Pecan Currant Sticky Buns

I bought a whole cookbook just for this recipe - they are to die for!!!
DOUGH
1 1/2 Cups warm milk
2 packages yeast (almost 2 TBS)
1/3 cup sugar
5 1/4 Cups flour
2 tsp salt
2 large eggs
1/2 stick (4 TBS )unsalted butter softened

FILLING
2/3 Cup packed dark brown sugar (I use light)
2/3 Cup dried currants (I leave these out)
2/3 Cup chopped pecans
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 stick (4 TBS) unsalted butter softened

SYRUP
1 stick (8 TBS) unsalted butter cut into pieces
1/2 Cup packed dark brown sugar (I use light)
1/2 Cup sugar
2 TBS light corn syrup
1/4 Cup heavy cream

Make the dough: Stir together 1/2 cup warm milk, yeast, and pinch of sugar in a small bowl until yeast is dissolved. Let stand until foamy, about 5 minutes.
Put flour, remaining sugar, and salt in mixer bowl and mix with dough hook at low speed until combined. Whisk together remaining 1 Cup milk and eggs in a small bowl, then add to dry ingredients, along with yeast mixture and mix at medium speed until a very soft dough forms about 2 minutes. Add butter and continue beating until dough is smooth and elastic about 4 minutes (dough will be very sticky).
Rinse a large bowl with hot water, then put dough in wet bowl and cover tightly with plastic wrap. Let dough rise in a warm draft-free place until doubled in bulk about 1 1/4 hours.
Prepare the filling: Stir together all ingredients except butter in a small bowl.
Make the syrup: Butter muffin cups. Combine butter, sugars, corn syrup and heavy cream in a 1 quart saucepan and heat over low heat , stirring, until butter is melted. Bring to a simmer and simmer, stirring, for 2 minutes. Spoon 2 TBS warm syrup into each muffin cup.

Fill and form the buns. Turn dough out on a well-floured surface and dust with flour . Roll into a 16 by 12 inch rectangle with a floured rolling pin. Turn dough if necessary so long side is nearest you. Brush off excess flour, then spread evenly with softened butter. Sprinkle filling evenly over dough. Beginning with long side near you, roll up dough to form a 16 inch long log and press seam to seal.
Cut log crosswise into 12 rounds. Arrange buns cut side up in muffin cups. Cover with oiled plastic wrap and let rise in a warm draft-free place until double in bulk about 1 hour.
Put rack in middle of oven and preheat oven to 350.
Bake buns until puffed and golden, 30-35 minutes. Cool in pan on a rack for 10 minutes, then invert buns onto rack and cool slightly. Serve warm.

Darn Good Chili

This is Marcie Hoopes recipe.
1 1/2 lb of cooked hamburger seasoned with salt, pepper and a little garlic powder to taste
2 15 oz cans of tomato sauce
2 15 oz cans chili beans with liquid
2 15 oz cans of dark kidney beans drained
2 15 oz cans stewed tomatoes (Italian or regular)
1 tsp cumin
1 tsp pepper
a little garlic powder
1 or 2 TBS chili powder
salt to taste
1 tsp sugar if desired
1 onion sliced in strips
1 bell pepper sliced in strips

Dump all the ingredients in a big pot and heat through. Add seasonings to taste. When everything is blended add onions and peppers and heat through for maybe 5-10 minutes - you want the vegetables to be crunchy.

Cookie Dough Ice Cream Cake

I meant to post this after Sarah's birthday. We made her an ice cream cake for her birthday. Start by making two yellow round cakes. When they are cool remove them from the pan. We made homemade cookie dough ice cream by mixing chunks of cookie dough in vanilla ice cream. Reserve some dough to put clumps on top. Press ice cream in the same cake pans that you cooked the cakes in - line them with plastic. Assemble. (It might be good to also freeze the cake. This will help the icing not melt when you put it on.) When the ice cream is frozen solid in the pans and your cakes are very cold, mix together cool whip and vanilla ice cream to make the frosting. Then put cake, ice cream, cake, ice cream and then frost with ice cream cool whip mixture. Top with cookie dough and you can also put some cookie crumbs around the bottom of the cake. Refrigerate overnight.

Tostados

This is what we had for dinner last night. I had some leftover brisket and I saw this on the Pioneer Woman Cook's blog.
We did the tostados just one layer. Use either tostado shells or fried corn tortillas. Put refried beans on it (Pioneer woman suggested putting a little red taco sauce in it to give it a kick). Cheese on top of that and then heat them in the oven (350 for 5 minutes). Top with leftover brisket, lettuce, avocados, sour cream and Pico de Gallo (recipe below). It was fantastic.

PICO DE GALLO
Five plum (Roma) tomatoes (firm, not soft), 1/2 large or 1 small onion, 3 jalapeno peppers, cilantro, lime juice, and salt. Mix and enjoy.

Chicken and Cheese Quesadillas

1 8 ounce pkg cream cheese
2 TBS whipping cream
3 TBS diced green chilies
2 TBS chopped onion
2 TBS chopped fresh cilantro
1/2 tsp garlic pepper
12 tsp vegetable oil
6 flour tortillas
1 1/2 cups shredded jack cheese
1 1/2 cups shredded or diced cooked chicken breast
salsa, sour cream and avocado slices
In a food processor, combine cream cheese, cream, chilies, onion, cilantro and garlic pepper. Process until blended and as smooth as possible. Make each quesadillas as follows:
Pour 2 tsp oil in a large skillet and heat until hot. Lay a tortilla atop oil, swirl around and turn over. Spread top of tortilla all over with about 2 TBS cream cheese mixture. Spread 1/2 of tortilla with 1/4 cup cheese and 1/4 cup chicken. Cover over medium low heat, until tortilla is golden on underside. Fold tortilla in half and remove from pan. Repeat with remaining tortillas and ingredients as above. To serve, cut each quesadilla into three to four wedges. Accompany with salsa and sour cream and garnish with avocado slices if desired.

Easy Streusel Coffee Cake

1 Box yellow cake mix
1 box vanilla instant pudding mix (4 serving)
1/3 Cup vegetable oil
4 eggs
1 Cup sour cream
Beat yellow cake mix, instant vanilla pudding mix, oil, eggs and sour cream together until no lumps.
Grease and flour a bundt pan. Put 1/2 of the batter in pan. Sprinkle 2/3 of streusel mix over batter and top streusel with remaining batter then the rest of the topping. Bake at 350 for 50 minutes.
Streusel:
1/2 Cup flour
1/2 Cup brown sugar
2 tsp cinnamon
2 tsp melted butter.