Cinnamon Rolls with Maple Coffee Icing

These are easy and really tasty cinnamon rolls. They do take a little bit of time because they have to rise, but it’s definitely worth it. I halved the recipe below and changed a few things and they turned out great.

Cinnamon Roll Recipe:

Recipe courtesy Ree Drummond from The Pioneer Woman Cooks: Food from My Frontier for Food Network Magazine.
Total Time: 2hr 40min
Prep: 2 hr 20 min
Cook: 20 min
Yield: 40 to 50 cinnamon rolls
Level: Intermediate

Ingredients

For the dough:
1 quart whole milk
1 cup vegetable oil
1 cup granulated sugar
2 packages (4 1/2 teaspoons) active dry yeast
9 cups all‐purpose flour, plus more for dusting
1 heaping teaspoon baking powder
1 scant teaspoon baking soda
1 tablespoon salt

For the filling:
2 cups (4 sticks) unsalted butter, melted, plus more as needed
1/4 cup ground cinnamon, for sprinkling
2 cups granulated sugar, plus more as needed

For the maple icing:
2 pounds confectioners’ sugar 1/2 cup whole milk
6 tablespoons (3/4 stick) unsalted butter, melted
1/4 cup strongly brewed coffee
Dash of salt
1 tablespoon maple flavoring or maple extract

Directions
For the dough, heat the milk, vegetable oil and sugar in a large saucepan over medium heat; do not boil. Set aside to cool to lukewarm. Sprinkle the yeast on top and let it sit on the milk for 1 minute.
Add 8 cups of the flour. Stir until just combined, cover with a clean kitchen towel and set aside in a relatively warm place for 1 hour.
Remove the towel and add the baking powder, baking soda, salt and the remaining 1 cup flour. Stir thoroughly to combine. Use the dough right away or place in a mixing bowl and refrigerate for up to 3 days, punching down the dough if it rises to the top of the bowl.
Remove half of the dough. On a floured surface, roll out the dough into a large rectangle, about 30 by 10 inches, with a long side facing you.
To make the filling, pour 1 cup of the melted butter over the surface of the dough. Use your fingers to spread the butter evenly. Generously sprinkle half of the ground cinnamon and 1 cup of the sugar over the butter. Don’t be afraid to drizzle on more butter or more sugar!
Beginning at the end farthest from you, roll the rectangle tightly toward you. Use both hands and work slowly, being careful to keep the roll tight. Don’t worry if the filling oozes as you work; that just means the rolls will be divine. When you reach the end, pinch the seam together.
Transfer to a cutting board and, with a sharp knife, make 1 1/2‐inch slices. One log will produce 20 to 25 rolls. Pour a couple of tablespoons of melted butter into several pie pans or baking dishes and swirl to coat. Place the rolls in the pans cut‐side up, being careful not to overcrowd.
Repeat the rolling‐sugar‐butter process with the other half of the dough and more pans. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Cover each pan with a kitchen towel and let rise on the countertop for at least 20 minutes before baking. Remove the towels and bake for 13 to 17 minutes, until golden brown. Don’t allow the rolls to become overly brown.
While the rolls are baking, make the icing: In a large bowl, whisk together the confectioners’ sugar, milk, butter, coffee and salt. Splash in the maple flavoring. Whisk until very smooth. Taste and add more sugar, butter or other ingredients as needed until the icing reaches the desired consistency. The icing should be thick but still pourable.
While the rolls are still warm, generously drizzle icing over the top. Be sure to get it all around the edges and over the top. As they sit, the rolls will absorb some of the icing’s moisture and flavor. They only get better with time…not that they last for more than a few seconds!

This is the link to the recipe to the above recipe:
http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/ree-drummond/cinnamon-rolls-recipe2.html

Unboxing KitchenAid Professional 600 Series 6-Quart (5.7L) Bowl Lift Stand Mixer

This is my new KitchenAid Mixer. It’s the 600 Series (575 watts) Professional Model in Plumberry. It comes with a 6 qt./5.7L stainless steel bowl, paddle beater, whisk, dough hook and pouring shield. I can’t wait to use it!

