Mustard Pretzel Chicken

Lately I haven't been very good at planning my meals in advance.  I've had a number of days where 3:30 rolls around and I realize I have no idea what I'm going to make for dinner.  Tonight was one of those nights.  After deciding I would make something with chicken, I scavenged through the cupboards to see what I had on hand to work with.  Enter "Mustard Pretzel Chicken," which ended up being a hit with the family, even though I didn't think it was all that special.  But, since it was fast and easy, it belongs on this blog in case anyone else wants to try it.

6 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
mustard
pretzels, crushed
grated Parmesan cheese
salt and pepper to taste

Thaw out your chicken in the microwave if it happens to be frozen and you don't have time for it to thaw slowly.  Place chicken in a 9x13" pan.  Drizzle mustard over the chicken.

Take the crushed pretzels and sprinkle them generously over the top of the mustard.

Sprinkle Parmesan cheese, salt, and pepper on top.  Bake at 375 degrees for 30 minutes and serve!

Cranberry Scones

What comes to mind when you think of scones?  Prim and proper people dipping dried, tasteless biscuits in tea?  I used to work at a bakery where scones were sold and those scones were some of the driest, hardest, tasteless things I'd ever seen.  I had no desire to eat a scone after that.  Then one day my Grandma made scones for breakfast when I came to visit.  Yum!  Like me, eliminate your scone misconception by trying this recipe!  The scones are fluffy and flaky...exactly what you want in a baked good (but not in a friend! ;)).

2 c. flour
2 Tbsp sugar
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1/2 c. cold butter
1 c. cranberries (fresh or dried; any berry would work)
3/4 c. buttermilk (you can also use milk that you sour with a splash of vinegar, OR simply use plain milk)
**optional** 1 egg white + additional sugar; brush the egg white on top of the scone wedges, and sprinkle with sugar before baking.


I always use dried cranberries when I make this recipe--I tend to have those on hand all the time.  The first thing I do is to soak the cup of cranberries in hot water to soften them up a bit.  After all, you're going to be baking them, so you don't want them getting hard and crunchy in your scones!

Throw all your dried ingredients into a bowl.  You'll notice that one of the ingredients in this recipe is nutmeg.

Not everyone cares for the taste of nutmeg; if it's something you dislike, then omit it.  But I think it's worthwhile to give it a try in this recipe to see if you like how the flavors blend.  I have a good-sized container of nutmeg because I make these scones so often, and I also use it at times in my white sauce to give it a different flavor.

I like how the nutmeg gives little flecks of color to the dry ingredients:

Add your butter.  Slicing it into small squares like this makes it really easy to work with.  (A food processor makes it even easier, if you prefer.)

Cut the butter in until coarse crumbs are what you see:

Add the soaked cranberries:

And then your milk:

As stated earlier, if you don't have buttermilk on hand, you can go ahead and add a splash of vinegar to regular milk to sour it, OR just use plain milk as it is.  I typically go with the plain milk route.  All the soured milk does is give it a slightly tangy taste and likely makes it a bit flakier, but the difference isn't noticeable.

Next, you want to stir the ingredients together just until the dough is moistened:

Dump this mixture onto a lightly floured surface, coat your hands with a little flour if your dough is extra sticky, and gently knead the ball of dough 6-8 times until it is a tight ball:

Pat the dough down with your hand to about 1/4" thickness.  You want it to be in a circle shape:

Next, cut your dough into 12 wedges.  You can use a pizza cutter if you want to.  I usually use my big chef's knife as I find my dough sticks a bit too much to the pizza cutter as I roll it through.

Place the wedges onto a cookie sheet.  If you've floured your work surface well enough, the dough should be easy to work with.

Bake for 12-15 minutes in a preheated 425 degree oven, until your scones are golden brown:

Allow them to cool just a bit; you may want to place them on a cooling rack so that the bottoms don't get soggy.  In this house, all the scones are snarfed down within the first 10 minutes of being removed from the oven, so there isn't a need to dirty up another kitchen item.

Serve warm as your main breakfast course, or as a side to scrambled eggs and a fresh piece of fruit.

