EASY STICKY BUNS

Easy Sticky Buns
Before you know it the holidays will be here and you will be frantically looking for that something "special" to serve on Christmas morning or to serve for a brunch or carry-in at work.  Look no further.  Olivia prepared this wonderful sticky bun recipe she got from Ina Garten.  They are light and sweet and just plain good.  You will enjoy this great recipe no matter what the occasion.
-Nanette

Easy Sticky Buns
Recipe from Ina Garten

Ingredients
12 tablespoons (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature
1/3 cup light brown sugar, lightly packed
1/2 cup pecans, chopped in very large pieces
1 package (17.3-ounces/ 2-sheets) frozen puff pastry, defrosted
For the filling:

2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted and cooled
2/3 cup light brown sugar, lightly packed
3 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1 cup raisins
Directions
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Place a 12-cup standard muffin tin on a sheet pan lined with parchment paper.

In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine the 12 tablespoons butter and 1/3 cup brown sugar. Place 1 rounded tablespoon of the mixture in each of the 12 muffin cups. Distribute the pecans evenly among the 12 muffin cups on top of the butter and sugar mixture.

Lightly flour a wooden board or stone surface. Unfold 1 sheet of puff pastry with the folds going left to right. Brush the whole sheet with the melted butter. Leaving a 1-inch border on the puff pastry, sprinkle each sheet with 1/3 cup of the brown sugar, 1 1/2 teaspoons of the cinnamon, and 1/2 cup of the raisins. Starting with the end nearest you, roll the pastry up snugly like a jelly roll around the filling, finishing the roll with the seam side down. Trim the ends of the roll about 1/2-inch and discard. Slice the roll in 6 equal pieces, each about 1 1/2 inches wide. Place each piece, spiral side up, in 6 of the muffin cups. Repeat with the second sheet of puff pastry to make 12 sticky buns.

Bake for 30 minutes, until the sticky buns are golden to dark brown on top and firm to the touch. Be careful - they're hot! Allow to cool for 5 minutes only, invert the buns onto the parchment paper (ease the filling and pecans out onto the buns with a spoon) and cool completely.

Place the "stick bun" mixture in the bottom of each muffin cup.

Evenly spread the raisins and brown sugar over the puff pastry.

Once you've rolled up the pastry and cut it into pieces, place one "swirl" in each muffin cup.

Only allow these to cool five minutes so they will easily come out of the pan. 

Spiced Pumpkin Custard Pie

It's Pumpkin Pie Time!

I started thinking the other day about all the different smells associated with seasonal foods and I realized those smells are almost as appealing as the taste and texture of the food.  In spring we gravitate toward the fresh sharp smells of micro greens, lettuce, green onions, peas, etc.  In summer we are drawn to the smell of grilled meats, vegetables, and the aroma only given by a vine-ripened tomato.  Fall offers the rich bold flavors of smoked meats, the earthy smell of root vegetables, and the steamy scent of comfort filled soups.  Of course the nose could not round out the aromatic year without the plethora of tempting spices, sugars, and yeasty goodness of holiday baked goods.  

Close your eyes for a moment and remember what Thanksgiving smells like.  I'll bet a pumpkin pie comes to mind somewhere in there.  Here is an out-of-this world pumpkin pie recipe Olivia made.  Just look at the crust ingredients and you will be ready to give it a try.  Hope you enjoy it as much as we did.  Remember to savor the smell before you devour it!

Nanette

Spiced Pumpkin Custard Pie

Ingredients

:CRUST:

• 3/4 cup chopped pecans, toasted
• 1 cup plus 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 7 tablespoons shortening
• 2 tablespoons plus 1 teaspoon ice water
• FILLING:
• 2 eggs
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 3/4 teaspoon ground allspice
• 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 can (15 ounces) solid-pack pumpkin
• 1 can (12 ounces) evaporated milk
• Whipped cream, optional
• Additional ground cinnamon, optional

Directions

• Place pecans in a food processor; cover and process until finely ground. In a large bowl, combine the pecans, flour, ginger and salt. Cut in shortening until mixture is crumbly. Gradually add water, tossing with a fork until dough forms a ball. Press dough onto the bottom and up the sides of an ungreased 9-in. pie plate.
• For filling, in a large bowl, beat the eggs, sugar, spices and salt until smooth. Beat in pumpkin. Gradually beat in milk. Pour into crust.
• Bake at 400° for 40-45 minutes or until a knife inserted near the center comes out clean. Cover edges with foil during the last 15 minutes to prevent overbrowning if necessary. Cool on a wire rack. Garnish with whipped cream and additional cinnamon if desired. Refrigerate leftovers. Yield: 8 servings.

