Cinnamon Twists

I made these Christmas day, and they were wonderful! They're alot like cinnamon rolls, only twisted. If you have a little time to bake and love cinnamon, I highly suggest making these.

1/4 c honey (I didn't have this so I used sugar)

1 envelope dry active yeast

1/4 c butter

1/2 c sour cream

1 lg egg yolk

1 tsp vanilla

3 c all purpose flour

3/4 tsp salt

1/2 tsp cinnamon

1 tsp cinnamon-sugar

Drizzle:

1/2 c powdered sugar

2 tsp water

In bowl, stir 1 T honey into warm water. Sprinkle with yeast. Let stand until foamy, 5-10 minutes. Stir to dissolve.

In large bowl, beat together butter, sour cream, egg yolk, vanilla and remaining honey until blended. Add 1 c flour, salt, and cinnamon, on low speed, beat until smooth. Add yeast mixture, second cup flour; beat 2 minutes. Add enough of remaining flour to form soft dough. 

turn dough out onto floured surface. Knead until smooth and elastic, about 5 minutes, adding more flour as needed. Shape dough into ball. Place in a lightly oiled bowl; turn to coat. Cover loosely with plastic wrap; refrigerate overnight to rise.

Coat baking sheet with nonstick spray. Remove dough from refrigerator; punch down. Let rest 5 minutes. Divide dough in half. Roll one half of dough into 16x10 inch rectangle. With pizza cutter, cut dough into quarters. Cut each crosswise into six 5" long strips. Twist 2 strips together; place on prepared baking sheets. Repeat with remaining quarters and second half of dough. Sprinkle with cinnamon sugar. 

Cover twists loosely with plastic wrap. Let rise at room temperature for 45 minutes.

Heat oven to 350 degrees. Uncover twists. Bake until golden, about 15 minutes. Transfer to rack; cool slightly. In small bowl, stir together powdered sugar and water. Drizzle over cooled twists. Let stand to set. Makes 24 twists.

Spam and Cabbage Soup

I know this sounds really weird, because I thought the same thing when I first tried it at my mother-in-law's. It's actually really good! Make some cornmeal muffins to go with it and it's even better. The really cool thing is that you can get any flavor Spam you want and spice it up a little. (I did get the jalepeno one time and that was really good.)

1 Can tomato sauce

1 can any flavor Spam (I get the Lite to make me feel a little better)

1 medium head of cabbage

salt, pepper, garlic, and onion powder

First, I pour my tomato sauce in my dutch oven, and fill the pan almost halfway with water; put on medium heat to start simmering awhile. Then, chop the cabbage and add to the soup. Dice the Spam in whatever size pieces you desire, adding to the cabbage soup. As it starts to cook, sprinkle in the onion powder, garlic, salt, and pepper to your desired taste. Let it cook until the cabbage is tender but not soggy (about 20-30 minutes). It's a very simple, quick, but tasty dish!

Mama's Coleslaw

This is my family's favorite recipe for coleslaw and I thought maybe ya'll would like it! I had Matt run in Walmart to buy me some cabbage and he came out with a head of red cabbage, which I've never used. It made the coleslaw a pretty purple, and it tasted just the same so that's why I used this picture. I usually us regular cabbage, though. The chicken breast was cooked with a marinade called Grill Mates Mesquite which I find in the gravy mix isle. We all just love it!

1 16 oz bag coleslaw mix (I use a medium head of cabbage)
2 T diced onion
1/2 large carrots shredded
2/3 cup mayo
3 T. Oil
1/3 cup sugar
1 T white vinegar
1/2 tsp celery salt


First, chop you cabbage in a food processor or if you're like me and don't have one, I use a cheese grater. Mix cabbage and onion in a medium sized bowl. In measuring cup mix the rest of the ingredients, and then pour into the cabbage, mixing well. It might not look like it's enough, but once it sets in the fridge for at least two hours before you eat it, it is plenty. Although if you really think it's not enough then just mix up some more of the wet ingredients and add until you think it appears right.

Buttery Garlicy Breadsticks

My Mom showed me how to make these before I was married, and this has always been the best recipe for breadsticks.

3-31/2 c. all-purpose flour                                       1 c. very warm water

1 pkg yeast                                                              3 T. oil

1 T. sugar

1 stick butter
garlic powder
Parmesan cheese

Preheat oven to 375 F. Prepare 13x9 pan with cooking spray. Mix 1 cup of the flour, yeast, and sugar in a medium mixing bowl. Add the water and oil; mix well. Add remaining flour 1 cup at a time until dough leaves side of bowl and is easy to handle. Place dough onto lightly floured surface and knead for 3-5 minutes. My Mom always told me that the dough is ready when you "feel little bubbles popping", for those who don't understand just knead until the dough is elasticy. Place dough back into mixing bowl and cover with a kitchen towel, setting it in a warm place to rise until double (about 20 minutes). Once it's risen, pinch off a little dough at a time and roll out into the shape of a stick, and place it into the pan. Cover the pan with the kitchen towel and let rise for about 10 minutes more. Place into oven and bake about 11-15 minutes. Keep an eye on the rolls, and when they are starting to turn slightly brown, take them out and coat them with a mixture of 1 stick melted butter and 1-2 T garlic powder (depending on how much you like). Use about half the mixture. Place them back into the oven to finish browning, and when they come back out place the rest of the mixture onto them and sprinkle with parmesan cheese.