Soft and flaky:

Ham and Cheese Buns

This is an extremely easy yet tasty recipe.  You can serve it on its own as a main course, or you can serve it as a side to a soup if you are feeding a larger crowd.  I usually double the recipe because these things go fast!  You can easily swap ingredients to fit your family's tastes--rather than ham, use turkey; use different kinds of cheeses, etc.) I neglected to take pictures of the process, but it's pretty simple...if you can fix a sandwich, you can most certainly fix these ham and cheese buns!

15 hamburger buns
15 slices of colby (or cheddar) cheese
15 slices of ham
2 c. shredded mozzarella cheese
1/2 c. butter (1 stick), melted
1 Tbsp onion (or 1/2 tsp. onion powder)
1 Tbsp poppyseed (optional)
2 tsp. sugar
2 Tbsp prepared mustard

Set out a cookie sheet and disassemble the hamburger buns so that only the bottom portion of the bun is sitting on the cookie sheet.  Take a slice of colby cheese and place it on the bun.  Next, add a slice of ham; fold it as necessary so it fits well on the bun.  Take some shredded mozzarella and place it on top of the ham.  This gets a little messy; be prepared to scrape melted cheese off your cookie sheet at the end of the day.  Before placing the top of the buns on your sandwich, stop and prepare the remainder of the ingredients.

Microwave the stick of butter.  (I usually melt it in a 2-cup measuring cup.)  Once it's melted, add your onion, poppyseed, sugar, and mustard and stir well.  Using a spoon, scoop some of the mustard/butter mixture and drizzle it on top of the open-faced bun...right over top of the mozzarella cheese.  After you have topped each bun with a spoonful of the mustard/butter mixture, add the tops of the buns.  Drizzle the remaining mustard/butter mixture over the tops of the buns.

Place ham and cheese buns in a preheated 350 degree oven for about 5 minutes, or until cheese is melted and heated through, then serve!

Biscuits

Nothing tastes as good as freshly baked biscuits. You can pair them with a bowl of soup or even just eat them on their own with butter or jam. Yum. However, it seems as though I am stuck in a breakfast food mentality these days, so tonight I made bacon, egg, and cheese biscuits for the family. I will make the assumption that you are capable of knowing how to cook bacon and eggs, as well as how to cut the cheese! ;)

 Biscuit recipe

 2 c. flour
4 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. cream of tartar
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 c. butter
2/3 c. milk
1 egg

 **Note, I doubled the recipe for my family

Start out by putting all your dry ingredients into a large bowl and haul out the pastry blender if you have one.  (A food processor makes quick work of making biscuits, but I prefer to make them by hand.)

**Dry ingredients and my great-grandmother's pastry blender**

Cream of tartar.  What the heck is that stuff and what is it used for anyway?  As far as I can tell, cream of tartar helps baked goods to rise well.  It's probably not imperative to this recipe, so if you don't have it on hand, it doesn't mean you can't make these biscuits.  They just might not rise nearly as high.

**Cream of tartar**

Next, it's time for the butter!  Remember, I'm doubling my recipe, which is why you see 2 sticks of butter.

**Butter**

Slice your butter into tablespoon-sized slices so it makes it easier to cut the butter into the dry ingredients.

**Bowl full of butter**

Cut the butter into the dry ingredients until the appearance is that of coarse crumbs.

**Coarse crumbs**

Next, add the wet ingredients and stir well with a large spoon until no dry spots remain.  Don't stir too much or you will end up with tougher biscuits.

At this point, you have a decision to make--do you want to take the fast, easy route and make drop biscuits?  Or do you want to have "pretty" biscuits that you cut out?

We'll assume that most people will choose the fast, easy route.  To make drop biscuits, simply gather up large, uniform blobs of the dough and drop them onto a cookie sheet.  Pop the sheet into a preheated 425 degree oven and bake until the biscuits are lightly browned and cooked through, which generally takes 9-11 minutes.

However, assuming you want nicer looking biscuits, you'll want to pat the biscuit dough flat on a lightly floured surface.  Don't roll it out; simply pat it to the thickness you desire.  I typically pat mine down to a 1/2" level.  You can cut the dough out however you like--some people like to use cookie cutters.  I like having large biscuits, so I use the rim of one of my bigger drinking glasses.  Simply dip the rim of your drinking glass (or cookie cutter) into a container of flour to prevent the dough from sticking to it, and then proceed to cut out the shape you desire, transferring the cut out pieces to a cookie sheet.

