How to Make Pumpkin Cinnamon Rolls

The following is a recipe I found on the Pioneer Woman site and just tried recently....

Pumpkin Cinnamon Rolls- Fresh out of the oven!

Lately I've been trying about one new baking recipe a week. Cruel, right? :) In general I stick to banana bread, brownies, and yellow cupcakes (and more recently chocolate chip cookies), so I'm trying to branch out a little.

I've certainly made cinnamon rolls before, but not with the pumpkin twist. These are definitely nice and moist.

I don't think Pioneer Woman is original in this combination of flavors, but her recipe worked well! The dough is pretty low maintenance and easy to work with. I did a half batch as usual with new recipes, and it fit perfectly in the round baking pan you see pictured. The icing in her version looks darker because she adds maple syrup, but that's a rare commodity around here! I was excited to just find a good cream cheese brand.

Squished layers but you get the idea

This post is making me want to experience cinnamon rolls again ASAP. But I'm hoping to do something Passover or Easter-related this week. So we'll see.

Oh! I almost forgot-here's the recipe link. :)

Food Art: Tomato "Ladybugs"

This is a little treat we had for a holiday, I think it must have been New Year's Eve. The smoked salmon with the tomato probably wasn't the best combination, but the visual presentation was great. I wonder what other fillings would work?

Tomato ladybug tea sandwiches

Ingredients:

-sliced baguette or bread of your choice cut into appetizer size

-sandwich spread of your choice

-cheese or meat as a base (maybe a softer cheese would work because it would help the ladybug stay on at the same time?)

-tomatoes 

-black olives (some chopped, some left whole or halved)

-greens for decorating

Directions:

-prepare the bread and assemble sandwiches, not yet adding the tomato

-close to serving time, cut tomatoes in half, then slice 3/4 of the way up to create ladybug wings

-use olives to add heads and spots to the ladybugs

-assemble festively on a plate, using greens for decoration

-serve promptly as tomatoes may saturate the bread, though it depends on your sandwich filling

How to Make Empress Chicken

This recipe is my go-to homemade/"take-out" Chinese recipe! Other than fried rice, of course. It is so simple I tend to bypass it, maybe because I'm usually looking for more of a challenge?

Empress Chicken on Rice

The ingredients I almost always have on hand, and you could vary it in a number of ways-even just take the sauce and make up your own stir-fry.

As I said it's a simple recipe. It does take about 45 minutes as stated, but you could stop and start if needed. Make the sauce/rice ahead of time, chop veggies or meat earlier in the day, take a break before you add the sauce, etc.

My suggested variations: add some veggies! (I have done cabbage and broccoli on separate occasions) Maybe pork would work instead of chicken? Or even shrimp (though probably without the breading)? Spiciness factor can also be tweaked. As far as the rice goes, you could make it fried rice instead, or substitute noodles.

Link to original recipe: Empress Chicken

P.S. I have to confess that I have no idea what restaurant Empress Chicken is supposed to look or taste like! I'm not sure I have ever actually seen it on a menu. But in my opinion this tastes better than most takeout. :)

How to Make Bacon-Wrapped Stuffed Chicken Breasts

Bacon Chicken stuffed w/ Spinach

This is a pretty easy recipe, and also fairly versatile, in my opinion. The original recipe I used as a guideline didn't have the bacon, but it did have breading. The filling can also be made with different combinations of spinach or fresh herbs and cheeses and seasonings.

The dish is simple in a way, though the assembly takes a bit of coordinating. But if I could handle it, anyone can!

Here's the basic recipe:

Ingredients:

4 chicken breasts
4 strips of raw bacon*
1-2 garlic cloves, minced
1 small onion
Olive oil or butter or vegetable oil for sauteeing
16 oz frozen or fresh spinach
1 cup (combined) cheeses**

*If you omit the bacon, you could coat the chicken in bread crumbs or flour and some seasoning. With the bacon, do not salt the chicken. I made this mistake and it was a bit salty for my taste.
**Cheese possibilities: Feta, cream cheese, parmesan, cheddar, etc./any combination that you think would work well

Directions:

1) Preheat oven to 350, grease baking pan.
2) Saute spinach with garlic and onion and whatever other seasonings you'd like (be careful how much salt you add if you're planning on using bacon).
3) While spinach mix is sauteing, thinly slice/pound chicken. Spread pieces out in baking pan.
4) Add cheese to the spinach mixture.
5) Put a dollop of spinach in the middle of each chicken piece. Roll up and secure using toothpicks and/or bacon strip. Try to seal it so that the mixture doesn't run out during cooking and start burning.
6) Bake for approximately 30 minutes (start checking after 20 or so).

These look pretty sliced into pinwheels, too.