This is a recipe for homemade cinnamon buns that I found. If you want a small project or just feel like making a treat for yourself or others then give it a shot. Below i have the recipe as well as recipe cards which you can print out onto 3" x 5" index cards.

Ooey-Gooey Cinnamon Buns

Ingredients:
1 tsp white sugar
1/2 tbsp active dry yeast
1/2 cup warm water
1/2 cup milk
1/4 cup white sugar
1/4 cup butter
1 tsp salt
2 eggs, beaten
4 cups all-purpose flour

Syrup
3/4 cup butter
3/4 cup brown sugar

Filling
3/4 cup brown sugar
1 tbsp ground cinnamon

1/4 cup melted butter

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Directions:
1.In a small bowl combine 1tsp sugar, water and yeast and let stand until creamy, 10 min. Warm milk in saucepan, remove and mix in sugar, butter and salt until melted.
Noob Tip: Never let the milk boil, heat breaks down proteins which make the dough taste crap.

2.In large bowl combine yeast mixture, milk mixture, eggs and 1 1/2 cups flour. Slowly mix in the rest of the flour 1/2 cup at a time until the dough pulls together. Turn onto a lightly floured surface and knead until smooth and elastic.
Pro Tip: Dough should want to stick to its self more than your hands. All of the flour may not be required (-/+ 1/2 cup)

3.Lightly coat dough in bowl and cover with damp cloth. Let rise in warm place 'til double in volume, 1 hour.

4.While dough is rising, make syrup by melting butter and brown sugar in small saucepan over medium heat, whisk until smooth then pour into greased 9" x 13" baking pan. Make filling by combining brown sugar and cinnamon in small bowl.
Noob Tip: Do NOT overcook the syrup, too long on the burner and it'll turn into fudge.

5.Turn dough out onto floured surface and roll into a 18" x 14" rectangle. Brush with 2 tbsp melted butter, leaving a 1/2" border; sprinkle with filling mixture. Starting at long side, tightly roll up, pinching seam to seal. Brush with remaining 2 tablespoons butter. Using floss, cut into 15 pieces; place cut side down, in prepared pan. Cover and let rise for 2 hour or until doubled in volume.
Pro Tip: To cut with floss, slip the floss under the dough, make a loop and pull through. This is preferred since a knife will squish the roll.

6.Meanwhile, preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C).

7.Bake in preheated oven for 25 to 30 minutes, until golden brown. Let cool in pan for 3 minutes, then invert onto serving platter. Scrape remaining filling from the pan onto the rolls.
Pro Tip: To make icing topping, whisk 8 oz cream cheese, 1/2 cup margarine, 3 cups confectioners' sugar, 1 tbsp milk and 1 tsp vanilla extract until frosty.
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-->Now if you'd like to print this out then you can find the recipe cards here <--

ENJOY!

Recipe: Maple-Rosemary Satay Skewers with Wild Rice Salad

I have neglected this blog. For that, I am sorry. :( Today I come bearing a recipe that I brought to a friend's for dinner recently. I promise it is full of delicious and because it's made with maple syrup it's totally Canadian.

You will need:

1-2 Pork Tenderloins (depending on how many moochers you're feeding; I used 1.5 to comfortably feed four)

1/4 cup maple syrup (the real stuff, if you put Aunt Jemima's in there I will slap you through your monitor)

3 Tbsp. lemon juice

3 Tbsp. soy sauce

2 Tbsp. grainy Dijon mustard (or any mustard you like)

2 Tbsp. chopped fresh rosemary (if you don't have fresh, you can use dried, it'll still turn out okay. You might want to use a bit more in that case. Caveat: if you use dried rosemary, there will be loads of it sticking to your skewers, which can be a bit offputting to picky eaters.)

Bamboo skewers (remember to soak your skewers in water for at least ten minutes before you use them, or they will burn!)

Procedure:

Easiest recipe on the planet.

Combine everything except the tenderloins in a ziploc bag. You might want to use a little bit more maple syrup if you have it, or a little bit more mustard. It just depends on your taste.

Cut the tenderloins in half widthwise (so they're half as thick) and then into strips.

Dump the strips into the bag, seal it, put it in the fridge and walk away for at least four to six hours, preferably overnight. Make sure your ziploc bag is sealed. You do not want this stuff leaking all over your fridge.

The next day (or four to six hours later, whatever) thread the marinated tenderloin strips on to your bamboo skewers. Yes, it is messy. Be a man. Toss out the rest of the marinade and run to the sink to wash your hands like a little girl.

Throw the skewers onto the grill for about ten minutes. Watch them like a hawk. They will burn quickly if you're not careful.

Serve hot, warm, or cold, just don't leave them out too long. They taste good with a spicy thai sauce or a peanut sauce to dip them in.


For the salad:

2 cups cooked wild and brown rice mix (depends how much you're making, again. You could use just brown rice if you want, just wild rice, whatever. Just don't use white rice, or it will turn out mushy.)

Chopped pecans

Green onions, chopped (one or two should be fine)

Dried cranberries

Dried chopped apricots

Parsley

Dressing of your choice (nothing creamy - go for Greek, Italian or maybe a vinagrette. This is not the time to indulge in your personal obsession with Ranch.)

Procedure:

Put your two cups of chilled rice in a bowl. Add all ingredients to the bowl.

Dress the salad lightly. The salad should be pretty flavorful all by itself, so think of the dressing more as another ingredient rather than the source of the flavor as with lettuce-based salads.

If you screw up and add too much, don't worry about it, the rice will soak up some of the extra dressing so nobody will know how hard you fail.

Chill until serving. If you have to leave it in the fridge for a while, cover it with saran wrap to keep the rice from drying out.


Both recipes were modified from ones by Julie van Rosendaal.