Buy your own KitchenAid here: http://amzn.to/1y9hEEp

Thick and Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookies

This recipe is great for using any flavour of chips you have. I’ve done half white chocolate chips and half peanut butter chips this time. You can even add some chopped up nuts or dried fruit and you can also vary the size (just make sure you adjust the cooking time accordingly).

Ingredients:
2 1/8 cup flour
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp baking soda
1 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 cup white sugar
1/2 cup melted butter
2 tsp vanilla extract
2 eggs
1 cup assorted chips, nuts, dried fruit

– Preheat oven to 180 C or 350 F.
– Beat melted butter and both sugars until light and fluffy.
– Add eggs, one at a time until well mixed.
– Add vanilla and mix.
– On low speed, add flour, baking soda and salt.
– Mix until combined.
– Mix in chocolate chips (or your combination).
– Place 1 inch size mounds (I use a cookie scoop to measure out my dough) of cookie dough on baking paper lined cookie sheets and bake for about 14-15min or until lightly brown.
– Let cool slightly and transfer to baking rack to cool completely. Store in airtight container. Makes about 36 (depending on size of cookies).

Easy Pork Schnitzel – How To

This pork schnitzel recipe is quick, easy and tasty.

Ingredients:
Pork chops, with bone & fat removed
Flour
Eggs, lightly beaten
Breadcrumbs
Vegetable oil

– hammer out pork to desired thickness.
– coat pork in flour, then egg, then breadcrumbs and set aside.
– heat oil in frypan over medium-high heat.
– fry coated pork, turning a few times, until nice and brown.
– remove from pan and place on paper towels to drain any excess oil.

Enjoy!

You can also follow me on Twitter @goosesgoodies

How To Make Homemade Strawberry Jam

Strawberry jam is easy to make, tastes great and is a perfect gift.

Ingredients:
1 kg fresh strawberries
1 kg jam sugar

Equipment:
Preserving jars with lids and bands
Jam funnel
Jar lifting tongs
Strawberry huller
Large pot for canning

Directions:
– Preheat oven to 110 C.
– Wash and hull strawberries.
– For a chunky jam, leave strawberries whole. For a less chunky jam, chop strawberries.
– Place jars, lids and bands on trays in oven for a minimum of 10 minutes (or just leave in oven while cooking jam).
– Place strawberries and sugar in a large pot and heat over a low heat until the sugar is completely dissolved.
– Once sugar is dissovled, insert jam thermometer if using, and bring jam to a boil.
– Skim off any foam while boiling.
– Continue to boil until jam setting temperature is reached – 104 C on a jam thermometer or you can also check for setting point using a plate out of the freezer and checking if the jam wrinkles. (Before starting the jam, place a plate in the freezer, after boiling the jam for about 5 min, take the plate out of the freezer and place a small amount of jam on the plate. Leave for about a minute and then push your finger through the jam, if it wrinkles, then the jam in done. If not, boil for a few minutes longer and try again).
– Once the jam is ready, remove from the heat.
– Take your jars out of the oven and carefully ladle the jam into the jars using the funnel, leaving about 1 cm from the top of the jar.
– Place lids and bands on jars.
– Place jars in one layer on the bottom of a large pot or canner. Make sure you have a tea towel or trivet between the bottom of the pot and the jars, so that the jars don’t break.
– Boil jars, in batches, in water for 10 minutes and then remove them to a cooling rack.
– Cool for 12 hours to allow jars to finish sealing.
– After 12 hours, check lids are sealed – press on lid to see if it springs back. If it springs back, then the lid hasn’t sealed properly and will need to be canned again. If the lid doesn’t move, then the lid has sealed properly.
– Label jars and enjoy.

