Petite Sticky Buns

I love my Taste of Home magazine! This recipe comes from the May 2009 issue. I've had lots of sticky buns before, but loved the ease of making these in muffin tins. Right out of the oven, these are light and airy and I liked the addition of maple flavoring to the sugar mixture. This makes 24 and I only had muffin tins for 18, so mine had a little more 'bun' than they are supposed to, but they were a big hit and perfect for our Sunday breakfast.

-Taste of Home, Lisa Naugle

3 to 3-¼ cups all-purpose flour
¼ cup sugar
1 pkg. active dry yeast (2 ½ tsp)
1 tsp. salt
1 ¼ cups milk
¼ cup butter, cubed
1 egg

Topping:
1 cup packed brown sugar
¾ cup butter, cubed
¾ cup chopped pecans, toasted
2 Tbsp. honey
1 tsp. ground cinnamon
½ tsp. maple flavoring

In a large bowl, combine 2 cups flour, sugar, yeast and salt. In a small saucepan, heat the milk and butter to 120°-130°. Add to dry ingredients; beat just until moistened. Add egg; beat until smooth. Stir in enough remaining flour to form a firm dough (dough will be sticky). Do not knead. Cover and let rise in a warm place until doubled, about an hour.

In a small saucepan over low heat, cook topping ingredients until butter is melted. Drop by rounded teaspoonfuls into 24 well-greased muffin cups.

Stir dough down. Fill greased muffin cups half-full. Cover and let rise in a warm place until doubled, about 30 minutes.

Place muffin cups on foil-lined baking sheets. Bake at 375° for 12-15 minutes or until golden brown. (Remember if you have dark pans to reduce temperature 25°.) Cool for 2 minutes before inverting onto baking sheets. Transfer to serving platters. Serve warm.

Flower Cup Quiche

How cute are these?! These particular flowers have a quiche filling, but I think it would also be great to make a sweet version using lemon pie filling.

I didn't have any sugar snap peas or celery, so I just cut leaves out of some romaine lettuce with my kitchen shears.

-Fairies Cookbook, via Gourmet Mom on-the-go

Filling Ingredients:
1/4 c. grated parmesean cheese
1/4 c. grated cheese, any flavor (we used a cheddar blend)
3 eggs
2 T. light sour cream
2 T. fat free half & half (or milk)
dash salt & pepper, to taste
any other finely chopped ingredients you want (ham, peppers, sausage, onion, mushrooms, whatever)

Other Ingredients:
1 package refrigerated piecrusts (2 in a pack)
4 Cherry tomatoes, sliced
Sugar Snap Peas or celery, for stems
Flower Cookie Cutter (My Wilton flower cookie cutter worked great)

Preheat oven to 375. In a medium bowl, mix all filling ingredients. Set aside. Spray nonstick cooking spray on a mini-muffin pan. Unroll piecrusts and use cookie cutter to cut flowers.

Gently press flowers into mini-muffin pan, leaving some space between each one. Fill with about 1 T. filling mixture. Bake at 375 for 12-15 minutes, until crust is lightly browned and filling is set.

Let cool slightly, remove from pan and garnish with a slice of cherry tomato and sugar snap peas for the stem/leaves.

Cheese Sauce over Cauliflower

For some people, comfort food is mac & cheese or fried chicken. For me, nothing makes me feel warm and fuzzy inside like a good meatloaf served with cheese sauce over cauliflower and a fresh garden salad. Brandon was not too crazy about this one making the food blog, but I looove this - maybe you will too.

-Mom Pulsipher

1 large head cauliflower
3 Tbsp. butter
3 Tbsp. flour
1-1/2 to 2 cups milk
2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
1/4 tsp. white pepper
salt

Cut cauliflower florets and steam until tender. Salt lightly.

Meanwhile, melt the butter in a small saucepan. Add flour and stir until blended. Slowly whisk in milk and continue whisking until thickened. Add cheese and stir until melted. Season with additional salt and pepper as needed.

