Desserts, Recipes

Cinnamon Rolls (Sticky Buns)

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Cinnamon rolls “sticky buns”

Who doesn’t love soft, ooie, gooey cinnamon rolls? When they are transformed in “Sticky Buns”, even better! Sticky Buns just means that you add a bottom layer of butter, cinnamon and sugar with walnuts or pecans before putting the uncooked buns on top. Then let it rise, bake it, then invert it so the sticky sweet caramel and nuts are on top of the cinnamon rolls, my favorite! I was really impressed with how these came out, so soft!

Cinnamon Rolls

Sticky Buns:

Dough:

  • 1 cup warm milk
  • 1 egg
  • 1/4 condensed milk (or 4 Tablespoons sugar and 4 tablespoons milk or cream)
  • 1 Tablespoon sugar
  • 2 1/2 teaspoons yeast
  • 4  cups flour
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1/4 cup soft butter

Cinnamon filling for Cinnamon Rolls:

  • 1/4 cup melted butter
  • 1/2 cup brown sugar
  • 1/2 cup white sugar
  • 1 teaspoon Cinnamon 

To make it “Sticky Buns”:

  • 1/2 cup of butter, melted
  • 1/2 cup brown sugar
  • 1/2 cup white sugar
  • 1 teaspoon Cinnamon
  • Pinch of salt 

Dough Instructions:

  • Add 1 cup warm milk to a large bowl
  • Add yeast
  • Add egg, condensed milk, sugar and salt, stir together 
  • Add flour and and stir until a dough forms (dough hooks or use your hands)
  • Add 1/4 soft butter, beat in with dough hooks 
  • Knead 10 minutes with dough hooks or your hands
  • Let rise 1 hour
  • Roll out with a rolling pin until 1/2 inch thick

To Assemble Cinnamon Rolls:

  • Stir together 1/2 cup brown sugar and 1/2 cup white  sugar, pinch of salt and cinnamon in a small bowl.
  • Melt 1/4 cup butter and spread out on dough
  • Sprinkle the cinnamon sugar mixture on the top
  • Roll up like cinnamon rolls
  • Place on a buttered dish, cover and allow to rise another hour. 

To make it “Sticky Buns”:

  • Place melted 1/2 cup butter in a 9×13 baking dish
  • Add 1/2 cup brown sugar, 1/2 cup white sugar and cinnamon and pecans or walnuts
  • Place cut cinnamon rolls cut side up in the cinnamon mixture.
  • Cover and allow to rise another hour
  • Bake 350 for 30 minutes

Allow to cool just a few minutes then invert onto a platter so the sticky side is up. Be careful not to get any of the hot stickiness on your body while flipping it, it’s hot!

Spread the cinnamon sugar on melted butter on the rolled out dough
Roll it up and slice
Add melted butter, sugar, cinnamon and nuts in the bottom of the baking dish
Place the cinnamon rolls on top, allow to rise 1 hour…
Bake at 350 for 30 minutes then invert on a serving platter…
Enjoy!
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American main dishes, Recipes, Soups

“Fully Loaded” Baked Potato & Broccoli Soup

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Potato Broccoli Soup

This is a modern twist on the basic Potato Broccoli Soup, bumped up a notch with yummy toppings like shredded cheddar, bacon, sour cream and chives! Keep it simple or go crazy with toppings this soup is always comforting and delicious!

Ingredients:

  • 4 russet potatoes peeled and chopped
  • 1 small crown of broccoli, chopped into small pieces.
  • water for cooking (about 2 cups)
  • 2 cups of milk (whole is best but 2% works
  • 1/4 cup of cream or half & half (optional, this makes the soup creamier)
  • 1/4 cup of flour
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • pinch of black pepper
  • 1 cup shredded cheddar
  • 3 slices of bacon, fried until golden
  • 1/2 bunch green onions or chives chopped
  • sour cream, optional

Instructions:

  • Police peeled, chopped potatoes in pot, just cover with water (about 2 cups), bring to a boil and cook until potatoes are almost fork tender
  • Add the chopped broccoli to the potatoes and cover with a lid, cook until broccoli is bright green and tender, just a few minutes.
  • Add milk to the pan
  • In a small bowl slowly combine the flour with 1/2 cup water, adding half of the water first, whisking as you go to create a paste, add the rest of the water continuing to whisk until it is a smooth paste with no lumps. This is your roux to thicken the soup. Add the roux to the pan while the milk is still cool, you don’t want it boiling when you add the roux because you could make lumps if it cooks to fast. Stir and bring to a gentle boil, it should thicken as it starts to bubble. Reduce heat to low.
  • Add salt and pepper and half of the cheddar cheese. Also add the cream if you are using it. Add more salt and pepper to taste and add more milk if it is too thick for your taste.
  • Serve and top with additional cheddar cheese, cooked and chopped bacon, green onions and a dollop of sour cream
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Breakfast, Recipes

Fluffy American Pancakes

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Fluffy American Pancakes

It’s August and we were supposed to be going home to California for a month to see family and friends and take care of Business. But the Pandemic had other plans for us, just as it did for many of you who were planning trips and vacations that now are canceled

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Asian, Recipes

Thai Sweet Chili Sauce

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Thai Sweet Chili Sauce (nam chim kai)

Sometimes in Italy I take a break from a italian food and enjoy another ethnic food like Asian! But often I cannot find all of the ingredients, in that case I make my own! That was the case with this Sweet Thai Chili Sauce, in Thailand its called nam chim kai. It is used as a dipping sauce, a marinade and for stir-fry’s.

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Italian Recipes, Living in Italy, Pasta, Recipes

Uovo Da Raviolo

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Uovo da Ravioli (egg yolk ravioli)

 “Uova da Raviolo” is a famous ravioli from the Emilia Romagna Region of Italy up north. The Northern part of Italy is famous for all filled pasta like ravioli. Actually, much of our favorite Italian things are from this region like Parmesan cheese, balsamic vinegar and all filled pastas! This is a large ravioli with a whole egg yolk nestled in ricotta cheese.

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Italian Recipes, Recipes

Pesto Gnocchi

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Gnocchi

The participants in my Gnocchi Cooking Class requested Pesto as the sauce for their Gnocchi. It’s a perfect fit this time of year when we all have Basil busting loose in our quarantine gardens! This is a great recipe if you are new at making pasta because it does not require any special ingredients and it’s fun for the kids to help. Basically it’s like playing with play dough as you roll out the “snake” that will become your Gnocchi.

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Italian Recipes, Living in Italy

Spinach Ricotta Ravioli with Marinara

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Spinach Ricotta Ravioli

In my Region of Italy (Lazio), it is not really common to make ravioli. But if they do make it, it’s always Spinach Ricotta Ravioli! I was shown how to make it during a fun Ravioli Making Party hosted by a very talented Italian cook. We made hundreds of these little ravioli for a party the next day. You can ready that article and how to make a large batch for a big group by clicking here,

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Italian Recipes, Living in Italy, Recipes

Homemade Pasta Dough

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Making Homemade Pasta, ravioli

Homemade pasta is like anything else in the cooking world, terrifying until you make again and again. It seemed surreal and strange that you would mix the flour and eggs in a volcanic pile of flour on your bread board, crack the eggs inside the indentation of the “volcano” and whisk with a fork from the center, slowly adding more flour to the eggs with your fork as you work in the center of the volcano.

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