Veggie Pasta with Herb Butter and Parmesan

Talk about simple. This pasta is full of flavor and takes just a few minutes. You can use any veggies you want, but I find the pre-packed bags of vegetables at the grocery store makes this recipe a snap. For this pasta I used broccoli, cauliflower and baby carrots along with some celery and capers I had in the fridge.

The ultimate flavors come from my recipe for herb butter. The herb butter has Italian spices and of course fresh garlic. To begin, I put a sauté pan on medium-low heat and used the herb butter to sweat and steam the veggies. You don’t want the heat too high or else the butter will burn and the veggies won’t get a chance to cook properly. You can also steam the veggies separately before adding them to the pasta.

Once the veggies were done (tender, but still with a little bite), I turned off the stove top and sprinkled some shredded parmesan over the top. I then added the pasta and mixed all the ingredients together in the pan as the parmesan quickly melted. Just transfer to a plate with tongs and you’re done.

I love this recipe because it’s fast and simple. The aroma of garlic from the herb butter along with wonderful, gooey blobs (is that the right word?) of parmesan. The celery seems to be best at soaking up the flavor of the herb butter and the little, salty capers fit right in.

This is one of those recipes you don’t really need exact measurements. The pictures above could probably feed two, even though I scarfed it down myself. :-)

I used about a one inch circumference of angel hair pasta. In the sauté pan, I just added a nice handful of veggies and used two hefty tablespoons of the herb butter. 1/2 to 3/4 cup of shredded parmesan should also do the job.

Butter, cheese and pasta don’t sound very health conscious, but at least you’re getting your veggies.

 

Technorati Tags: vegetables,veggies,pasta,herbs,herb butter,easy,recipe,capers,parmesan

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Homemade Sweetened Condensed Milk

Don’t you hate it when you have every possible ingredient for a recipe except one thing that requires a trip to the store. Well it turned out I had four ingredients to make the one thing I needed. Who knew sweetened condensed milk was so easy to make at home? And this is no stretch of the truth, it tasted just like the famous Eagle Brand.

Amazingly I have a couple boxes of nonfat dry milk which is the prime ingredient for this recipe. All you need is a little sugar, butter, water and a blender and you’re done. I did find that the water may not be enough. Use the amount listed and if needed, add a little more water until it reaches the consistency like that from the can.

I could eat this stuff all by itself. When I was kid we used sweetened condensed milk for snow ice cream. Freshly fallen snow (we lived in the mountains) mixed with some of the sweetened condensed milk became instant ice cream flavor.

Printable Version

Ingredients

1 c. nonfat dry milk
1/3 c. boiling water
2/3 c. sugar
3 tbsp. melted butter

Directions

Place all ingredients in mixing bowl and mix until well blended. Makes the equivalent of 1 can of sweetened condensed milk, about 1 1/3 cups.

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Pumpkin Brioche Bread Pudding with Caramel Sauce

During my trip to Ketchum, Idaho, I tasted some wonderful pumpkin brioche bread pudding at the Ketchum Grill. It was so good I knew I had to try making it at home.

Little did I know, my first big challenge was finding a bakery with Brioche. I made a few phone calls and was shocked some “bakeries” didn’t even know what brioche was. I made a mental note to avoid going to their shops in the future. Finally I found Rustica Bakery in Minneapolis, which bakes fresh brioche on Tuesdays. So that would be my day.

Brioche is a rich yet light bread made with ample amounts of butter and eggs. It has a dark, golden, and flaky crust from an egg wash applied before and after proofing. The crust is a little too tough for bread pudding, so you’ll have to slice it off. But the texture and crumb of the bread is great to soak up the cream, milk, sugar and of course pumpkin. You can also use white bread, but I wouldn’t use a dense bread like Pepperidge Farm or Brownberry. This is where good old Wonder Bread is your best bet.

The bread pudding itself is very moist but not runny like some bread puddings (thank goodness). The pumpkin flavor is not overpowering, but it’s definitely pumpkin. It’s a great flavor for the fall and through the holidays. But the homemade caramel sauce really ties it all together with a rich sweetness alongside some refreshing ice cream.

Hopefully you have a full house, to share this with because it’s addictive. I had leftovers the next morning and it reminded me of French toast. I wondered if I could cut a square in half and fry it up. Sounds like a good breakfast worth trying.

