Quick Cinnamon Rolls

Note:  If you have a very eager and helpful toddler, this recipe isn't quick.
So.. here's the recipe.

Quick Cinnamon Rolls
Dough:
2 cups flour (1 cup unbleached all purpose flour and 1 cup whole wheat flour)
2 tablespoon sugar
4 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
3 tablespoons margarine or butter
3/4 cup unsweetened vanilla almond milk
1 large egg
1 tsp vanilla extract

Filling:
1 cup sugar
3 teaspoons cinnamon
4 tablespoons butter


Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 400
2. In a large bowl, beat egg with fork. add in sugar and vanilla extract; mix using fork. add milk and mix together.
3. In medium bowl combine the flour, salt, and baking powder.
4.Cut in softened butter; using hands to mix together.
5.Mix the flour and butter mixture into the large bowl mixture slowly. the dough will be a little sticky, so cover your hands in flour before you touch the dough.
5.sprinkle a good amount of flour (about 1/2 cup) on your counter top and flour your rolling pin. using a spatula, clean the bowl out to make sure you get all the flour and dough together, turn out the dough and knead it into a rectangle.
6.in a 9x13 cake pan, spray with olive oil.in a small bowl, combine sugar, cinnamon, and 2 tablespoons of butter (you can use your hands or a fork-i used my hands). sprinkle 1/4 of the mixture on the pan.
7.in a small bowl, heat remaining butter or margarine for 15 seconds. take out and set aside.
8.Roll out dough into a rectangle using your rolling pin covered with flour. once the rectangle is bigger and about 1/4 inch in thickness, its ready for the next step.
9. using your hands, spread the butter onto the dough, cover the dough with the rest of the filling mixture.you want it to be evenly spread across the dough.roll up the dough, slowly and carefully, cut using a sharp knife into 18 small circles.put in cake pan cut side up. put in oven for about 10-20 minutes.
10. let cool a little bit. Eat.

A mix of this and that

For dinner last night I made Mexican Chicken and Rice Dinner. I had found the recipe on the back of the a Minute White Rice Box.  The original recipe can be found here. Here's my version though..

Mexican Chicken and Rice Dinner

1 pd Chicken breast tenderloins thinly sliced cut into rectangular shapes and cubes

3 dash sea salt

3 dash black pepper

pinch of kick'n chicken

2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

frozen pepper strips (I used the VIP brand green, red and yellow strips)

2 cups water

about 1 cup organic salsa

2 cups Minute brown rice

1 can 15.2oz whole kernel corn

1/2 bag of Weight Watchers Mexican Blend Reduced-Fat Cheese

1.Heat oil in large skillet on medium high heat. Add chicken and sprinkle the sea salt, pepper, and kick'n chicken seasoning over chicken. add the frozen pepper strips to the chicken and mix together. 

 -cover and cook for 1-2 minutes. check chicken and stir the peppers. repeat this step until the chicken is lightly browned and the strips are tender.

-remove chicken and peppers from the skillet and move into a medium skillet with a cover, to keep warm.

2. add the water and salsa to the large skillet;stir until well blended. Bring to a boil-about medium high heat. 

    -once the water and salsa are boiling, add the rice and corn. cover. reduce the heat to medium-low and cook for 5 minutes or until the rice is tender.

3.once the rice is done cooking, top with chicken and peppers. sprinkle with cheese.reduce heat to low;cover. continue to cook for 2-3 minutes until the cheese is melted. turn off the stove, and enjoy!!

So that was last night..

This morning I made a blueberry smoothie for Craig..

It was all gone when he brought it back to me..

and then.. I saw it.

I don't quite know how it happened.But it did. and it was all over the wall,

and the carpet..

and the bed comforter.. 

Luckily, I ran in there quickly after getting some pictures with a dish rag and got the blueberry off the wall, and everywhere else for that matter.

All of a sudden all I heard was Sesame Street on the TV.

and then is what I saw. 

he was jumping on the couch without cushions.. and I'm thinking he was using the cushions as padding. 

I don't lie when I say my son is a monkey and like the energizer bunny. 

                                          

                                                              hope you have enjoyed this post!

                                                                 

NO butter cookies!

update:  We have moved due to orders from the Marine Corp. My husband re-enlisted in the Marine Corps, and we moved ourselves. Within a week, everything fell into place and we moved in three days. So 3 days later and nine hours of sleep, we were in our new place. We were all exhausted but happy to be somewhere new. 

So far.. we been here two months. the neighborhood is alright.So far it's a rough summer. Our neighbor's house across the street burned down.There were about four fire engines outside our house for most of that morning. I let the neighbors use our lawn for most of the morning. I can't imagine being in their shoes. their kids are grown and they grew up in that house, now they have to re-build from the ground up.

 And about a week ago, someone broke into our house. We were asleep when it happened. We had about four police vehicles outside our house at five in the morning. Thanks to the person who broke in and took off the safety latches-the police took them and my grocery list. My hubby told me to forgive and forget.. but I can't. It's not that simple. I am paranoid now, it's driving me nuts. anyways..

I found a recipe awhile go for no butter cookies!

here's the recipe..

No Butter: Peanut Butter Nutella Chocolate Chip Cookies

1 cup whole wheat flour

1 large egg

1 cup sugar 

1 tablespoon vanilla extract

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

2 pinches of oatmeal

2 dashes of sea salt

1/2 cup peanut butter

1/2 cup nutella

2 spoonfuls of coco powder

1/4 cup of unsweetened vanilla almond milk (I use the blue diamond brand)

1/4 cup chocolate chips

1/4 cup assorted nuts (I used a California mix without the raisins) 

 

Directions:

1.Preheat oven to 350

2.In a small bowl, mix flour,salt, and soda together with a fork.

3.In medium bowl, beat egg with a fork until yellow in color. Beat in sugar and vanilla extract, add milk and beat together.

4.slowly add the flour into the egg mixture.mix until just combined

5.Mix in peanut butter and nutella. 

6.fold in the chocolate chips and nuts. sprinkle the coco powder over the mixture and mix in.

7. Roll into medium balls (about a tablespoon) between your palms and flatten with a floured fork on a  cookie sheet sprayed with olive oil. <--note: only flatten if you want them to be flat. the smaller you make the balls, the more cookies you will have to eat and less guilty you'll feel eating them.

8. Bake as many as you see fit on a cookie sheet. these bake pretty quickly so watch them! they bake for about 5-10 minutes.

This is my version of the recipe.

Now here is the pictures!!:)     

                                                     the batter--->

 got that cool tool has a christmas present.. its a lifesaver!

 <--see if you flatten with a fork, they turn out flat..but they are still very yummy!

nom nom nom.. my son is like the cookie monster he kept eating all the cookies off the cooling rack.

<--now these are the ones I rolled into balls and put straight into the oven.

<--show the detail..yummy goodness!

<--original recipe before my changes..

well my hubby just got home. back at our old duty station, he'd be still on 95.. oh how I love this new place. five minute commute now.:)

and.. the boy.. is still asleep! woo hoo!!hope you enjoyed this post!