Orange Cinnamon Roll Cake

This cake is the perfect answer when your kids ask "mom can you make cinnamon rolls?" and you just don't have the time or energy to make them--this morning.  It is SOOOO good and easy to throw together.  I first tried it when some friends brought it over to our house for a get together, and when I asked for the recipe, they told me that they had seen it on JamieCooksItUp.  The original recipe doesn't have orange in it, but when I went to make the cake one weekend morning, I had a ton of oranges and decided to add some orange flavor to it.  It is amazing both ways, so I'll include directions for both.

Orange Cinnamon Roll Cake
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Cake:
3 cups Flour
1/4 teaspoon Salt
4 teaspoons Baking Powder
2 Eggs
2 teaspoons Vanilla
1 1/2 cups Milk
1/2 cup Butter, melted

Cinnamon Filling:
1 cup Butter, softened
1 cup Brown Sugar
2 Tablespoons Flour
1 Tablespoon Cinnamon
2-3 teaspoons Orange Zest **

Glaze:
4 Tablespoons Orange Juice **
1-2 Tablespoons Butter, melted
1 teaspoon Vanilla
Grated Orange Zest, to taste
2 cups Powdered Sugar

**To make a Cinnamon Roll Cake without the orange flavor, omit the orange zest from the filling.  In the glaze, use milk, half and half, and/or some cream cheese in place of the orange juice.

Preheat Oven to 350.
1. In an electric or stand mixer mix the flour, salt, sugar, baking powder, milk, eggs and vanilla. Once combined well, slowly stir in melted butter. Pour batter into a greased 9 x 13 inch baking pan.

2. In a large bowl, mix the 2 sticks of softened butter, brown sugar, flour, cinnamon and orange zest until well combined. Drop evenly over cake batter by the tablespoonfuls and use a knife to marble/swirl through the cake.

3. Bake for 25-30 minutes or until toothpick comes out nearly clean from center.

4. Place powdered sugar, milk and vanilla in a large bowl. Whisk until smooth. Drizzle over warm cake.

Serve warm or at room temperature. YUM!!!

Recipe Source: Adapted from Jamie Cooks It Up

Corn Salsa

This is the best stuff ever!!  If you are looking for a delicious, crowd pleasing, easy side dish for your Memorial Day cookout, then this is it!!  I make this salsa often for my family and for gatherings, and everyone loves it.  I got this recipe from my friend Adrienne Finch after I couldn't stop eating it when she brought it to a lunch I was at.  Just last weekend I made it when my son had his basketball team over to swim, and it was a huge hit!!  We like a little "kick" to our food so I added jalapeno pepper and fresh lime juice to the recipe, it doesn't make it very spicy at all, just adds to the yummy flavor.

Corn Salsa
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1 can Black-eyed peas, drained
1 can Corn, drained
2-3  Green Onions, sliced
5 small-medium Tomatoes, diced or 1 14 oz. can Diced Tomatoes
2 Avocados, chopped
1 Jalapeno pepper, diced and seeded
1/2 cup Cilantro, chopped
1 packet Good Seasonings Italian Dressing Mix, prepared according to package directions
Juice of 1 Key Lime, optional

Combine all ingredients and pour Italian dressing over and stir well, add lime juice.  Chill before serving.  Serve with Fritos Scoops Chips or Tortilla chips.  ***Tip: I can't remember where or who I learned this from, but to keep your avocados from browning while you chill the salsa, you can put the pit from one of your avocados in the salsa while it chills, then remove it before serving.  I have no idea why this works, but it's kind of cool!!  The vinegar in the dressing and lime juice help too. 

Twix Cookie Bars

 

Ok so seriously, what hits the sweet tooth spot like a mixture of creamy caramel, smooth chocolate, and shortbread?  Not much.  My family goes crazy over these, and they are worth every single last calorie.  Trust me.  This makes a very large pan, but you can freeze them and have them ready when you are asked to bring a treat somewhere, you have unexpected company, or you just need something amazing, creamy, and chocolatey.

