Cinnamon Rolls

Anyone LOVE the smell of cinnamon rolls hot from the oven? Ok, so is that a unanimous yes? Great. Anyone LOVE feeling guilty after eating a couple of them? Let’s face it, those straight-from-the-can cinnamon rolls are loaded with a lot more trans fat and high fructose corn syrup than nutrients. Care for a cinnamon roll recipe that at least has some nutritious, redeeming qualities? If you said yes, you have to make these.

These are my favorite thing to make when we have big groups of overnight guests, because I can make a big batch a day or two ahead of time. Pop them in the fridge and they’re ready to go in the morning. No waking up at 4 am to start from scratch and let them rise twice. Nope, just roll out of bed and in 45 minutes they’re DONE. You better believe this will become a Christmas Eve/Christmas Morning tradition in our home.

What you need

For the dough

3-3 ½ tsp. instant dry yeast

1 c. warm liquid (I used ½ c. skim milk, ½ c. water)

¼ c. softened butter

¼ c. honey

½ tsp. salt

2 eggs

1 ¾-2 ¼ c. all-purpose flour, divided

1 ¾ c. whole wheat flour

For the filling

¼ c. packed brown sugar

2 Tbsp. cinnamon, divided

½ tsp. allspice

¼ tsp. chili powder

½ tsp. nutmeg

½ c. chunky stuff (optional) You can use whatever you like: raisins, chopped nuts, or any other fixins

For the icing

1 c. powdered sugar, sifted

1 tsp. vanilla

5 or 6 tsp. skim milk

What you do

Remove the milk, butter and eggs from the fridge and let sit out to come to room temperature. Heat the 1 c. milk/water until warm. (You want it to be between 100-110F so it’s at optimal temperature for the yeast.)

Put the yeast and warm milk/water in a large bowl and let it do it’s thing for about 5 minutes or until foamy. Stir in butter, honey, salt and eggs. Add in 1 ¾ c. all-purpose flour and 1 ¾ c. whole wheat flour stirring until it feels like a soft dough. Lightly flour the countertop and your hands and knead dough for 5-10 minutes until smooth and elastic. Knead in as much of the remaining ½ c. all-purpose flour as needed to keep dough from sticking to your hands. 

Before rising

Grease a large bowl, place the dough ball in the bowl and turn it to coat all sides. Cover with a towel and let it rise until doubled (about an hour or so). Punch dough down and roll out on a floured surface. You want it to be about a 12x16 inch rectangle.

In a bowl, combine brown sugar and spices. Lightly grease the top of the dough with just a thin layer of melted butter, oil, or cooking spray. Sprinkle the sugar/spice mixture over the greased dough and then sprinkle on chopped nuts, raisins, etc on top, making sure to leave a ½ inch border with no filling.

Starting with the long side, roll the dough tightly into a long roll, pressing firmly with each roll. Pinch the seam to seal, using some water to make the seal stick if needed. Cut the dough roll into sections about 1 inch wide. This should give you about 16 cinnamon rolls.

Place the rolls, cut sides up, in a 9x13 inch baking pan or two 8 or 9 inch round baking pans coated with cooking spray. You want a ½ inch to 1 inch gap between rolls so they have room to rise. But if you are going to refrigerate them overnight before baking them in the morning, you need to make sure they aren’t far enough apart that they will deflate overnight.

Cover and let rise 45 minutes or until doubled in size again.

And after...

If you’re planning on baking the cinnamon rolls now, preheat the oven to 375F, uncover rolls, and bake at 375 for 20-25 minutes or until lightly browned. Cool in pan.

If you’re not baking them until the next day, cover rolls and refrigerate until the morning then uncover and let sit out to come to room temperature 30-60 minutes before you want to bake them. Then bake as instructed.

To prepare icing, stir powdered sugar and vanilla together then stir in milk, 1 tsp. at a time, stirring to form a thick glaze. Drizzle icing evenly over rolls. Soak those babies because you know they're better with the icing all in it.

White Bean and Spinach "Pesto"

Happy May, pretty people! So did you try that Mexican Chocolate Cheesecake? Are you still full from it? Here's something a little lighter and more summer-y. A veggie pesto that makes a great sauce for really anything you like. We ate it warm as a sauce for pasta, but the leftovers were great just eaten with crackers. I'll probably also try it thinned out a little as a cold dressing for pasta salad or potato salad. Ooo, and it would also be delicious baked with some cheese on top served with crusty french bread. Hello instant appetizer! (Can you see the wheels turning in my head?)

The beans add a little oomph if you will, without making this pesto heavy. It's healthy and nutritious plus it tastes really, really good.


