Cinnamon Roll How-To

I found an amazing recipe for cinnamon rolls and after some fine-tuning, and a little altering, I am sharing my most favorite recipe for cinnamon rolls! What makes these so amazing? Well, read on and you will learn the secrets!

Click here to see the recipe then read on for step by step instructions.

First you start be making the dough. Simply get a box of Pillsbury's Hot Roll mix and make the recipe on the side of the box for cinnamon rolls, and yes, knead the dough 60 times.







While the dough is resting, at least 5 min., start making the caramel. You will need to melt 1/3 cup butter, 1/2 cup dark drown sugar and 1/2 cup vanilla ice cream (I used Blue Bell Homemade Vanilla). Bring to a boil, reduce to a simmer for 2 min. then pour into a 9x13 pan.










Set the pan aside and begin making the rolls. First you need to punch down the dough and then roll it out. If you want to make 12 large rolls, just roll the dough out into a rectangle. For more, smaller rolls, I divide the dough into fourths and roll it out.





Next, spread 1 stick of unsalted butter evenly on your dough and follow with cinnamon sprinkled evenly. Then distribute 1/2 cup of dark brown sugar evenly on the dough and top with chopped pecans, if you so desire!






Now it's time to turn these into rolls! Start on one of the long ends and roll it up, making a long snake roll. Then you'll need to cut the dough into pieces.









Once all the dough has been cut into pieces, place them in the pan on the caramel. After all the rolls are in the pan, you'll need to cover them and let them rise for 45 min.










This is what they'll look like after rising.







Place them in the oven at 350 degrees and cook for 20-25 min. If the tops start browning too quickly cover the pan with aluminum foil. And after all that hard work, this is what you get.








You can make the icing while the rolls are rising or cooling, just don't let them get too cool, otherwise the icing won't spread well.

Make the icing, or double the icing recipe for really gooey rolls!

Beat together-
1 oz. cream cheese - softened
1/4 cup butter - softened
1 cup powdered sugar
1/2 t vanilla
1 1/2 t milk

Spread and enjoy, just be careful not to enjoy the whole pan at once!

Resurrection Rolls

I posted this recipe last year for Beautifully Rooted and thought it would be a good time to share it here. I hope you enjoy it!

Here's a tasty little Easter treat to make with your family and celebrate the resurrection of Jesus!

Now, I didn't come up with this "recipe" and, in fact, I didn't know they were called Easter rolls or Resurrection rolls until I someone else told me. See, my husband's grandma makes them for brunch all the time and they are a delicious, easy treat.

My daughter isn't old enough to help out yet, although she sure tried, but these would be great to make with older kids. As you put them together it's an easy way to share the true story of Easter!

There's only 5 ingredients and they take less than 20 minutes.

1. cinnamon and sugar
2. melted butter
3. jumbo marshmallows
4. crescent rolls

To assemble the rolls, dip the marshmallow in butter, roll it in the cinnamon sugar mixture and wrap it in a crescent roll.

As you make them, you can explain use the illustration of the marshmallow being Christ's body, how he was anointed with oils (butter and cinnamon) and placed in a tomb (roll).

Then each assembled roll in a muffin tin and bake according to the instructions on the tube.




When you open the "tomb" the body of Christ is gone!

Happy Easter!

Cinnamon Roll Monkey Bread

Yea! Another food post. For those of you that have tried my cinnamon roll recipe, you'll fall in love with this one. It's better than the cinnamon rolls, easier and faster to make!

Use all the ingredients in the roll recipe minus the hot roll mix. The dough for these is Rhodes frozen rolls! Take out a bunch (I used 28 and used a bread pan,) and thaw just long enough to be able to cut into fourths but not completely thawed. You'll have to get your hands dirty, but that's all part of the fun. Grab a 1/4 stick of butter and rub it all over the pieces then get more butter and coat some more, do this until you've used the entire stick.




Next sprinkle with cinnamon, brown sugar and nuts (click here to view original cinnamon roll recipe), then roll around to coat all the pieces. Next put in a pan with tall sides and pour the caramel mixture (from roll recipe) over the dough. Pop it into the oven and cook until golden brown (not sure the time on this, I forgot to watch the clock, just make sure the center is cooked through!) Let cool about 20 min. and cover with icing (again from the roll recipe.)

december photoaday recap

Nearly a month late, but finally getting around to finishing up my photoaday challenge for 2012!

