Thursday, May 29, 2014

9x13 The Pan that Can

Okay, is it just me or is that an awesome title for a cookbook?
 I totally love it!
 I bought this cookbook at a garage sale for $0.50. Yes, fifty cents!! I think it is going to be so much fun. I am going to use it as an inspiration for my blog posts, and just in the kitchen in general! Who doesn't need some kitchen inspiration?

I am involved with a ministry to the seniors at our church where, with a couple other families, we get to make a group of them breakfast once a month. It is so fun and I totally love it. They are so sweet and gracious to us, even when I feel like things didn't come out the way I had hoped!

 They are great to our kids and our kids have the opportunity to serve in this regular way. They set the tables, help cook the food and set it out and help clean up. So when I was out garage-saling last Saturday I found two cookbooks that I had to have, the Company's Coming Breakfast and Brunches cookbook and this little gem



I really like Company's Coming cookbooks because they are full of regular recipes that use regular ingredients that most people have on hand, or at least you can find them in the grocery store easily.  But the downside is that each book only covers one kind of food - Chicken, Bread, Desserts, etc, all need their own cookbook - which is great from a marketing perspective, but gets to be a little much in the cookbook cupboard!  So I do have a few of these kinds that I love, love, love!!  Books that have a little of everything in them!

This book's gimmick is that every recipe in the book is to be made in a 9x13 pan.  Who doesn't have one of those, right?  I have a couple!  So I really wanted to make something yummy for the first recipe from the book.

So I looked through the pasta section, the poultry section, the casseroles, the desserts, and I had to go with one from the breakfast and brunch section - one that they deemed good enough for the cover, one that was even deemed "Best Ever" - I mean, doesn't that just scream challenge?


So we made the "Best Ever Cinnamon Rolls"!!  I don't know what the rules are about sharing recipes on your blog that came from a cookbook, but since my blog isn't all that public, I am going to share the recipe anyway!




 4 1/2 to 5 cups of all purpose flour
1 package of active dry yeast
1 cup milk
1/3 cup butter
1/3 cup sugar
1/2 tsp. salt
3 eggs
3/4 cup packed brown sugar
1/4 cup flour
1 Tbsp. ground cinnamon
1/2 cup butter
1/2 cup golden raisins
1/2 cup chopped pecans (toasted if desired)
1 recipe of Powdered Sugar icing

Mix together 2 1/4 cups of flour and the yeast in a large bowl and set aside.  In a saucepan heat milk with butter sugar and salt until warm and butter is just melted.  Add to dry ingredients along with eggs and beat for 30 seconds on low, scraping the bowl.  Beat on high for 3 minutes.  Add in enough flour to make the batter release from sides of bowl.  Knead for 3-5 minutes on a lightly floured board or countertop, producing a soft dough that is smooth and elastic. shape into a ball and put into a greased bowl, turning dough once to grease the top.  Cover with tea towel and let rise for 60 to 90 minutes.

Punch down dough.

Turn it onto a lightly floured board or counter and cover and let rest for 10 minutes.  Meanwhile, lightly grease your 9x13 pan and set aside.  For filling, combine brown sugar and flour and cinnamon.  Cut in butter until crumbly.

Roll out the dough to a 12x18 inch rectangle. sprinkle filling over top and top with raisins and pecans.  Roll up starting at the long edge and cut into 12 equal pieces.
Place cut side up in pan, cover lightly and let rise until doubled, about 45 minutes.  Bake in a 375 degree oven for 25 minutes.  When slightly cool, drizzle with icing.  enjoy!




 So now, were they the best ever??  No, and yes.  They weren't the best because the recipe only makes 12.  When you have a family of 8 that is just silly!  Also, they were a bit yeasty.  I don't like doughs that don't have you proof the yeast first and then add the rest of the ingredients...I always find them a bit yeasty.  But the filling was SPECTACULAR!  I will always add flour to the filling from now on - it actually stayed in the buns!  Delicious!  And the addition of toasted pecans was AMAZING!  We did not put in raisins....because that is just gross!

Next time we make cinnamon buns with our regular dough we will definitely use this filling! and pecans!

Don't ask for the nutrition facts...you don't want to know!

Monday, May 26, 2014

A new idea

I have a new idea.

Well, two new ideas!

One I stole from a family I know and one I stole from a movie.

I am thinking that my kids may occasionally post to this page, because I am boring and don't have time to post, and even when I do, I have no idea what to post about. (My oldest daughter is turning my words to her about negative self talk back on me, but whatevs, I am boring) So that is the first idea, stolen from some friends we have at church.

Secondly, I bought two new cookbooks when I was at a garage sale on Saturday and then when I was talking with some of my favorite people later that day, we were talking about how it would be interesting to make something different each week, or second week, or once a month! LOL, depending on how adventurous you are of course!

So I am going to make something (at least one thing) each week from this book and then post about it!


This idea of course is slightly stolen from the movie Julia and Julia - which is a good movie, and I really want to make all the things in this cookbook, so it will work out well for all of us! I love a cookbook that has more than one kind of food in it!

I will try and do my first recipe tomorrow!!

Monday, May 5, 2014

6 months old!

We now have a 6 month old baby!  What??
How on earth did that happen?  I know it is cliche, but really, where has the time gone?  As she was pushing herself up on to her knees the other day, it didn't even occur to me.  As she learned how to sit up for progressively longer amounts of time, I didn't even think of it.  As she has been experimenting with small amounts of baby food, I never even gave it a second thought.  But all of a sudden, here she is at HALF A YEAR OLD!!!


I know that some of these pictures might already be on here - but here are some of my favorites from this  half year.  I have had the hardest time with my camera lately and the pictures won`t load to my desktop, so hopefully you haven`t seem them all already!

Really, this isn`t a great picture of the baby, but it is a good picture of me and my hubby - and I have to say, I loved the beard.  I wish he didn`t have to be clean shaven for work, although now everyone has a beard and so I am kind of glad he doesn`t.  I don`t like to do things the same as everyone else.  It is the little bit of rebellion still left in me, I guess!  But he was so super cute with it!  He looked so different for the entire day after he shaved - like half of his face was missing!  Hahaha!
 LOVE, LOVE, LOVE this picture - it is how she looks so often!  She really is the happiest baby!








hanging out with her cousin! She is in the middle of blinking, which makes her look a little dopey, but it is still a cute picture!
Here she is cuddling with her great-aunt at her uncle`s wedding.
I love this picture too. First of all, it has my husband`s aunt in it and I adore her!  It is crazy, because in person she doesn``t look like my father in law, but in this picture, I can totally see the resemblance. Also in this picture,she is sucking her thumb and it is so funny, because we have never had a baby that sucked her thumb before, and although I worry a little about the possibility of her needing braces, I have two other girls who never did suck their thumbs who will likely need braces anyway.  And she is really happy with it AND it is awfully cute.  So to the lady in Costco who was so glad that her daughter the dental hygenist wasn`t there to see my daughter sucking her thumb because it would have made her upset...don`t worry about it - I have weighed out the options and have decided that I am okay with it - she probably won`t be sucking her thumb when she is 16...and if she is then I`ll be sorry then!
 Speaking of 16 year olds...here is my beautiful 16 year old at that same wedding.  How on Earth did I ever get to be old enough to have a daughter that old?  I wish I felt wiser!
 Here she is with my dad...her grandpa!

 And with a funky hat!!

Oh I can't believe it has been half a year! Wow!  And today - 6 months and 1 day old!  Crazy!  Crazy, Crazy!