**Large biscuit made from the rim of a drinking glass**

Continue to cut out the dough until you are unable to cut any other pieces out.  At that point, combine all the dough once again, pat it down, and repeat.

Once all your biscuits have been cut out, put them in the preheated 425 degree oven and bake 9-11 minutes, or until golden brown and cooked through.  These things will really rise!

**Finished biscuit**

These biscuits are light and flaky and easily pull apart if you want to put anything inside of them...like bacon, eggs, and cheese!

**Yum**

Cinnamon Rolls

This is another family favorite.  We always have these on Christmas morning--it's become tradition!  I don't make them too often during the rest of the year because they are just so good that we end up eating them all, which is not necessarily good for us.

I happened to make these again last night since we had a special occasion going on; a very belated birthday party for my daughter.  I figured the girls who were at the slumber party might enjoy a cinnamon roll for breakfast the next morning.  And I was right!

Homemade cinnamon rolls definitely take some time, more time than opening up a can of the pre-made refrigerated rolls, but nothing beats the taste of homemade.  It is worth it!!

Here is the recipe I use, with directions throughout the content of this post:

Dough
1 c. warm milk
2 eggs
1/3 c. butter, melted
1/2 c. white sugar
4 1/2 c. bread flour
1 tsp. salt
2 1/2 tsp. yeast

Filling
1 c. packed brown sugar
2 1/2 Tbsp. ground cinnamon
1/3 c. butter, softened

Frosting
3 oz. cream cheese, softened
1/4 c. butter, softened
1/8 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. maple extract (or vanilla, almond, or your favorite extract)
1 1/2 c. powdered sugar

First of all, I have to introduce my best kitchen helper.  While I could make do without it, it sure lightens the load of all the things I make on an almost-daily basis.  That would be my KitchenAid stand mixer!

**My KitchenAid**

We originally had a basic model, however, we make a lot of bread and other bread-related meals (think pizza, etc.) for our family of 6, so the professional model entered our lives as we feared we might burn out the motor of our basic model.  (For the record, I prefer the design of the basic model compared to the professional series.)

The first step in making these cinnamon rolls is to create a nice environment for the yeast to thrive in.  That means it needs to be someplace warm and sugary.  So, grab a pan and pour in 1 cup of milk and the sugar.  Toss the butter in along with it...you have to melt it anyway, so why not have fewer dishes to have to clean later and combine things now!

**milk, sugar, and butter on the stovetop**

Turn the burner on a low setting to gradually warm up the milk and melt the butter.  Be sure to stir this well in the beginning so that the sugar dissolves.  As things start to heat up, the butter will begin to melt.

**melting butter**

When your stick of butter starts to get about this small, remove the pan from the burner and allow the warmth of the milk to melt the remaining butter.  That way you won't continue to heat the mixture to a point that is too warm for the yeast, which would kill it.  You'll know it's the right temperature for adding yeast when it feels quite warm to your finger, but not burning hot.  If the milk gets too warm, no big deal, just pop the pan in your fridge or leave it on your counter for a while to cool down.  (Be sure it doesn't cool off too much though!)

Add the yeast to your milk concoction and while you allow the yeast a little time to proof, go ahead and add the dry ingredients to your mixer (flour and salt).  Turn the mixer on low to give the ingredients a quick whirl.

**dry ingredients**

Then, add the liquid mixture and eggs to the mixing bowl and allow it to stir things up until well combined.  It will be a heavy, slightly sticky dough.

**The dough will stick to the bottom of your mixing bowl, but that's not a big deal.  When you go to remove it, just use a spatula to scrape it all out**

**Here is what your dough should look like when the mixing is done**

At this point, you need to let the dough rest and rise for a bit.  The best way to do this is to cover the bowl with saran wrap.  For all my bread recipes, I spray a quick blast of non-stick spray on the saran wrap just in case I happen to have over-achieving dough that rises to the top.  (It has happened before, although it is not likely with this kind of dough!)

**Sheet of saran wrap about to go over the bowl.  (Nice pineapple in the background!)**

Place the bowl in a warm location, if possible, to assist in the rising process.  I often will quickly heat my oven to about 100 degrees, then shut it off and turn on the oven light and place the dough inside for the first rise.  (I then close the oven door so the heat is contained.)