This is one of the easiest things you will ever make. If you have measuring cups and a food processor you can handle it.


What you need
1 c. white beans, cooked (you could use cannelloni or great northern beans)

3/4 c. olive oil

1/2 c. nuts, choppend very finely

16 oz. package spinach, thawed and squeezed dry

1 garlic clove, diced
2 tsp. basil
1 tsp. parsley
1 tsp. oregano
1 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. pepper
1 1/2 c. water

*This pesto gives you full control of how thick you want it to be, so keep that in mind when adding the spices and water. For a thinner or thicker sauce you will add more or less water respectively and then may need more or less spice. You may want to add the salt and pepper to taste instead of just measuring and throwing it in.


What you do
Put the beans and olive oil in your food processor and blend until smooth. Add the nuts and spinach, spices and garlic and process until combined. Add water little by little to make it the consistency you want. For a sauce or dressing you will want it thinner and if you're baking it for a spinach dip or using it as a spread you may want it a little thicker.

That's it! Easy, nutritious, and definitely yummy.

Mexican Chocolate Chip Cheesecake

It's almost May, the weather here is in the 70s or 80s daily, and I'm still making winter desserts. It's cheesecake, and it's not a lighty, airy, fruity cheesecake either. Although I made it with ricotta cheese (a more italian style) which does make it a little lighter than traditional cream cheese cheesecake, don't be fooled. It's a deep, rich, chocolate-y, cinnamon-y, spicy cheesecake. But it's so good that I think I could eat it any time of day, any time of year. Breakfast in July? Bring it.

So sorry I'm not sorry, here it is, a recipe for a scrummmptious mexican chocolate chip cheesecake even as summer is on its way.


What you need
For the crust
9 graham cracker sheets
2 Tbsp. cocoa powder
3 Tbsp. sugar
6 Tbsp. butter or butter spread
1 tsp. instant coffee powder


For the filling
3 c. (1 1/2 pounds) Ricotta cheese (I used part skim and it worked great)
1/4 c. all purpose flour
6 eggs, separated
3 tsp. cinn
3/4 tsp. chili powder
1/4 tsp. salt
3/4 c. chocolate chips
7 Tbsp. sugar


For the ganache
1 c. (6 oz.) dark chocolate chips
1 c. (6 oz.) semi sweet chocolate chips
3/4 c. skim milk
2 Tbsp. butter spread
2 tsp. corn starch
1 tsp. instant coffee powder
1 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 tsp. chili powder


What you do
Preheat oven to 350. Heat butter (in the microwave or over the stove, either way is fine) until melted and very hot. Stir in instant coffee powder until dissolved. Set aside. In a food processor, pulse graham cracker sheets until they resemble fine crumbs. Stir in sugar and cocoa powder. When the mixture looks uniform throughout, stir the butter/coffee mixture into the crumbs. Press onto the bottom and about 1/2-3/4 of the way up the sides of a 9 inch springform pan and bake at 350 for 12 minutes. When it's done, remove the pan from the oven and increase the oven temp to 375.

While the crust is baking, stir together the ricotta cheese, all but 2 Tbsp of the flour, the 6 egg yolks (not the whites), and spices. In another bowl, toss the chocolate chips with the remaining 2 Tbsp flour. (This will coat them and help them not sink to the bottom of the batter.) Then stir them into the ricotta batter.


In a separate bowl, beat the 6 egg whites with an electric mixer until foamy. Add the sugar a couple Tbsp. at a time and continue beating until all sugar is combined and mixture is very, very light and fluffy. (This should only take a couple minutes. Don't over beat or it will become stiff.) Gently fold the egg mixture into the batter.

Pour the batter into the crust and bake at 375 for 40-50 minutes or just until set. Turn the oven off and crack the door until the cheesecake has come down to being just slightly warm. (This helps prevent the middle from falling in which can happen if it's cooled too quickly.) Once cooled, stick it in the fridge for at least 4 hours or overnight.


An hour and a half before you want to serve the cheesecake, make the ganache.

Place chopped chocolate/chocolate chips in a bowl. In a small saucepan over medium heat, cook milk and butter until warm but not scalded, stiring constantly with a whisk. Whisk in the cornstarch and continue whisking.

When the mixture begins to thicken, whisk in coffee powder and spices until coffee is dissolved. Immediately pour over the chopped chocolate and whisk until all the chocolate is melted and it forms a smooth ganache.

Pour the ganache over the top of the cheesecake and smooth until it forms an even layer over most of the cake. Refrigerate the cake for at least 1 to 1 1/2 hours before serving to give the ganache time to firm up.

Sprinkle the top with some more chili powder and cinnamon, just to make it purdy.

