Cinnamon Rolls

Ingredients

Dough:
1/4 -ounce package yeast
1/2 cup warm water
1/2 cup scalded milk
1/4 cup sugar
1/3 cup butter
1 teaspoon salt
1 egg
3 1/2 to 4 cups all-purpose flour

Filling:
1/2  cup melted butter, plus more for pan
3/4 cup sugar, plus more for pan (or try 1/2 cup sugar and 1/4 cup brown sugar)
2 tablespoons ground cinnamon

one handful of chopped pecans

one handful of chopped apple bits

1/4 cup or large dollop of plain greek yogurt

Glaze:

1 container of cream cheese (softened)
4-5 tablespoons butter
2 cups powdered sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
~3 tablespoons water or milk

Directions

Heat oven to 350 degrees F.

In a small bowl, dissolve yeast in warm water and set aside. 

 

Combine milk and butter in glass measuring cup. Microwave on high until butter melts and mixture is just warmed to 120°F to 130°F, 30 to 45 seconds.  (Or scald the milk)

 

In a large bowl mix milk, sugar, melted butter, salt and egg. Add 2 cups of flour and mix until smooth. Add yeast mixture. Mix in remaining flour until dough is easy to handle. Knead dough on lightly floured surface for 5 to 10 minutes. Place in well-greased bowl, turning to coat. Cover and let rise until doubled in size, usually 1 to 1 1/2 hours.

When doubled in size, punch down dough. Roll out on a floured surface into a 15 by 9-inch rectangle. Spread a liberal amount of plain yogurt over the whole surface. Melt 1/2 cup butter and mix with sugar and cinnamon and sprinkle over dough (optional to hold some back to spread on the bottom of the pan). Sprinkle with pecans and applies. Beginning at the 15-inch side, roll dough into log. Cut into 1" slices using a thread of floss.

Coat the bottom of baking pan with butter and sprinkle with sugar or leftover portion of sugar/butter/cinnamon mix. Place cinnamon roll slices close together in the pan and let rise until dough is doubled, about 45 minutes. Bake for about 30 minutes or until browned on the edges.

Meanwhile, mix butter, powdered sugar, cream cheeese and vanilla. Add milk/ water 1 tablespoon at a time until the glaze reaches desired consistency. Spread over slightly cooled rolls.
 

-Based loosely off of Paula Dean, Epicurious, and Coral's recipes.

Stewed Tomatoes

If you're looking for a stewed tomatoes recipe to go along with the Crusty Macaroni and Cheese, here is one we found that I think is pretty much perfect.

10 tomatoes (beef or roma variety)
2 teaspoons salt
1/2 teaspoon sugar
1 teaspoon dried parsley (or 1 tablespoon fresh)
1/2 cup chopped green pepper

1. Bring a large pot of water to boil, plunge tomatoes in for 30 seconds. Remove, put immediately in a ice bath.

2. Peel the tomatoes. Discard the skins.

3. Dice the tomatoes up to desired size.

4. In a large pot on medium heat, combine all ingredients.

5. Simmer for 30 minutes.

You can also skip the last three steps and pressure cook everything for about 10 minutes. They are more crushed tomatoes, but I like them a little better.

Dal

This recipe is from my Indian vegetarian cooking class. It's pretty easy, and almost a pantry meal (except for the tomatoes and cilantro). We eat it often.


1 C red lentils
4 C water
1/2 t turmeric
1 t salt, or to taste
1 C cubed tomato
2 to 3 T sunflower oil (or ghee, or a combo)
1 t cumin seeds
1/4 t asafetida powder
1/4 to 1/2 t cayenne
1/2 t garam masala
3 T chopped fresh cilantro leaves and tender stems

1. Pick through lentils and remove any stones or foreign matter. Place the lentils in a medium bowl and wash in several changes of cold water, stirring them with your hands. Drain in a fine strainer.

2. Put the lentils and water in a 3 qt saucepan and bring to a boil over high heat, stirring frequently. Skim off any foam that rises to the surface. Stir in the turmeric. Partially cover the pan, reduce the heat to medium-low and briskly simmer until the lentils are very soft, about 30 min. Remove the pan from heat and gently beat the lentils with a whisk until the mixture is somewhat smooth and creamy (or use an immersion blender). Place the pan back over the heat, stir in salt and tomatoes, cook for a few more minutes. Stir in half of the cilantro, cover and keep warm over a very low heat.

