Orange Sweet Rolls

Lately several of the grocery stores have been selling large oranges at very good sales prices.  As I was enjoying a sweet, juicy, delicious one I got to thinking about my cherry rolls, and pumpkin rolls.  Then I thought, "Hey, it's time for some Orange Sweet Rolls, just like I remember grandma making".  These are super soft and sweet cinnamon rolls flavored with fresh orange, flaky layers, and topped with an orange icing.  And you can have it in just about 2 hours.  I already had all the ingredients in my kitchen.  Let me show you how easy they are.

You will need:
2 3/4 cups all purpose flour
1/2 cup sugar
1 tsp salt
1 package yeast
3/4 cup milk
6 Tabs softened butter
1 large orange
1 large egg
1 Tabs cinnamon
1 cup confectioners' sugar

Wash and dry the orange, then grate the peel, (you will need a total of 3 Tabs orange peel).  Next, juice the orange, (you will need  5 Tabs of fresh orange juice).

In a large bowl, whisk together the flour 1/4 cup of sugar, salt, and yeast, (2/14 tsp of yeast).  Mix it well.

Place the milk and 3 Tabs of butter in a microwaveable container.

Heat until the butter is melted and the milk is warm, (about 120 - 130 degrees).

Add in 2 Tabs of orange juice.

 Add in 1 Tabs of orange zest.

Add in the egg.

Mix well.

Add the liquid to the dry ingredients.

Stir until the flour mixture forms a soft dough and comes away from the sides of the bowl.

 Turn out unto a lightly floured work surface, and knead the dough for about 5 minutes adding in more flour if needed, (1 Tabs at a time), until the dough becomes smooth.

Your dough will look like this when it is smooth and has enough elasticity.  You can press your finger into the center of the dough and the dough will bounce back.  Place the dough in a lightly greased bowl, cover, and let rest for about 10 to 15 minutes.  The dough will rise slightly.

Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and roll into a 14 X 8 inch rectangle. Notice the lovely orange zest in the dough.  And it smells heavenly.

Lightly spread the remaining 3 Tabs of butter over the dough.

In a small bowl, combing the remaining 1/4 cup sugar, cinnamon, and the remaining orange zest, (about 1 to 2 Tabs.).  Mix together well.

Spread the sugar mixture, evenly over the buttered dough.

Starting at the long end, roll the dough tightly.  Make sure to seal up the ends and the edges, so the filling stays inside.

Cut the dough into 10 to 12 pieces.  In our house, we light larger rolls, so we usually only get 8 to 9 rolls from our dough.

Place the rolls in a greased 9 ince round cake or pie dish.  Cover and allow to rise, until double in size, in a warm place for 60 to 90 minutes.


NOTE:  If you want to make these ahead of time for breakfast, you can stop at this point and cover the dough with plastic wrap and place it in the refrigerator, (BEFORE it has a change to rise).  Then the next morning, remove from the refrigerator and allow to rise at room temperature, (about 1 hour).  And proceed with the directions.

After 60 minutes, this is how much my rolls have risen.  We can not wait any longer, so we will bake ours now.  Pre-heat the oven to 375 degrees.

Bake for 25 to 28 minutes until the rolls are lightly browned.  If your oven bakes hot, cover your rolls after 15 minutes with a piece of aluminum foil to avoid over-browning on top.  When the rolls are done, remove and place on a cooling rack.

In a medium bowl, combine the confectioners' sugar and the remaining 2 or 3 Tabs of orange juice. 

Whisk until smooth.

Drizzle or spread over the rolls while they are still warm.

Your rolls are now ready to eat !

OH BOY !  Are these ever delicious.  You can taste the orange, but it's not over powering.  And the layers of flaky dough, so light and airy.

Give these a try.  Not to many ingredients needed for a wonderful treat.

Cranberry Crumble bars

During the winter, when the cranberries are on sale, I like to stock up and and buy several bags and freeze them.  Then later when I'm in the mood for the wonderful taste of cranberries, I can easily pull out a bag, thaw the berries, and make something wonderful.  One of our households favorite treats is cranberry crumble bars.  It's a dessert that has just the right amount of tartness from the cranberries, and not too much sweetness.  This desert will easily feed 8 people for very little money, and is quick to make.

You will need:
1/2 cup sugar
1 large orange
1/4 cup water
2 cups cranberries
1/2 teas ground cinnamon
3/4 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup butter, (or margarine), softened
1 1/2 cup quick-cooking, (or old fashioned), oats
1 cup all purpose flour
1/4 teas salt

Zest the orange, (you will need 1 Tablespoon of orange zest).
Then, squeeze the juice from the orange, (you will need 1/4 cup of orange juice).

In a medium, (1 1/2 quart size), saucepan, mix the sugar, orange juice and water together, until sugar is dissolved.  Heat to boiling over medium heat. 

Add in the salt.

 Add in the orange zest.

Add in the cranberries.

(note:  make sure to wash your cranberries before using).

 Cook over medium heat for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the sauce is thickened.

After about 10 minutes, this is what the sauce will look like.  Remove from heat and allow to cool.  This smells wonderful.

Pre heat oven to 400 degrees.

In a medium bowl, stir together the softened butter and brown sugar.

Add in the oats, flour and salt.

Mix together until the mixture is crumbly.

Press 1/2 of crumb mixture into the bottom of an 8 X 8 inch ungreased baking dish.

Pour the cooled cranberry sauce onto the crumb mixture.

Spread the cranberry sauce filling out over the crumb mixture, evenly.

Sprinkle the remaining crumble mixture evenly over the top of the cranberry sauce.

Lightly pat the crumb mixture topping.

Bake in 400 degree oven for 25 minutes, or until light brown.

Remove from oven and allow to cool for 10 minutes.

Cut into 8 bars, (4 rows across, 2 rows down).  Allow to cool until 15 minutes, (or even completely), before eating.

And you can now enjoy your cranberry crumble bars.  Notice how you have a nice thick filling between the oatmeal crust and top.

It holds it's shape, and it taste wonderful.  Not to sweet, and not overly tart.  A glass of milk is great with it.  Or with a scoop of ice cream on top, (my husband's favorite way), is wonderful.


Enjoy !

Chicken and Spaghetti Casserole

If you've tried my husband's recipe for Spaghetti Casserole, (crock pot style), you know how good it is, and how it can feed a crowd.  I decided to try to freshen it up and also cut down the portion size, (so it was more family-size).  Here is my version.

You will need:
4 to 6 ounces of spaghetti
1 Tab butter
1 cup sliced mushrooms
1/2 medium onion, chopped
1/4 cup celery, chopped
1/4 cup green bell pepper, chopped
1/4 cup red bell pepper, chopped
1 can cream of mushroom soup
1/2 cup milk
1 cup cooked chicken, chopped
salt and pepper to taste
1/2 cup shredded cheese blend

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees
Spray a 9 X 13 baking dish with nonstick spray

Chop your chicken, peppers, mushroom, celery, and onion.

Start your spaghetti cooking in a salted water.  Cook the spaghetti until it is al' dente.  Drain and set aside.

You can use whatever kind of spaghetti you want, I like to use the thin spaghetti.

In a large skillet over medium heat, melt the butter.

Add the peppers, onions, celery, and mushrooms.  Cook until the vegetables have softened, (about 4 or 5 minutes). Remember to salt and pepper your vegetables to taste, (I use about 1 teaspoon of salt and 1/2 teaspoon of pepper).

In a medium bowl, combine the soup and milk.  Stir until smooth.

Add in almost 3/4 of the cheese, (I save about a handful for the top).  Stir in the cheese until combined.

You can use whatever kind of blended cheese you like.  You can even use just cheddar.  I like to use a Monterey Jack cheese blend.

 Pour the cheese and soup mixture over the cooked vegetables..  Continue to cook until the cheese has melted and the sauce is smooth and starts to thicken.

Add in the chicken and stir until combined throughout.

Make sure to taste the sauce for seasoning.  Does it need a little more salt or pepper?  If so stir a little more in.

Stir in the spaghetti.  Make sure to combine it in well.

Pour the mixture into the prepared baking dish.   You can also use any type of casserole dish, (as long as it will hold about 2 quarts.  Sometimes I bake this in a round or oval casserole dish).

Sprinkle the remaining cheese on top.  Bake for about 35 minutes, (or until the casserole is hot, bubbly, and golden brown).

 Remove from oven and allow to cool for 5 minutes before serving.

And you have my version of chicken and spaghetti casserole.  A complete meal, just add a green salad.  I smells wonderful, it's filling, and it tastes wonderful with the fresh vegetables.  It's a great way to use up leftover chicken.  And of course cheese makes everything taste great.