Cinnamon Rolls

       I got a magazine subscription from my grandma to Cooks Illustrated Best Recipes.  The idea is that each month they choose a couple of recipes and find the very best version.  In one of them, there was a recipe for cinnamon rolls that I decided to try and this is how they came out:

"The Ultimate Sticky Buns"- from Cook's Illustrated All-Time Best Recipes 

  Ingredients:

    Dough:

• 3 eggs, room temperature
• 3/4 cup buttermilk, room temperature
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 2 1/4 teaspoons yeast
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 4 1/4 cups all purpose flour
• 6 tablespoons butter, melted then cooled

    Glaze:

• 3/4 cup brown sugar
• 6 tablespoons butter
• 2 tablespoons honey
• 2 tablespoons heavy cream

    Filling:

• 3/4 cup brown sugar
• 1 teaspoon ground sugar
• 1 teaspoon allspice
• 1 tablespoon butter

  Instructions:

    Dough:

1. In a bowl of stand up mixer, or a bowl with a handheld mixer, combine eggs, buttermilk, sugar, yeast, and salt.  Once combined, add 2 cups flour and butter and stir with spatula.
   
2.  Add 2 more cups of flour and knead with dough hook or by hand for 5 minutes.  If dough is still sticky, add the rest of the flour, if not leave as is.
3. Set dough in a lightly oiled bowl, cover, and place in a warm area for 2 and a half hours

    Glaze: 

1. Combine all ingredients in a small saucepan and whisk over medium high heat until melted and combined.
2. Pour into 13 by 9 inch sauce pan and set aside. 

   Filling:

1. Combine all ingredients and stir with a fork.  

  Assembly:

1. Chill dough in fridge for 30 minutes.
2. Roll dough out into large rectangle on a lightly floured surface.  Spread filling all the way across the width, leaving an inch at the bottom.  Roll very tightly and chill for 30 minutes in fridge.  
3. Cut in half, then in quarters, then in eighths.  Place in pan with glaze
   
4. Put in fridge overnight.  In the morning, remove pan from fridge and let warm up on counter for 1 hour.  Pre heat over to 350 degrees Fahrenheit and place in oven for 25 to 30 minutes.

1. Turn cinnamon rolls out onto pan or plate, enjoy!

Creamy Chicken Wraps and Black Bean Salad with Fried Avocados

         The other day while scrolling through Pinterest, I saw a recipe for fried avocados.  I thought this was the coolest idea and couldn't believe I hadn't seen it sooner, so I decided to made them to go with lunch.  However, they are clearly a garnish so I had to find something to go with them.  While I continued scrolling through Pinterest, I found a recipe for chicken wraps, Perfect!  I decided that the meal needed something to tie it together.  Because there really wasn't much color or veggies, I thought about a three bean salad my mom used to make so I did kind of the same thing only with black beans.  This is what the finished product turned out to be:

Creamy Chicken Wraps and Black Bean Salad with Fried Avocados:

   Ingredients:

      Chicken wraps

• 3 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
• 4 oz. cream cheese
• 1 tablespoon chicken taco seasoning
• 3 tablespoons chicken broth
• salt and pepper to taste
• 4 burrito size tortilla

    Black Bean Salad

• 10 oz. can black beans
• 1 cucumber
• 2 small tomatoes
• 1 tablespoon lime juice (one lime)
• 2 scallions
• 4 tablespoons basil ribbons
• 1 minced garlic clove
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• salt and pepper to taste

   Fried Avocados

• 3/4 cup seltzer water
• 1/2 cup flour
• 1 1/2 teaspoon cornstarch 
• 2 avocados 
• salt and pepper

  Instructions:

1. Season both sides of each chicken breasts and place on a medium high heat griddle or pan, flip after about 5 minutes or slightly brown:
   
2. Once fully cooked, set aside to cool and combine cream cheese, taco seasoning, chicken broth, and salt and pepper
3. Using a fork on a cutting board and a knife, shred chicken and combine with cream cheese mixture:
   
