rawr.

Tropical Green Monster

(inspired by Skinnytaste)

I came home from a workout today and wondered to myself what to refuel with. I went through my list of refueling stand-bys in my head and yawned. Glass of milk? meh. Cereal? nah. Scrambled eggs? bleh.

And then it hit me! Why have I been spending hours pinning delicious things on pinterest if not to eventually make them? I knew I had pinned some tasty smoothies. All I had to do was find them...

Turns out you can combine coconut, fruit, and spinach and it's not gross at all! In fact, it's quite delicious. I used this, but modified it to fit with what I had in the house.

Tropical Green Monster
Recipe...
serves 2

• 3/4 c coconut milk
• 6 oz fat free Greek yogurt
• 3/4 c frozen mango
• 1 ripe medium banana (fresh or frozen)
• 1 c baby spinach
• 2 Tbsp sweetened shredded coconut
• 1 1/4 c ice cubes

1) Combine all ingredients in a blender. Stick a straw in it, you're done!

Frosting and Cinnamon Rolls and Frosting

Cinnamon Rolls

(adapted from The Novice Housewife)

You know what's great about homemade cinnamon rolls? Besides everything, frosting. All the frosting you want. Gobs and gobs of frosting! These were pretty ooey-gooey even without the frosting, but who can say no to frosting? Not I!

Warning: these delightful treats will elicit harsh messages from loved ones.
Exhibit A: "Cinnamon rolls were delicious. Don't make them ever again. Love, Dad"

And he didn't even add any extra frosting to his cinnamon roll!

Cinnamon Rolls
Recipe...

dough ingredients

• 1 c warm milk (110℉)
• 2 1/2 tsp active dry yeast
• 1/2 cup white sugar
• 1/3 cup butter
• 1 tsp salt
• 2 eggs, room temperature
• 1/2 tsp vanilla
• 1/2 tsp cinnamon
• pinch nutmeg
• 3 1/4 c all purpose flour
• 3/4 c bread flour

filling ingredients

• 1 c brown sugar, packed
• 2 1/2 Tbsp ground cinnamon
• 1/3 c butter, softened

frosting ingredients

• 3 oz cream cheese, softened
• 1/4 c butter, softened
• 1 1/2 c confectioner's sugar
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 tsp fresh lemon juice

Start the dough:

1) In the bowl of a stand mixer with dough hook, pour in warm milk, yeast, and 1 Tbsp. granulated sugar. Stir together and proof (let sit) 5 minutes, until it becomes bubbly and frothy.

2) Add the rest of the sugar, butter, salt, eggs, vanilla, cinnamon, nutmeg, 2 cups all purpose flour, and all of the bread flour. Mix well. Turn on mixer with dough hook attachment on lowest speed.

3) With mixer on, sprinkle in the rest of the all purpose flour, 1/4 c at a time until dough cleans the sides and bottom of the bowl. Dough should be sticky but not sticky enough to stick you your hands when touched. When it gets to this point, let mixer knead for 5 minutes.

4) Remove dough from bowl, grease the dough, and place it back in the same bowl. Cover with plastic wrap. Let rise in a warm place for about 1 hour or until the dough has doubled in size.

Make the filling:

5) Combine brown sugar and cinnamon in a bowl. Make sure butter in softened (but don't combine it with the sugar and cinnamon).

Finish the dough/Make the rolls:

6) Punch down the dough (just once, don't beat it up). On a liberally floured large clean surface, roll the dough into a 20"x30" rectangle (approximately). It should be approximately 1/4" thick or thinner if you like the bread part to be really thin. Keep moving the dough around to make sure it isn't sticking to the surface.

7) Spread softened butter over surface of dough. Sprinkle brown sugar mixture evenly on top of the butter, leaving a 1" border. Lightly press sugar mixture into the butter using a rolling pin.

8) Roll the dough into a long roll (start your rolling from the long end). Cut off the uneven ends. Using a sharp knife, slice into 12-15 pieces.

9) Place onto a parchment or silpat lined baking sheet about 2" apart, cover with plastic wrap and let rise for another hour.

10) Bake at 400℉ on rack just above center for about 8 minutes, or until light golden brown. Keep an eye on them so they don't get TOO brown!

Make the frosting:

11) While the rolls are baking, whip cream cheese and butter together. Stir in vanilla and lemon juice. Pour in powdered sugar and stir slowly until it starts to incorporate. Mix on high for 5 minutes. Make sure to scrape the sides of the bowl to make sure everything gets mixed.

12) When rolls come out of the oven, frost them using half of the frosting. This frosting will melt down into the roll. After they have cooled a bit, top them with another lovely dollop.

The Golden Pancake

Amanda-Proof Pancakes

(from Paula Deen)

I love pancakes. I love cooking. I love eating. I do not, however, love eating the pancakes that I cook myself. Seriously, I have more trouble making pancakes than a dog has not wagging its tail. They come out soggy and never seem to cook all the way through.

And then came Paula Deen. I don't know why I didn't try her recipe earlier. She is, after all, the queen of comfort food. The trick? Separate the egg, beat the whites, and fold it into the batter. Every single pancake came out delicious and edible.

I'm a big eater, but I can't eat an entire batch of pancakes. (That's not true. I probably could, but I would get a wicked stomach ache.) So I cooked up the entire batch and laid the extras out on a cooling rack. Once cooled, and after I devoured my plate of fluffy goodness, I cut wax paper into small squares and laid a piece between pancakes, creating little stacks. I stuck the stacks into a plastic freezer bag, put them in the freezer, and had pancakes for days! My mom says you can lay them out on a cookie sheet and stick them in the freezer, but let's be real. Finding room in the freezer for a cookie sheet (let alone multiple cookie sheets) is just not going to happen. So I do it the lazy way. When it's time to heat them up, put them on a cookie sheet in the oven or pop them in the toaster! If you have a toaster oven, even better.

As for toppings, I'm a fan of mini chocolate chips, greek yogurt, and real maple syrup (my grandpa happens to make his own, and I'm a lucky recipient!). Oh, and powdered sugar because pancakes are always better sprinkled with powdered sugar. What are your favorite pancake toppings?


Paula Deen's Pancakes                                             Printer friendly
Recipe...

• 1 1/4 c all-purpose flour
• 3 Tbsp. sugar
• 2 tsp. baking powder
• 1/4 tsp. salt
• 1 c milk
• 2 large eggs, separated
• 3 Tbsp. butter, melted, plus more for cooking

1) Heat your pancakes skillet over medium-ish heat. In a bowl, combine dry ingredients (flour, sugar, baking powder, salt). In another bowl, combine milk, egg yolks, and 3 Tbsp. melted butter. Add this to the flour mixture and whisk until smooth.

2) Beat egg whites at medium-high speed with an electric mixer (unless, of course, your arm has a medium-high speed) until stiff and fold into the batter.

3) Melt some butter in the skillet, drop some batter in it, and cook until bubbles form on top and the sides look a little cooked. Flip and finish cooking until golden. If you need to keep them warm, put them on a cookie sheet in the oven at a low temperature. Otherwise, gobble them up!