Winning my family over with cinnamon and cream cheese frosting

I will always pick homemade cinnamon rolls as a Sunday breakfast option, sadly no one every makes me any. So, I make my own! We run into an issue because our Sunday mornings are usually packed with who is doing what at church, who needs to be where and when, so trying to get dough rising, baking, etc... isn't happening. Also, I'm out walking most Sunday mornings by 6:30 AM... so who is doing that baking? I decided to give this recipe a shot on Saturday then we had them Sunday morning. It might be my new favorite. It's that good. We zapped them in the microwave for 30 seconds and heavenly. My kids even chose to have them... that's huge... they sat and ate them; they didn't toss cereal in a bag or eat a cookie on the way out the door. They sat and at a warm gooey cinnamon roll! They are THAT good. I will say I once again I neglected to check my ingredients, I mean why wouldn't we have cream cheese? Well, we did, it was just green and black - oh my goodness.. not ok. So I used whipped cream cheese spread instead. I mean it worked in a pinch, I guess. These rolls are so good I might make them for a bake sale we have coming up in a few weeks and save one for myself! Mmm..... So good!

Cinnamon Rolls
Cinnamon Roll Dough:
4 cups (568g) bread flour, plus more as needed for rolling and shaping
⅓ cup (65g) granulated sugar
3 teaspoon (11g) quick-rise instant yeast
1 ¼ teaspoon (10g) salt
1 large egg, at room temperature
2 tablespoon (24g) liquid oil such as vegetable, canola, sunflower or olive oil
1 ¼ cups (300ml) milk (whole milk or 2% preferred)
2 tablespoon (28g) salted butter, softened
Cinnamon Filling:
1 cup (200g) packed dark brown sugar
4 teaspoon (10g) ground cinnamon
1 tablespoon (8g) all-purpose flour
4 tablespoons (57g) salted butter, melted
1 tablespoon (15ml) water
Cream Cheese Icing:
3 oz (85g) cream cheese, softened
2 tablespoon (28g) salted butter, softened
¾ cup (90g) powdered sugar
½ teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Make the dough. Place flour in the bowl of a stand mixer. Add in sugar, yeast and salt in little piles in separate places over the flour in the bowl so that they are not touching. See my video above the recipe card. The point is that you do not want the salt in direct contact with the yeast or it can inhibit its activity.
Add in the egg, oil, milk and soft butter. Attach the dough hook and mix on medium-low for 10-15 minutes. Stop after a 2 minutes to scrape down the sides of the bowl and ensure all of the flour is incorporated and the dough is a uniform mixture. It will still be wet and rather loose at this point. Continue mixing for another 2-3 minutes. The dough should start to climb up the dough hook and will still be webbing around the bottom of the bowl. (Note: if the dough seems rather dry and stiff at this point, add water at 10ml increments until you reach a softer consistency as described). Stop the mixer and scrape around the inside of the bowl to release the dough. Continue mixing for another 3 minutes. Stop again, pull the dough off of the hook and scrape around the inside of the bowl to release the dough again. Continue mixing for another 3-5 minutes. At this point the dough should start forming a mass and come away from the bowl as it is mixing. You can check the temperature of the dough now if you have a digital thermometer - it should be between 24-26 degrees for optimal activity.
Transfer the dough to a lightly floured work surface. Now you will stretch and fold the dough to help develop the gluten structure so the rolls will be soft and fluffy. Using both hands, grab both sides of the dough, pull it outwards (this is the "stretch"), then fold it inwards over itself. Rotate the dough and continue to stretch and fold until the dough feels very smooth. Watch my video for a full tutorial. Shape the dough into a ball by tucking the sides underneath and rolling it around the counter The surface of the dough ball should pull smoothly without tearing.
Place the ball into a bowl and then rub a little bit of oil lightly over the surface with your hands to prevent it from drying out. Cover the bowl with plastic and then cover with a kitchen towel. Set it aside in a warm dark place and let it rise for 1-2 hours until nearly tripled in size. Note that the amount of time required will depend on the temperature of your kitchen. After it has risen, place it in the fridge for 15 minutes to let it firm up slightly so it is easier to roll. Note, if you are making these in a very cool climate, then this step isn't necessary.
While the dough is rising, prepare the pan and make the filling. Lightly grease a 13x9-inch metal baking pan with cooking spray or soft butter.
Make the filling. Combine brown sugar, cinnamon and flour in a small bowl and mix well so it is evenly blended. Add melted butter and water and stir until it forms a smooth sludge like wet sand.
Lightly flour a work surface to cover a large area. Carefully invert the bowl and tip the dough out onto the surface. Let the dough gently release from the bowl and plop onto the counter. Do not knead it any more at this point. Gently pull on the dough and stretch it out into a rectangle shape, then use a rolling pin to roll it out to a 14x17 inch rectangle. Gently apply the filling, spreading it out evenly right to the edges using a large offset spatula. Now you can either roll it up into a log and slice the log into 12 portions, or slice the rolled dough into 12 long strips (just over an inch thick) and then roll up each individual strip into a scroll.
Place each roll spiral-side-up into the prepared pan so they fit nicely next to each other. Cover the pan loosely with plastic and proof for 30 minutes to 1 hour. Note: this proof time highly depends on the temperature of your dough and temperature of your room. The rolls are ready for baking when you press on the side gently with your finger tip and it slowly springs back, leaving just the slightest imprint. If your fingerprint remains and leaves a deep imprint, then the dough is over-proofed.
While the rolls are rising, preheat the oven to 350°F.
Bake for 20-25 minutes until evenly golden and the center roll is cooked through. The internal temperature should be between 92 and 94°C.
Transfer pan to a wire rack and let rolls cool for at least 20 minutes.
Meanwhile make the icing. Combine cream cheese, soft butter, powdered sugar and vanilla in a medium bowl and mix well with a wooden spoon, whisk, spatula or electric hand mixer until very smooth. Spread a big dollop of icing over each roll and dig in!

