cinnamon rolls

cinnamon rolls

My daddy used to make the most amazing cinnamon rolls. I always think of him when I smell them baking. This recipe comes from a friend of Beth’s. The neighborhood kids would know to go to Vicki’s house at the first sign of snow because her mom would have a fresh batch of cinnamon rolls for them. We only get a little snow here in Oklahoma every year, and Mama and Beth never get snow, so we officially decided that any day, rain or shine, is a good day for homemade cinnamon rolls!
MAKES 2 DOZEN ROLLS

½ ounce (2 packages) active dry yeast
1 cup lukewarm (80–90°F) water
1 cup vegetable shortening, such as Crisco
¾ cup granulated sugar
1 cup boiling water
2 large eggs
6 cups self-rising flour
1 teaspoon salt
½ cup cinnamon sugar
1 cup (2 sticks) butter
2 teaspoons milk
1 16-ounce box confectioners’ sugar

Butter the bottoms of four 9-inch round pans.
In a small bowl, dissolve the yeast in the lukewarm water. In a separate bowl, add the vegetable shortening and sugar to the boiling water. Set this mixture aside to cool slightly. In a large mixing bowl, beat the eggs and mix with the flour and salt. Add the dissolved yeast and the vegetable shortening–sugar mixture to the flour mixture. Mix until thoroughly combined. Cover the dough in the bowl with a clean towel and let it rise for 2 hours.
On a lightly floured surface, roll out the dough to a 19 × 14-inch rectangle and sprinkle with some of the cinnamon sugar. Slice 1 stick of butter into small pieces and dot all over the cinnamon sugar. Roll up the dough like a jellyroll and cut into 1-inch slices, using a heavy cotton thread or floss. Place the rolls in the prepared pans, cover, and allow them to rise for 2 hours.
Near the end of the rising time, preheat the oven to 350°F. While the oven preheats, melt the remaining stick of butter and add the milk and confectioners’ sugar, mixing until smooth. Bake the rolls for 13 to 15 minutes, or until very light brown. Drizzle the icing over the rolls while they’re hot

Easy Fruit Cobbler

Easy Fruit Cobbler
MAKES 8 SERVINGS
    My granddaughter, Anysa, is an apprentice pastry chef, or as we like to call her, a Diva-in-training. She learned to make a fresh peach and blueberry version of this fabulous cobbler on her first day at work. I’ve made the recipe lighter, with more choices of fruit. The trick to my cobbler is to bake the fruit filling without the topping first. This makes it the perfect recipe for a spur-of-the-moment dessert using frozen fruits. The hot filling cooks the biscuit topping from the bottom as the hot oven browns it on the top. Best of all, this recipe uses ingredients you should already have on hand.

3   cups fresh blueberries, blackberries, or strawberries, or 2 cups individually quick-frozen (IQF) berries

3   cups sliced fresh peaches, or 2 cups individually quick-frozen (IQF) peaches

⅓cup stevia granulated sweetener

2   tablespoons fresh lemon juice

1   tablespoon cornstarch

½ teaspoon vanilla extract

½ teaspoon ground cinnamon

¼   teaspoon ground nutmeg

BISCUIT TOPPING
½ cup all-purpose flour

½ cup whole-wheat pastry flour

3   tablespoons cornmeal

¼   cup plus 2 tablespoons stevia granulated sweetener

1   teaspoon baking powder

¼   teaspoon baking soda

¼   teaspoon salt

⅓cup low-fat buttermilk

3   tablespoons whipped butter

½ teaspoon vanilla extract

⅛ teaspoon ground cinnamon

⅛ teaspoon ground nutmeg

Put an oven rack in the center of the oven. Preheat the oven to 400°F. Spray a 9-inch deep-dish pie pan with butter-flavored cooking oil spray.
    In a large bowl, mix together the fruit, stevia, lemon juice, cornstarch, vanilla, cinnamon, and nutmeg until well combined. Place the fruit filling in the prepared pie pan. Place the pie pan on a rimmed baking sheet to catch any liquid. Bake until the fruit releases its liquid and is hot and bubbling around the edges, 20 to 30 minutes for fresh fruit, 50 to 60 minutes for frozen.
    Meanwhile, make the topping: In a large bowl, whisk together the all-purpose flour, pastry flour, cornmeal, the ¼ cup of stevia, the baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Set aside. In a small bowl, mix together the buttermilk, butter, and vanilla. Set aside.
    Remove the hot filling from the oven. Stir the buttermilk mixture into the flour mixture until just combined. Scoop one-quarter portions of dough ½ inch apart on the hot filling.
    In a small bowl, stir together the remaining 2 tablespoons of stevia, the cinnamon, and nutmeg. Sprinkle the spice mixture over the dough. Place the cobbler in the oven and bake until the biscuits are brown and the filling is hot and bubbling, 15 to 20 minutes. Remove from the oven and let cool for 15 minutes before serving.

SERVING SIZE:   ¹⁄ 8 of cobbler
EXCHANGE LIST VALUES:  2 starch, 1 fruit, ½ fat
CARBOHYDRATE CHOICES:  2

CALORIES:  169

CALORIES FROM FAT:  35

TOTAL FAT:  4 g

SATURATED FAT:  2 g

CHOLESTEROL:  8 mg

SODIUM:  199 mg

TOTAL CARBOHYDRATE:  32 g

FIBER:  4 g

TOTAL SUGARS:  13 g

PROTEIN:  3 g