Yummy Finnish Cinnamon Rolls!

It's hard for me to believe that I've been writing this blog for 132 weeks.....that's coming up on three years! It seems like yesterday when I sat in a marketing evaluation class made up of university students who had agreed to take on various local businesses and develop marketing plans for them. We were so blessed to be chosen to participate! It was such fun to work with those students ....and I think they enjoyed working with us - I always baked for them!! They had sooo many great ideas, many that still have yet to be developed by us! However, we did have an "ouchy" moment...... one student who was becoming a real bread-making enthusiast noticed that I was not very faithful about writing my blog. Through the 12-week class, I had only written one or two posts. And, in addition to that naughtiness, I was not regular about posting on Facebook. In other words, I was REALLY weak in social media. Thanks to those students "shaming" me, I began to write recipes weekly. And now it's truly unbelievable that we're looking at the three year mark soon. If any of those students are out there reading this, I want to say "THANK YOU!" Sometimes being ashamed can work some good things in us! I've gotten to meet so many great folks and share so many great recipes - their "scolding" worked some wonderful things in my life! 

This DELICIOUS and beautiful recipe is dedicated to that great class of students who worked so hard on our behalf - THANKS SO MUCH! I'm still thinking of you! 

Finnish Cinnamon Rolls!  

Dough:

1 pkg/Tbsp. Red Star Platinum instant yeast

½ Cup warm water

¼ Cup butter, melted

¼ Cup sugar

1 egg, lightly beaten

1 egg yolk

½ salt

¾ tsp. cardamom

2 ¼ -2 ½ Cups unbleached, all-purpose flour

Filling:

¼ Cup butter, softened

¼ Cup sugar

1 Tbsp. cinnamon

Combine filling ingredients in a small bowl and mix well. Set aside

Glaze:

1 egg, lightly beaten

1 Tbsp. milk

Coarse sugar or pearl sugar

Combine egg and milk. Set aside

Place warm water and yeast in EZ DOH bucket and stir to dissolve yeast. Let rest 1 minute. Add one cup of flour, then additional dough ingredients. EZ DOH-it for 2-3 minutes, or until dough is smooth and soft and all ingredients are incorporated, adding additional  flour as necessary to produce a dough that is smooth and not sticky. Remove dough from bucket, spray bucket with cooking spray, “smooth” dough and replace in bucket. Cover and refrigerate for 2-24 hours.

Remove dough from refrigerator and, on a lightly floured surface, roll out into a 12x24” rectangle. Spread dough with the filling, Roll up, jelly-roll fashion, starting with long side of rectangle. Cut into 12- 2 to 3” slices. Sprinkle flour on the arm of a wooden spoon. With the arm press down the center (lengthwise) of each roll, forcing the cut edges of the roll upward slightly. Place rolls on a lightly greased baking sheet. Cover gently and let rise in a warm place until puffy and almost doubled (about 40 minutes). Brush each roll with the glaze mixture. Sprinkle with coarse sugar (or pearl sugar). Bake at 400 for 8-12 minutes, until golden.

Visit http://www.wildyeastblog.com/yeastspotting/ for more delicious breads

Yummy Finnish Cinnamon Rolls!

Spinach Ricotta Calzones!

I know I'm late with this post, as it's about our family's SB party a few weeks ago  (think football....I'm told I can't officially use the words super and bowl to describe that big happening in the beginning of February - LOL!) . Dave and I are typically the hosts for this event, but this year my house was -and still is - TOTALLY torn apart, due to a wonderful house renovation we're working on. Hospitality is my "thing", so it was difficult to call on my kids to host the party this year. My oldest daughter hesitantly agreed, but on the condition that it was to be strictly family, as her house is smaller than ours. That day, I was in a lazy, but hungry mood....I KNEW I wanted something good (read:"reasonably healthy") to take to the party. I also knew there would be plenty of other yummy man-foods there for my hubby, so I didn't have to cater to his tastes. Thus.....the spinach calzone! When we arrived, it completely surprised me at how many folks there were thrilled to see this calzone. There were no leftovers that night, so guess what I did later that week........I made another one just for me! 

