Christmas Cinnamon Rolls (Sweet Rolls)

Sweet Roll Dough
3-4 c flour (I use 1 c wheat, 2-3 c white)
1 pkg (1 T) yeast
1 c milk
1/3 c sugar
1/3 c margarine or butter
1/2 t salt
2 eggs

1. Combine 2 cups flour (use wheat flour in this step) and yeast (follow pkg directions on yeast - may have to activate yeast in warm water).

2. Combine milk, sugar, margarine, and salt in a saucepan. Heat until warm (120 to 130 degrees which is warm to the touch. Do no want it hot or it will kill yeast).

3. Add warm milk mixture to the flour mixture, along with the eggs. Beat with an electric mixture on low speed 30 seconds scraping the bowl.

4. Beat on high speed 3 minutes.

5. Using a spoon, stir in as much of the remaining flour as needed to keep the dough sticky and yet kneadable.

6. Turn out onto a lightly floured surface. Knead in enough of the remainig lour to make a moderately sot dough that is smooth and elastic. (This will take about 5 minutes.)

7. Place in a lightly greased bowl, turn once. Cover, let rise in a warm place til double until double (about 1 hour).

8. Punch dough down. cover and let rest 10 minutes. Mean while prepare cinnamon roll mix

Cinnamon Roll Mix
1/3 c margarine
1/2 c sugar
2 t cinnamon
3/4 c raisins (optional)

Melt margarine, and combine sugar and cinnamon.

9. Roll the dough into a 24x8 rectangle. Brush. the margarine over he dough. Sprinkle the cinnamon mixture over the dough. (Sometimes I don't use all the margarine or cinnamon mixture).

10. Sprinkle raisins evenly, if desired. Roll the dough from the 8-inch side, so that the cinnamon rolls are large. Place 4 rolls in a greased square 8-inch pan. Cover a let rise till nearly double (abou 30 minutes.

11. Bake in a 350 degree oven or 20 to 25 minutes. Cool sightly and drizzel with Powdered Sugar Icing and decorate with red and green marachino cherries, if desired.

Powdered Sugar Icing
1/3 c butter or margarine, melted
4 1/2 c powdered sugar
1/4 c milk
1 1/2 t vanilla
milk

Add margarine and 2 c powdered sugar into a bowl, mix well. Slow add milk and vanilla. Slowly beat in remaining sugar. Add extra sugar or milk to make desired consistency.

Spread onto rolls. Just before serving decorate with marachino cherries to make it look like a berries with 2 little green leaves

Banana Sour Cream Bread

Okay.....so this is the best banana bread recipe ever!!! Try it, you will like it;-)


INGREDIENTS
1/4 cup white sugar
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
3/4 cup butter
3 cups white sugar
3 eggs
6 very ripe bananas, mashed
1 (16 ounce) container sour cream
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon salt
3 teaspoons baking soda
4 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup chopped walnuts (optional)

DIRECTIONS
Preheat oven to 300 degrees F (150 degrees C). Grease four 7x3 inch loaf pans. In a small bowl, stir together 1/4 cup white sugar and 1 teaspoon cinnamon. Dust pans lightly with cinnamon and sugar mixture.
In a large bowl, cream butter and 3 cups sugar. Mix in eggs, mashed bananas, sour cream, vanilla and cinnamon. Mix in salt, baking soda and flour. Stir in nuts. Divide into prepared pans.
Bake for 1 hour, until a toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.

Wassail Punch

YUMMYLICIOUS! Two reasons why this drink is good - FIRST it tastes Yummy, SECOND - it smells yummy in my tummy;-)

INGREDIENTS
8 whole cloves
3 cups water
3 cinnamon sticks
1 1/2 cups orange juice
1 cup lemon juice
1 gallon apple juice

DIRECTIONS
In a saucepan, combine the cloves, water, and cinnamon. Bring to a boil, and continue to boil for 10 minutes. Remove from heat, cover, and allow to cool for 1 hour.
Stir in the orange juice, lemon juice, and apple juice. Return to the heat, and boil for 10 to 15 minutes. Remove cloves and cinnamon sticks before serving.

