Short Cut Cinnamon Rolls

This recipe uses ready-made croissant dough to produce petite sweet rolls that you can brag on, with lots better home-made taste than the refrigerated cinnamon rolls in the same display case. It's so easy I'm almost embarrassed to write directions.

First things first

🠞 Preheat Oven at 350°F (177°C), yes, a lower temperature than package directions.

🠞 "Butter" (Margarine, Veggie Oil, or, heck, bacon grease) an 8-inch by 8-inch  (20-cm by 20-cm) or larger baking sheet or pan.

Ingredients

✔ 1 8-ounce (226-grams) Refrigerated Crescent Dough Sheet

✔ 3 to 4 Tablespoons spreadable Margarine or salted Butter

✔ 3 to 4 Tablespoons Granulated or Brown Sugar, or mix 'em 

✔ 1 to 2 Tablespoons Ground Cinnamon

✔ Caramel Sundae Syrup

Directions

1. On a lightly floured surface, unroll the dough sheet.

2. Slather on margarine or salted butter evenly, leaving half-inch clear on one short edge.*

3. Sprinkle on sugar evenly, again leaving half-inch of short edge clear.*

4. Sprinkle on cinnamon evenly, again leaving half-inch of short edge clear.*

5. From opposite of clear short edge, roll sheet up toward clear short edge, rolling close but not tight, then pinch clean edge against roll to finish.

6. Cut roll into 1 to 1½ i-inch (2.5 to 3.8 cm) pieces. Wet knife blade before each cut. Makes 7 to 10 rolls.

7. Place on baking sheet or pan, close together will promote height and softer edges, well-spaced will promote spread and browner edges, but not by much either way, so don't agonize over it. Or do both.

8. Bake 15 to 20 minutes (longer than package directions) until golden brown.

9. Remove from oven, cool for a few minutes, then apply the caramel sauce. WARNING: If you apply too much caramel sauce, you may find it necessary to lick up the excess from the pan. Just sayin'. 

* Amounts can be varied to taste.

;^)

Ice Cream Cone Sundae

I enjoy the standard waffle cone as much as I do the ice cream. This recipe emphasizes that delicious cone taste.







Ingredients
Toaster Waffle
Ice Cream
Toppings (optional)

Directions                               Preheat Toaster Oven to 400°F
In a pre-heated toaster oven, BAKE (do NOT toast) the waffle directly on the wire rack. The purpose is to crisp the waffle throughout, not just on its surface. In my toaster oven, this takes about seven minutes.

Serve
Topped with Ice Cream, flavor of your choice
Enhanced with toppings, as may be desired

;^)

Chocolate Sundae Syrup

This recipe, the one our Mom used, produces, hands-down, the best-tasting chocolate sundae syrup I have ever enjoyed. I've been making it, myself, for nearly a half century. This sauce has a rich chocolate flavor and, despite the sugar, still retains a hint of dark chocolate overtones. And it's pretty simple to make.

Ingredients
1  Cup Hershey's Unsweetened Cocoa Powder
4  Cups Granulated Sugar
¼ Teaspoon Salt

2  Cups Water
1  Teaspoon Vanilla

Directions
1. In a suitably-sized saucepan, combine first three (dry) ingredients thoroughly. Mixing the powder into the sugar helps it to dissolve when the water is added in the next step.
2. Add Water and Vanilla and stir to mix well.
3. Heat to boiling, mixing continuously.
4. Simmer for three minutes, stirring often.

Serve
Hot or cold, over ice cream or whatever comes to mind
Mix into hot or cold milk

Store
In refrigerator.

;^)

Five Cup Salad

A fancy-dress version of the
Five Cup Salad (Image **)

(also known as: Ambrosia)

This is an easy one that many people know, but, because of the somewhat unusual combination of ingredients, folks tend to overlook it when shuffling through their on-board memory files. It can serve as a side,  salad or even dessert. It's always popular at potlucks, too.

Ingredients

~ Canned mandarin oranges (15 ounce can, or more)

~ Canned pineapple, small pieces (15 ounce can, or more)

~ 1 Cup shredded, sweetened coconut

~ 1 Cup miniature marshmallows

~ 1 Cup sour cream

Preparation

~ Drain the fruit well. (The juice can be saved for other purposes, basting, for instance, or even for drinking, with the addition of a proper thinning agent, like, ohhh, maybe vodka, tequila or rum.)  

~ To combine, first thoroughly stir together the sour cream and the coconut. Next, stir in (gently) the fruit. Finally, mix in (gently) the marshmallows.

~ Chill (the salad, not you). (Well, you too. After all there is that leftover juice.)

You will be tempted to eat this right away. Don’t. If you chill it in the ‘fridge for at least six hours, the flavors will meld and the cold will bring up the sweetness. It will taste 47.5% better. Guaranteed.

If you want to dress this up

Drain a small jar of maraschino cherries (no stems), then let the cherries rest on a paper towel for at least 10 minutes. (If you don’t get all the juice drained off, the cherries will bleed messily on the salad.)

Put the salad in a decent-looking serving bowl or container and smooth the top. Dot the cherries in a pleasing pattern on top.

Serve cold.

Variations

Yogurt or whipped topping can be substituted for all or part of the sour cream.

Other fruits can be added or substituted, including grapes, bananas, strawberries or other sweet berries, or crushed pecans.

;^)

Thick, Rich 'n Easy Tapioca Pudding

While it is still a cooked pudding, this recipe lets you bypass the tricky
parts—it's cheek-to-cheek tapioca grinning with vanilla flavor.


Ingredients
~ 1 Box of Cook and Serve Vanilla Pudding (4 half-cup servings size)
~ 1 12 ounce can evaporated milk + 4 ounces (half cup) water
~ 2 or 3 Tablespoons Tapioca

Preparation
~ Combine ingredients in a medium-sized sauce pan, whisk together thoroughly
~ Allow to stand 5-10 minutes.(this softens the tapioca)
~ Whisk thoroughly again (the tapioca likes to clump together; you have to train it not to).
~ Cook according to package directions, stirring thoroughly and often.

Serve hot, warm or chilled.

I imagine this approach might work with other flavors of cooked pudding as well.

;^)