Sunshine Bread

Sunshine Bread. Instructions below.

A long, long time ago (somewhere around 1990) I started getting recipe cards in the mail. You know, the free box to hold them in with 10 or so cards coming at a time. The set was called "My Great Recipes" and though I paid on time all the time, one day they just stopped coming. This was well before the internet and I never did find a phone number in any of the paperwork that came, so I resigned myself to having the cards I did have and let it be.

I did love those cards. In fact, I still have them. One recipe that caught my eye was "Maple Sunburst Coffee Cake". I believe I made it once and, not being a huge maple fan, I didn't make it again. My kids are big cinnamon roll fans, though so I took my standard cinnamon roll recipe and rolled it out differently.

Two circles of dough with butter and cinnamon/sugar in the center, cut into "rays" which are then twisted and there you have it. A pretty and tasty new way to serve up the usual cinnamon roll!

If you want it to be really sun-shiny, add some grated orange zest to the dough and top with an orange and powdered sugar glaze. Either way is just as yummy.

I won't give you a recipe for cinnamon rolls - there are so many out there already, but I will show you how to roll it and what to do with the filling.

 Half of the cinnamon roll dough. You need two balls of dough.

 Dough rolled to 12-inches in diameter. (Mine was 18-inches because I'd made a huge batch of dough.) Roll two.

The two dough circles with cinnamon/sugar/butter in between. This is a special pan I usually use for pizza. I'd tell you what it really is, but then I'd have to ... well, you know. Use parchment paper to make it easier to move the bread once it's baked.

 Place a small bowl, 3-inches in diameter, in the center of the dough to help guide you in cutting the "rays". (Again, my dough was 18-inches so the bowl was 4-inches in diameter.)

 The cuts shown from the center. When making a 12-inch diameter "sun" should be 1-inch apart on the outside edge. The center will be far closer together than shown. Use a very sharp knife to make the cuts or the dough will stick when you try to lift it to twist.

 Twisted. Take each "ray" and twist three times. Once all "rays" are twisted, let rise again until doubled in bulk. Brush an egg wash onto the bread to make it look nicer when finished baking.

 Bake according to recipe directions, checking after 20 minutes, and remove once the bread is golden brown. Wait for 10 minutes before moving the bread to another surface for serving. You can also keep it on the pan it baked on. In my house it rarely makes it off the baking pan.

 The center of the sun. 

 The finished bread. 

Cinnamon Chocolate Chip Muffins

Walking through the grocery today with my daughter, Megan she picked up a mammoth muffin and pointed to the top, "Look, see that sparkly sugar on top? Why don't you make muffins like this, woman?" Yes, she calls me 'woman' and points to the fact that Jesus also called his mother 'woman' as her reasoning for doing this and not being disrespectful. Right.

Anyway, I can make muffins like that, I just don't because I like to limit sugar consumption here to what is in food without making it worse by putting sugar on the food as well. I caved and made them for her. This combines two of my favorites - chocolate and cinnamon.

Cinnamon Chocolate Chip Muffins
Makes 12 large muffins
Printable Recipe

3 cups flour
1/2 cup white sugar
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 1/2 cups milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 eggs - beaten
1/2 cup oil or melted butter (I like olive oil for baking)
1 12 ounce package mini chocolate chips
large grained sugar - I use Wilton's White Sparkling Sugar

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F and line 12 large (a.k.a. mammoth) muffin tins with muffin liners. Stir together dry ingredients and make a well in the center. Blend milk, eggs, butter or oil and vanilla together and pour into well. Mix batter thoroughly and fold in chocolate chips until evenly distributed throughout batter.

Divide batter evenly between muffin tins and top each with sugar. Bake until tops spring back when touched lightly - about 20-25 minutes.

Back in the Saddle Again

Yeeha!

Well, I guess on the internet that should be, "Yahoo!".
After several harrowing days with computer problems,
a brand new computer and then phone problems, (Verizon has MUCH to answer for)
I'm finally back. Bet you missed me!

I had originally wanted to post about holidays following THE Holidays, like Epiphany, but that has since passed and I'm thinking on other things.

Since I don't have tons to say, and since it goes along with the title of this post,
here are a few "Cowboy" recipes. Git along little dawgies and et up.

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Cowboy Caviar
Printable Recipe

2 (14 oz each) cans black eyed peas, drained
1 (16 oz) can kidney beans drained
1 (11 oz) can sweet corn, drained
1 (14 oz) can Rotel (chopped tomatoes with green chilies), undrained
1 (4 oz) can chopped green chilies or 1 or 2 jalapenos depending on how hot you like it
1 (4 oz) can sliced black olives, drained
1 small jar pimentos, drained
1 onion, chopped
1 avocado, diced
1 bottle oil and vinegar Italian salad dressing

Drain all cans of beans, etc and empty into large bowl. Mix in
undrained can of Rotel. Add onion and avocado. Pour bottled Italian
dressing over all and mix to combine. Chill at least an hour for
flavors to blend. Serve with tortilla or corn chips.

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Ranch Style Chicken Fried Steak And Gravy
Printable Recipe

Steak

4 lb Round Steak 1/2-inch Thick
1 c Milk
1 c Unbleached Flour
Salt & Pepper


Gravy

4 T Fat
4 T Unbleached Flour
1 qt Milk

Tenderize round steak. Dip in milk and then flour, salt and pepper to
taste. Fry in deep fat at approximately 375 degrees F until golden
brown. After steak is done, pour off fat leaving about 4 T in pan.
Add 4T flour. Stir until smooth. Add 1 qt milk. Stir and cook until until
thickened for steak gravy.

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Cowboy Beans
Printable Recipe

1/2 lb Lean bacon
1 lb Ground beef or chuck, lean
1 lg Onion-diced
1/4 c Green pepper-diced optional
1 can Pork 'n beans (16 oz.)
1 can Red kidney beans (16 oz.)
1 can Butter beans (16 oz.)
1 can Baby lima beans (8 oz.)
1 can Great northern beans(16 oz)
1/4 c Brown sugar
1/2 tsp Dry mustard
1/4 c Molasses or maple syrup
1 bottle BBQ sauce
1/2 tsp Pepper

Cut bacon into 1/4" bits; brown in a large skillet. Remove bacon from
rendered fat and set aside. In the bacon drippings, saute the onion &
pepper until tender. Add the ground meat and brown lightly.Put the
meats into the bottom of a crockpot. Add the Pork 'n Beans with the
liquid on them. Drain most of the juice off of the remaining cans of
beans and add them with the remaining ingredients to the crockpot.
Mix all well. Cook on HIGH setting for 1 hour to get well heated
through, then lower heat setting to LOW and allow to cook for 5 - 6
hours. Stir from time to time. Check on seasonings and correct if
desired. A little more brown sugar or syrup might be desired.

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Cowboys' Favorite Cinnamon Rolls
Printable Recipe

1 box white cake mix
5 c. flour
2 pkgs. quick-rising yeast
2 1/2 c. warm water
Butter or margarine
Brown sugar
Cinnamon

Combine cake mix and flour; stir yeast into warm water. When yeast has
softened add to flour mixture and stir will. Cover and let double. Roll
1/2 inch thick and then butter and sprinkle with brown sugar and
cinnamon. Roll up and cut into 3/4 to 1" slices. Place in greased pan
and let rise until doubled. Bake in preheated 350° oven for 15-20
minutes. Frost with confectioners sugar or brown sugar frosting.