Printable Version

Ingredients

Pumpkin Bread Pudding

2 Tablespoons butter, melted
Granulated sugar for dusting the pan
7 egg yolks
1/2 cup sugar
2 cups whole milk
2 cups heavy cream
1 1/2 cups unsweetened pumpkin puree
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/8 teaspoon ground allspice
1/8 teaspoon ground cloves
1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
7 cups of cubed brioche or white bread (crusts removed, cut into 1/2-inch cubes)

Caramel Sauce (here’s my post about this awesome caramel sauce)

3/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup water
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
Pinch of cream of tartar
1 cup heavy cream

Directions

Prepare pan: Preheat oven to 375°F. Butter a 13x9 baking dish. Dust with granulated sugar.

Prepare and Bake Bread Pudding: Whisk the egg yolks in a bowl with the 1/2 cup sugar.  Heat the milk and cream in a saucepan over medium heat until steamy but not boiling. Turn off the heat and add the pumpkin puree, vanilla, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, allspice, cloves and salt.  Stir to mix. Slowly, pour over the egg yolks/sugar mixture while whisking. Gently fold in the bread cubes. Transfer the pudding mixture to baking pan.  Bake until nicely browned and set, about 40 minutes.

Caramel Sauce: Combine 3/4 cup sugar, 1/4 cup water, salt and cream of tartar in a small saucepan. DO NOT STIR. Bring to a boil and cook until the caramel browns. When the caramel is medium brown, carefully add 1 cup of cream and simmer.

Serve: Cut bread pudding into large squares or just spoon onto a plate. Spoon a layer of caramel on top. Dust with powdered sugar and serve warm. Serve alongside caramel swirl ice cream or even better, some salted caramel ice cream.

 

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Grilled Cheese with Dilled Havarti and Sliced Apples

It’s getting downright chilly. So why not warm yourself up with some gooey grilled cheese sandwiches.

When most people think of grilled cheese, they might imagine American cheese on white bread. Well, I can barely eat that stuff now. Grilled cheese should have real cheese in it. There’s nothing better than some toasty bread with sharp cheddar cheese. But this recipe is a little different with the addition of fall fruit.

A hearty wheat bread with dilled havarti cheese and some fresh fall apples sounded like a perfect fall lunch. After all fruit and cheese go together. And I was pleasantly surprised at how all the flavors melded together so well. The sweetness of the apples cut through the richness of the cheese. The wheat breads adds a wonderful nutty flavor. And I always love the fresh and invigorating flavor of dill

Almost any grocery store has Havarti with dill. It’s a semi-soft white cheese with lots of flavor. The dill gives it that refreshing taste that is made more apparent after it’s melted. For the apples, super-thin slices of Granny Smiths or other firm apples (Gala?) will go great with this. I used a mandoline to slice the apples for the perfect thickness.  

Printable Version

Ingredients

• 1-2 thinly sliced apples
• Salted butter, softened
• Honey whole wheat bread
• Havarti dill cheese

Directions

1. Slice apples thinly with a slicer or mandoline.
2. Heat a large frying pan over medium-low heat. Meanwhile, spread butter on 1 side of each slice of bread. (I toast both sides with butter)
3. Once the pan is warm, add 1 slice of bread buttered side down, and top with  the cheese and apples to your liking. Close with the second bread slice, buttered side up.
4. Cook until bread is toasted and cheese is melted, about 3 minutes per side.

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Sam’s Club take-and-bake Pizza = Worst Pizza Ever

Every now and then I go to Sam’s Club to get some deals on bulk items for the kitchen. As I walked to the register, they had some of their Member’s Mark brand take-and-bake pizzas on display for only $6.88. That’s a better price than some specials at Papa Murphy’s.

So I grabbed a Pepperoni Pizza and headed home. I preheated the oven and took the pizza out of it’s packaging. Then I realized the dough wasn’t really dough. It wasn’t even soft like dough. It seemed as if it was half-baked before getting shoved in the box. The outside edges were already pretty hard, so perhaps the faux-dough was also over baked.

I plopped it in the oven, followed the directions and 14 minutes later dinner was done. I grabbed my pizza cutter and started making slices, but then I noticed it took great strength to cut all the way through the crust. What the hell did I just buy?

I finished cutting the pizza and then took a bite. The toppings were bland. It felt like I was eating cardboard with tomato sauce. This was absolutely the worst pizza I have ever tasted. I ate two slices but couldn’t eat the edge of the pizza because it was too hard to actually bite into. Once I was finished eating, I realized the roof of my mouth was all torn up. What a horrid experience.