Southwestern Rice

This is a new recipe I discovered this year but has been one of my favorites and it is super fast, easy, and yummy!!!!

INGREDIENTS:
1 Green Pepper
1 Onion
2 Garlic Cloves (minced)
Little Bit of Oil
2 Cups Chicken Broth
1 Cup Rice
1/2 tsp. Cumin
1/8 tsp. Turmeric (optional)
1 Can Black Beans (rinsed and drained)
1 Can (15 oz) Tomatoes
1 Can Green Chiles
1 Can Corn (drained)

DIRECTIONS:
1. In a large nonstick skillet, saute the green pepper, onion and garlic in oil for 3 minutes.
2. Stir in the broth, rice, cumin and turmeric; bring to a boil. Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 15 minutes or until rice is tender.
3. Add beans, tomatoes and corn; heat through.

Nutritional Analysis: One serving (3/4 cup) equals 198 calories, 3 g fat (1 g saturated fat), 1 mg cholesterol, 339 mg sodium, 37 g carbohydrate, 5 g fiber, 7 g protein. Diabetic Exchanges: 2 starch, 1 vegetable.

Zesty Slow Cooker BBQ Chicken

This recipe is SO good and even better; SO easy!

6 frozen skinless boneless chicken breast halves
1 12 oz bottle BBQ sauce
1/2 cup Zesty Italian Dressing (I used Fat Free)
1/4 cup brown sugar
2 TBSP Worcestershire Sauce

Mix the ingredients above and spread it over the chicken you have placed in the crockpot. Cook on high for 3-4 hours, or on low for 6-8.

I was feeling lazy, and dumped all the ingredients into the crockpot, mixed it with a whisk, added the chicken, and then spooned the sauce over the top. It worked just as well.

When the chicken was done, I shredded it, and we have eaten it on open faced toasted sandwiches with cheese, over rice, in tortillas with a little cheese and sour cream, on salad, etc. It is SOOOO tasty!

Yummy in my TUMMY!!! PUMPKIN PIE

INGREDIENTS
1 sugar pumpkin
1 recipe pastry for a 9 inch single crust pie
2 eggs
1 cup packed light brown sugar
1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 1/2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice
1 (12 fluid ounce) can evaporated milk

DIRECTIONS
Cut pumpkin in half and remove seeds. Place cut side down on a cookie sheet lined with lightly oiled aluminum foil. Bake at 325 degrees F (165 degrees C) for 30 to 40 minutes, or until the flesh is tender when poked with a fork. Cool until just warm. Scrape the pumpkin flesh from the peel. Either mash, or puree in small batches in a blender. Increase oven temperature to 450 degrees F (230 degrees C.)
In a large bowl, slightly beat eggs. Add brown sugar, flour, salt, 2 cups of the pumpkin puree, pumpkin pie spice, and evaporated milk. Stir well after each addition.
Pour mixture into the unbaked pastry shell. Place a strip of aluminum foil around the edge of the crust to prevent over browning.
Bake 10 minutes at 450 degrees F (230 degrees C), then reduce the oven temperature to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Bake an additional 40 to 50 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean. Remove the strip of foil about 20 minutes before the pie is done so that the edge of the crust will be a light golden brown. Cool pie, and refrigerate overnight for best flavor.

Bean Salad

I am always looking for low-fat good recipes that use beans that are not weird or tasteless. I substituted green peppers for avocados (although they are a great source of monounsaturated fats). My visiting teacher gave me this one and I have loved it.

Ingredients:
1 can (15 oz) Black Beans
1 can (15 oz) Black Eyed Peas
1 can (15 oz) Corn

2 Green Peppers, diced (the original recipe calls for 2 avocados, cubed)
3 Tomatoes, chopped
4 Green Onions, chopped

1 bunch Cilantro, chopped (I use between 1/4-1/2 c)
juice of 2 Limes
1 pkg Good Seasons Italian Dressing (mix according to directions but do not add oil)
Garlic Salt or Powder, to taste
Salt and Pepper, to taste

Directions:
1. Drain beans and corn. Add to a large bowl.
2. Add vegetables, lime juice, cilantro, and seasonings. Mix well,
3, Chill for a couple of hours