 Twix Cookie Bars

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Shortbread Layer:
1 1/2 cups Butter, softened
1 1/2 cups Powdered Sugar
3 teaspoons Vanilla
3 cups Flour
1/4 teaspoon Salt

Preheat oven to 325.  Beat together butter and sugar til smooth, add vanilla.  Stir in flour and salt until smooth.  Press into a sheet cake pan, about 12x16 (or close to those measurements.)  Poke with a fork several times, should look something like this: 
 
Bake for about 25 minutes, or until edges are browning somewhat and top is turning a light golden brown, it will look something like this:
 

Remove and cool completely.

Caramel Layer:
1 1/2 cups Butter
1 1/2 cups Sweetened Condensed Milk
1 1/2 cups Brown Sugar
6 Tablespoons Corn Syrup
1 1/2 teaspoons Vanilla

Place butter in a saucepan and melt over low heat.  Stir in remaining ingredients except for vanilla.  Bring to a boil, stirring, and reduce heat to medium-low and cook and stir over a low rolling boil for about 7 minutes.  Stir in vanilla.  Pour caramel over shortbread layer.  Place in the fridge or freezer to set. 

Chocolate Layer:
3-4 cups Chocolate Chips, I like a mixture of semi-sweet and milk chocolate, but either works great!
2 Tablespoons Shortening

In a frying pan over low heat, melt chocolate, stirring frequently.  Stir in shortening, spread over caramel layer.  These bars are best kept in the fridge and set out a few minutes before you eat them.  

Creamy, Plate Lickin' Biscuits-n-Gravy

 I'm pretty sure I came up with the name for these biscuits from back in the days I needed earplugs good ole' days when my husband used to listen to country music.  I'm not a huge fan of sausage--unless it's in a fabulous recipe.  This is beyond fabulous.  I was lucky enough to be at a women's meeting at church when a lady named Jennifer Wirth taught a cooking class and demonstrated this dish.  She has changed our family's lives.  I'm totally serious.  My family literally licks their plates when I serve these!!  So maybe I just thought I remembered a country song about them.  Who the heck knows.  Anyway, you will not believe how SUPER EASY these are, with 5 simple ingredients, including the pepper! Don't limit yourself to thinking this is just a breakfast food, either.  My favorite time to serve this dish is for lunch right after church because I can throw it together so quickly, or as a hectic weeknight dinner.
Now a word about the biscuits in these, I was first introduced to these Pillsbury Oven Baked biscuits at our church meeting.  You can break out the flour, make a mess all over your counter top, and slave over your biscuits, but I'm willing to bet a lot of money they won't be as good as these. I couldn't believe they came out of a bag, but they are the only biscuits I will ever buy now!!  And I don't see much of a point in making homemade ones either, unless I'm making garlic cheese Bisquick biscuits, which I'll share another time.  Anyway, don't make the same mistake I made and buy the no name brand.  I did that the first time, trying to save $.  Then the next time I got the real ones and they were SOOO much better.  You can get these in a big bag at Sam's or a smaller bag in the freezer section of your grocery store.  They look like this:



Creamy, Plate Lickin' Biscuits-n-Gravy (this serves my family of 8, but there's none left over!)

Print Recipe

1 pound Sausage (not links, the kind in the roll that is the consistency of ground beef)
1/4 cup Flour
3 cups Milk (whole works best, but 2% works also.  If you are using 1 or 2% and have some half and half on hand, I would mix some of that in to total 3 cups, or you can use some evaporated milk too.  Skim milk should be against the law.)
1/8 teaspoon Pepper (don't use too much, everyone can season on their own later)
10 Biscuits, baked according to package directions.

Brown sausage.  Don't drain.  Stir in flour.  
 
It will mix right in beautifully.

 Then add milk and bring to a boil, stirring.  Reduce heat and stir for a few minutes.  It will thicken up.  Add pepper.  Cut biscuits in half horizontally, spoon gravy over, and serve!  

Chocolate Therapy Brownies

Are you sad, stressed, overwhelmed, having a bad hair or clothes or no one appreciates me day?  Thinking of making an appointment with a therapist?  Put down that phone and pick up your apron!!!  These brownies are all you need.  I love brownies with creamy frosting, but these are rich and fudgy and not the frosting kind of brownies, just FYI.

