Monday, December 22, 2008

Swedish Tea Ring (aka Cinnamon Roll Wreath)

Swedish Tea Ring (aka Cinnamon Roll Wreath)


1 Cup warm Milk
2 eggs, room temperature
1/3 cup margarine, melted
4-1/2 cups bread flour
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup white sugar
2-1/2 teaspoons yeast
1 cup brown sugar, packed
2-1/2 Tablespoons ground cinnamon
1/3 cup butter, softened

1) Place ingredients in a warmed bowl in the following order: milk, yeast, eggs, margarine, flour, salt, sugar. I use my kitchenaid mixer and turn it to speed 2 with the bread hook attached. Mix until well blended together and is no longer very sticky.

2) Place dough in greased bowl, cover with damp cloth and place in draft free place. Allow dough to rise - about 1 hour.

3) After the dough has doubled in size, turn it out onto a lightly floured surface, cover and let rest 10 minutes. Meanwhile, in a small bowl, combine the brown sugar and cinnamon.

4) Roll the dough into a 16x21 inch rectangle. Spread dough with 1/3 cup butter and sprinkle evenly with sugar/cinnamon mixture. Roll up dough and make a long rope. Place on a lightly greased cookie sheet and form into a circle and pinch the ends of the rope together. Take scissors and cut 3/4 of the way through every inch or so. Take each loop and turn to the side to lay flatly against the loop beside it. Cover and let rise until nearly doubled, about 30 minutes. Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 400 degress F.

5) Bake rolls in preheated oven until golden brown, about 15 minutes. While rolls are baking, mix together powdered sugar, milk and vanilla. Place Maraschino cherries around the rolls decoratively and drizzle with frosting. Voila!

You absolutely HAVE to try these! Sooo good!

Saturday, December 20, 2008

Breakfast Sausage Casserole

For Christmas Breakfast, I made this yummy Breakfast Sausage Casserole. It was a hit, and so easy to make, though a bit time consuming. Recipe adapted from Allrecipes.com
1 pound ground pork sausage
1 teaspoon mustard powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
4 eggs, beaten
2 cups milk
6 slices white bread, toasted and cut into cubes
8 ounces mild cheddar cheese, shredded

1) Crumble sausage into a medium skillet. Cook over medium heat until evenly brown; drain.

2) In a medium bowl, mix together mustard powder, salt, eggs and milk. Add the sausage, bread cubes, and cheese, and stir to coat evenly. Pour into a greased 9x13 inch baking dish. Cover, and chill in the refrigerator for 8 hours, or overnight.

3) Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F

4) Cover, and bake 45-60 minutes. Uncover, and reduce temperature to 325 degrees F. Bake for an additional 30 minutes, or until set.

Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 1 hour, 30 minutes
Ready in: 9 hours, 50 minutes
Yields: 8 servings

This casserole was definitely a keeper, if you're a sausage lover. My little family for 4 almost finished the entire casserole in one sitting! I'll definitely be making this again. It was great to just pull it out of the refrigerator the next morning and all I had to do was pop it in the oven. Lovely breakfast.

12.20.08 Christmas Breakfast