Super Easy, Super Quick (Almost Cheating) Cinnamon Rolls

Does this picture make your mouth water? It makes mine water, but of course I can't eat these right now. However, I made them anyway yesterday for a breakfast potluck we had at work. I chose them because I've been wishing I could eat them and if I can't, the next best thing is to make them for people I care about and watch them be enjoyed that way. That was my thought, at least. What I forgot is that (literally) everyone in my office is either fasting or dieting right now. So pretty much most of us just sat and looked wistfully at the cinnamon rolls while we chose to eat healthier things. It was bonding of a different kind :)

These are not your typical yeast-bread cinnamon rolls. These are Bisquick, sour cream and milk and and have more of a biscuit consistency. And they take almost no time to throw together! I have sweet childhood memories of my Mom making these on Sunday mornings before church or on holiday mornings. I hope you have time to whip up a batch and enjoy!

Cinnamon Rolls

Preheat oven to 400 degrees
GENEROUSLY grease 12 muffin cups

3 cups Bisquick
3/4 cup sour cream
4 1/2 T milk
1 stick butter, softened
1/3 cup brown sugar
1 tsp cinnamon
Powdered sugar
Vanilla extract
Milk

- Combine Bisquick, sour cream and milk and beat with 20 strokes. (I remember getting really intense about the "20" part when I would help my Mom make these when I was a kiddo. Don't worry too much about it. Just mix it as little as possible to get your ball of dough).
- Place ball of dough on a lightly floured surface and knead approximately 10 times.
- Using a rolling pin, roll out to a 12'x10' rectangle



- Spread dough with softened butter and sprinkle with sugar and cinnamon



- Roll lengthwise and cut into 12 equal slices using a sharp knife or dental floss
- Place in muffin tin and brush with additional softened butter.



- Bake 15 minutes until golden brown. Remove from oven and cool approximately 15 minutes.
- For icing glaze, mix powdered sugar and milk until it has the desired consistency and then add a few drops of vanilla extract. Spoon over rolls and ENJOY!

Quinoa Carrot Breakfast Cake

Serenity... The picture above is my view as I sit here typing but I don't think it quite captures how cozy and peaceful my apartment feels on this Saturday morning and how quiet and happy I feel to be here cuddled up on my couch with a glass of orange juice. But they say a picture is worth a thousand words so I thought I would give it a try!

I felt a little funky (or "tweaked" as Jeff would say) upon waking this morning and decided I needed something beyond a handful of nuts and a banana for breakfast. I actually had all of the ingredients on hand for Quinoa Carrot Breakfast Cake, which makes me feel like my gluten-free pantry might officially be called "well-stocked". I love the idea of naming something "breakfast cake". I mean, why not just come out and call it what it is? We eat essentially eat "cake" for breakfast all the time in the socially acceptable form of muffins, doughnuts, pastries, waffles, cinnamon rolls, etc. So breakfast cake just seems like a very direct and shameless way to say, "I know I should be eating my oatmeal and a grapefruit, but gosh darn it, it is Saturday morning and I had a long week and I want cake!"

So I had it. And it was wonderful, even without the gluten. I'll let the Gluten Free Goddess tell you how to make it. The only adjustments I made were to 1/2 the sugar amount (only used a 1/2 cup) and omit the raisins (because I think the bag I had in my pantry might have been upwards of two years old. Yikes!)

Quinoa Carrot Breakfast Cake

Wishing you some peace and quietness and a very happy Saturday!

Thai Pineapple Curry

Hello! I have to sincerely apologize for my 6 week blog absence! I have been having some stomach problems and rather than be fun and inspiring, food has been a source of pain, frustration and, if I am brutally honest, a bit of depression over the last couple months. As I write this, I haven't figured anything out yet, but I do have an appointment with a guy who specializes in digestive disorders coming up in a week and half and I am feeling hopeful that he will help me to figure some things out! I am a bit nervous that he is going to restrict my diet even more (beyond gluten, dairy, yeast, peanuts), but need to just prepare myself for that because it is a good possibility. So I make no promises about the nature of the recipes you will find here over the coming weeks! It's quite possible that strange and funky dishes will become a more regular occurrence.

In the meantime, I have been on a major Thai food kick in the last few weeks! There is an awesome little restaurant here in town called Arharn Thai that has become my favorite because I can eat almost everything on their menu. I wanted to try my hand at some Pineapple Curry last week and my sweet boyfriend (who I am sure is getting sick of Thai food!!) agreed to serve as my taste-tester :)

I looked online at recipes and then tweaked a few things. Here is what I came up with:

Thai Pineapple Curry

1/4 cup red curry paste
2 - 13.5oz cans light coconut milk
3 T fish sauce
1/4 cup white sugar
1/2 red bell pepper, thinly sliced
1/2 green bell pepper, thinly sliced
1/2 white onion, thinly sliced
1 cup pineapple chunks or tidbits, drained
1 T vegetable or olive oil
Meat of your choice: chicken, pork, beef, fish, cut up into 1/2" strips
Cooked white rice
Lime wedges
Cilantro for garnish
Sriracha sauce, optional
Salt to taste

- Heat oil in a pan and add the curry paste. Saute for 1-2 minutes. Add meat and continue cooking on medium heat until meat is cooked about 1/2 way through.
- Add in coconut milk, fish sauce, and sugar and simmer for 2-3 minutes.
- Add in bell peppers and onion and simmer for another 2-3 minutes or until meat is cooked all the way through.
- Remove from heat and add pineapple.
- Salt to taste
- Serve over cooked white rice topped with lime, cilantro and Sriracha sauce

When I served this to Jeff, I had not added any salt. His feedback was that it needed some salt and some heat. I love Sriracha sauce and had a bottle on hand. We thought it was pretty good drizzled on top. You could also add in some red Thai chilis with the bell peppers. I also think I might add in a little fresh ginger at the step where I am sauteing the meat next time.

Here is a couple photos:

The finished product:



Slightly blurry photo, but he finally told me I could put one of him on here!!!



I'm off to reheat some of this for lunch. If you are here in Colorado, hope you are enjoying a lovely, snowy, Sunday!