4. Place on a tortilla, and roll tightly, slice into bite sized rolls and enjoy:
   
5. For the salad, dice the cucumber, tomato, and scallions:

1. Combine all ingredients in a bowl and toss with oil, enjoy!
2. 
   
   
   

1. For the avocados, whisk together seltzer, flour, cornstarch, salt, and pepper
2. Slice avocados into 1/4 inch thick slices 
   
3. Heat 2 inches canola oil in a sauce pan to a constant 375 degrees Fahrenheit
4. Dip avocado slices in batter and drop carefully into oil, fry until golden brown:
   
5. Remove from oil with a strainer and place on a paper towel on a plate, enjoy!

Basil Pesto Chicken and Pasta

         My mom works at the Old Town Temecula Community Theater in Old Town Temecula, so over the summer I am routinely biking down and bringing her lunch.  The tricky part of that is finding lunches that don't have to be refrigerated or kept hot that I can be packed in a container.  Two of the easiest things that fit into that that category are pasta or salad.  That was how I came up with:

Basil Pesto Chicken and Pasta:

    Ingredients:

         10 chicken tenderloins or 3 chicken breasts 

         2 cups rinsed basil leaves

         1 cup rinsed spinach leaves

         2 tablespoons pecans

         2 tablespoons pine nuts

         about 1/2 cup olive oil

         salt

         pepper

         1 package spaghetti or pasta of your choice

         2 medium tomatoes

  Instructions:

1. Place chicken in a container and sprinkle with salt and pepper, set aside
2. In the bowl of your food processor or blender, place basil leaves, spinach, pecans, and pine nuts.  Turn on food processor
3. Once the paste is turning smoothly around the sides, open the smaller lid on top and drizzle in olive oil until mixture forms a thick liquid, there should be a small amount of oil you an see on top:
   
4. Add salt and pepper to taste then set pesto aside
5. Turn grill on to medium-high heat and place a piece of foil on the grate.  Drizzle oil on and place chicken on
6. Once the first side is cooked but not browned, turn each piece over
7. With a spoon, spread a little bit of pesto over chicken and turn again. Pour pesto on the other side:
   
8. When the pesto is browned and the chicken is golden, remove from grill and place on a cutting board to rest
9. Boil the pasta according to instructions on package
10. Once done, place pasta on a plate and place the chicken, cut into pieces, on top
11. Cut the tomato in slices and place on top
12. Pour extra pesto over and enjoy!

*If you are packing the pasta, keep the pesto in a separate container and pour on right before eating, to prevent pasta from getting soggy

B.L.T.A

         Most people have heard of a B.L.T, this is the common combination of bacon, tomato, and lettuce.  I personally like to add A to the sandwich, avocado.  I think it takes this simple, delicious sandwich to a whole new level:

         Because this sandwich is so simple, it's important to use good quality, fresh ingredients:

 B.L.T.A.

 Ingredients: (3 sandwiches)

      6 slices soft, whole grain bread

      3 leaves off a head of lettuce

      1 large tomato

      1 1/2 pounds of bacon

      1 avocado

      mayonnaise

 Instructions:

1. Toast all six slices of bread to desired crispness
2. Heat a large non-stick skillet over medium high heat 
3. Once the skillet is warm, put one layer of bacon slices covering the bottom.  When each slice begins to curl up (about 4 minutes) turn it using a fork 
4. Remove each slice of bacon when it reaches desired crispness and place on a plate lined with a paper towel to drain off extra grease:
   
5. Slice the tomato into 1/4 inch slices and set aside:
   
6. Cut the avocado in half and remove the pit.  Using a spoon, scoop out the inside and slice:
   
7. To assemble the sandwich, place two pieces of bread on a plate and layer avocado on one and mayonnaise on the other:
   
8. On top of that, place a few slices of bacon, a slice of tomato, and a lettuce leaf:
   
9. Place the other piece of bread on top, and enjoy!
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   

      

