Valentine's Day Breakfast: Cinnamon Rolls for Two

A small batch of piping hot cinnamon rolls bursting with all that cinnamony goodness and slathered with a sweet gooey icing is all you need for a sweet Valentine's Day breakfast!  And because these are no-yeast cinnamon rolls these bake up in no time.

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Valentine's Day is coming quick and I love to cherish my man with a little something special for breakfast.  Something like these Valentine's Day Pancakes or these Raspberry Sour Cream Muffins. Today we are going back to an old comfy classic of Cinnamon Rolls.  Who doesn't love a hot cinnamon roll bursting with cinnamon and sugar and topped with a sweet gooey glaze?  Oh man,  I love the smell of cinnamon in the morning!   

Now I grew up with mom making cinnamon rolls using this no-yeast technique and they are done in a pinch and decadent and tasty!  These are the quick way to make cinnamon rolls when you don't have a lot of time but still want a comforting pastry for breakfast!  

I searched high and low for my mom's recipe and came up empty handed.  So I adapted one from a favorite blog (Dessert for Two) that makes small batches of everything, and these are just perfect. 

What better treat to make the love of your life than a breakfast of piping hot cinnamon rolls!  Plus, they are super cute, and you make them in your muffin tin.  Winner!

Enjoy!




Cinnamon Rolls for Two

yield: 4 rolls

Ingredients:
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
2 tablespoon granulated sugar, divided 
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/8 teaspoon salt
5 tablespoons milk
1 teaspoon vinegar
4 tablespoons butter, melted, divided 
3 tablespoons light brown sugar
1 teaspoon cinnamon

Glaze:

2 heaping tablespoons powdered sugar

1 teaspoon milk

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 375, and spray 4 cups in a muffin pan with cooking spray.

In a medium bowl, combine the flour, 1 tablespoon of the sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.  In a small measuring cup, combine the milk, vinegar, and 2 tablespoons of the melted butter.

Add the wet ingredients to the dry, and stir until a soft dough forms.  Flour a counter or board and dump the dough out onto the board.  Pat the dough into a 6" long rectangle.  Pour the remaining butter on top of the dough covering the entire surface.

In a small bowl, combine the brown sugar, cinnamon, and remaining 1 tablespoon of granulated sugar. Sprinkle over the melted butter.  Roll the dough into a log starting with the long side. Roll away from you. When you get to the end of the dough, pinch the entire seam shut.

Cut the dough into 4 equal pieces, and place them cut side up in the greased muffin tins.  Bake for 14-16 minutes until golden brown.  

Meanwhile, in a small bowl add powdered sugar and milk and stir together until a nice glaze forms.  Check check to see if it drizzles easily.  If not add a tiny bit of milk until you reach your desired consistency.  

Remove cinnamon rolls from the oven and drizzle with glaze.  Serve warm.

Skillet Meal: Mediterranean Style Sauteed Chicken and Zucchini

This easy Mediterranean style skillet dish of bold flavored chicken and vegetables comes together in under 30 minutes!

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Anyone on the Mediterranean diet?  Well I have the perfect dish for you.  Even if you are not on this diet but love the flavors of the Mediterranean you can't go wrong with this bold flavored skillet dish!

I hate doing dishes so when I can get my hands on a good skillet dish I'm all over it!  I love cooking with chicken because it is packed with protein and cooks quickly.  I use it in this dish along with fresh vegetables, spices, and herbs to create a flavor packed Mediterranean style dish in under 30 minutes.  The technique you will be using here is similar to a stir fry.  

First up is cooking the spiced up chicken pieces, removing them and then cooking up the vegetables.  Adding more spice so the whole dish gets packed with flavor.  Adding back the chicken and their juices and then finishing up the dish with some lemon juice, fresh tomatoes, and some basil.  Quick and simple is the name of the game here tonight.