When they all love them, it means they really are that great...

I saw this recipe online for Sugar Crack Cookies and it seemed easy enough I decided to give it a whirl on a Friday after work because baking is fun and something I'd like to do after a week of work! No really! I enjoy it! My family gradually walked into the house smelling heavenly. "Can I have one?" Of course! The recipe calls for making these teaspoon sized. Um... while cute little cookies sound fun, I'm zero percent chance interested in make and rolling all those tiny cookies, a regular cookie scoop works for me! These cookies are great; my family can't keep their mits out of them! It's possible we'll be making another batch very soon. These would be great for holidays rolled in different color sanding sugar with extra "snow" on top! So good! Make these!

Sugar Crack Cookies
2 sticks of salted butter softened
1 cup of Wesson canola or vegetable oil
1 cup of powdered sugar
1 cup of granulated sugar
1 tsp of vanilla
2 eggs
4 1/2 cups of all purpose flour
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
1 tsp cream of tarter
extra granulated sugar for rolling

1. preheat oven 350 degrees
2. cream butter, oil, both types of sugar
3. mix in eggs, vanilla.
4. add in dry ingredients
5. roll into 1 tablespoon sized tiny balls
6. roll balls in extra granulated sugar
7. on parchment lined sheet, press down with cookie press or just the back of a water glass.
8. bake for 10 to 12 min or until crisp and golden
9. let cool at least 10 minutes to let harden up.
They will be slightly soft right out of the oven.
10. sprinkle extra granulated sugar "snow"

Taking baby steps toward enjoying chocolate

Little by little my kids are more and more interested in chocolate. For a long time they wouldn't touch it - but inch by inch - a Kit Kat there, a Hershey bar here... they are coming to the chocolate side of the world. They even like M&Ms. I made these cookies to share at a church event since we didn't know what the food plan was, I figured if I brought something they'd eat just incase they weren't fans of lunch. I had one that said hard pass on the cookies - and one that loved them. Baby steps. Then we brought one cookie one... it's sat on the counter and I've begged and begged, offered it up... finally yesterday someone ate it - hip hip for another empty container! Also for another reason to find another recipe to try out!

M&M Cookie Recipe
1 cup butter 2 sticks
1 cup brown sugar
3/4 cup granulated sugar
2 eggs
2 tsp vanilla extract
3 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp table salt
1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
1 cup M&M’s + more for the tops of the cookies

Instructions
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees & line 2-3 large baking sheets with parchment & set aside.
In a large mixing bowl, cream your butter & both sugars together until whipped & well combined.
Mix in eggs & vanilla.
Add in the flour, baking soda & salt & mix well.
Fold in chocolate chips & M&M’s.
Use a large cookie scoop & scoop the dough onto the prepared baking sheet.
Bake 8-10 minutes or until the tops are just barely golden brown.
Remove from the oven & immediately place additional M&M’s into the tops of the cookies, pressing lightly to make sure they get a bit melty.

