Adam Cooks: Overnight Cinnnamon Rolls

From Allrecipes.com



Ingredients:
1 cup milk
1/3 cup butter
1 (.25 ounce) package active dry yeast
1/2 cup white sugar
4 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt
3 eggs

FILLING:
3/4 cup brown sugar
1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
1/2 cup raisins

Directions:
1. Heat the milk in a small saucepan until it bubbles, then remove from heat. Add the butter and stir until melted; let cool until lukewarm.

2. In a large mixing bowl, dissolve the yeast in the milk mixture. Add the sugar, 3 cups of flour, salt and eggs; stir well to combine. Add the remaining flour, 1/2 cup at a time, stirring well after each addition. When the dough has pulled together, turn it out onto a lightly floured surface and knead until smooth and supple, about 8 minutes.

3. Lightly oil a large mixing bowl, place the dough in the bowl and turn to coat with oil. Cover with a damp cloth and let rise in a warm place until doubled in volume, about 1 hour.

4. Deflate the dough and turn it out onto a lightly floured surface and roll into a 10x 14 inch rectangle. Lightly brush the far edge with water. In a small bowl combine the cinnamon and 3/4 cup brown sugar and sprinkle over the rectangles. Then sprinkle the raisins and chopped nuts over the dough. Roll up the dough into a log and seal the seam.

5. Cut the dough into 12 equal pieces; place the pieces in a greased 9x13 inch baking pan, or 12 inch deep dish pizza pan. Cover with plastic wrap and place in the refrigerator to rise overnight.

6. The next morning, preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Take the rolls out of the refrigerator and let stand at room temperature for 30 minutes.

7. Bake the rolls for 25 to 30 minutes or until golden.

Comments:
Good lord, anything with seven steps is just too much work for me. Last night Adam decided he wanted cinnamon rolls. So he made these. He ended up using some Penzey's cinnamon sugar (the free item in the last catalog!) and left out raisins. Because he knows I hate them. He's nice like that. There's a glaze that goes with this (which you'll see in the original recipe if you follow the link) that he left out. Just used store bought cream cheese frosting. Yum. All in all, a pretty good way to start the morning.

Cream of Broccoli Soup

From Weight Watchers



Ingredients:
1 medium uncooked onion(s), chopped
1 clove(s) (medium) garlic clove(s), minced
2 pound(s) uncooked broccoli, tough ends removed, stems and florets chopped
4 cup(s) fat-free chicken broth, or vegetable broth
1 cup(s) fat-free evaporated milk
1/2 tsp hot pepper sauce, or to taste
1/4 tsp table salt, or to taste
1/4 tsp black pepper, or to taste

Directions:
Combine onion and garlic in a 2-quart saucepan with 1/4 cup of water. Simmer until onion is soft, about 10 minutes; spoon vegetables into a large pot.

Add broccoli and broth to pot; bring to a boil over high heat. Once soup boils, reduce heat and simmer until broccoli is soft but still green, about 8 minutes. Do not cover pot while broccoli is cooking or it will turn gray.

Remove soup from heat; puree until smooth in batches in a blender (be careful not to splatter hot liquid) or puree in pot using an immersion blender. Add evaporated milk and hot pepper sauce to soup; season to taste with salt and pepper.

Comments:
I read some of the reviews on this recipe before making it so I also made some adjustments to the original recipe. I added some cornstarch to thicken it. Added cheese. Added a bunch of Penzey's "Mural of Flavor" spice blend. It was ok, but still not the best. I'm not really a cream of broccoli fan anyway, but I don't know that I'd try this again.

Adam Cooks: Cheeseburger Quiche

From Taste of Home



Ingredients:
1/2 pound ground beef
1/3 cup chopped onion
1/2 cup mayonnaise
1/2 cup milk
1/8 teaspoon dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon pepper
3 eggs
1-1/2 cups (6 ounces) shredded cheddar cheese, divided
1 unbaked pie shell (9 inches)

Directions:
In a skillet, brown ground beef and onion; drain and set aside. In a bowl, combine mayonnaise, milk, oregano, salt and pepper; beat in eggs. Stir in beef mixture and 1 cup cheese. Pour into pie shell.

Bake at 350° for 35-40 minutes or until set. Remove from oven and sprinkle with remaining cheese. Allow to stand 5 minutes before cutting. Yield: 6 servings.