I heard Costco and Sam’s sibling, Walmart, have good pizzas. So maybe those are worth a try. But frankly, you’ll be better off getting the cheapest frozen pizza at the grocery store than buying this thing. If you need a take-and-bake pizza, for a little more change, grab a $7.99 coupon and head to Papa Murphy’s. At least then you’ll know they made the dough that day.

The roof of my mouth will thank you.

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Herb Butter

Butter goes with everything right? But sometimes it needs something more. I love this recipe for herbed butter. Dried herbs and fresh garlic is all you need.

It goes great on a warmed French baguette, with some veggies and pasta or even on top of a baked potato. And don’t forget, fresh herbs will make this recipe even better.

Ingredients

1 stick salted butter (room temperature)

2 cloves garlic

1 tsp. dried oregano

1 tsp. dried thyme

1 tsp. dried basil

Mix all the ingredients until the butter if fluffier and then refrigerate.

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Easy Caramel Sauce

I didn’t know caramel sauce could be this easy, but it is. And it tastes way better than the stuff from the bottle.

The process begins by adding sugar, water and a touch of salt to a saucepan. Once the mixture begins boiling, watch it carefully but do not stir. I used a non-stick saucepan and it made the process a lot easier.

As the sugar mixture boils, it will get very thick. Then you’ll start seeing come color in your clear sugar. First some blond shades and then a richer medium brown. Once it begins to show some real color, begin stirring until the sugar is evenly medium brown and remove from the heat.

Now you’ll want to be careful as you add the cream, because it’s cold cream meeting molten sugar. Slowly add the cream and whisk vigorously so that the sugar doesn’t form a ball as it hits the cream. Whisk until fully mixed and then just let it simmer for 5-10 minutes.

The caramel is thinner than you would expect for a caramel sauce, but as it cools it thickens up nicely. If you’re using the sauce for something hot, it won’t stay as thick however.

This sauce would be great on top of ice cream, as a dip for apple slices, or with some bread pudding.

Ingredients:

3/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup water
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
Pinch of cream of tartar (don’t sweat it, if you don’t have any on hand. I doubt a pinch of anything will change the consistency)
1 cup heavy cream

Directions:

1. Combine 3/4 cup sugar, 1/4 cup water, salt and cream of tartar in a small saucepan. DO NOT STIR.

2. Bring to a boil. Once the sugar begins to brown, stir until evenly medium brown.

3. Then carefully add 1 cup of cream and simmer for 5-10 minutes.

4. Remove from pan into a heat-safe bowl and let cool before refrigerating.

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review: Ketchum Grill - Ketchum, Idaho

During my recent trip to the Trailing of the Sheep festival in Ketchum, Idaho, we knew we had to stop for a nice dinner somewhere. After looking at restaurants online and some of their reviews, we settled for the Ketchum Grill.

We had reservations at 8pm and the place was packed. Luckily at the entrance you’re met with some nice chairs and a very warm fireplace while you wait for your table.

Once we were called, we were seated at a small table for two, where I had to squeeze in hoping not to knock anything off a fellow diner’s table. They had the night’s specials on the wall and quite a few large parties. Our drink orders were taken and a few minutes later we were presented with some great bread.

One slice seemed to be wheat and had walnuts and a fruit of some kind and tasted nutty and flavorful. Another slice was white with fruit and also tasted great. I didn’t ask what kind it was, I just ate it.

By this time my water was empty, and the waiter seemed to disappear from our table. He was doing the best he could. Management seemed to give him a whole section of about 6-7 tables and one of those had a party of eight. I’m not sure what they were thinking because he couldn’t keep up.

It took a while but then our food finally came. My mom ordered slow roasted lamb with Indian spices and mint yogurt (it was a sheep festival after all). I ordered the grilled peppered breast of duck with Idaho huckleberries and port.

I snuck a bite of the lamb and it was OK. It tasted like pot roast. For some reason I expected something a little more, especially with the price attached to it. It wasn’t dry but imagined it would be in some kind of wonderful pan juices. I’m not sure where the Indian spices were, because they weren’t in the meat. The mint yogurt didn’t really add anything to the dish when the meat was supposed to be the star. Basically, I could have made pot roast at home for a lot cheaper.