Allow to cool another 2-5 minutes on the baking sheet before transferring to a wire rack to continue to cool to room temperature.

Once cooled, transfer to an airtight container & store at room temperature.

Potato it up!

I'm terrible at using up a bag of potatoes before they get musty and nasty. Often I'll get a bag to make a roast or something else and forget they are in the canister until I can't figure out where the funk is coming from in the kitchen - almost always the potato bin. We decided to have steak for dinner - from our wonderful Wisconsin cow - and I figured it was a good chance to use up those potatoes. I found this recipe and realized I had no parmesan so Andy grabbed some on his way home. I ended up doubling the recipe since I had more than a pound of potatoes. When I took them out of the oven we were a tad worried how much oil/butter was in the pan, but giving them a 10 minute set, the potatoes absorbed it all and they made very decadent delicious potatoes! These are not potatoes I'd make on the daily - but certainly for special occasions, potato it up!

Crispy Garlic Parmesan Crusted Potatoes
1 Pound Mini Yukon Gold Potatoes, halved
2 Tablespoons Olive Oil
1 Tablespoon Dried Parsley
1 Tablespoon Garlic Powder
½ Teaspoon Sea Salt
½ Teaspoon Ground Black Pepper
¼ Cup Unsalted Butter, melted
1 ½ Cups Parmigiano Reggiano, freshly grated

Instructions
To make these potatoes, start by preheating your oven to 425 F.
Next, wash the potatoes and cut them in half.
Then, take your knife and "score" the potatoes by cutting diagonal lines alongside the cut-side of each potato.
Transfer the cut potatoes to a large bowl and add in the olive oil, parsley, garlic powder, sea salt, and black pepper. Toss until the potatoes are fully coated in the oil and seasonings.
Next, grate the parmigiano reggiano into a bowl and pour the melted butter on top. Mix them together until a thick paste forms.
Transfer the paste to a large baking dish and use a spoon or spatula to spread it out evenly across the bottom of the dish.
Then, transfer the potatoes to the baking dish and place them cut-side down, pressing them into the cheese mixture. Repeat until all of the potatoes are in the dish.
Finally, bake the potatoes for 25-26 minutes.

Once they're done, remove them from the oven and allow the potatoes to rest for 10 minutes, until the cheese hardens.

Then, use a spatula to remove the potatoes from the pan, serve, and enjoy!

Angel Baby turns Eight

Bernard is eight - how is he eight already? He can't possibly be that old and getting older. He's still a young spry pup who gets into trouble and steals food off the table. Or maybe he's getting more stately and laying under the table rather than begging for scraps. He's a good boy - the best boy! (Andy calls him his Angel Baby.) So we wanted to have a birthday party with his best pup friends - the dogs next door: Carl, Sullivan, and Goofy. We whipped up waffles this time. I had this old waffle stick maker from a white elephant gift exchange a lifetime ago- my cousin got it as a wedding gift, wrapped it and entered it into the game! It even had a wedding card tucked inside! It made the perfect sticks, but it took three rounds of baking to get them dry enough to get out of the maker. I also used all pumpkin and no applesauce, probably another reason they weren't the easiest. I will say the pups ALL enjoyed these waffle sticks! They were smaller and less bulky than pupcakes.

Pumpkin Dog Waffles
¾ cup (90 g) oat flour
½ teaspoon (2 g) baking powder
½ cup (64 g) shredded carrots
Wet ingredients:
½ cup (120 g) pumpkin puree
1 (1) egg
½ cup (122 g) unsweetened apple sauce

Instructions
Whisk together ½ cup pumpkin puree and 1 egg until smooth.
Stir in ½ cup unsweetened apple sauce until combined.
Add in all of the dry ingredients: ¾ cup oat flour, ½ teaspoon baking powder, ½ cup shredded carrots Mix until no dry spots remain.
Transfer batter to preheated and greased waffle iron. Cook for about 4 minutes, or waffle iron light turns green / waffles are golden brown.
Let waffles cool before feeding to your pup! Top with dog-friendly ingredients like peanut butter, bananas, strawberries, or chopped treats.