Chocolate Therapy Brownies 

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11 Tablespoons Butter
1/2 cup Milk
3/4 cup Cocoa
1 teaspoon Vanilla
2 Eggs
1/2 teaspoon Baking Soda
1/2 teaspoon Kosher Salt
2 cups + 2 Tablespoons Sugar
1 1/3 cups Flour
1/2 cup chopped Walnuts or Pecans, optional (I add them if I have some because my husband loves nuts)
2 cups Chocolate Chips, milk chocolate or semi-sweet.  (My family loves them w/ milk chocolate, I prefer semi-sweet but either way they're amazing.)
Powdered Sugar for dusting

Preheat oven to 350.  In a large saucepan or soup pot, melt butter.  Stir in milk and cocoa over low heat til blended well and chocolate clumps are smooth.  Remove from heat, stir in vanilla and whisk in eggs til blended well.  Add baking soda and salt and stir well, then add sugar and stir til smooth.  Stir in flour.  Go ahead, have a taste, it will be therapeutic. Stir in nuts and chocolate chips.  Taste again.  By now, you should start to notice that your hair and clothes don't look so bad after all.  (You won't feel appreciated for all you do or blissfully happy until they are out of the oven, sorry.)  Place in a 9x13 pan that has been heavily greased or sprayed, or better yet lined with parchment.   Bake for 25-30 minutes or until brownies start to pull away from the pan, like this: 

Ovens vary greatly so watch closely!! They may even be done around 23 minutes if your oven cooks super fast.  Remove from the oven, and let cool.

Once they are cooled, dust with powdered sugar and watch your troubles disappear instantly.  Yum, the fudgy brownies with gooey chocolate chips inside are straight from Heaven.

Mexican Restaurant Rice

Ok so I know you all probably think Jessica and I are a little obsessed by now with Spanish rice, huh?  Or just Mexican food in general??  So a little while back Jessica posted an updated Spanish rice recipe that looks awesome, but I didn't have tomato base on hand even though I wanted to try it.   (Jessica how about you loan me some and I'll give you some pinto beans from Costco so you can make slow cooker beans? :)  Anyway, so I wanted to make a rice that was more mild that my little kids would eat and that tasted more like the rice they serve in Mexican sit down restaurants, because my little kids always gobble that stuff up.  So I experimented some and came up with this recipe that our family just LOVES.  It is super delicious, simple, and kid and adult friendly!!  I cook Mexican food a lot for our family and so I make this all the time now.  I love that you pretty much will always have the ingredients you need for it on hand as well.

Mexican Restaurant Rice
Print Recipe 

Regular Recipe, Serves 4-6
1 1/2 Tablespoons Olive Oil or Butter
1/2 of a medium onion, chopped or 1 1/2 green onions, chopped
1 1/2 cups Long Grain Rice
1-2 garlic cloves, minced.  **Depending on size, I sometimes leave this out if I'm in a rush.
1 8 oz. can Tomato Sauce
2 cups Water
2 teaspoons Chicken Bouillon Powder
1/2 teaspoon Oregano
1/4 teaspoon Chili Powder
1/8-1/4 teaspoon Cumin
1 Tablespoon Fresh Cilantro, chopped, optional-if I don't have it on hand I leave it out and it's still delicious

Large Recipe, Serves 10-12 
2 1/2 Tablespoons Olive Oil or Butter
1 small Onion, chopped or 2-3 Green Onions, chopped
3 Garlic cloves, minced
1 16 oz. can Tomato Sauce
3 cups Water
3 teaspoons Chicken Bouillon Powder
3/4 teaspoon Oregano
1/2 teaspoon Chili Powder
1/4- 1/2  teaspoon Cumin
2 Tablespoons Cilantro, chopped
 

Place olive oil in a sauce pan.  Add onion and rice and saute for about 5 minutes, stirring frequently to evenly and lightly brown the rice and cook the onions.  Then add garlic and stir for 1 more minute.  Add remaining ingredients and bring to a boil.  Reduce heat and cover and cook for about 20-24 minutes (cook large recipe for closer to 24 minutes).  Remove from heat and let stand for 5 minutes before stirring. 

