Hazelnut Cinnamon Rolls

Here's a simple and yummy cinnamon roll recipe that you will find yourself using over and over. The icing is so good.... The only thing we did not like about the recipe were the toasted hazelnuts. So use them if you want, but they are really good without them. The recipe was adapted from Giada DeLaurentiis.

Hazelnut Cinnamon Rolls

4 Tbsp. butter, melted
1/3 cup hazelnuts, toasted and coarsely chopped
1/4 cup packed dark brown sugar
1 tsp. ground cinnamon
3 Tbsp. sugar
1/8 tsp. ground cloves
1 (1 pound) loaf frozen white bread dough, thawed
3/4 cup powdered sugar
3 Tbsp. mascarpone cheese
1 Tbsp. buttermilk

Brush 1 tablespoon of melted butter over the bottom and sides of an 8 by 8 baking dish. cinnamon, and cloves in small bowl. Roll out dough on a lightly floured surface to a 12 by 9-inch rectangle. brush 1 tablespoon of butter over dough. sprinkle with nut mixture, leaving a 1/2 inch border along top and bottom sides. Starting at 1 long side, roll up like a jelly roll, forming a log. Pinch seam to seal. Cut into 9 equal pieces. Arrange, cut side down in baking dish. Cover with plastic wrap and let rise in warm, draft free area for 45 minutes.
Position rack in center of oven and heat to 325 degrees.
Bake the rolls uncovered for 25 minutes, until the tops are golden brown. Meanwhile, whisk powdered sugar, mascarpone and buttermilk in small bowl until smooth and creamy.
Brush remaining butter on tops of cinnamon rolls and drizzle with icing. Serve warm.

Chai Shortbread

This good cookie recipe comes from my friend, Alicia. She sent it to me a while ago and I finally got around to trying them out. The cookies are very good and are wonderful with coffee and vanilla ice cream. This is a simple recipe.

Chai Shortbread

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. ground cardamom
1/4 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/8 tsp. ground cloves
Dash of freshly ground black pepper
3/4 cup powdered sugar
10 Tbsp. butter, softened
1 Tbsp. ice water

Lightly spoon flour into dry measuring cups; level with knife. Combine flour and next 5 ingredients, stirring well with whisk. Place sugar and butter in a medium bowl; beat with mixer at medium speed until light and fluffy. Gradually add flour mixture to butter mixture, beating at low speed until just combined (dough will be crumbly). Sprinkle with ice water, toss with fork. Divide dough in half; shape into 2 (6 inch long) logs. Wrap in plastic wrap and chill for 1 hour or until very firm.
Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
Unwrap dough. Carefully cut each log into 18 slices with a serrated knife. Place circles 2 inches apart on baking sheets lined with parchment. Bake for 10 minutes. Cool on pans for 5 minutes. Remove to wire racks to cool completely.

Oil and Vinegar Potato Salad

I came across this recipe in my July 2009 bon appetit and thought it would be the perfect side for my smoked ribs and I was right. I'm usually not a fan of potato salad made with vinegar, but this is a keeper. The recipe called for Yukon gold potatoes, but my store did not have them, so I used red. I also added some stone ground mustard to the olive oil for a little extra flavor. The salad is also good cold, but better served the same day.

Oil and Vinegar Potato Salad

Serves 4 to 6

1 1/2 lbs. red potatoes, unpeeled

1/4 cup red wine vinegar

1/2 tsp. sugar

1/2 small red onion, very thinly sliced

1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil

2 Tbsp. chopped fresh Italian parsley

1 Tbsp. stone ground mustard

Cook potatoes in large pot of boiling salted water until tender, about 30 minutes. Drain. Cool to just warm, 10 to 15 minutes; peel potatoes. Cut each potato in half, then into 1/3-inch slices.

Place warm potatoes in large bowl. Stir vinegar and sugar in small bowl until sugar dissolves, then drizzle over potatoes. Toss to coat. Mix in onion slices. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Cool to room temperature.

Mix oil and mustard. Add with parsley to potatoes. Toss well and let marinate about 20 minutes and up to 2 hours at room temperature.

All Purpose Dry Seasoning

I tried a new rub last night on some pork spare ribs. The recipe comes from a cookbook called Barbecuing and Sausage-Making Secrets by Charlie and Ruthie Knote. I rubbed the ribs with the seasoning and let them sit for 4 hours, then I smoked them for another 4 hours. The rub was very good and is one I would use again with a few tweaks.