Comments:
Given my history with ugly, unphotogenic (but tasty!) quiches, Adam decided to take a crack at it (get it? Crack. Bcause there are eggs. Ha. Ok sorry, back to the topic at hand) and see how his success would compare to mine. He used the second half of the totally awesome pie crust he made last week for the flat apple pie. It did take signficantly longer than the recipe says, but eventually it set up pretty well. It was pretty tasty, but seemed to be missing... something. Maybe bacon? Maybe pickles? We couldn't quite put our finger on it. Still, good stuff, and much prettier in a picture than any quiche I've made. :-)

Pantry Pasta

From The Pioneer Woman, Ree Drummond via FoodNetwork



Ingredients:
1/2 whole red onion, diced
2 tablespoons olive oil
One 14.5-ounce can diced tomatoes with juice
1/3 cup chicken stock or white wine
1/3 cup assorted olives, pitted and roughly chopped
1 whole jar artichoke hearts, halved
2 cloves garlic, minced
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
8 ounces pasta, cooked al dente and drained
2 to 3 tablespoons jarred pesto
1/2 cup fork-chunked feta
3 tablespoons dry-toasted pine nuts

Directions:
Add the onions into a skillet with the olive oil over medium heat. Saute for a few minutes, and then add in the diced tomatoes, chicken stock, olives, artichoke hearts and garlic. Season with a pinch of salt and pepper. Stir and simmer over low heat for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Add the cooked pasta to the skillet and stir to combine with the sauce. Mix in the pesto. Toss in the feta and top with the pine nuts.

Comments:
I don't know that I've ever made anything from The Pioneer Woman that I haven't totally loved. I caught this recipe on her new(ish) show on the Food Network and I knew it was right up my alley. A local Italian restaurant makes a version of this and I love it and this is what I always get at Stone Cellar as well. Olives and tomatoes and artichokes and pasta = Heaven! I did leave out the pesto since I'm not particularly a fan. I also used some Garden Delight Ronzoni in an effort to up the healthy components. I'm not sure about the two servings thing though - this makes a whole lot, and unlike Ree, I don't live on a working ranch and chase cows around all day.

Adam Cooks: Asian Beef with Broccoli

From Crock-Pot Favorite Slow Cooker Recipes



Ingredients:
1 1/2 lbs boneless chuck steak, about 1 1/2 inches thick, sliced into thin strips
1 10.5 oz can condensed beef consomme, undiluted
1/2 cup oyster sauce
2 tbsp cornstarch
1 16 oz bag fresh broccoli florets
Hot cooked rice
Sesame seeds (opt)

Directions:
1. Place beef in slow cooker. Pour consomme and oyster sauce over beef. Cover; cook on high 3 hours.

2. Combine cornstarch and 2 tbsp cooking liquid in small bowl. Stir well to combine. Stir into slow cooker. Cover; cook on high 15 minutes longer or until thickened.

3. Pole holes into broccoli bag with fork. Microwave on high 3 minutes. Empty bag into slow cooker. Gently toss beef and broccoli together. Serve over cooked rice. Garnish with sesame seeds, if desired.

Comments:
Maybe it was because we couldn't find beef consomme so we used beef broth. Or maybe it was because we skipped the oyster sauce. Whatever the reason, this was really boring. Very bland, not interesting texturally or flavorally (is that even a word?) at all. Probably wouldn't make this again - I have a different slow cooker version I much prefer.

Nice 'N' Easy Italian Chicken

From Crock-Pot Favorite Slow Cooker Recipes



Ingredients:
4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
8 oz mushrooms, sliced
1 medium green bell pepper, chopped
1 medium zucchini, diced
1 medium onion, chopped
1 26oz jar pasta sauce
hot cooked spaghetti

Directions:
Combine all ingredients except pasta in slow cooker. Cover; cook on low 6-8 hours or until chicken is tender. Serve over spaghetti.

Comments:
Not much out there that's easier to make than this. This is the classic "throw some stuff in the crockpot and forget about it" meal. It turned out really well. I did use a red pepper rather than the green since I think green peppers tend to overpower everything else in the dish. It does make a lot for just two people so I ended up freezing a bunch. We'll see how it tastes when it's thawed.

Mixed Berry Cobbler

From Crock-Pot Favorite Slow Cooker Recipes



Ingredients:
1 16oz package frozen mixed berries
3/4 cup granulated sugar
2 tbsp quick-cooking tapioca
2 tsp grated lemon peel
1 1/2 cups AP flour
1/2 cup packed light brown sugar
2 1/4 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
3/4 cup milk
1/3 cup butter, melted

Directions:
1. Coat slow cooker with nonstick cooking spray. Stir together berries, sugar, tapioca, and lemon peel in a medium bowl. Transfer to slow cooker.