  I ordered my duck medium. It was topped with an Idaho huckleberry sauce alongside some wild rice. The sauce wasn’t overly sweet and tasted pretty good. The duck breast was tough. I could barely cut through one of its stringy tendons inside the breast. I wasn’t pleased, but I ate it anyway. I’ve made duck breast at home twice, by roasting it. One time it came out wonderful and tender. Another time it came out tough. Perhaps it’s just a finicky bird to cook.

It was now time for dessert. We were full, but we weren’t going to leave without some dessert. My mom ordered the inside out German Chocolate Cake. Broiled coconut-pecan topping was layered in between rich chocolate cake, and topped with an almost too rich chocolate ganache.

I ordered the pumpkin brioche bread pudding with salted caramel ice cream. It was awesome. The pumpkin flavor was pronounced but not overdone and the housemade ice cream was creamy and delicious. The middle of the bread pudding wasn’t as warm as the outside, so I assume it was reheated, but I ate through that too. I wouldn’t want anything to go to waste.

Overall it was an OK place to eat, and my mom seemed happy. But it wouldn’t be my first choice. I’d need to experience the other fine dining hot spots in Ketchum, before giving Ketchum Grill a second look.

Technorati Tags: ketchum grill,restaurant,review,ketchum,idaho,duck,lamb,dessert,pumpkin,bread pudding,cake,huckleberries

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Mozzarella and Radicchio Pasta

This is an adventure in bitter veggies. The highlight of this dish is radicchio. It’s that little red head that looks like cabbage at the grocery store. Here in the U.S. you’ll find it mostly in salads, but here’s another way to get your veggies.

Radicchio is a leaf chicory. It’s bitter, but the taste mellows with cooking or grilling. In Italy, where the vegetable is popular, it’s usually eaten grilled in olive oil, or mixed into dishes such as risotto.

I’ve cut down the amount of radicchio in this recipe, because it called for three heads. I couldn’t even fit that in my saute pan. One and a half heads should be just fine. Once the cream sauce is made, season with salt to taste. This should help cut down on the bitterness. The richness of the cheeses also helps cut through the radicchio. The pasta would also go well with meat that has some sweetness to it, such as teriyaki chicken. Hey, why not mix Asian with Italian.

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 2 medium garlic cloves, minced
• 1 medium white onion, small dice (about 1 cup)
• 7 medium Roma tomatoes (about 2 pounds), cored and coarsely chopped
• 1 1/2 heads radicchio, ends trimmed and sliced crosswise into 1/2-inch strips
• 1 1/2 cups heavy cream
• 1 pound penne rigate or ziti pasta
• 8 ounces shredded mozzarella
• 1/2 cup finely grated Parmesan

Directions

1. Heat the oven to 400°F and arrange a rack in the upper third. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over high heat.
2. Melt butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat. When it foams, add garlic and onion, season well with salt, and cook until translucent. Add tomatoes and let simmer until slightly reduced and thickened, about 10 minutes. Add radicchio and cream, and cook until radicchio is wilted, about 5 minutes. Taste and adjust seasoning as necessary.
3. Meanwhile, cook pasta in the salted water until nearly done, or about half the time recommended on the packaging and drain. (Do not rinse.) Set aside.
4. Once sauce has finished simmering, combine it with half-cooked pasta and mix until pasta is evenly coated. Place pasta mixture in a 13-by-9-inch baking dish and sprinkle mozzarella and Parmesan over top. Place in the oven and bake until mixture is bubbling, pasta is al dente, and top is golden brown, about 20 minutes.

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Oatmeal Cake with Broiled Nut Topping

Yep, it’s time to break out the fall recipes and throw a little spice into some cakes. This Oatmeal Cake turned out nice and fluffy and the broiled topping gives it a nice sweetness. It’s great paired with some vanilla ice cream, or even better, perhaps some salted caramel ice cream. If you want to make it a little more moist with a hint of apples, I imagine you could add 1/4-1/2 cup applesauce to the mix. The kitchen is for testing.

