Quick and Easy Orange Rolls

I made these Orange Rolls for Christmas morning breakfast. They turned out yummy, but I wouldn't really call them "quick". They still had to rise for about an hour even though I thawed them in the fridge overnight. This would be good for a brunch, but not an early morning breakfast unless you wake up super early. I also didn't use the wild orange essential oil called for in the recipe since I don't have any and it was still really good.

Quick and Easy Orange Rolls

12 frozen Rhodes dinner rolls, thawed

grated rind of one orange

1/2 C sugar

Citrus Glaze:

1 C powdered sugar

1 Tbsp melted butter

2 Tbsp orange juice

Mix together until smooth

Add in 2-3 drops Wild Orange Essential Oil or to desired taste (optional but oh so good!)

Thaw dough in the refrigerator over night or 2-3 hours prior to use. Cover with plastic wrap while thawing.

Grate orange rind and mix with sugar. Roll thawed roll in melted butter and then in sugar and rind mixture.

Place on greased cookie sheet or 9 x 13 pan. Cover with plastic wrap and allow rolls to double in size – approximately 1 hour. Remove plastic wrap and bake at 350 degrees for 20-25 minutes.

Let cool 5 minutes and frost with citrus glaze while warm.

Wholesome Oat Muffins

This recipe comes from the South Beach Diet Cookbook. I bought the cookbook years ago and this is the only recipe that I still make. I find the muffins delicious and especially good with a smoothie on the side. :o) I made a batch of them today and froze them for later use.

Wholesome Oat Muffins
3/4 cup + 2 tablespoons oats
1 cup buttermilk
1 1/4 cups white whole wheat flour or whole grain flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon salt
2/3 cup chopped walnuts
1/3 cup canola oil
1 egg, beaten
1/3 cup brown sugar substitute (I am not into substitutes and use regular brown sugar)
1 teaspoon vanilla

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F. Coat a 12-cup nonstick muffin pan with cooking spray or line with paper baking cups.
In a small bowl, combine 3/4 cup of the oats and the buttermilk. Let soak for 30 minutes.
In a medium bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, salt, and walnuts.
In a large bowl, stir together the oil, egg, brown sugar substitute, and vanilla until well blended. Stir in the oat mixture. Stir in the flour mixture until just combined. Do not overmix.
Divide the batter evenly among the prepared muffin cups, filling them about two-thirds full (I don't use muffin cups, just put them directly in the pan). Sprinkle the remaining 2 tablespoons oats over the muffins. Bake for 11 to 15 minutes, or until a wooden pick inserted in the center of a muffin comes out clean. Cool on a rack for 5 minutes. Remove to the rack to cool completely.

Makes 12 muffins at 180 calories each!

Greek Yogurt

I recently discovered Greek yogurt and like to have it for breakfast with berries and granola. I find it kind of expensive, but I found this brand at Sam's Club and it was slightly cheaper than at the grocery store (still a little expensive). It has 130 calories and 13 grams of protein! It is a pretty good size portion, too. I am having it for breakfast this morning with blackberries and raspberries and a sprinkle of granola cereal. I am feeling oh so healthy and hope I can carry that on throughout the day. I like it, but it isn't as sweet as regular yogurt, probably a good thing. I went on their website and they are saying that you can substitute the yogurt for heavy cream in cooking. I am anxious to try that out and see if it is any good.

Crepes! Yummmm!

For our Mother's Day after church breakfast we had yummy crepes with Nutella spread all over them and cut up strawberries and bananas. So good! I can't take credit for the idea since we recently had this at a Relief Society activity for the dessert. I used this crepe recipe: Basic Crepes
If you have never had Nutella, you should try it. You won't be sorry. You can find it next to the peanut butter, usually on the top shelf next to the organic kind that you have to stir. It is a chocolatey blend of hazlenuts and yummy goodness.

Biscuits and Gravy

Our family has a new tradition to eat breakfast foods right after church. So far we have done it three times. :o) I found this recipe for biscuits and gravy and they turned out really good. The biscuit recipe is from America's Test Kitchen.


Cream Biscuits

2 C. all-purpose flour
2 tsp. sugar
2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
1 1/2 C. heavy cream

Adjust oven rack to upper-middle position and heat to 425. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Whisk together the flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt in a medium bowl. Add 1 1/4 cups cream and stir with a wooden spoon until dough forms, about 30 seconds. Trasnfer the dough to the countertop, leaving all dry, floury bits behind in the bowl. In 1 T. increments, add up to 1/4 C. cream to the dry bits in the bowl, mixing until moistened. Add these moistened bits to the rest of the dough and knead by hand just until smooth, about 30 seconds. Pat into a flat, 3/4 inch tall circle, and using a round drinking glass, cut out 8-10 biscuits and place on baking sheet. Bake until golden brown, about 15 minutes. Serve immediately.


Sausage Gravy

1 pound ground pork sausage
3 T. flour
3 C. milk
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper

Brown sausage in a large skillet over medium-high heat, breaking it up with a spatula. Set sausage aside, leaving the drippings in the skillet (add a T. of butter if sausage didn't render enough fat). Reduce heat to medium, add flour to the drippings, and stir constantly until mixture just turns golden brown. Gradually whisk milk into skillet. When the mixture is smooth, thickened, and begins to bubble, return the sausage to skillet. Season with salt and pepper. Reduce heat, and simmer for about 10 minutes.


These were so delicious, but probably not very healthy. :o( Next Sunday, we attempt crepes!