I had never made Cinnamon Rolls before, or even worked very much with yeast.  So when a coworker said one of their favorite desserts was Cinnamon Rolls, I decided to challenge myself.  One of my go-to ladies is the Pioneer Woman for no fail recipes.  I used her dough recipe, but I can't have caffeine and her glaze called for coffee.  I certainly wanted to indulge myself in these so made up a simple powdered sugar glaze.  I also added pecans because rolls aren't rolls without some nuts!  Here ya go...

Bomb Cinnamon Rolls

• 1 quart Whole Milk
• 1 cup Vegetable Oil
• 1 cup Sugar
• 2 packages Active Dry Yeast, 0.25 Ounce Packets
• 8 cups (Plus 1 Cup Extra, Reserved) All-purpose Flour
• 1 teaspoon (heaping) Baking Powder
• 1 teaspoon (scant) Baking Soda
• 1 Tablespoon (heaping) Salt
•  Plenty Of Melted Butter (at least two sticks)
• Plenty of chopped pecans (about a cup or more depending on your taste)
• 2 cups Sugar
•  Generous Sprinkling Of Cinnamon
•  _____
•  FROSTING:
• 1/2 -1 bag Powdered Sugar
• 1/2 cup Milk
• 1/4 cup Melted Butter
• 1 tsp vanilla extract

Preparation Instructions

For the dough, heat the milk, vegetable oil, and sugar in a medium saucepan over medium heat to just below a boil. Set aside and cool to warm. Sprinkle the yeast on top and let it sit on the milk for 1 minute.

Add 8 cups of the flour. Stir until just combined, then cover with a clean kitchen towel, and set aside in a relatively warm place for 1 hour. After 1 hour, remove the towel and add the baking powder, baking soda, salt, and the remaining 1 cup flour. Stir thoroughly to combine. Use the dough right away, or place in a mixing bowl and refrigerate for up to 3 days, punching down the dough if it rises to the top of the bowl. (Note: dough is easier to work with if it’s been chilled for at least an hour or so beforehand.)

Preheat the oven to 375°F.

To assemble the rolls, remove half the dough from the pan/bowl. On a floured baking surface, roll the dough into a large rectangle, about 30 x 10 inches. The dough should be rolled very thin.

To make the filling, pour 3/4 cup to 1 cup of the melted butter over the surface of the dough. Use your fingers to spread the butter evenly. Generously sprinkle half of the ground cinnamon and 1 cup of the sugar over the butter. Add half the pecans.  Don’t be afraid to drizzle on more butter or more sugar! Gooey is the goal.

Now, beginning at the end farthest from you, roll the rectangle tightly towards you. Use both hands and work slowly, being careful to keep the roll tight. Don’t worry if the filling oozes as you work; that just means the rolls are going to be divine. When you reach the end, pinch the seam together and flip the roll so that the seam is face down. When you’re finished, you’ll wind up with one long buttery, cinnamony, sugary, gooey log.

Slip a cutting board underneath the roll and with a sharp knife, make 1/2-inch slices. One “log “will produce 20 to 25 rolls. Pour a couple of teaspoons of melted butter into disposable foil cake pans and swirl to coat. Place the sliced rolls in the pans, being careful not to overcrowd. (Each pan will hold 7 to 9 rolls.)

Repeat the rolling/sugar/butter process with the other half of the dough and more pans. Preheat the oven to 375°F. Cover all the pans with a kitchen towel and set aside to rise on the countertop for at least 20 minutes before baking. Remove the towel and bake for 15 to 18 minutes, until golden brown. Don’t allow the rolls to become overly brown.

While the rolls are baking, make the icing: In a large bowl, whisk together the powdered sugar, milk, butter,and vanilla. Whisk until very smooth. Taste and add in more powdered sugar as needed until the icing reaches the desired consistency. The icing should be somewhat thick but still very pourable.

Remove pans from the oven. Immediately drizzle icing over the top. Be sure to get it all around the edges and over the top. As they sit, the rolls will absorb some of the icing’s moisture and flavor. They only get better with time… not that they last for more than a few seconds.

Pesto Orecchiette with Chicken Sausage

Found this recipe originally via Pinterest, posted on www.realsimple.com.  I've made this dish several times since finding it and it's always delectable!  So easy too with just slicing the chicken sausage instead of having to deal with raw meat.

• 12  ounces  orecchiette pasta
• 1/2  pound  green beans, trimmed and cut into 1-inch pieces
• 1  cup  frozen peas
• 1  tablespoon  olive oil
• 8  ounces  fully cooked Italian-style chicken sausage links, thinly sliced
• 1/3  cup  pesto
• 1/2  cup  grated Parmesan (2 ounces)

Directions

1. Cook the pasta according to the package directions, adding the green beans and peas during the last 3 minutes of cooking. Reserve 1 cup of the cooking water; drain the pasta and vegetables and return them to the pot.
2. Meanwhile, heat the oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the sausage and cook, turning occasionally, until browned, 6 to 8 minutes.
3. Add the sausage, pesto, Parmesan, and ½ cup of the reserved cooking water to the pasta and vegetables and toss to combine (add more cooking water if the pasta seems dry).