Place cauliflower in serving dish and top with cheese sauce.

Ritz Mints

I saw these demonstrated on The Martha Stewart show a long time ago and finally got around to making them. My kids helped me make these for our Family Home Evening treat - super easy and delicious!

1-1/2 sleeves Ritz Crackers
1 package mint chocolate candy wafers (You can get these at Michaels, Hobby Lobby, etc)

Melt chocolate using instructions on package. Dip cracker in chocolate to coat thoroughly. Let cool on waxed paper.

Watermelon Sugar Cookies

I have to thank my sister-in-law Kapri who showed me these super cute sugar cookies. We loved them! I didn't add enough green food coloring, so the 'rinds' were a little light, but still cute.

-Homemaking Fun

Sugar cookie dough, tinted green
Red frosting
Mini chocolate chips for seeds

General Tso's Chicken

This one's a keeper. The chicken has a light breading and the sauce is very flavorful; a great mix of sweet and spicy. It was perfect for me, a little too spicy for the kids and Brandon added Sriracha - adjust the pepper flakes to fit the tastes of your family.

- Everyday Food, October 2008

1 1/4 cups long-grain brown rice (I prefer Basmati)

1/4 cup cornstarch

1 pound snow peas, trimmed and halved crosswise

4 garlic cloves, sliced (minced)

2 teaspoons fresh ginger, grated and peeled

3 tablespoons light-brown sugar

2 tablespoons soy sauce

1/2 teaspoon red-pepper flakes

2 large egg whites

Coarse salt and ground pepper

1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1-inch pieces

2 tablespoons vegetable oil, such as safflower

Cook rice according to package instructions. Meanwhile, in a large bowl, stir together 1 tablespoon cornstarch and 1/2 cup cold water until smooth. Add snow peas, garlic, ginger, sugar, soy sauce, and red-pepper flakes; toss to combine, and set aside.

In another bowl, whisk together egg whites, remaining 3 tablespoons cornstarch, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Add chicken, and toss to coat.

In a large nonstick skillet, heat 1 tablespoon oil over medium-high. Lift half the chicken from egg-white mixture (shaking off excess), and add to skillet. Cook, turning occasionally, until golden, 6 to 8 minutes. Transfer to a plate; repeat with remaining oil and chicken, and set aside (reserve skillet).

Add snow-pea mixture to skillet. Cover; cook until snow peas are tender and sauce has thickened, 3 to 5 minutes. Return chicken to skillet (with any juices); toss to coat. Serve with rice.

Spaghetti Carbonara

I tried this recipe the other night and it was a big hit. I recommend preparing and measuring all of your ingredients beforehand since this comes together quickly. Be careful with the egg/cream mixture - you don't want scrambled eggs! Best served immediately.

-Taste of Home Cookbook

8 oz. uncooked spaghetti
1 Tbsp. cornstarch
4 eggs, slightly beaten
1 cup half-and-half cream
3/4 cup chopped onion
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 Tbsp. olive oil
1 cup frozen peas
8 bacon strips, cooked and crumbled (I just cut the bacon in small pieces before frying)
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. white pepper
Additional Parmesan cheese, optional

Cook pasta according to package directions. Meanwhile, in a large bowl, combine the cornstarch, eggs and cream until smooth; set aside.

In a large skillet, saute onion and garlic in oil until tender. Gradually stir onion mixture into egg mixture. Add peas to hot skillet; cook and stir for 1 minute or until heated through. Pour egg mixture into skillet all at once, stirring constantly. (I use a rubber-coated whisk)

Cook and stir over medium-low heat until mixture is just thick enough to coat a metal spoon with a thin film and a thermometer reads 160 degrees, about 5 minutes. Remove from heat.

Drain pasta; transfer to a large bowl. Pour sauce over pasta; toss to coat. Sprinkle with the bacon, cheese, salt and white pepper; toss. Serve immediately with additional Parmesan cheese if desired.

Serves 5