Printable Version

Ingredients

• 1/2  cup butter
• 2  eggs
• 1-1/4  cups boiling water
• 1  cup rolled oats
• 2  cups all-purpose flour
• 2  teaspoons baking powder
• 3/4  teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/2  teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2  teaspoon salt
• 1/4  teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 3/4  cup granulated sugar
• 1/2  cup packed brown sugar
• 1  teaspoon vanilla
• 1  recipe Broiled Nut Topping

Directions

1. Allow butter and eggs to stand at room temperature for 30 minutes. Meanwhile, grease and lightly flour a 9-inch springform pan; set pan aside. In small bowl pour boiling water over oats. Stir until combined; let stand 20 minutes. In medium bowl stir together flour, baking powder, cinnamon, baking soda, salt, and nutmeg; set aside.

2. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. In a large mixing bowl beat butter with an electric mixer on medium to high speed for 30 seconds. Add granulated sugar, brown sugar, and vanilla; beat until well combined. Add eggs 1 at a time, beating well after each addition. Alternately add flour mixture and oatmeal mixture to butter mixture, beating on low speed after each addition just until combined. Pour batter into prepared pan.

3. Bake for 40 to 45 minutes or until a wooden toothpick inserted near center comes out clean. Cool cake in pan on a wire rack for 20 minutes. Remove sides of pan; cool on wire rack at least 1 hour more.

4. Transfer cake to a baking sheet. Spread Broiled Nut Topping over warm cake. Broil about 4 inches from heat for 2 to 3 minutes or until topping is bubbly and golden. Cool on a wire rack before serving.

5. Makes 12 servings

6. Broiled Nut Topping: In a medium saucepan combine 1/4 cup butter and 2 tablespoons half-and-half, light cream, or milk. Cook and stir until butter melts. Add 1/2 cup packed brown sugar; stir until sugar dissolves. Remove from heat. Stir in 3/4 cup chopped pecans or walnuts and 1/3 cup flaked coconut.

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field trip: Trailing of the Sheep Festival

Last week I traveled from St. Paul to my home state, to take my mom to a Ketchum, Idaho tradition; The Trailing of the Sheep Festival. It’s a weekend of food, events and shows centered around the culture of sheep in Idaho. You’ll find traditional Basque and Pervuian dancers, sheep dog training and trials, barbecues and local restaurants preparing lamb dishes for all to try.

The main event is a parade, but it’s not your normal event. Main Street is shut down, thousands of people line the streets and 1500 sheep are herded right through town.

Traditional wagons that sheepherders live in, pulled by beautiful horses were the first “floats” to take the trek through Main Street. I don’t remember what kind of horses these are but they are huge and have amazing color.

Next, Polish, Basque and Peruvian dancers delighted the crowd with synchronized dances that have a long history in their culture.

The sheep were late and the chilly wind was brisk. My teeth were chattering toward the end but at least the sun was shining. Finally, an hour late, the sheep were finally spotted at the end of Main Street. They were moving at a fast pace, and it didn’t look like 1500 sheep, but there they were, packed into Main Street. Apparently every black-faced sheep represents 100 white-faced sheep. I’m guessing this helps the herders keep track of their flock. The sheep were not moving at a leisurely stroll. It seemed like they were gone in about 15 seconds, so getting a good picture was a roll of the dice.

It’s now the home to Starbucks, but in 1936 it was a general store. It served as the sheep center where ranchers congregated to swap stories about prices and weather. It’s at the corner of Main Street and Sun Valley Road.

Polish sheep dogs called Tatras also roamed by for parade-goers to pet.

Sheep through Main Street is quite a sight but you’ll want to watch your step after the sheep leave. Once the parade was done, we hurried to get some soup and a burger to warm up.

 

For more history on the event, here’s my other blog post.

 

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Fresh Cinnamon Rolls

There’s nothing like biting into a gooey, warm and fresh cinnamon roll. But only if it’s made from scratch. If you’re tired of the lackluster rolls you find in the grocery store, now’s the time to try making your own.

This recipe is slightly modified from a recipe by Jerilyn Brusseau, the woman who helped create the recipe for the famous/infamous Cinnabon. This recipe is closer to what her grandmother taught her to make, according to an article in the Seattle Times. Jerilyn Brusseau sometimes replaces up to half of the all-purpose flour with whole-wheat flour, and occasionally she adds half a cup raisins to the dough or ¾ cup walnuts to the filling.

I was pleasantly surprised by the dough in this recipe. The rolls came out of the oven lighter but not dry and not doughy. If you’ve ever had Cinnabon cinnamon rolls from the mall or airport, you’ll notice their rolls are doughy. Of course, since they’re swimming in sugary cinnamon and icing you may not notice after all.

