, and the scene just passed where Harry and Ron are changing out of their wet clothes.  There was no attempt to make them look buff, or tan for that matter.  The directors were probably like, "Uhh, guys, everyone knows that you're pasty white English dudes.  No tans or muscles required."  I'm sure that they were thrilled that they didn't have to workout for 8 hours a day to play a role like a shirtless werewolf or dye their hair to hide the gingery hair.

Anywho...Speaking of gingers...  I was browsing breakfast recipes on pinterest the other morning, I came across this recipe.  The kids were thrilled about the idea, and they started quoting Shrek lines for the remainder of the morning at the mere mention of gingerbread.  I was quite impressed with these waffles!  They weren't overly gingery (I only used half the amount), and they had a great texture.  Even my waffle-disliking husband loved them!

Gingerbread Waffles
source: http://www.recipegirl.com/2009/01/05/gingerbread-waffles/

Yield: 4-5 large waffles

2 c flour
2 T sugar
2 t ginger
1 1/2 t baking powder
1/2 t baking soda
1/4 t salt
1/4 t cinnamon
1 1/2 c buttermilk
3 T canola oil
3 T molasses
2 large eggs, beaten
1/2 c applesauce

In a large bowl, combine the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon.

Combine the remaining ingredients in a smaller bowl and whisk to combine.  Add to the dry ingredients and stir just until combined.

Preheat your waffle iron and spray with nonstick cooking spray.  Once it's up to temperature, pour about 1/2 c batter on the waffle iron.  Cook for five minutes or until the steaming stops.

Serve warm with a pat of butter the size of Texas and warm syrup.

Baked French Toast Sticks

I love cinnamon toast, and I love french toast.  Well, in this recipe, the two of them come together and form this baby- Baked French Toast Sticks.  They are a delight!  My kids gobbled them up in no time flat, and if there were any other sticks lying around, I'm sure I would have polished those off as well.  These are quick, easy, and delicious.  And who doesn't love food in stick form?

Baked French Toast Sticks
source: http://www.abeautifulmess.com/2013/02/baked-french-toast-sticks.html

4-5 slices of bread
4 eggs
2 T cream
1/2 t vanilla
1 t cinnamon sugar

Slice the bread into 4-5 slices each.

In a shallow bowl, whisk the egg, cream, and vanilla.  Dip each slice of bread into the egg mixture, coating both sides.  Place them on a baking sheet coated with cooking spray or butter.

Place an oven rack on the second-from-the-top slot.  Preheat the broiler.  

Give a generous sprinkling of cinnamon sugar on the tops of the sticks.  Place under the broiler for 2-3 minutes.  Keep an eye on it or you will have Baked French Burnt Sticks.  Once they are golden and starting to brown, take them out.  Flip them over, sprinkle with some more cinnamon sugar, and place back under the broiler to bake the other sides.

After a couple minutes, check them.  You want the sugar to start caramelizing and glistening.  Mmmm...

Once they're done, take them out and serve with syrup and whipped cream.

Strawberry Banana Pancakes

I love pancakes.  My kids love pancakes.  I love strawberries.  My kids love strawberries.  I thought that maybe if I combined the pancakes and strawberries, I would get the vote for mom of the year.  Well, my daughter cut into the pancakes and let out a big ol' sigh and said, "Moooooooom.... I don't like mushy fruit!" And she would not eat the pancakes.  My son, who two seconds earlier said that he liked the pancakes said, "Umm, I don't like mushy fruit either."  You'd think I was trying to feed them rotten mushroom pancakes with raccoon bacon for breakfast.  

I loved these pancakes!  They were moist, and the banana and strawberry flavor was delicious.  The whipped cream on top was delicious, too.  If you have picky eaters, perhaps you could leave out the strawberries from the batter and put them on top of the pancakes instead.  That way you won't be shunned for the next year your children catch sight of a pancake and remind you of how you dared to make pancakes  with mushy fruit.  Gasp!