I hope you enjoy munching on this as much as I do! 

Spinach Ricotta Calzone

Filling:

1 pkg (10 ounces) frozen  chopped spinach, cooked, cooled and squeezed dry

1 Cup shredded mixed Italian-blend cheese (or mozzarella)

1 Cup ricotta cheese

½ tsp. basil

½ tsp. salt

½ tsp. garlic powder

¼ tsp. pepper

¼ tsp. dried minced onion

Combine filling ingredients in a bowl and mix well.

Crust/Dough:

1 Cup warm water

1 pkg/Tbsp. Red Star Platinum yeast

1 tsp. sugar

1 Tbsp. olive oil

1 tsp. salt

2 ½-2 ¾ Cup unbleached, all-purpose flour

Topping:

Egg wash: 1 egg white, mixed with a small amount of water

Grated parmesan cheese

Place warm water and yeast in EZ DOH bucket and stir to dissolve yeast. Let rest 1 minute. Add one cup of flour, then additional dough ingredients. EZ DOH-it for 2-3 minutes, or until dough is smooth and soft and all ingredients are incorporated, adding flour as necessary to achieve a dough that is not sticky.  Remove dough from bucket, spray bucket with cooking spray, “smooth” dough and replace in bucket. Cover and let rise until doubled.

Grease a 16” pizza pan. Roll the dough out to a 16” circle. Place the combined filling ingredients over half of the dough. Pull the remainder of the dough over the filled portion and seal by pinching. Pierce the top crust several times with a fork. Place in pizza pan (if you haven’t rolled out the dough there J )  Brush with the egg wash and sprinkle lightly with parmesan cheese. Bake at 400 for 10-15 minutes, until golden. Serve with pizza/spaghetti sauce, if desired.

Spinach Ricotta Calzones!

Heart-shaped Cinnamon Walnut Coffee Cake!

It's strange to think of posting yummy and decadent things, seeing that the Lenten season of self-denial and self-examination has just begun! We spent this past Wednesday evening at a community Ash Wednesday service. The service was a little more formal than we were used to, but it was nonetheless beautiful and thought-provoking. Quite a few members of our little church attended, including five-year-old Gwen, who came with her grandma. Though the service was lengthy, Gwen sat patiently, taking everything in. That evening, Gwen learned of many different types of love: the love of her grandma, the love of the church, the love of God and the love of friends. In thinking about it now, I guess it's appropriate that we're celebrating Valentine's Day (love!) in the midst of Lent! As we take time to examine ourselves, it's a great time to reach out and express our love for someone around us! 

This delicious recipe makes two coffee cakes, allowing you to "share the love" x 2 ! I hope you'll enjoy it as you celebrate the ones you love! 

Heart-Shaped Cinnamon Walnut Coffee Cake! (Makes 2)

Dough:

1 pkg./Tbsp. Red Star Platinum instant yeast

¼ Cup warm water

1 Cup warm milk

½ Cup butter, softened

2 eggs, beaten

¼ Cup sugar

1 tsp. salt

3 ½- 4 ½ Cups unbleached, all-purpose flour

Filling:

¼ Cup butter, softened

½ Cup sugar

½ Walnuts, finely chopped

1 Tbsp. cinnamon

Icing:

1 Tbsp softened butter

1 Cup powdered sugar

1 tsp. vanilla

2-3 Tbsp. milk

Place warm water and yeast in EZ DOH bucket and stir to dissolve yeast. Let rest 1 minute. Add one cup of flour, then additional dough ingredients. EZ DOH-it for 2-3 minutes, or until dough is smooth and soft and all ingredients are incorporated. Remove dough from bucket, spray bucket with cooking spray, “smooth” dough and replace in bucket. Cover and let rise until doubled. While dough is rising, combine the dry filling ingredients, then stir in softened butter. Mix until all ingredients are thoroughly combined.