2. Combine flour, brown sugar, baking powder, and nutmeg in a medium bowl. Add milk and butter; stir until just blended. Drop spoonfuls of dough on top of berry mixture. Cover; cook on low 4 hours. Uncover; let stand about 30 minutes. Serve with ice cream, if desired.

Comments:
Pretty simple, pretty tasty. The berries end up being very sweet so you really need the ice cream to cut it a bit. And the crust is really good too. Stays nice a moist but with a little chewy top layer. And you can make this is a ton of iterations with all different kinds of berries. Thumbs up.

Adam Cooks: Flat Apple Pie

From The Pioneer Woman via FoodNetwork



Ingredients:
5 Granny Smith apples, peeled and sliced
1/2 cup firmly packed brown sugar
1/2 cup granulated sugar
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
Juice of 1/2 lemon
1 recipe Perfect Pie Crust (recipe is in link above)
6 tablespoons butter

Directions:
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.

In large bowl, stir together the apples, brown sugar, granulated sugar, flour, salt and lemon juice. Set aside and see how long you can keep from sneaking a slice of apple.

With a rolling pin, begin rolling out the Perfect Pie Crusts into large circles. Roll the dough from the center outward. Be gentle and patient, it'll take a little time to get the dough completely rolled out.

If you think the bottom is really sticking to the surface below, use a nice, sharp spatula to loosen the dough and sprinkle some extra flour on top. Then flip it over to finish rolling. Remember to roll from the center in single, outward strokes, no back-and-forth rolling.

Again with a spatula, loosen and lift the dough and carefully place the circles on large baking sheets.

Place half the apple mixture on one crust and the other half on the other crust. Fold over the edges of each crust so that it covers 2 to 3 inches of the apple mixture. No need to be artistic - the more rustic the better. Dot the tops of the pies with chunks of the butter.

Bake until the filling is golden and bubbly, 30 to 40 minutes. If the crust appears to brown too quickly, cover the edges with aluminium foil for the remaining baking time.

Allow to cool slightly, then slice into wedges with a pizza cutter. Eat 'em on the go!

Comments:
OMG. This was so good. My dislike of pie crust is well known (and well documented here on this blog) so I was skeptical of Ree's "perfect pie crust" that everyone raves about. And apple pie especially, not my favorite. But seriously people. It's wonderful. The crust, so flaky and just awesome. Perfect pure apple flavor without all that cinnamon and spice junk to mess it up. Go make it immediately.

Brussels Sprouts with Balsamic and Cranberries

From The Pioneer Woman

Chicken recipe can be found here. (It's a good one!)



Ingredients:
3 pounds Brussels Sprouts
1/2 cup Olive Oil
Salt And Pepper
1 cup Balsamic Vinegar
1/2 cup Sugar
1 cup Dried Cranberries

Directions:
Trim/clean Brussels sprouts, then cut them in half if desired (or you can leave them whole). Arrange on two baking sheets and toss with olive oil. Sprinkle with plenty of salt and pepper and roast at 375 degrees for 25 to 30 minutes, or until brown.

Combine balsamic vinegar and sugar in a saucepan. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to medium-low and reduce until very thick, about 15 to 20 minutes.

Drizzle the balsamic reduction over the roasted sprouts, then sprinkle on dried cranberries. Toss and serve immediately.

Comments:
This was my first attempt at cooking Brussels sprouts. It was also my first attempt at EATING Brussels sprouts. I don't know why it's taken me almost 30 years to venture into this culinary territory. I guess the opportunity just never presented itself prior to this occasion. But I saw this recipe on the Pioneer Woman Christmas show on FoodNetwork and I thought it sounded yummy. So I made it. And it was yummy. Yay for fulfilled expectations!

My one caution is about this glaze thing. Wow, does it get thick. As in, good luck scraping it out of your saucepan and serving dish thick. Yikes! Tricky clean-up aside, this was a great introduction to a new veggie.

Oven-Fried Pork Chops and Parmesan Potato Wedges

From Cooking Light (pork) and Crockpot Favorite Slow Cooker Recipes (potatoes)



For the pork

Ingredients:
2 cups panko or other coarse bread crumbs
1 1-oz. packet onion soup mix
1 teaspoon paprika
Pepper
1/2 cup Dijon mustard
2 tablespoons flour
6 6-oz. boneless pork chops, trimmed of excess fat
6 tablespoons butter, melted

Directions:
Arrange a rack in bottom third of oven. Preheat oven to 425°F. Line a rimmed baking sheet with aluminum foil and coat with nonstick cooking spray.

Mix bread crumbs with soup mix, paprika and pepper in a shallow bowl. In a separate shallow bowl, combine mustard and 2 Tbsp. water. Spread flour on a plate. Dredge pork chops in flour. Coat both sides of each pork chop with mustard mixture, and then dredge in bread crumbs to coat well. Place chops on prepared baking sheet.