Slow Cooker Refried Beans

 Yum, I love these beans so much!! So does everyone who tastes them.  So here is the history behind them.  My husband and I enjoy going on dates to Rubios sometimes, and we love their pinto beans.  So one time while we were there, I asked them how they cooked them.  And the guy said that it was just pinto beans, garlic salt, and pepper.  "That's it?" I said, and he goes "yup, I've seen them make them and that's all they put in."  So that got me thinking, and I began experimenting at home.  I had learned to make beans in the crock pot from my friend Bertie, so I made several batches of beans and this is the recipe I came up with.  This couldn't be any simpler, and except for maybe the beans, you have everything you already need at home!!  You can literally start these in less than 2 minutes in the morning and later, you have a simmering crock pot of delicious homemade beans to use in burritos, on the side with tacos, or whatever your favorite Mexican dishes are.  I made these for a superbowl party and all my girlfriends there asked for the recipe and have made them now too.  A quick note:  my friend who taught me about making beans in the crock pot told me to get my pinto beans at Costco because they are clean and never have rocks or junk in them.  So that is always where I buy my dried pinto beans.  They come in two sizes of re-sealable bags and last me a while in my pantry. I love them.


Slow Cooker Refried Beans

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Note: This makes a large batch.  They freeze well but you could easily cut it in half, my family of 8 eats these over a course of a few days.  We use them in burritos, tostadas, and as after school snacks with our most FAVORITE tortilla chips EVER, On the Border chips.  You MUST buy these at the store if your store carries them, I get them at Walmart.  They are even better warmed in the microwave.

4 cups dried Pinto Beans
9 cups Water
2 Tablespoons Olive Oil (I use the pure olive oil, not the extra virgin)
1 1/2 Tablespoons Garlic Salt
1/2 Tablespoon Black Pepper

Place all ingredients in a 4-5 quart crock pot that is sprayed with cooking spray.  Cook on low for about 7-8 hours or until beans are very soft and mash easily.  You can speed cook them on high, or a combination of high and low, but if you do this you must watch them carefully because they can scorch and lose water.  So keep an eye on them and add more water as needed.

When they are done, remove some of the water but DON'T discard it.  You will want to add it back in as needed.  I always add some back in the next several days because the beans dry out a little in the fridge.  So keep your extra flavored water in a tupperware in the fridge.  Then mash the remaining beans and water together until desired consistency, you can leave some beans partially mashed or whole, depending on how you like them.  After mashing, adjust seasonings if necessary, but if you add in extra salt, use a little at a time.  I sometimes add in a little extra kosher salt, but just a little!  You won't believe how good these are for how easy they are to make!!

Slow Cooker Smoky-n-Sweet White Chicken Chili

So a couple of times on different occasions I have tried white chicken chilis that had a bit of a sweet/smoky taste to them, and I loved them but had no clue how to make them.  Then one day I was at the store and found myself in front of the Bush's Beans, which my family loves in all varieties.  And I looked at one can of baked beans that said "a touch of maple syrup" or something like that and a light bulb went off in my head.  I thought "I bet I could use some of these to make a white chicken chili!!  So I did, and yummmmm was it good!  Our family loved it so much.  Now if you're not a fan of mixing some sweet flavors into your main dishes, this may not be your thing, but we love baked beans so this was a hit.  I also used a rotisserie chicken that I had bought at Costco, but it would also taste great if you cooked your own chicken.  But this has definitely made it into my "regular dinner rotation hall of fame" and I use it when I don't want anything to do with what might be lurking in my freezer that needs defrosting and cooking.

Smoky-n-Sweet White Chicken Chili
Print Recipe

2 large cans Bush's Baked Beans (Maple Cured Bacon or any flavor work awesome, or you could use your own favorite brand of baked beans, we just like the Bush ones) ***DO NOT drain your beans
1 15 oz. can Great Northern Beans
2 15 oz. cans Petite Diced Tomatoes
1 1/2 cups Frozen Corn (or 1 can of corn, drained)
14 oz. Chicken Broth (or 2 cups water w/ 2 tsp. Chicken Boullion powder)
1 7 oz. can Fire Roasted Green Chilies
1/2 teaspoon Smoked Paprika
2 teaspoons Cumin
1/2 teaspoon Chili Powder
1 large Onion, chopped
1 Bell Pepper (green, red. or yellow-this is optional I don't always add the bell pepper)
1 Rotisserie Chicken, just tear that baby apart and throw in as much chicken as you can!!