Punch dough down and divide into two equal portions. On a floured countertop, roll each portion into a 15x10” rectangle. Spread half of the filling over each rectangle. Roll up, jelly-roll style, starting with the long sides, pinching the seams to seal. Fold each roll in half (should look like a “U”). Using kitchen shears, cut each “leg” of the “U” down the middle carefully to within 2 inches of the base. Working quickly, lay/twist the cut-open pieces on each side over one another. Bend the top of the finished “twist” on each side down to the bottom of the “U” and tuck it under/in the base, forming a heart-shape. Cover lightly and let rise until doubled. Bake at 375 for 15-20 minutes, until golden. Cool on a wire rack. Drizzle with prepared confectioner’s icing. 

Heart-shaped Cinnamon Walnut Coffee Cake!

Cheery Cherry Coffee Ring!

Happy February everyone! Hard to believe we'll be celebrating Valentine's Day next week! In light of that occasion, this week's recipe and next week's recipe will be in keeping with the holiday.....just in case you want to bake something special for someone special! 

Baking a "something special" was always my go-to for celebrating this holiday. There were so many people in my life that I wanted to honor and bless......and thank......for being so important to me. Our finances didn't always allow me to buy gifts for everyone, so baking it was! Plus, it allowed the kids to help! It was fun and challenging to find recipes to suit the occasion. These days, with Pinterest and similar sites, it's not quite as difficult to locate cute or unusual ideas, but a while back, creativity meant time at the library or raking through cookbooks to find the perfect idea! Along with a heart-felt note, these home-baked valentines made ideal gifts! 

Maybe you have someone special in mind that you'd like to bake for. This cherry ring is absolutely scrumptious and sure to be enjoyed! Perhaps you could divide the recipe in half or thirds and make smaller versions to be shared with more folks.....Perhaps you could shape the ring into a heart.....perhaps you could tint the glaze a pale pink.....Hmmmm.....lots of valentine ideas still stirring! Let me know what YOUR ideas are! 

Cheery Cherry Coffee Ring

Dough:

¾ Cup milk, warmed

¼ Cup warm water

1 pkg. Red Star Platinum yeast

¼ Cup butter, softened

¼ Cup sugar, softened

1 egg, slightly beaten

1 tsp. salt

3 ½ -3 ¾ Cup unbleached all-purpose flour

Cherry Filling:

1 Cup water

1 Cup dried tart cherries, snipped into smaller pieces

Cinnamon Filling:

1/3 Cup sugar

1/3 Cup brown sugar, packed

3 Tbsp. flour

1 ½ tsp. cinnamon

¼ Cup butter

Almond Glaze:

1 ¼ Cup powdered sugar

1 tsp. corn syrup

¼ tsp. vanilla

¼ tsp. almond extract

1 ½-2 Tbsp. evaporated milk/half-n-half/light cream /milk (your choice)

Place warm water and yeast in EZ DOH bucket and stir to dissolve yeast. Let rest 1 minute. Add one cup of flour, then additional dough ingredients. EZ DOH-it for 2-3 minutes, or until dough is smooth and soft and all ingredients are incorporated. Remove dough from bucket, spray bucket with cooking spray, “smooth” dough and replace in bucket. Cover and let rise until doubled.

While dough is rising, prepare fillings:

Cherry: Bring water to a boil. Remove from heat and add dried cherries. Let stand 5 minutes. Drain water (If you do this step first, you can use the drained water as the water in the dough for some added cherry goodness J ) . Squeeze the cherries to remove excess water. Drain on a paper towel.

Cinnamon: Mix dry ingredients together, then cut in butter until crumbly

Roll dough into a 15x9” rectangle. Sprinkle evenly with cinnamon filling. Then sprinkle with drained cherries. Roll up jelly-roll style from the long edge. Seal the seam. Grease a large baking sheet and place the dough on the sheet. Join the ends of the dough to form a circle and pinch ends to seal the circle. With a sharp knife, cut slits at 1” intervals around the ring, leaving about 1 inch attached at the center. Gently take each slice and turn it to one side so that one of the cut sides is down. Continue around the circle, layering the slices atop one another. Cover and let rise until almost double. Bake at 375 for 25-30 minutes, or until golden. Remove from oven and transfer to a wire rack. Cool completely. Combine glaze ingredients and drizzle over the cooled coffee cake.  

Cheery Cherry Coffee Ring!