Don't do mornings?

I am savoring this season, before it gets too hot to do much baking.  We have had an unusually cold and wet springtime season so far.  Even Memorial Day will be quite chilly…just the perfect opportunity bake a batch of our favorite make-ahead breakfast treats.

Night owls like me don't do mornings really well, so I like to make up a breakfast egg casserole and these Sticky Cinnamon Pecan Rolls the night before so they can be popped into the oven without much morning effort.  Dad brews the coffee and plays simultaneous games of backgammon and mancala with the early risers in our crew, and I can happily produce a festive weekend brunch while the first cup of "Guatemalan Antigua" coffee gets into my system.

 

These breakfast rolls have been a family favorite for years, ever since we had the good fortune of acquiring the recipe at an annual 4-H Bake Sale event at our County Fair.  We’ve made these deliciously-gooey caramel-glazed sticky buns frequently for potluck treats since they can be prepared the night before, baked fresh in the morning, and travel very well in our 9x13 glass pan tucked inside it's insulated zippered carrier.  These rolls have their own fan club and teen-leader “Miss Lisa” is completely thrilled when our kids bake them for the CBS Fellowship Brunch. 

 

Sticky Cinnamon Pecan Rolls                                                   

                                                             Makes 12 to15 rolls in a 9”X13” pan

1-1/3 cups warm water

2 Tbsp. yeast (2 packets)

2/3 cup sugar

1/3 cup vegetable oil

2 tsp. salt

about 5 cups bread flour, divided

cinnamon sugar:  2 tsp. cinnamon  mixed with 1/2 cup sugar

caramel glaze:  1/2 cup (1 stick )  butter

1/2 cup whipping cream

1-1/2 cups packed brown sugar

1/2 chopped pecans (or more to taste)

                                                                                                                                               

1)   Sprinkle yeast over warm water in mixing bowl and allow to soften for a few minutes.

2)    Add sugar, oil, salt and 3 cups of flour, beating well.

3)    Switch to dough-hook on mixer (or by hand) gradually beating in enough remaining flour to form a soft dough.

4)    Knead dough until smooth & springy, about  8 minutes.

5)    Put dough ball into an oiled bowl and turn to oil top of dough.  Set in warm place until doubled, about 1 hour.

6)    Stir cinnamon and sugar together.

7)    Prepare caramel glaze by melting butter in a small saucepan over low heat, stirring in brown sugar & cream.

8)    Pour glaze into 9 x 13 baking pan and sprinkle with nuts.

9)    When dough has doubled, roll out on a lightly oiled board to a large rectangle, about 12 x 18”.

10)  Sprinkle with cinnamon sugar & roll up from long edge.

11)  Slice with large serrated knife into twelve or more 1” to 1-1/2” slices and arrange rolls in the glaze in the pan.  

 

12)  Allow rolls to rise until doubled, about 30 – 60 minutes, OR cover pan with greased foil and refrigerate overnight.  After being refrigerated, it is best to allow pan of rolls to return to room temperature and rise about 30 minutes before baking.  However, this can be accelerated if you’re on a tight schedule. 

13)  Preheat oven to 350’ and bake for about 30 to 35 minutes, or until  golden brown and rolls in center no longer look “doughy”.   

Remove pan from oven and invert onto a heatproof serving tray, if desired.  The caramel glaze will be fluid, so they may be served directly from the baking dish.   

If transporting, loosely cover with aluminum foil and do not seal or the rolls will steam themselves soggy.  These rolls are best served warm.  Enjoy the treat and be prepared for rave reviews!

 

 

 

Stirring up the Dirt

Gotta love the Springtime.  As soon as those muddy dirt clods dislodge from the boot treads, the dried crumbles explode into clouds of dust all over the house.  Even with a specially constructed “mud room” entrance, it’s still a constant battle against the dirt around here.  Add 7 people (translate that into at least 10 loads of laundry per week and the lint that such laundry produces, since the facilities are inside the house) plus one house cat (think shedding fur and hairballs) then spread the duff and fluff all over 1300+ square feet of hard floor (no carpet would survive this torture) and you have one very-hard-to-keep-clean house.  Seriously, I have dust bunnies that reproduce faster than the real thing.  Daily housekeeping “might” work if one didn’t have an obstacle course of dolls, legos, art supplies and books to contend with.  I do, and so I’ve given up the daily battle and fight a weekly one instead, with a mammoth “all hands on deck” mopping frenzy which works, barely!

Chris found this sign for me at the county fair one year...so true!

Speaking of dirt, one favorite recipe we’ve been making for years is called "DIRTY RICE".  This one-dish meal is easy to flex with what’s on hand and reasonably tasty without any vegetables at all, or substitute dehydrated ones for convenience.  We prefer a mild sausage, and have made this with just about every commercially-available variety and some pretty spectacular homemade versions as well.  If you buy sausage in casings, just remove the casings before frying up the meat.  Vincent is hoping to hunt a wild pig this year, so we’ll try that too.   Vincent adopted this recipe for his own, since it’s easy and satisfying… and he can go stir up some dirt while dinner is quietly cooking away on the stove.

Vincent’s "Dirty Rice"

1 to 1-1/2 lbs. country-style bulk sausage

1 cup chopped onion

1 cup chopped celery

1-1/2 cups long grain white rice, uncooked

3 tsp. any flavor soup base granules or 3 bouillon cubes

1/8 tsp. garlic powder

1/4 to 1/2 tsp (total measure) assorted herbs, optional, to taste

1 cup frozen mixed vegetables, optional

3 cups warm water

Use a large skillet with a tight-fitting lid.  Fry the sausage, uncovered, over high heat, chopping meat with spatula, until about half cooked.  Add onion & celery and continue frying, while mixing and chopping sausage into crumbles, until sausage is cooked through and beginning to brown.   (Any excess oil may be drained or blotted out with a paper towel at this point.)  Add rice and continue to stir-fry over high heat until rice just begins to brown.   Reduce heat, then stir in soup base, garlic and herbs.  Carefully add 3 cups water, bring to boil, cover and reduce heat to very low.  Cook for 25 minutes without lifting cover.  Turn off heat and allow dish to sit for a few minutes.  Fluff, taste and correct seasoning with salt and pepper before serving.  Serves about 6.