This uses great Mediterranean spices such as oregano, coriander, cumin, and paprika.  They lend great bold flavor to both the chicken and the vegetables.  I also threw in some chickpeas for added protein and texture.  This dish is loaded with fresh ingredients so you can't go wrong.  And if anything cooks in under 30 minutes and tastes fantastic, that's a winner in my book.

Enjoy! 


Mediterranean Style Sauteed Chicken and Zucchini

serves 4

1 ½ tbsp dry oregano
1 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp ground coriander
½ tsp sweet paprika
1 lb boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into bite sized cubes
olive oil
½ medium red onion, thinly sliced
5 garlic cloves, minced and divided
1 bell pepper, sliced into sticks
2 zucchini, halved length-wise, sliced into ½ moons
1 cup chickpeas (from a 14 oz can, drained and rinsed)
1 ½ cups cherry tomatoes, halved
Kosher salt and pepper
1 large lemon
5-6 basil leaves, rough chopped

In a small bowl mix the first four spices together well.  Sprinkle 2 teaspoons of the spice mixture over the chicken pieces, coating well.  Set the rest of the spice mixture aside for the vegetables.

In a large skillet heat a couple of tablespoons of olive oil over medium high heat until hot.  Add the chicken and cook about 5 minutes until pieces are browned and cooked through.  Stir often.  Remove chicken to a plates and set aside.

Add another tablespoon of olive oil to the skillet and add the onion and garlic.  Cook for several minutes, stirring frequently until the onion has soften.  Don't let the garlic burn.  Add the bell pepper, zucchini, and chickpeas and the remainder of the spice mixture, stirring to combine.  Cook about 7-8 minutes until the vegetables have browned and are starting to soften but are still crisp.  

Return the chicken and any accumulated juices back to the skillet.  Add the tomatoes, season with salt and pepper, and add the juice of one lemon.  Stir until combined and everything is heated through.  Top with the fresh basil, then serve.

A Winter Wonder: Cranberry Chocolate Chip Bread

When the winds of winter blow, The long nights are crystal clear and cold, ... Of a crisp winter's night, Watching a full moon rise over the horizon, Exposing a winter wonderland beautiful and bright. - poem

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There's something about winter that's seem magical to me.  It might be the quiet still nights, or the festive activites, or just the innate nature to stay warm and hibernate until that first bud of spring.

Whatever the actual reason is I love to stay home and bake during the wintertime.  I get that cozy, homey feeling and it feels really good!  You may have noticed this by my many baking posts such as these scrumptious Yogurt Pecan Streusel Muffins or these 1 Hour Dinner Rolls, or even my recent Raspberry Almond Baked Oatmeal.  

Today I have an absolutely delicious winter wonder of a quick bread for you that features one of my favorite winter ingredients:  fresh cranberries.  Oh how I love these tart little fruits and I buy bags of them each year and freeze them so I can have cranberries in the dead of summer!  These are considered a superfruit due to the amount of nutrients and antioxidants in them....that makes this quick bread healthy right?!  Well let's just say it's damn good.

Hot from the oven, and bursting with tart cranberries, and melted decadent chocolate this bread is a wonderful breakfast treat.  This takes about 1 hour in the oven, so plan ahead, but you will have the most wonderful winter treat that will be good for breakfast, snacking, with tea or coffee, even as a dessert with a scoop of vanilla ice cream! 

Enjoy!





Cranberry Chocolate Chip Bread

serves 16


2 cups flour
3/4 cup sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 egg
3/4 cup low-fat milk
1/3 cup canola oil
1 cup cranberries (fresh or frozen), chopped in half
1 cup mini semisweet chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Spray a loaf pan (9x5) with non-stick cooking spray.  

In a large bowl, combine the flour, sugar, baking powder and salt. Whisk the egg, milk and oil; stir into dry ingredients just until moistened. Fold in cranberries and chocolate chips. Transfer to prepared pan.

Bake until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, 60-65 minutes.  Cool for 10 minutes; run a knife along the sides of the pan, invert and remove from the pan.  Place on a cooling rack to continue cooling.  Slice and serve.