All Purpose Dry Seasoning

2 Tbsp. sugar

1 1/2 Tbsp. salt

1 1/2 tsp. ground celery seed

1 tsp. white pepper

1 tsp. paprika

1 tsp. ground thyme

1/2 tsp. onion powder

1/4 tsp. garlic powder

1/2 tsp. ground nutmeg

Crush all lumps. Mix together in a bowl. Stores in a dry place for 3 to 6 months. Makes 3/8 cup.

Frosted Devil's Food Cookies

I came across this cookie recipe in the Sunday paper coupon section and thought I would give it a go. I felt the cookies were just okay, but Dan took them to work and everyone there loved them. They seemed a little on the gummy side to me. The ones that I made sandwiches with tasted the best. I probably would not make them again unless I was in a pinch for time. The recipe calls for Reduced Sugar Chocolate Fudge Frosting, but I opted for vanilla.

Frosted Devil's Food Cookies

1 (18.25 oz.) box Pillsbury Reduced Sugar Devil's Food Cake Mix

1/3 cup Crisco shortening

1/3 cup cold water

1 large egg

1 (15 oz.) container Pillsbury Reduced Sugar Chocolate Fudge Frosting

Heat oven to 375 degrees. Spray cookie sheets with no-stick cooking spray.

Combine cake mix and shortening in a medium bowl with an electric mixer at medium speed until a coarse meal forms. Add water and egg mixing on low, until a smooth dough forms. Shape into 5 dozen 1-inch balls. Spray bottom of a cup with non-stick spray and flatten each cookie into 2-inch round.

Bake 5 to 7 minutes or until center is firm. Cool 1 minute and remove to cooling racks. Spread with frosting. If desired, sprinkle with decorative candy bits.

Arugula and Fava-Bean Crostini

This is another recipe that we prepared in Phoenix. it's a light and fresh meal starter and is simple to prepare. The recipe calls for fresh fava beans, which we could not find. We did, however, find some precooked ones at Trader Joe's. The recipe says that you can substitute frozen edamame for the favas. We tried this, this past weekend and the flavor was not as good.

Arugula and Fava-Bean Crostini

1 cup shelled fresh fava beans or shelled fresh or frozen edamame
1/4 cup plus 1 Tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil, divided plus additional for drizzling
1 1/2 cups packed baby arugula, divided
3 Tbsp. grated Pecorino Toscano
1/4 tsp. grated lemon zest
1/2 tsp. fresh lemon juice
1 baguette
1 garlic clove, halved crosswise

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Cook fava beans (ours were pre-cooked) in boiling water, uncovered, 3 to 4 minutes. Gently peel off skins ( if using edamame do not peel).
Pulse fava beans in processor until coarsely chopped, then transfer 1/2 of mixture to a large bowl. Add 1/4 cup oil, 1/2 cup arugula, cheese, lemon juice and zest, 1/2 tsp. salt and 1/8 tsp. pepper to remaining beans in processor and puree until smooth. Add to bowl. Coarsely chop remaining arugula and gently fold into fava mixture.
Cut 16 diagonal slices (1/3 inch thick) from baguette and put onto 4 sided sheet pan. Brush with remaining tablespoon of oil. Bake until pale golden, 8 to 10 minutes. Rub with cut side of garlic.
Spoon bean mixture onto bread and drizzle with olive oil.

Mushroom Carpaccio with Pecorino Toscano

A few weeks ago, we spent a long weekend in Phoenix with our friends, Alicia and Shazam. The day before we flew out, my May 2009 edition of Gourmet came in the mail, so I threw it in my backpack for something to break up the monotony of the book I was reading. There was a great section on Tuscan inspired recipes and I thought they would be fun to try in Phoenix. After going to Trader Joe's, AJ's, Safeway and LeeLee Market, we had all of the ingredients to create a great dinner. We all took part in the prep and cooking, which is a great way to spend time with friends. Here is one of the recipes we tried out. Alicia and I liked it, Dan and Shazam were not so fond of it. It did make a pretty plate, though.

Mushroom Carpaccio with Pecorino Toscano

1/2 lb. large white mushrooms
1 1/2 Tbsp. fresh lemon juice
1/2 lb. Pecorino Toscano or Parmigiano-Reggiano
3 Tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil
1/4 cup celery leaves

Slice mushrooms lengthwise as thinly as possible. Spread them out on a large platter and drizzle with lemon juice. Using a vegetable peeler, shave some of the cheese over the top. Drizzle with oil and sprinkle with celery leaves.