**Location for the 1st rise**

After about an hour, you should notice that your dough has risen, even if it's just a little bit.  This isn't like a loaf of bread; don't expect to see amazing results.

**Dough after 1st rise**

Next, turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface.  Loosely cover it and allow it to rest for 10 minutes.

**Resting dough**

While you wait for the dough to rest, go ahead and put together the cinnamon sugar filling.  (If you are wise, you will have taken out the 1/3 c. of butter in advance.  I was not wise.  I had to put my butter in the microwave for a few seconds in order to soften it up and make it spreadable.)

**Cinnamon sugar filling**

Now for the fun part...rolling out the dough!  Grab a rolling pin and roll out the dough to a nice, large size.  Maybe 24" x 18" or so.

**Rolled out dough.  Notice the perfectly rectangular shape in which my dough rolled out...ha!  Doesn't matter what the dough looks like; just get it rolled out and it'll work, even if it's not perfectly symmetrical.**

Now is when you slather on the butter and then cover it with the cinnamon sugar mixture.  Pretty easy!

**sugar-covered dough**

Next, start rolling up the dough!

**Dough roll**

Then grab some dental floss.  Yep, you read that correctly.  Go get some dental floss and tear off a strand about 12" in length.  You will use this to cut your dough.  Knives tend to squish the dough and cause the filling to spill out more.  Dental floss is the secret weapon.  Bonus points to you if you happen to have cinnamon flavored dental floss on hand!

**Dental floss...any kind will do**

Slide the dental floss under the roll of dough, cross the top strands, and tuck one under and through, the same way you would go about tying your shoe.  (Hopefully you know how to tie your shoes...)

**Slicing the dough**

Next, after the floss is in place, you grab an end with each hand and pull in opposite directions.  The floss slices straight through the dough.  If I had 3 hands, I would have taken a picture of this step, but unfortunately you'll have to figure this one out on your own!

**After the floss has cut through the dough**

**A nice, clean cut through the dough; minimal filling spills out**

Cut the dough into however many rolls you would like and place them in a pan.  The actual recipe calls for 12 rolls, but come on, that means in my family we each only get 2.  I aim for closer to 18 rolls; they rise well, so having additional rolls is the way to go.

**I was able to cut 17 rolls out of the dough**

As you can see, there are some spaces between the rolls.  I also didn't roll the last section of dough very tightly, so the rolls are not perfect.  But, who cares about perfect.  Does anyone really focus on looking at a cinnamon roll for very long?  I think not.  What matters is the taste!

At this point, you cover the rolls and allow them to rise for a while.  I tend to make my cinnamon rolls at night.  First of all, I am not a morning person.  The thought of getting up at 6:00 to start making these things for my family just doesn't sound appealing.  Secondly, you can accomplish 2 things at once when you make the rolls at night--the rolls can rise all night long while you can sleep!  Where I live, my house is pretty cool (temperature wise) in the winter, so I simply let the dough rise on the top of the stove.  If you live where it's warm, you may want to put the rolls in the fridge or another cool place to allow them a longer, slower rise.  Use the same method to cover your rolls--saran wrap misted with non-stick spray--for this 2nd rise.

In the morning when you rise (pun fully intended), you will find your rolls have risen as well.

**Cinnamon rolls in the morning; the spaces between the rolls have disappeared**

They're almost ready!  All that is left to do is to bake and frost them--easy!

Preheat your oven to 400 degrees and pop the rolls in when it's time.  While your rolls bake (for 15-20 minutes), it's time to start the frosting.  It's easiest to do this with a mixer, but I was up early this morning and rather than wake everyone up with a bunch of noise, I chose to mix the frosting by hand.

**Maple Frosting**

Keep an eye on your rolls; once they are browned to your liking, remove them from the oven.

**Baked rolls**

The last thing to do is to frost the cinnamon rolls.  It's good to do it when they are warm but not hot.  The frosting spreads the easiest when they have been out of the oven for a few minutes.

**Frosted cinnamon rolls**

Finally, because you are the one who made the rolls, it is often necessary to test one of them to make sure they meet the family's expectations.  After all, you'd hate to disappoint everyone with a bad cinnamon roll, right?

**My taste-test subject**

One word: Delicious!

I hope you enjoy them, too!