Strawberry Rhubarb Shortcake

         My favorite dessert in the world has always been strawberry rhubarb crisp, especially served warm.  Its got sweet juicy strawberry chunks with small sour cubes of soft rhubarb and a classic crumble on top-simply amazing.  However, I recently found a biscuit recipe that is perfectly light and buttery, so i decided to combine the two and this is what I got:

Strawberry Rhubarb Shortcake:
Ingredients:
  Biscuits:
      2 cups flour
      2 teaspoons baking powder
      1/2 teaspoon baking soda
      1 teaspoon sugar
      3/4 teaspoon salt
      1 cup buttermilk, cold
      1/2 cup butter, melted
      1 tablespoon heavy cream
      2 tablespoons sugar
  Whipped Cream:
      2 cups heavy whipping cream
      1-2 tablespoons powdered sugar
  Filling:
      4 stalks of rhubarb
      4 cups of strawberries, sliced

Instructions:

1. In a medium mixing bowl whisk together the flower, baking powder, baking soda, sugar, and salt
2. In a separate bowl, pour in the buttermilk, making sure its cold.  Then whisk in the melted butter, creating small lumps of butter
3. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit 
4. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper
5. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry and stir just until combined:
   
6. Scoop two tablespoons of batter every two inches onto prepared baking sheet, then brush each biscuit with heavy cream and sprinkle with sugar
7. Place in oven for 13 minutes:
   
8. After 13 minutes, turn on broiler for two minutes (be sure to keep an eye on them because things burn quickly under the broiler)
9. Remove from oven and set aside on wire racks to cool
10. Meanwhile, wash and chop the rhubarb into 1/2 inch slices:
    
11. Put in a sauce pan with two tablespoons of water and three tablespoons of sugar, turn burner onto medium and let simmer with the lid on until rhubarb because soft and starts to fall apart (about 8 minutes):
    
12. Slice all of the strawberries and set aside for assembly:
    
13. Pour the heavy whipping cream into a stand up mixer or a bowl with a handheld mixer and whip until stiff peaks form
14. To assemble place one biscuit in a bowl and top rhubarb compote, whipped cream, and strawberries, enjoy!

Kissed Pudding

         Kissed pudding is a delicious light layered meringue dessert. I guarantee you that if you type "kissed pudding" into Google, you won't find anything like this:
                                       
                                

         My mom gave me the recipe and her grandmother was the one who gave it to her. The overall idea is light, crispy, sweet layers of meringue sandwiched with unsweetened whipped cream and fresh fruit.  You can use any kind you want but personally I like berries.  In the picture I used strawberries and black berries.


Kissed Pudding:
Ingredients:
  Meringue:
      8 egg whites
      1 cup and 2 tablespoons white sugar
      1/2 teaspoon salt
      3 teaspoons flour

  Whipped Cream:
      2 cups heavy whipping cream

Filling:
      1 pint strawberries or fruit of your choosing, sliced
      1 pint blackberries or berry of your choosing

Instructions:

1.  Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit
2. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.  Trace two 8 inch circles on each, then flip the paper over
3. Whip egg whites in a stand up mixer or with a hand held mixer until soft peaks start to form
4. Add salt and sugar in 1/4 cup a time.  Eggs should have soft peaks and appear shiny
5. pour 1/4 of the mixture onto each prepared circle and spread to edges of circle, making sure each one has even thickness:
   
6. Place in the preheated over and reduce the temperature to 250  for 25 minutes
7. Reduce the temperature again to 200 degrees Fahrenheit and bake for another two hours:
   
8. Remove from oven and place on wire racks to cool
9. In the bowl of a stand up mixer or with a hang held mixer and a bowl, whip the heavy cream until stiff peaks form, set in the refrigerator to chill
10. Just before serving, place one meringue on a plate.  Scoop some of the whipped cream on to it and spread it evenly across
11. Layer on half of the strawberries
12. Repeat steps 10 and 11, alternating fruits until everything is on:
    
13. Serve intermediately: