Cherry Rolls

If you saw last weeks post for Tart Cherry Cobbler, then you know about the wonderful gift from my friend.  I grew up in North Central Ohio, in the middle of Amish and Mennonite county.  My father was a UPS driver, and delivered to many of these families.  He was always bringing home treats from a farmer's wife and recipes.  One of those treats is for these wonderful cherry rolls.  They are like cinnamon rolls, but they do not use a yeast dough, so they only take 1 hour from start to finish.  And they aren't overly sweet to the taste.

You will need:
1 egg
3/4 cup sour cream
2 cups all purpose flour
3/4 teas salt
1/4 teas baking soda
2 1/2 teas baking powder
5 1/2 Tabs. softened butter
2 cups tart cherries (cleaned and pitted)
1/3 cup + 2 Tabs white sugar
1 teas cinnamon
1 teas nutmeg
1/3 cup brown sugar
2 Tabs cornstarch
1 1/2 cup 100 % cherry juice
1 teas almond extract
2 cups powdered confectioners sugar
3 - 4 Tabs milk

In a medium bowl whisk 1 egg

 Add the sour cream, and whisk together.

Add in the flour, salt, baking soda, and baking powder.  Stir together well.

Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface.

Lightly pat into a rectangle, this will help you get the rolling started.

Using a rolling pin, roll the dough into a rectangle until it is 1/4 inch thick.

This is what your dough will look like when you get it rolled out.  the dough will be a little sticky still, so make sure you have the surface dusted with flour.

Using 2 Tablespoons of softened butter, lightly spread  it over the top of the dough.

Sprinkle the cleaned and pitted cherries over the top of the buttered dough.

NOTE:  if you don't have fresh tart cherries, you can use canned drained tart cherries, (make sure they are packed in water and not sugar).

Next sprinkle 2 Tablespoons of white sugar over the cherries.

Sprinkle 1 teaspoon of nutmeg over the cherries.

Sprinkle 1 teaspoon of cinnamon over the cherries, sugar, and nutmeg.

Roll up the dough, starting with the long end of the rectangle, (like making a jelly roll).  This is why you want to make sure your work surface has a light sprinkling of flour, (so the sticky dough doesn't stick too much).  Be gentle, so you don't tear the dough.

Once you have the dough rolled up, cut into 9 - 12 pieces, (as desired - depending on the size pan you will be cooking in).

Preheat your oven to 375 degrees

Spray coat a deep sided baking pan with cooking spray.  I like to use a large aluminum pie tin, (cutting the dough into 9 pieces), or a 9 X 13 inch pan, (cutting the dough into 12 smaller pieces).

Place the rolled dough in the prepared pan.

In a small saucepan, add 1/3 cup brown sugar, 1/3 cup white sugar, and 2 Tablespoons cornstarch.  Mix together well.

Whisk in the cherry juice and 1/2 teaspoon of almond extract.

NOTE:  You can find cherry juice in most grocery stores, or you can juice some extra cherries.  If you want the juice from the cherries to be extra red, you can add a couple drops of red food coloring.  If you can't find 100% cherry juice, you can also use a box of Juicy Juice Cherry flavor, (it's pure juice).

Over medium heat, bring the sugar/juice mixture to a boil, stirring constantly.  Boil until the mixture thickens slightly, (this will take about 5 - 10 minutes).

Add 1 12 Tablespoon of softened butter, and mix well.

Pour the mixture over the rolls.  Bake for 25 minutes, (or until just lightly browned).

While the rolls are baking, you can make the icing drizzle mixture..

In a small bowl, add 2 Tablespoon melted butter.

Stir in 2 cups powdered confectioners sugar.

Add in 1/2 teaspoon almond extract, and 3 or 4 Tablespoon of milk.  Stirring after each Tablespoon of milk is added to the sugar mixture.

You want your icing mixture to be of a drizzle consistency.

When the rolls are done, remove from oven, and let cool on baking rack.

Once the rolls are cool, drizzle the icing mixture over the rolls.  And they are ready to serve.

These are great for breakfast, as a dessert, a snack time treat, a great item to serve when guest come over.

And they only take 1 hour to prepare.

Just cover loosely and store in the refrigerator.  They are great heated up for 30 seconds in the microwave, or even eaten cold, or at room temperature.

They have a wonderful cherry flavor, but they are not overly sweet, and the cherries are not too tart to enjoy.

I have always gotten compliments on my cherry rolls.  They are a nice change from the usual cinnamon rolls.

I hope you've been able to find some fresh tart cherries, and can give this wonderful cherry roll recipe a try.

Enjoy !

Grandma's Tart Cherry Crisp

 A friend recently gave me a large bag of ripe tart cherries from her tree.  And the sight of these wonderful delicious treats brought back memories of summers spent on my grandparents farm, and my grandmother's simple but wonderful tart cherry crisp.  The season for tart cherries is very short, so you have to move fast to get your supply, before they are gone for the year.  Luckily I scored enough to make several dishes.  Let me share my Grandma Emma's Tart Cherry Crisp.

You will need:
4 cups of cleaned and pitted tart cherries
2 Tabs sugar
1/2 cup flour
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1 teas ground cinnamon
1/2 teas nutmeg
1/4 teas salt
1/4 cup cold butter

 Preheat the oven to 375 degrees

Place the cherries into a 9 inch pie plate.

Sprinkle with the sugar.

In a small bowl, combine the flour, brown sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt.  Mix together well.

Cut the cold butter into cubes, and cut into the sugar/flour mixture, until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs, (you are just making a simple crumble topping).

Sprinkle over the topping of the cherries.  Bake for 30 to 40 minutes, or until the top is bubbly.

 Remove from oven and allow to cool for 15 minutes.  There will be very little liquid inside the crisp, (we only used 2 Tablespoons of sugar).

 While it is still warm, (but cool enough to eat), it is ready to serve.  Notice how little liquid is in the bottom of the pan, compared to most crisp.

Yet the cherries have a nice sweet flavor, without being overly sweet.  I like my crisp plain.  My husband likes his with a scoop of vanilla ice cream on top.  This is also very good served cold.  I just store the leftovers in the refrigerator, and serve it cold, or warm it slightly in the microwave.

I hope you can get some fresh tart cherries, so you can taste pure wonderful summer delight.  If you aren't lucky enough to get fresh cherries, you can always use 2 (14 1/2 ounce) cans of drained pitted tart cherries.  But fresh is always so much more tasty.
ENJOY !

Creamed Spinach, (Easy Version)

My husband loves creamed spinach, and right now, fresh spinach is selling for such a good price.  And it's so easy to make.
You will need:
1 or 2 very large bunches of fresh spinach
3 - 4 Tabs. butter
1 medium onion
3 cloves garlic
3 - 4 Tabs. flour
2 cups milk
1 teas salt
1 teas nutmeg
1/2 cup Parmesan cheese

First you want to wash and remove the stems from the spinach.  You will need about 1 1/2 pound of spinach.  It looks like a lot, but it will all cook down to nothing.

In a large pot, bring 2 quarts of water to a boil.

Add the spinach.  Cook for about 3 or 4 minutes.

Drain the spinach.

Immediately plunge the spinach into cold water to stop the cooking.
















Drain the spinach and squeeze out all the excess water.

Finely chop the onion.

















Mince the garlic.

In a skillet, melt the butter.

Cook the onion and garlic until softened.

Add the flour, and cook for 3 or 4 minutes.

Add the milk.  Cook until the milk starts to thicken.


You are just making a basic white sauce.

Shred the cheese and add to the sauce.

Add the nutmeg.  Stir until the cheese is melted, and everything is nice and creamy.

Add the cooked spinach.


Note:  If you want, you can use frozen spinach, (2 - 10 ounce packages),  that you have thawed and removed all the excess water from.

Add in the salt.  Stir everything together to incorporate well.

Now you are ready to serve.

Taste for seasoning.













Just that quick and easy you have creamed spinach to add to your dinner plate.

Enjoy !