Easy Cinnamon Rolls

Another one from 'Fast Fix Family Food', these easy cinnamon rolls were truly that- really simple and such a sweet way to start the day! Just 25 minutes start to finish. We'll definitely make them again!

1 8 oz. package (8) refrigerated crescent-roll dough
1 tablespoon butter, melted
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
2 tablespoons sugar
1/2 cup powdered sugar
1/4 teaspoon vanilla
1 to 2 teaspoons orange juice or milk (we used milk- but I'd be interested to taste it with orange juice)

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Grease an 8x 1 1/2 or 9 1/2 inch round baking pan; set aside. Unroll dough (do not separate); press perforations to seal. Brush dough with melted butter. In a small bowl, stir together the cinnamon and granulated sugar; sprinkle over dough. Starting from a long side, roll up dough. Using a sharp knife, slice dough into eight 1 1/2 inch pieces. Arrange pieces, cut sides up, in prepared pan, flattening each roll slightly.

2. Bake for 15-18 minutes or until golden. Remove and cool rolls slightly in pan on a wire rack. Remove from pan. In a small bowl, stir together powdered sugar, vanilla and enough orange juice/milk to make an icing of drizzling consistency. Drizzle over warm rolls. Serve warm. Makes 8 rolls.

Chicken & Noodles with Vegetables

Thanks to a cookbook I have called 'Fast Fix Family Food', I have found a delectable new dish to share. The gist: egg noodles, chicken, carrots, celery, onion, and cream of chicken soup. The result? The perfect lunch, dinner and source of leftovers for days. The recipe did say that you could make it in a slow cooker (on low for 8-9 hours or high for 4-5 hours), but I wanted to make it faster, so I did:

2 cups sliced carrots (4 medium)
1 1/2 cups chopped onion (3 medium)
1 cup sliced celery (2 stalks)
2 tablespoons snipped fresh parsley
1 bay leaf
3 medium chicken legs (drumstick thigh portion)- about 2 pounds total, skinned
2 10.75-oz. cans reduced-fat and reduced-sodium condensed cream of chicken soup
1 teaspoon dried thyme, crushed
10 ounces dried wide noodles (about 5 cups)
1 cup frozen peas

Note: I only had 1 onion, and didn't have any parsley, celery or peas. I made it anyway, and it was still delicious. Flexibility in the kitchen is okay (when cooking, anyway. I might not be so flexible if I was baking).

What to do: (if you're using a crock pot/slow cooker)

1) In a 3 1/2 or 4 quart slow cooker, stir together carrot, onion, celery, parsley and bay leaf. Place chicken on top of vegetables. In a bowl, stir together soup, 1/2 cup water, thyme and 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper. Pour over chicken in the slow cooker.
2) Cover and cook on low-heat setting for 8 to 9 hours on or on high-heat setting for 4 to 4 1/2 hours. Remove chicken from slow cooker; cool slightly. Discard bay leaf.
3) Cook noodles according to package directions; drain. Remove chicken from bones and shred or chop; discard bones. Stir chicken and peas into mixture in slow cooker. To serve, spoon over noodles. Makes 6 servings.

On the stove: I steamed the veggies in a saucepan, added the soup and a little water, added the spices and added the (chopped up) chicken to boil/cook. Then I started the noodles in a large pot and let the 1st mixture (with chicken) continue bubbling throughout the noodles' cooking time. I made sure to store the noodles and the chicken/sauce separately so that it didn't get too mushy. This is definitely a keeper and was pretty easy.

Coconut Bars

Made these with the kids I was watching this Summer. See their blog for the recipe. Coconut bars would be a great dessert to bring along to a party :) Click here!

Beans & Franks

When I was little and spent many Summer weekends on Long Beach Island, NJ with family, many memories were made around the breakfast and dinner table (most lunches were packed up and eaten on the beach). One dinner that always comes to mind when I think of the shore is beans and franks (sliced hot dogs) and recently I decided to make them myself. I'm sure you could get any variety of baked beans, but I went for a vegetarian option (without bacon) with a maple flavoring, cut up hot dogs and warmed everything up in a saucepan together. Then I toasted a piece of an italian roll and enjoyed a nostalgic trip back in time. Mmm beans & franks, easy and delicious.

Zucchini Bread

This zucchini bread (with carrots, walnuts and raisins) is delicious. Here was the recipe that I used:

Ingredients:
3 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
3 teaspoons ground cinnamon
3 eggs
1 cup vegetable oil
2 1/4 cups white sugar
3 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 cups grated zucchini
1 cup chopped walnuts
optional: grated carrot (about 1/2 cup) and raisins (as many as you'd like)

Directions:
Grease and flour two 8 x 4 inch pans. Preheat oven to 325 degrees F.
Sift flour, salt, baking powder, soda, and cinnamon together in a bowl.
Beat eggs, oil, vanilla, and sugar together in a large bowl. Add sifted ingredients to the creamed mixture, and beat well. Stir in zucchini and nuts until well combined. Pour batter into prepared pans.
Bake for 40 to 60 minutes, or until tester inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool in pan on rack for 20 minutes. Remove bread from pan, and completely cool.

Yum yum yum, enjoy :)