NOTE: if you don't want to use your slow cooker to make this, you can heat up 2 Tablespoons of oil in a saucepot, add the onion and bell pepper (if using), and cut up fresh chicken breasts or thighs if you don't have a rotisserie chicken on hand.  Brown til chicken is cooked, then add remaining ingredients and bring to a boil, reduce heat, and cook for about 30 minutes or so.

Throw all ingredients in a crock pot sprayed with cooking spray.  Cook on low for 4 hours. Serve with cheese, sour cream, cilantro and chips. 

Recipe Source: Ourcookingcafe.com

German Chocolate Cookies

Well...almost German Chocolate Cookies. I am not a huge fan of nuts, and so these are a chocolate cookie with a German Chocolate frosting on top, minus the pecans, drizzled with chocolate. If you like coconut, you will love this cookie!!
I have been thinking about making this cookie for a little over a year, I don't know why it took me so long to make it, but I am happy to report that they are as good as I had expected them to be all this time! Hope you all enjoy as well!

German Chocolate Cookies

Cookie:
1 Chocolate Cake Mix
2 eggs
1/4 cup butter
1/4 cup shortening

Mix all ingredients together. Roll into balls and place on an un-greased cookie sheet, lined with parchment paper. Bake in a 350 oven for 10 minutes. Cool completely.

Frosting:
In a medium sauce pan, slightly  beat 1 egg.
Stir in 2/3 cup Evaporated Milk
2/3 cup sugar
1/4 cup butter.
Cook and stir over medium heat for 7-10 minutes until thickened and bubbly. Remove from heat and stir in 1 1/2 cups of coconut (if you want to add pecans, cut back the coconut to 1 1/3 cup and ad 1/2 cup of chopped pecans).
Press a sheet of wax paper over the top of the mixture and cool completely.

Once both the frosting and cookie have cooled, spread frosting on the tops of each cookie. Take about 1/2 cup of chocolate chips and melt them. Pour that in a Ziploc bag, and cut a small tip off the end of the bag and drizzle the chocolate over the top of the frosting.
Place cookies in fridge so the chocolate can set up.
Enjoy!!

Chicago Italian Beef Sandwiches

Last night we tried a delicious new recipe. A few friends of mine have told me about this sandwich that my friend Megan makes, and so I finally got around to trying it, and it was FANTASTIC! While we were eating dinner my husband kept going on about how good it was (and he usually does not do that), and told me it was "Blog worthy". So low and behold, I am finally posting a new recipe! You must try it out!
I only had a 2.5 pound roast,  but made the full recipe and so we had a lot of juice, and so we served our sandwiches with a side of the juice and dipped our sandwiches in the juice with each bite. Megan told me they scoop up the meat and juice and stick it on the bun, and the bun gets juicy. You choose which way you want to serve it, but either way is delicious!! Thanks for the recipe Megan M. I will for sure be making this many more times!

Chicago Italian Beef Sandwiches

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Ingredients

3 cups water with 3 Beef Bullion cubes (or 3 tsp of Beef Bullion, Watkins is my favorite brand, WAY less salty than other brands)

1 tsp salt

1 tsp black pepper (this makes it a little spicy, so you can cut back this amount)

1 tsp dried oregano

1 tsp dried basil

1 tsp onion salt

1 tsp dried parsley

1 tsp garlic powder

1 Bay leaf

1 package of Italian style dry salad dressing mix (this is key!)

1, 5 lb Rump Roast or Chuck Roast 

Directions 

Mix all of the ingredients, expect the beef in a crock pot. Mix together, then add your beef. Cook for 8-12 hours on low or 4-5 hours on high. About 1 hour before you are ready to serve, shred the beef and place back in slow cooker. Serve on Italian rolls with shredded mozzarella cheese and Giardiniera peppers (if preferred).