Drizzle 1 Tbsp. melted butter over each chop. Bake until cooked through, 10 to 15 minutes, turning chops over halfway through cooking time for even browning. Let chops rest for 10 minutes before serving.

For the potatoes

Ingredients:
2 pounds red potatoes, cut into 1/2-inch wedges
1/4 cup finely chopped yellow onion
1 1/2 tsp dried oregano
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp black pepper
2 tbsp butter, cut into 1/8-inch pieces
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Directions:
Layer potatoes, onion, oregano, salt, pepper, and butter in slow cooker. Cover; cook on HIGH 4 hours. Transfer potatoes to serving platter and sprinkle with cheese.

Comments:
The pork was good. Even with sub-par meat the breading was pretty good. I even ate all of mine, which is impressive since I don't really like pork all that much. On the other hand, the potatoes were iffy. Potatoes in the crockpot generally end up all mushy and despite the high cooking temp and the deceivingly delicious picture in the cookbook, they ended up, well, kind of mushy. Still ok tasting, but not something I'd make again.

Moroccan Chicken Salad

From Eating Well



Ingredients:
2 cups cooked rice
2 cups shredded cooked chicken
2 cups shredded carrots
1/4 cup sliced scallions
1/4 cup chopped Kalamata olives
1/4 cup reduced-sodium chicken broth
1/3 cup orange juice
2 tablespoons lemon juice
2 tablespoons chopped fresh mint
2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro
2 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper
Salt & freshly ground pepper, to taste

Directions:
Combine rice, chicken, carrots, scallions and olives in a large bowl. Whisk together broth, orange juice, lemon juice, mint, cilantro, oil, cinnamon, cayenne and salt and pepper to taste in another bowl. Toss dressing with rice mixture.

Comments:
I went a little heavy handed with the cayenne on this one. And again with the cinnamon. I'm just not a cinnamon fan, I guess. I might try this again skipping those two ingredients, but I don't know. The balance of rice to carrots to chicken seemed off to me and Adam didn't really care for it at all.

Adam Cooks: Baked Haddock

We can't for the life of us find the recipe used for this meal. It's lost in the maze of the internet... but it was good! Fish breaded with panko and baked.

Indian-Style Apricot Chicken

From CrockPot Favorite Slow Cooker Recipes



Ingredients:
6 skinless chicken thighs, rinsed and patted dry
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
1 tbsp vegetable oil
1 large onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 tbsp grated fresh ginger
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground allspice
1 14.5 oz can diced tomatoes, undrained
1 cup chicken broth
1 8oz package dried apricots
1 pinch saffron threads (optional)
Hot basmati rice

Directions:
1. Coat slow cooker with nonstick cooking spray. Season chicken with salt and pepper. Heat oil in large skillet over medium-high heat until hot. Brown chicken on all sides. Transfer to prepared slow cooker.

2. Add onion to skillet. Cook and stir 3 to 5 minutes or until translucent. Stir in garlic, ginger, cinnamon, and allspice. Cook and stir 15 to 30 seconds longer or until mixture is fragrant. Add tomatoes with juice and broth. Cook 2 or 3 minutes or until mixture is heated through. Pour into clow cooker.

3. Add apricots and saffron, if desired. Cover; cook on LOW 5 to 6 hours (HIGH 3 to 4 hours) or until chicken is tender. Add salt and pepper, if desired. Serve with basmati rice.

Comments:
We weren't sold on this one. Adam wasn't a fan of all the tomato action. I didn't like the cinnamon part. We ate it, but probably wouldn't make it again.

Polish Sausage and Veggies

From Taste of Home



Ingredients:
4 cups cubed peeled potatoes (about 2-1/2 pounds)
1 pound smoked Polish sausage or smoked kielbasa, cut into 1/4-inch slices
1/2 cup chopped onion
1/2 cup julienned sweet yellow pepper
1/2 cup julienned sweet red pepper
1-1/2 teaspoons Cajun seasoning
1 tablespoon canola oil
1 tablespoon butter

Directions:
In a large skillet over medium heat, cook the potatoes, sausage, onion, peppers and Cajun seasoning in oil and butter for 15-20 minutes or until potatoes are tender, stirring occasionally.

Comments:
This was really good (and easy!) I added some leftover broccoli for additional vegetable action. We also had no Cajun seasoning so I used some of the 33rd & Galena spice from Penzey's Kind Heart Gift Set. Honestly couldn't even taste it so I added a bunch of pepper to my serving. I heart pepper!