3. Heat the oil or ghee in a small skillet over medium-high heat. Wen very hot toss in the cumin seeds and fry until they darken several shades, about 10 seconds. Add the asafetida, cayenne, and garam masala. Stir quickly once, and then immediately pour the entire contents of the pan over the warm lentils. Swirl the fried seasoning into the lentils, but do not stir in completely. Sprinkle with the remaining chopped cilantro and serve.

Variation: You could use green (unripe) mangos or tart green apples instead of tomatoes. You would want to cook them until they are tender.

Vegetarian Chili

1 large onion, chopped
1 large red bell pepper, diced
1 large yellow bell pepper, diced
3 cloves garlic, chopped
1 T vegetable oil

1 can corn, drained
2 cans Rotelle diced tomatoes with chilies
2 cans pinto beans, drained
2 cans black beans, drained
2-3 medium zucchini, cut into 1/2 inch cubes
1 small can of tomato sauce
1 envelope taco seasoning
*optional: jalapeños if you like it spicy

Heat oil in a large pot, add onion, bell peppers and garlic. Saute until tender. Add canned tomatoes, corn, and beans. Add zucchini, tomato sauce and taco seasoning mix. Cook on low-medium for 30 minutes, covered.

Rajma (Red Kidney Beans in Spicy-Tart Tomato Sauce)

This recipe is from the Indian vegetarian cooking class I took.

Serves 4

1 (14.5 oz) can diced tomatoes, drained
2 T sunflower oil (or you can use ghee, or a combination)
1/4 t ajwain seeds
1 medium onion, finely chopped
1 (1x1 inch) piece fresh ginger, peeled and finely chopped
2 medium cloves garlic, peeled and finely chopped
1 to 2 fresh hot green chilies, stemmed and finely chopped
2 t ground coriander
2 t ground cumin
1 C water
1 T dried mango powder (amchoor)
1 t salt, or to taste
3 to 3 1/2 C cooked red kidney beans, drained and rinsed, if canned
1/2 C chopped cilantro leaves and tender stems

1. Optional: blend the tomatoes with a blender and set aside.

2. Heat the oil (or ghee) in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat. When hot, toss in the ajwain seeds and fry until darkened a shade or two, about 15 seconds. Add the onion and cook, stirring often, until golden brown, about 8 to 10 minutes. Stir in the ginger, garlic, and green chilies and cook, stirring, until fragrant and beginning to brown, about 3 minutes. Sprinkle in the ground coriander and cumin, stir a few times and then add the tomatoes. Mix well, and cook, stirring often, until the mixture is reduced to a thick sauce and the oil is separating and pooling around the sides and top, about 5 to 6 minutes.

3. Add the water, dried mango powder, salt, beans, and half of the cilantro. Stir to mix well. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat to medium-low, and and simmer, covered, for about 5 minutes. Uncover the pot and, using the back of a spoon or a potato masher, smash some of the beans against the side of the pot into a coarse puree to thicken the sauce. Cover and gently simmer for another 5 minutes. Sprinkle with the remaining cilantro and serve.

Pumpkin Soup

I got this recipe from a class I took on French cooking. It is easy and delicious, and I like it because it isn't sweet like a lot of squash soup recipes. You can replace the pumpkin with any winter squash. 

1 sugar pumpkin

1/4 C olive oil

1 medium onion, chopped fine

2 stalks celery, chopped fine

3 C chicken stock or broth

salt and pepper to taste

1/2 t ground cinnamon

1/4 t nutmeg

1 C heavy cream, hot

Cut the pumpkin in half around the equator, scoop out seeds and roast cut side down at 400 for about 45 min.

Saute vegetables in hot oil until soft. 

Add pumpkin and stock. 

Bring to a boil and simmer about 30 min. 

Add spices. 

Puree and finish with hot cream.

*If you make the soup ahead of time, add cream right before you serve it.

Megan Atkinson's Peanut Butter Cookies

I make two kinds of cookies: the ginger cookies already posted and these. The recipe is from my cousin's wife Megan so I give her full credit. I make a large batch and freeze them so I can have them to make for guests, but my friend Lisz always requests the frozen dough balls and I happily share.

It is intimidating to post a dessert recipe on this family's site--but here they are:

Megan Atkinson's peanut butter cookies

1 cup brown sugar (or 1/2 cup brown, 1/2 white if you're low on brown)
1/2 cup butter
1/2 cup peanut butter
1 1/4 cups flour
1 egg
1/2 tsp salt
3/4 tsp baking soda
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp vanilla

Mix this all together and then add oats and chocolate chips to meet your taste. My cousin says she usually puts in about 1/3-1/2 cup oatmeal and the same for chocolate chips.