First Post of the 2010!

2010. Wow, everytime I see that number I am amazed. Every year we progress, it sounds more and more like a sci-fi movie.

2009 Holiday Baking season was very easy for me this year. I narrowed my gift tins to three items: chocolate-covered pretzels, pralines, and double layered peppermint bark (made by my daughter, Savannah who loves getting credit).  I made a list of my friends and neighbors with families and picked one main baked good for each. The desserts were pies, eggnog bread, brownies with homemade fudge sauce, and praline pull apart bread. The last three recipes courtesy of Southern Living Magazine, a magazine which I have told my husband if we ever hit bottom, we will have to send the children out to beg for money to cover my subscription renewal costs. I may exaggerate, slightly. Not all of them have to go out at the same time.

From praline pullapart bread

(photo and recipe courtesy of Southern Living Magazine)


Here is how I did it:

Hands-on Time: 15 min.; Total Time: 9 hr., 25 min.
Don't skip the quick step of whipping the cream before stirring in the brown sugar—that's the secret to the smooth texture of the caramel-flavored sauce.

Yield: Makes 12 servings

Ingredients

• 1  cup  granulated sugar
• 4  teaspoons  ground cinnamon, divided
• 1  (2-lb.) package frozen bread roll dough
• 1/2  cup  butter, melted
• 1  cup  chopped pecans
• 3/4  cup  whipping cream
• 3/4  cup  firmly packed brown sugar

Preparation

1. Stir together granulated sugar and 3 tsp. cinnamon. Coat each roll in butter; dredge rolls in sugar mixture. Arrange in a lightly greased 10-inch tube pan (I also used a Bundt pan and it worked well for me); sprinkle with pecans. Cover and chill 8 to 18 hours.
2. Preheat oven to 325°. Beat whipping cream at high speed with an electric mixer until soft peaks form; stir in brown sugar and remaining 1 tsp. cinnamon. Pour mixture over dough. Place pan on an aluminum foil-lined baking sheet.
3. Bake at 325° for 1 hour or until golden brown. Cool on a wire rack 10 minutes; invert onto a serving plate, and drizzle with any remaining glaze in pan.

Note: We tested with Rhodes White Dinner Rolls.

Southern Living, DECEMBER 2009

 

 This is definitely one of my new cool-weather recipes. It is so easy and really good. It took no time for me to memorize this recipe. Already, a plus! 

 

From the same SL Christmas edition, I made their Chocolate Citrus Cake. My husband really liked this cake. I am making a smaller version of it tonight and will feature it soon. I wish I had posted it in time for the holidays, but you all know how crazy the holidays are...

 

Well, I hope you all have had a great beginning to the New Year! 

 

I feel so blessed and happy.  Life is good.