Samosas with Tamarind Chutney

This recipe is a work friend's mother's recipe.  I love samosas when I go out to an Indian dinner, but these are even better--baked not fried!  I've made these several times.  Be prepared, it makes a lot!  But I usually end up freezing half of them to satisfy my cravings at a later time.

Stuffing:

5 large potatoes

1-1 heaping tsp hot red pepper depending on hot much heat you want

1/2 tsp. black pepper

1/2 lb butter

1 heaping tsp garam masala

1 (10oz.) pkg peas

2 tsp lemon juice

1 large onion

1 1/2 tsp salt

Boil the potatoes until cooked.  Drain the water and put the potatoes into cold water for easy handling.  When cool enough to handle easily, peel the potatoes.  Then in a large bowl, mash the potatoes.  Add the remaining ingredients except for the butter and onion and mix thoroughly.  Chop the large onion finely and saute in the butter until browned.  Then add the potato mixture to the onions.  Mix thoroughly and set aside.

Shell:

1 pkg. large flour tortillas

4 heaping Tbls all purpose flour

2-3 eggs

water

Make a paste out of the flour and eggs.  Add water as necessary to form a smooth, but thick paste.  Warm a skillet.  Cut the tortillas in half.  Warm the halves in the skillet, one at a time--only warm, don't cook.  This is done to make the folding process easier.  Once a half is warmed, fold the pointed ends together to form a cone.  Make sure that the bottom is pointed.  Take your paste and "glue" the seam that is on the side to form a cone.  Once it adheres, stuff the cone three-quarters full.  Be careful that the seam doesn't become undone.  Then glue the top.  When done, the stuffing should be sealed. Bake the samosas until lightly browned--400'F oven for 8-10 minutes. (just keep your eye on them til they brown up)

Chutney:

1 cup ketchup

10-15 pureed fresh mint leaves

1 medium chopped onion

1 chopped jalapeno pepper

4 T sugar

2 T tamarind paste

2 T lemon juice

1 tsp. salt

1 tsp. red chili pepper flakes

Mix together in a food processor and adjust seasonings to taste.  Do not add any water.

Vietnamese Chicken Porridge

I tried this dish at Soma Streatfood Park in San Francisco and fell in love.  I took a picture of the ingredients listed on the sign and then got to work.  I have to say my recreation is pretty darn close!  The brothy consistency with a hint of lime is surprisingly delicious!  I luckily had some homemade chicken broth in the freezer and the few cups extra I used "Better than Bouillon" to make up the difference.

Vietnamese Chicken Porridge

several cups of Jasmine rice
about 15 cups of homemade chicken broth
bunch of green onions, tops sliced
bunch of cilantro, chopped (try to eliminate the stems)
8 chicken thighs
1/2 c lime juice
3/4 tsp. white pepper

Bring chicken broth to a boil and drop in chicken thighs until cooked through.  Remove thighs one at a time and shred; return to pot.  Add white pepper, green onions, cilantro, and lime juice.  Serve over about 1/4 cup of Jasmine rice per bowl.  I like to keep the Jasmine rice separate from the broth until ready to serve.

Red Beans & Rice with Lamb & Eggplant

I found this treasure of a recipe in Rachael Ray's magazine "Everyday".  Original recipe called for lamb sausage and a pinch of saffron (I wasn't spending $17 for a pinch of anything).  Seriously you have to try this recipe.  So yummy.

Red Beans & Rice with Lamb & Eggplant

2 T butter
1 1/2 tsp. paprika
1 1/4 c long grain and wild rice
2 c chicken stock
1 tomato chopped (I used a can of diced tomatoes)
salt and pepper
2 T olive oil
1 lb ground lamb
1 small firm eggplant, peeled and cubed
1 red bell pepper, seeded and chopped
1 onion, chopped
3-4 cloves garlic, chopped
2 T chopped fresh thyme
1/2 c dry white wine
1 can red kidney beans, drained and rinsed
chopped fresh parsley for garnish

In a medium saucepan, heat the butter over medium heat until foaming; stir in the paprika.  Add the rice and cook, stirring for 1 minute.  Add the stock and tomato; season with salt and pepper.  Bring to a boil, then lower the heat to low, cover and simmer for 18 minutes.

Meanwhile in a large skillet, heat the olive oil over medium-high heat.  Crumble in the sausage and cook until browned, about 8 minutes.  Add the eggplant, onion, garlic, bell pepper, and thyme; season with salt and pepper.  Partially cover and cook for 10 minutes.  Pour in the wine to deglaze the pan, scraping up the browned bits.  Stir in the beans to heat through and then stir in the rice.  Top with parsley.