Cut yourself a slice and try not to scarf it down to fast. Or go ahead and inhale the whole slice in no time. I won't judge.

Fresh, Easy Whole Wheat Bread

I have been MIA for a while. I don't have a cool excuse. I didn't get married, have a baby, or move. I didn't change jobs. I just got a little busy and forgot to blog. But since I definitely did NOT forget to cook, I've got tons of new recipes for you.


How would you like delicious, healthy, and easy fresh baked bread? What if the hands on time from start to finish was under 10 minutes? What if you could refrigerate that only-takes-10-minutes-to-make dough for up to two weeks and pull out a piece every time you want some fresh baked bread for dinner? Would you like that? Yes?


This is not my recipe, so I cannot take credit for it. It's the master Whole Wheat Bread in 5 Minutes a Day recipe.


What you need
A VERY large bowl or tupperware container to make this in

1 1/2 Tbsp. yeast

4 c. lukewarm water (you want it to be about 100 degrees)

1 Tbsp kosher salt

4 Tbsp. vital wheat gluten

5 1/2 c. whole wheat
2 c. all purpose flour

What you do
Put yeast in the bottom of the large bowl or container and pour the water over it. Stir with a spoon just for a couple seconds to make sure all the yeast is not clinging to the bottom of the bowl. Leave it for 5 minutes to let it get foamy.

Measure out your other ingredients while you're waiting. After about 5 minutes, stir in the salt and wheat gluten then stir in both flours. When combined, cover the bowl or container with a dishtowel and let it rise in a warm environment (corner of the kitchen or a still oven) for 2 hours.


This recipe makes 4 loaves of bread so after rising for 2 hours you can either pull off a 1/4 of the dough to cook right away or you can cover the bowl or container with the tupperware lid or saran wrap. Make sure you leave the lid cracked or poke some holes in the saran wrap because the dough will continue to produce gas and it needs to be able to escape.

Whenever you're ready for freshly baked bread, pull off a piece of dough (1/4 of the original dough), form it into a ball and let it sit for about 45 minutes to come up in temperature. Preheat the oven to 450F. Place a pan with about 1/2 inch of water on the bottom rack of the oven (this creates steam to make a nice crust on the bread). Place your dough ball on a greased cookie sheet or on a greased sheet of foil for easy clean up. Sprinkle the top with salt and pepper and bake 20-30 minutes or until golden brown. :-)

Microwave Granola

Are you sick of microwave recipes from me yet? I hope not, cause here comes another one. Besides being more convenient and faster, microwave cooking instead of heating an entire oven has got to save on energy bills, right?


This granola is super yummy, takes less than 10 minutes to make (except for cooling time), and you want to know what else? People can't even tell that it was made in the microwave and not an oven. And they're also impressed when you tell them.


Here are recipes for two different kinds of microwave granola. Enjoy!

What you need
For basic granola
1/2 c. chopped nuts (I used almonds, but use whatever you like)

3 Tbsp. sunflower seeds

2 1/2 c. Whole Grain Oats

1/4 c. wheat germ

1/4 c. honey

1/3 c. packed brown sugar
2 Tbsp. oil

1/2 tsp. salt

1 tsp. cinnamon

1/2 tsp. nutmeg

1/2 tsp. chili powder

For coffee, coconut granola

1/2 c. chopped nuts

2 1/2 c. Whole Grain Oats

1/4 c. wheat germ

1/2 c. shredded coconut (I used sweetened coconut)

1/3 c. honey

1/3 c. packed brown sugar

2 Tbsp. oil

1/2 tsp. salt

1/2 tsp. cinnamon

1/2 tsp. chili powder

1/2 tsp. ginger

1 tsp. instant coffee powder

For salty peanut butter granola
1/2 c. chopped peanuts
3 c. whole grain oats
1/4 c. wheat germ
1/4 c. peanut butter
1/4 c. brown sugar
2 Tbsp. honey
1 Tbsp. oil
1 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
3/4 tsp. chili powder


*You can add any extras you want such as chocolate chips, raisins or other dried fruit to any of these granolas.*


What you do

Put nuts (and sunflower seeds for basic granola) in a microwave safe bowl and microwave for 1 1/2 minutes.

Meanwhile, melt brown sugar, oil, honey (and peanut butter for peanut granola) together in a saucepan over medium heat until sugar dissolves, stirring constantly. 

Add spices (and coffee powder if you're making the coffee, coconut granola) to the sugar/honey/oil mixture. Add oats, wheat germ (and coconut for the coffee, coconut granola) to the microwave safe bowl with the dry ingredients and stir to combine. Drizzle the honey/sugar mixture over the oat/nut mixture and stir to combine. Microwave for 4 minutes, stirring (to distribute heat) then patting down tightly with the back of the spoon (to create clusters) after each minute.