Here's my month of December in photos.



1-too pooped to party 2-volunteering at church alongside my husband 3-looking up 4-diva 5-staredown 6-tough face 7-dumb and dumber had it wrong with the world's most annoying sound 8-sushi from the sandwich shop 9-shopping sans kiddos 10-a little shop sale 11-reading while she naps 12-camel cricket 13-desicions 14-holding them close 15-estate sale shopping with little sister 16-tea party with the littles 17-mug art 18-spring rolls 19-her nap buddies 20-new scarf with new pants 21-christmas train 22-riding in the house 23-i must hae been a very, very good girl 24-reading about the One who came to save the world 25-merry christmas from us 26-green smoothie time 27-picking out her own groceries 28-cinnamon rolls 29-our christmas fun 30-sock, the new teething ring 31-happy new years eve

And now to pat myself on the back for finishing something I started and not missing a single photo a day for an entire year!

For larger images and explanations, check out my flickr 2012 PhotoADay set. You can also click on these links to see January, February, March, April, May, June, July, August, September, October and November collages.

In case you're new around here, I'm @recipeforcrazy on instagram.

Oktoberfest Feasting

As I've mentioned, Oktoberfest was this past weekend here in T-town. The plan was to save money by going during the free-admission time and not eating anything while we were there because we had a German feast to come home to. Such was the plan anyway. We made it inside the gates with seconds, and I mean seconds, to spare. We didn't plan on the traffic and had to run for the gates. Sweet P and I made it through, then Eric and then the ticket-takers started moving out saying time was up and everyone needed a ticket. My mom held her phone up with the time showing there was still one minute to go as she pushed on through. They ended up letting her through - along with a drove of others!

It was a fun start to the event. We walked from tent to tent, hearing various sounds of music and cheering and smelling all kinds of tempting treats.



We hadn't been there 20 minutes before the beer (the husband's beverage), potato pancake and Ludgar's Bavarian cream cheese cake had been purchased.



With full bellies it was time to work a little of those calories off with a little chicken dancing. Sweet P once again wooed the crowds and had everyone around her clapping and smiling.



It was a good time. I think I need one of those German hats for me and Sweet P next year.

The rest of the weekend was filled with family, a lot of football watching and more German feasting. Last week I mentioned a few recipes I wanted to try and I made all but one. I also added one I didn't mention so here's the reviews...

First up, the Wiener Schnitzel and German potato salad.



I tried this chicken schnitzel recipe but used tenderized-boneless pork chops for the meat. The husband said it was the best schnitzel he's ever eaten and that it reminded him of the one he would order as a kid at Ursula's (Tulsa restaurant no longer in business). I thought it turned out pretty good.

Then there's the German potato salad recipe that I mentioned last week. Again, the husband loved it and said it was the best potato salad I've ever made. Personally, I prefer a cold, smashed potato salad but it went well with the dinner.

Next up is the recipe for apple strudel I also mentioned last week.



After I converted everything in her recipe, I decided to use puff pastry instead of phyllo dough. I like puff pastry, it's easy and I'll use the leftovers. Plus, I didn't feel like taking the time to do the whole buttering the 4-5 layers or phyllo. I'm lazy.



The puff pastry ended up working out really well and the strudel was amazing. Really folks, delicious. I used honeycrisp apples inside and topped the strudel with some icing to really take it over the edge in the healthy department.

And, last up, I tried this recipe for homemade pretzels.



They were a huge hit. I read a lot of the comments on the recipe and ended up going with 4 cups of flour and using my kitchenaid with the hook attachment to knead the dough. That thing made this recipe SO easy. The pretzels smelled amazing and were perfect right out of the oven.

The recipe calls for sugar but the husband didn't care for the sweetness of the dough. I didn't mind but will probably use less next time I make them. They were also really good covered sprinkled with cinnamon and sugar and coated with melted butter. Such a great treat.

After all the German food cooking and eating I have determined that the German folk aren't too concerned with calories and I'm happy Oktoberfest only rolls around once a year.