 Strawberry Banana Pancakes
source: http://www.canyoustayfordinner.com/2013/02/25/strawberry-banana-pancakes/

2 c flour (original recipe was 1 c flour and 1 c whole wheat flour)
4 t baking powder
1 T sugar
1 t salt
1 1/2 c milk
2 eggs
2 t vanilla
2/3 c mashed bananas (2 large very ripe bananas)
1 c chopped strawberries

Whisk the dry ingredients in a large mixing bowl.

In a small bowl, add the milk, eggs, and vanilla.  Whisk well.  Pour this into the dry ingredients and stir until just combined.  Fold in the mashed bananas and strawberries.

Heat a skillet over medium heat and spray with cooking spray.  Drop the batter by 1/4 c onto the skillet.  Flip after three minutes, or when you see tiny bubbles around the edges.  Flip and cook for another 2-3 minutes.

Serve with syrup and whipped cream.

 Yum!

Cinnamon Syrup

Step 1: Gather any store-bought syrup in your home.

Step 2: Place them all in a cardboard box. Put that box within a box.

Step 3: Seal it up and put your address on it.  

Step 4: Mail it to yourself.

Step 5: When it arrives, smash it with a hammer.

Seriously though, folks.  This syrup is the bee's knees.  The bear's hairs.  The cat's hat.  The owl's bowel.  It is so easy and delicious.  I don't know if I can ever use another syrup.  I served it to my kids.  As I was finishing up making the rest of the pancakes, I looked back at them.  Their sticky faces were plastered all over the plate and licking it clean.  How could you get mad at those cute sticky faces?  

Serve this syrup over some homemade buttermilk pancakes.  Don't you dare make the Bisquick ones!  Those are nothing more than dry, nasty, super round and flat biscuits.  

Cinnamon Syrup

source: http://cjaneinthekitchen.blogspot.com/2011/03/cinnamon-syrup.html

1 c sugar

1/2 c light corn syrup

1/4 c water

3/4 t ground cinnamon

5 oz evaporated milk

In a saucepan over medium heat, combine the sugar, light corn syrup, water, and cinnamon.  Bring to a boil.  Stir for two minutes.  Remove from the heat.  Stir in the evaporated milk.

Vanilla Cream Sauce for Pancakes

Pancakes for dinner are good, but they are even better when they are served with warm vanilla cream sauce with fresh berries.  Mmmm...

Vanilla Cream Sauce for Pancakes

source: http://www.creationsbykara.com/2011/03/vanilla-pudding-sauce.html via pinterest

2 T cornstarch

1/3 c sugar

1/8 t salt

2 c milk

2 eggs yolks, beaten

1 T butter

2 t vanilla

Mix cornstarch, sugar, and salt in a saucepan.  

In a separate bowl, combine the milk and egg.  Gradually stir it in to the sugar mixture.  Cook it over medium heat, whisking constantly until it comes to a boil.  

Boil it for one minute, stirring the whole time.  

Remove from heat and add the butter and vanilla.

Serve warm.

Lemon Strawberry Yogurt Bread

Somewhere in Huntington Beach is a person that has stumbled across a little black Sony Cybershot camera in the many sands of the beach.  They picked it up, surely looked through the pictures delicious food and three amazing kids, and has decided to keep the camera for themselves. :(  This, my friends, is the sad but true story of my camera.  It fell out of the back of our beach chair, and I lost two months worth of pictures.  Sniff. Sniff.  I had picture tutorials for this delicious bread, but now some happy person with a metal detector can delete those pictures, along with others, and sell the camera for a measly ten bucks.  

Back to the bread... sorry... When a mother loses pictures, it's like losing a piece of her soul.  The soul can be mended, however, with a slice of this lucious bread.  My dad and brother came over to try it when I made it the first time around, and they each had about three pieces and dreamed about devouring the rest of the cake when they got back home across town.  This stuff is so moist and flavorful.  The texture is perfect.  It really does taste like a cake right out of a bakery.  Delicious.  