When you're done with the four one minute microwave cycles, stir in any extras you want (*chocolate chips, raisins, dried fruit*) and spoon the still hot granola onto a greased piece of foil. Pat the granola down tightly onto the foil. I like to use my hands because it tends to stick if you use the back of the spoon. Let it sit until the granola is cooled and hardened. Break into desired-size granola clusters and store in an airtight container.

**Tip: Once granola is cooled, pull up on the long edges of your foil rectangle so that the granola rolls into the middle. Insert one end of your foil roll into a ziplock bag, raise the other end and shake the granola into the ziplock bag. Easy Peasy.

Microwave Mint Chocolate Chip Brownies

Ever wanted to make brownies but with all the dinner you're cooking, there was just no room in the oven? Or maybe you don't even have an oven (like me). Or maybe waiting 5 minutes for them to cook instead of 25 is way more appealing. Either way, I give you microwave brownies. Fast, delicious, easy.

What you need

For the brownies

1/2 c. melted butter

2 eggs

1 c. sugar

1/2 tsp. salt

1/2 tsp. vanilla

1/2 tsp. peppermint extract

3/4 c. flour

1/2 c. baking cocoa

1/2 c. choc chips

1/4 c. peppermint chips (these can be from whatever you want: bashed up candy canes, cut up York peppermint patties, or my personal favorite Andes mint baking chips)

For the frosting

2 ¼ c. powdered sugar

¾ tsp. peppermint extract

2 tbsp. butter

2 tbsp. milk

Green food coloring

What you do

Beat butter, eggs and sugar together with an electric mixer until combined and fluffy. Beat in salt, vanilla, and peppermint until just combined. Ditch the beater and mix in flour and baking cocoa by hand. Fold in chips. Spread batter into a greased microwave-safe pan (I used an 8 inch round glass pan. Microwave on high 5 minutes. (If you know your microwave is more or less powerful than average you may want to let the brownies cook a minute less or more.) When a knife inserted into the middle comes out clean and brownies begin to pull away from sides of pan, the brownies are done.

While the brownies are cooling, combine 2 cups of the powdered sugar, peppermint extract, melted butter, and milk in a bowl for the frosting. Beat with an electric mixer until smooth. Add more powdered sugar or milk as needed to get the right consistency. You want it to be thick but spreadable. Stir in green food coloring one drop at a time until you get a minty green color. Take it slow, I only needed one drop. And viola, deliciousnessssss.

See that big chunk missing on the left side? That's where I couldn't wait anymore before I tried some. Snacking while cooking is always acceptable. :-)

Microwave Bread

So for the past couple weeks, our oven has been broken. If nothing else, this has forced me to get creative. Lots of crock pot recipes, casseroles in a pan on the stove, bread in the microwave.


...oh yes, I said it. I baked bread in the microwave, and I am P-R-O-U-D of it! Now, don't get me wrong, bread baked in the oven is definitely better, but when you have no oven, this is the next best thing. The recipe is one I got from a friend. It's the "Artisan Bread in 5 Minutes a Day" recipe. SO easy. And it worked great in the microwave too.

What you need
3 c. lukewarm water (you want it to be between 100-110F)
1 1/2 Tbsp. instant dry yeast
1 1/2 Tbsp. kosher salt
6 1/2 c. all-purpose flour


What you do
Put the water and yeast into a very large bowl or plastic storage container (read: tupperware). Let it sit for 5 minutes until slightly foamy. Stir in the salt and flour. Cover with a towel or cover loosely with the lid to the container (don't snap the lid on). Let the dough rise for about two hours.


Once done rising, you can either use the dough right then (cut off 1/4 of the dough, roll it into a ball and bake per directions below) or refrigerate the dough for up to two weeks.


At anytime in the next two weeks when you want to make bread for dinner, remove the dough you want (1/4 of the batch makes 1 loaf). Shape the dough into a ball and let it rest 30 minutes-1 hour. When ready to "bake" fill a jar with water and put in the microwave for a few minutes or until the water boils.

Jar of water and bread dough in microwave

Spray a microwave-safe dish with cooking spray, put the dough ball on the dish and microwave it with for 20 minutes at 20% power with the jar of hot water still in the microwave as well (this creates steam which makes a crust).


If you DO have an oven, preheat the oven to 425, put a baking pan filled with water in the lower oven rack (this creates steam while the bread is baking and results in a nice crust) and bake the bread for 20 minutes or until golden brown.