Queen Frostine Cinnamon Rolls

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I remember the sweet, sweet smells of cinnamon rolls baking in the oven when I was younger. The intoxicating smell would drift up from the kitchen to my room. My mom would make cinnamon rolls on special occasions like birthdays, anniversaries, and sometimes the random Sunday (“family day”). Over the years, once she started Weight Watchers to be exact, she started to change the recipe every so slightly and every time it was a bit healthier. Now each roll is around 3 points (I’m not a WW but I know that’s good for a cinnamon roll!) but they are still so soft and perfectly sweet! Sometimes cinnamon rolls are too icky sweet for me… yes, they are amazing, but after one bite I can’t take it any more!

I’ve made these for friends and family the past few years and always had good reactions. Although one time after my first 1/2 marathon my boyfriend was in charge of putting them in the oven and for some reason he thought I said 450 instead of 350 for the oven temperature… but even then they were damn delicious! I’ve been toying with the idea of making a cream cheese frosting next time or maybe making pumpkin cinnamon rolls (AND cream cheese frosting!).

I use a bread machine to make the dough, but you can make it by hand… it’ll be a pain in the ass, but if you like doing it that way then go for it! Here is a site that I love that may be able to help http://www.breadexperience.com/index.html They have different recipes for cinnamon rolls, but you can use the process and my recipe or use their recipe MY RECIPE ONLY! Hehe

Time: More than you would like, BUT you can make the rolls the night before, refrigerate them, take them out 1 hour before putting them in the oven and not have to deal with making it all in one morning!

Servings: 12 kickass rolls

Ingredients:

Dough

1 ½ C milk

1 egg

2 T butter

3 C white flour

1 C whole wheat flour

1/3 C sugar

¾ t salt

2 ¼ t active dry yeast

What’s inside:

2 Tbl melted butter (or a bit more)

¼ C sugar (try using both granulated and brown)

2 t cinnamon (less or more depending on your taste)

Glaze:

Powdered sugar + vanilla extract + milk (and cream cheese if you want!)

Add the dough ingredients into your bread machine in the order listed or in the order the company prefers. Turn it to the dough cycle and relax for an hour and a half/do something else. You can also do this by hand using the site I included above. Once it’s done, take it out, knead the dough so there aren’t a bunch of air bubbles and let it rest for around 10 minutes.

Roll the dough out to a 15×10 rectangle (or just a big ass rectangle… it’s what I do, screw measurements right!). With a pastry brush (or your clean fingers I guess) spread the melted butter in the dough. Sprinkle with the sugar and cinnamon. Roll it up so you have a long log and cut 12 rolls from it (start with making 2 longs, then 4, etc…). Put them into a greased 13×9 baking pan and cover with a towel for 30 minutes or until they get nice and fluffy. OR you can refrigerate them overnight, take them out 1 hour before putting them in the oven so they can rise. Preheat the oven to 350 and bake for 20-25 minutes. Top with a glaze, no measurements needed, but don’t add too much!

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 YUM!

Since this is an occasional treat don’t sweat the calories, they’re 3 WW points each if you don’t make a shit ton of glaze so enjoy!

Egg Stuffed Tomatoes Wrapped with Bacon

This is a great breakfast to serve for brunch or in a more upscale setting (it’s a little too much to ask for during your busy week). I found this in a New Zealand magazine that had not only recipes, but a section for wine, travel, and events. I honestly can’t remember the name of the magazine, but it was similar to Food & Wine magazine here in the states.

I made this for my man one morning and we loved it! It’s great to switch it up sometimes… something different from toast, oatmeal, or cereal (all of which I love!). This is an example of how some of the simplest flavors create the most delicious food. Not only is it simple, but it looks elegant and sophisticated.

Makes 2 (you can easily make this for however many people you want)

Ingredients:

2 vine tomatoes, must be round

2 eggs

2 strips of bacon, turkey or Canadian… or regular if you want

2 tbsp basil finely chopped, and more for garnish

1 tsp olive oil

1 small garlic clove, minced (or to taste)

Salt and pepper to taste

Parmesan cheese for garnish

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 400°.

Hollow out the tomatoes with a spoon, cutting the top off carefully with a knife first. Combine basil, oil, garlic and salt. With your fingers, spread the basil mixture on the inside of the tomatoes. Crack one egg into each tomato and top with salt and pepper. Bake for 15-20 minutes until the egg is cooked. Top with parmesan cheese and more basil!

I’m not sure of the nutritional information, but it all depends on how much cheese you use, but overall it’s a healthy breakfast:) Enjoy!