World's Best Blueberry Muffins

These are the best blueberry muffins I've ever made! Thanks to Clemence Gossett of The Gourmandise School of Sweets and Savories for this recipe.

3 1/2 c. all purpose flour                                                 1 1/4 c. sugar
2 T baking powder                                                         1 c. milk
1/2 tsp baking soda                                                        1 c. plain yogurt or sour cream
1/8 tsp. salt                                                                    5 oz butter, cut into pieces
3 c. fresh blueberries

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Line a 24 cup muffin tin with paper liners.
Whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a large bowl; set aside.
In a glass or ceramic microwave safe bowl, put the sugar, milk, yogurt/sour cream, and butter. Microwave bowl one minute on high, or until butter is starting to melt and the bowl is warm. Whisk the mixture until you see little bits of butter floating in the mixture.
Add the blueberries to the flour mixture, and toss to coat. Pour over the milk mixture and slowly, carefully, fold together with a large spoon or spatula. Do not overmix or the muffins will be tough. Streaks of flour are perfectly okay.
Divide the batter among the muffin tins and sprinkle with sugar. Bake 30 minutes or until toothpick comes out with just crumbs clinging to it and the tops are starting to turn golden brown. Cool 5 minutes in the pan, then remove the muffins to a rack to cool completely.

Homemade Donuts

I made these with my kids today and they were wonderful! All recognition goes to Peggianne on allrecipes.com.

• 
  
• 
  
• 1/2 cup warm water (100 to 110 degrees F/40 to 45 degrees C)
• 2 (.25 ounce) packages active dry yeast
• 1 teaspoon white sugar
• 3/4 cup milk, lukewarm
• 1/3 cup vegetable shortening
• 1/4 cup white sugar
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 2 eggs
• 4 cups sifted all-purpose flour
•  
• 2 quarts vegetable oil for frying
•  
• 1 tablespoon warm water
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 cup confectioners' sugar, sifted

Directions

1. Pour 1/2 cup of warm water into a small bowl, and stir in the yeast and 1 teaspoon of sugar. Allow the yeast mixture to stand until it forms a creamy foam layer on top, 5 to 10 minutes.
2. Place milk and vegetable shortening into a small saucepan over medium-low heat and cook until the shortening has melted and the milk has tiny bubbles around the edge. Remove from heat.
3. Place 1/4 cup of sugar and the salt into the work bowl of a large stand mixer and pour the milk and shortening into the bowl. Mix on low speed just to dissolve sugar; and allow mixture to stand until warm.
4. Beat in the yeast mixture, eggs, and 1 cup of flour on low speed until smooth. Gradually beat in remaining flour to make a soft dough.
5. Continue beating the dough on low speed until dough leaves the sides of the bowl, 2 to 3 minutes.
6. Turn the dough out onto a well-floured work surface and knead until smooth and elastic, 2 or 3 more minutes.
7. Form the dough into a ball and place into a large greased bowl. Grease the top of the dough, and cover the bowl with waxed paper. Set the bowl into a warm place; let the dough rise until doubled in size, 1 to 1 1/2 hours.
8. Punch down the dough and roll out on a floured work surface to 1/2 inch thick. Cut doughnuts out of the dough with a 3 1/2-inch round doughnut cutter with a 1-inch smaller cutter in the center. Let the doughnuts rise on the work surface until very light and fluffy, 40 minutes to 1 hour.
9. Heat oil in a deep-fryer or large saucepan to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
10. Gently pick up and drop the doughnuts into the hot oil, working in small batches of 2 or 3 at a time, and cook until the doughnuts are light golden brown, turning once, about 2 minutes.
11. Drain the doughnuts on paper towels to absorb oil.
12. In a bowl, mix 1 tablespoon of warm water and vanilla extract, and stir in the confectioners' sugar to make a glaze. Spread a thin layer of glaze over the warm doughnuts.

BBQ Buffalo Wings

These are Matt's favorite thing that I make! Not everyone likes the taste of bbq in their hot wings, but we love it. I'm just kind of guessing at the quantity of ingredients, so you might have to season to your taste.

3 1b chicken wing sections
1 cup flour
oil for frying
3/4 c. Frank's hot sauce (however hot you like)
1/2 c. bbq sauce (I use Sweet Baby Ray's)

 First, pour some oil in your skillet deep enough to almost cover wings. As it heats, place your wings and the flour in a bag, and shake until the wings are coated. Make sure your grease is hot enough or it'll make you chicken soggy. I check the temperature by sprinkling a little flour from my fingertips, and if it sizzles on the grease I figure it's hot enough. Fry your chicken until it's crispy brown all over. Meanwhile, heat the hot sauce and bbq sauce in a medium saucepan until it's very hot. As your chicken gets done, toss them into the pan of sauce. Stir to coat, and keep a lid on the pan as the steam helps keep it crispy. Once all the chicken is done and in the saucepan, you can place the lid on and shake it around to make sure it's coated evenly. (BTW Make sure you do this part over the sink since I've accidentally dumped it on the floor before) I hope you enjoy! Sometimes Matt likes to eat his with ranch dressing or blue cheese dressing if it's especially hot.