I wanted a regular cinnamon roll with some delicious icing. But if you prefer something more akin to a sticky bun, you can drop the icing and double the filling. Just turn your baking pan upside down onto foil, to allow the syrup to flow over the finished rolls.

Also, if available, use a good quality cinnamon. Perhaps use a micro-plane and grate the cinnamon yourself. You’d be surprised how much it makes a difference in taste.

Ingredients

For the rolls:
1 cup warm water
3 packages dry yeast
½ cup sugar
1 cup milk
1 (3 ½ ounce) package vanilla instant pudding mix
1/3 cup butter
3 eggs
1¼ teaspoons salt
6½ to 7 cups all-purpose flour

For the filling: (double recipe if making sticky buns)
1 cup melted butter
1 1/2 cups dark brown sugar
3 tablespoons cinnamon

For the Cream Cheese Frosting:

2 sticks butter (room temperature)
1 pkg. (8 ounce) cream cheese
1 lb. powdered sugar
1 tsp. lemon juice
1 tsp. vanilla

Frosting Directions
1. Allow butter and cream cheese to reach room temperature.
2. Beat cream cheese and butter together in a bowl.
3. Slowly add in all powdered sugar.
4. Once sugar is in the bowl, beat for additional 12 minutes.
5. When almost done add vanilla.

Dough Directions

1. Stir the warm water with the yeast and sugar in a large mixing bowl of a stand mixer and allow it to stand undisturbed for 5 minutes.
2. Meanwhile, heat the milk in a small saucepan until it is scalding, that is, until it is almost boiling, but not quite. Take the milk off the heat and stir in the butter, then stir in the eggs, one at a time, and the salt, whisking well after each addition. The butter and the eggs should cool the milk to a warm room temperature. Add pudding mix and mix well. Add mixture to the mixing bowl that’s holding the yeast mixture.
3. Attach dough hook to stand mixer and add six cups of the flour, one cup at a time. The mixture will resemble a smooth cake batter. The mixture will become a sticky dough that leaves the sides of the bowl.
4. Sprinkle 1/2 cup of the remaining flour on a smooth board or a countertop and turn the dough out of the bowl onto the flour-covered surface. Knead the dough by folding it over and over itself until it is smooth, satiny and resilient, almost springy. Sprinkle on more of the flour as needed to keep it from sticking to the board or your hands.
5. Shape the dough into a ball and place it in a large, well-buttered bowl, turning it once to coat the top of the ball. Cover the bowl with a damp towel or plastic wrap and let the dough rise in a warm place until it is doubled in bulk, about 45 minutes.
6. Make the filling by whisking the melted butter, the brown sugar and the cinnamon into a glossy syrup. After the dough has risen, turn it out of the bowl onto a floured board and roll it out into a rectangle, 24 by 20 inches. Spread the entire surface of the dough with the filling and roll it up, starting on a long side and ending with the seam on the bottom.
7. With a sharp knife, cut the roll into about 16 equal portions. Place the rolls in two well-buttered 9-by-13-inch baking pans. Cover the pans with a damp towel or plastic wrap and allow the rolls to rise in a warm place for 30 to 40 minutes, or until they are doubled in size. Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
8. When they are risen, bake the rolls until they are nicely browned and the filling is bubbly, about 35 minutes.
9. Immediately spread the top of the rolls with the icing until just covered.

If making sticky buns:

1. Immediately invert the pans onto serving platters or cookie sheets, brush any extra syrup from the pan onto the rolls.

Technorati Tags: cinnamon rolls,homemade,Jerilyn Brusseau,cinnabon,recipes,sticky buns,frosting,cream cheese,cinnamon,copycat

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snack attack: Snickers Fudge Candy Bar

I love snickers and I love fudge. So someone decided to put the two together. I first heard about this limited edition Snickers bar months ago, so I was looking forward to taking my first bite. Little did I know, finding this thing was a going to be a challenge. I could spend $11.00 for a box of them at Sam’s Club, or I could just hope it would end up in a local store where I could just buy one, or three. Luckily I waited.

My local Walgreens finally had them in stock, located right at the cash register. This Snickers tastes like a Snickers, but with some big changes. The caramel is replaced with creamy fudge dotted with peanuts. The normal nougat is replaced with a thinner strip of peanut butter nougat. It definitely has the good old fashioned fudge taste with a hint of the peanut butter. It was worth the wait. And yes, it seems new candy excites me.

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