You can also follow me on Twitter @goosesgoodies

Roasted Red Pepper and Feta Muffins

This recipe for savory muffins uses roasted red peppers and feta. You can try other flavour variations as well, like sundried tomatoes, olives, rosemary or goat’s cheese. In this video, I’ve used the batter to make 24 slightly smaller standard muffins. If you want larger muffins, try one standard 12-cup muffin tray and fill them very full (and remember to increase the baking time).

Roasted Red Pepper and Feta Muffins:
2 cups grated cheddar cheese
1 cup feta cheese, diced or crumbled
1 cup roasted red peppers in oil, chopped
1 cup oil from roasted red peppers
1⁄2 cup milk
2 eggs
1⁄2 cup water
2 cups plain flour
2 tablespoons baking powder
1⁄2 teaspoon salt
1⁄2 teaspoon freshly cracked black pepper

– Preheat oven to 200 C
– Grease 2 x 12-cup muffin pans
– Mix first 7 ingredients in one bowl
– Mix last 4 ingredients in one bowl
– Mix wet into dry until just combined
– Scoop mixture evenly into muffin pans
– Bake for 15-20min
– Cool on wire rack

You can also follow me on Twitter @goosesgoodies

Quick and Easy Beef Chilli Recipe

This is my quick & easy go-to chilli recipe. It takes about 30-60min to cook and tastes great.
The ingredient list is short, but you can add or substitute whatever you like. I usually serve this with rice, a baked potato, some corn chips or just on its own with some grated cheese. This chilli recipe also freezes well, so I often make a double batch and then freeze individual portions for later.

Chilli Recipe — Serves 4-6:
1 onion, chopped
1 pepper (any colour), chopped
500g ground/mince beef
1 tablespoon tomato paste
3 tablespoons ground chilli seasoning
1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
2 x 420g tins diced tomatoes
1 x 400g tin red kidney beans, rinsed and drained
1-2 tablespoons olive oil
salt & pepper
– Heat olive oil in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Add onion and pepper and saute until onion has softened.
– Add beef mince and stir until browned.
– Add tomato paste and mix in well. Then add chilli seasoning, cayenne pepper, salt and pepper and mix.
– Add tinned tomatoes and kidney beans and stir well.
– Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer about 30 minutes, stirring occassionally, until desired consistency is reached.

Please note: If you are going to simmer longer than 30 minutes, then reduce heat to low or add more liquid (tomato sauce or an extra tin of tomatoes).

Enjoy!

You can also follow me on Twitter @goosesgoodies

How To Make My Favourite Vanilla Cupcakes With Vanilla Icing

This video shows you how to make a classic one-bowl vanilla cupcake with a buttercream icing using a Wilton 1M swirl. The icing contains vegetable shortening, so the icing will stay white and doesn’t need to be refrigerated. These easy vanilla cupcake and icing recipes can also be used to make cakes or as a base to add other flavours or food colourings to both the cake and icing.

Vanilla Cupcakes:
2 1/4 cups flour
1 1/2 cups sugar
3/4 cup vegetable shortening
3/4 cup milk
2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon almond extract
3 large eggs
– Preheat oven to 180 C (or 160 C for fan bake).
– Place cupcake cases in pan.
– Measure all ingredients into the mixer bowl fitted with the paddle attachment.
– Mix at low speed until ingredients are combined.
– Scrape down bowl once.
– Mix on high speed until smooth and fluffy (about 2 min).
– Scoop batter into prepared cupcake pans.
– Bake for about 15 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the cupcakes comes out clean.
– Let cool for 10 minutes in pan before turning out onto wire rack to cool completely.

White Vanilla Buttercream Icing:
1 cup vegetable shortening
4 cups icing sugar
1 teaspoon clear vanilla flavouring
7-8 teaspoons water
– Place vegetable shortening, icing sugar, vanilla and 7 teaspoons of water into the food processor. Mix until icing is spreading consistency and add more water if needed.

You can also follow me on Twitter @goosesgoodies