Recipe from "Taste of Home" Magazine" (November 2011)

Maple Bacon Biscuits

These biscuits are so yummy on a chilly morning.  A couple of weeks ago my mom posted pictures from the Maple Syrup Festival.  This recipe is a delcious way to use one of nature's sweetest gifts - maple syrup.  This is a very forgiving recipe, and a very delicious recipe at that.  To start off, you need:

• 1/2 pound of bacon. cut into pieces, cooked in a skillet on the stove
• 1/8-1/4 cup flour (depending on how much bacon grease you use)
• 1 cup maple syrup
• 1/4-1/2 brown sugar (depending on how sweet you want your biscuits to be)
• 3/4 cup chopped pecans

After you cook the bacon on the stove, remove it using a slotted spoon and place the bacon in the bottom of a round baking dish.  I use a springform pan, but it isn't a necessity.  Add the flour to the grease on the stove, and stir to get all of those yummy bacon drippings off of the bottom of the pan.  If for some reason you have a lot of bacon grease, you may want to remove part of it first. After the flour is stirred in, add the maple syrup and brown sugar to the pan and heat to combine.  As the syrup is warming up, sprinkle the chopped pecans in the bottom of your baking dish on top of the bacon.  After the syrup is warm and bubbly, pour it over the bacon and pecan pieces and you end up with this......Mmmmmmm.....

Now, you could use your favorite biscuit recipe and make homemade biscuits to top the warm, gooey syrup, but I was in a hurry when I last made these, so I used canned biscuit dough.  Just place the biscuits on top of the syrup nice and snug.

If you do as I did and use premade biscuits, bake your dish at the temperature on the package.  You will likely need to bake them for LONGER than the package says since you have them all snug as a bug in a rug in the pan.  As soon as the biscuits look like they are baked, pull the pan out of the oven and carefully invert the pan on a serving dish, and this is what you get.  Seriously, these are delicious...

Happy Cooking!

Olivia

Double-Drizzle Pecan Cookies

I know my mom just posted a cookie recipe of mine, and what can I say, great minds must think alike!  I was planning on posting tonight, and I just have to post this recipe, even though it's another cookie recipe!  This cookie recipe is pretty yummy if I do say so myself!  I know it may seem like a lot of work to make to sauces to drizzle, but it completel worth it!  :)  This recipe is from the All New Taste of Home Cookbook.  If you've never read a "Taste of Home" magazine or cookbook, you are missing out!  They have extremely practical, delicious, well-tested, and yummy recipes!

I will be honest, you can definitely drizzle the two sauces in a much prettier fashion than what these cookies are pictured as here.  It was late when the cookies were cool enough to top, and the drizzling wasn't happening.  ;)  Even if these don't have perfect drizzles, they are delicious! 

 

As always, please feel free to comment!  If you cannot easily leave a comment on the blog, please find our facebook page, which is also called "Chicken Soup for the Bowl". 

 

-Olivia

 

 

Double-Drizzle Pecan Cookies

• 1/2 cup butter, softened
• 1-1/2 cups packed brown sugar
• 1 egg
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1-1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1-1/2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1-1/4 cups chopped pecans, toasted

• CARAMEL DRIZZLE:
• 1/2 cup packed brown sugar
• 1/4 cup heavy whipping cream
• 1/2 cup confectioners' sugar

• CHOCOLATE DRIZZLE:
• 1 ounce semisweet chocolate
• 1 tablespoon butter

In a large bowl, cream butter and brown sugar until light and fluffy.

Beat in egg and vanilla. Combine the flour, baking powder and salt;

gradually add to creamed mixture and mix well.

Shape dough into 1-in. balls; roll in pecans. Place 2 in. apart on

ungreased baking sheets; flatten slightly. Bake at 350° for 8-10

minutes or until lightly browned. Cool for 2 minutes before removing

to wire racks to cool completely.

In a small saucepan, bring brown sugar and cream to a boil. Remove

from the heat; whisk in confectioners' sugar. Immediately drizzle

over cookies.

In a microwave, melt chocolate and butter; stir until smooth. Drizzle

over cookies. Let stand until set. Store in an airtight container.

Yield: about 3-1/2 dozen.