 Lemon Strawberry Yogurt Bread
source: http://aspicyperspective.com/2010/05/farmstand-fresh.html

1 c butter, softened
2 c sugar
3 eggs
3 T lemon juice, divided
zest of one lemon
2 1/2 c flour, divided
1/2 t baking soda
1/2 t salt
8 oz plain or vanilla Greek yogurt
12 oz. fresh strawberries, diced
1 c powdered sugar

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.

Grease and flour a ten inch bundt pan.  Warning- make sure you flour it well!  The first time I made it, the top of the bread stayed in the bundt pan.  Lightly grease the whole inside with cooking spray and sprinkle flour around the pan.  Tilt and pat the pan so the flour evenly coats it.

Sift together the flour, salt, and baking soda.  Add the lemon zest.  Set aside.

In your mixer bowl, cream the butter and sugar for 3-4 minutes or until light and fluffy.  Add the eggs one at a time, mixing well after each.  Add 1 T lemon juice.

Alternately add the flour mixture and yogurt- starting and ending with the flour.

Toss the strawberries in the remaining 1/4 c flour.  Gently stir them into the batter.

Pour the batter into the bundt pan.  Place in the oven and reduce the temperature to 325.  Bake for 60 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the middle comes out clean.

Allow it to cool for 20 minutes in the pan.  Turn it onto a wire rack to cool completely.

Once it is cool, whisk the powdered sugar with the remaining 1 T lemon juice.  Drizzle over the top of the cake.

 My crazy kids and husband think that cooked mushy fruit is the grossest thing on the planet, so the next time I make this, the strawberries will not make it in.  I think the cake would be glorious without the strawberries as well.

Make this soon, and if you go to Huntington Beach and see some random person looking at pictures on a camera and drooling, please double check if it is a Sony Cybershot.

Snickerdoodle Muffins

Okay... I know I was ragging on Pinterest recently, but I have come around.  I now realize that Pinterest is a place where I can browse hundreds of recipes and create by own customized cookbook.  Awesome!  Among all of the wonderful recipes I have found was this Snickerdoodle muffin.  Oh, man.  These were just like eating a bloated, puffed up Snickerdoodle cookie.  My kids and husband gobbled them up!  And maybe I had one more than I should have.  Or two.  

 Snickerdoodle Muffins
source: http://www.culinaryconcoctionsbypeabody.com/2007/03/16/cookie-conversion/

2 sticks butter
1 c sugar
2 t vanilla
2 eggs
3/4 t baking soda
3/4 t baking powder
3/4 t cream of tarter
1/4 t nutmeg (I omitted this)
1 1/4 c sour cream
2 1/4 c flour

coating:
1 c sugar
2 T cinnamon

See this picture?  Do your eyes deceive you?  Most people would see this and say, "Hey!  Those look like some tasty Snickerdoodle cookies."  Oh, no, my friends.  These are the tops of the muffins.  Mmmm.. Did you ever see that Seinfeld episode where Elaine wanted to start a place that sells only the muffin tops?  Her boss steals the idea and calls the restaurant "Top of the Muffin to you!"  They try to get rid of the bottoms of the muffins by giving them to a homeless shelter, and the homeless folks were all upset that the tops were missing.  However, if they had the bottoms of these muffins I don't think they would protest!  They are amazing through and through.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

Cream the butter and sugar for 3-5 minutes or until it is nice and fluffy.

Add the vanilla.  Mix.  Add the eggs, one at a time, to the mixture and mix well after each addition.

In another bowl, combine the flour, baking soda, baking powder, and cream of tarter.  Whisk it.  Whisk it good.

Add the flour mixture and the sour cream alternately, beginning and ending with the flour.

In another small bowl, combine the sugar and cinnamon.  Use a cookie scoop to plop some of the batter in the cinnamon-sugar bowl.  Roll the dough around until it is fully coated.

Put the dough into greased muffin tins.  Better yet, use paper liners.  I had one heck of  time getting some of the muffins out.

Bake them for 20-22 minutes of until golden brown around the edges.  A toothpick should also come out clean.

 Cookie?  Nope... muffin.

 Muffin?  Oh yeah.

PS- Thank you Peabody for posting this amazing recipe!  I love it.