Rollin’ Cinnabon to the Curb

What better way to start the week than with a hot and gooey pan of cinnamon rolls to meet you on the way out the door? I decided to try it this week and lemme tell you—it did make a difference! :-) I figured I would try to squeeze in one last Hungry Girl recipe from my Cookbook of the Month, and this one has been calling my name for quite sometime now. And lucky for you, they were a sweet success and mighty cheap to make! I would say these are semi-homemade, so if you have about a half hour to spare, you have no excuse not to make these! Of course if you are a person with no time to bake these whatsoever, you can always head on over to Holey Donuts and try out their delish Cinnamon Buns.(I did a review here.) Also, I have decided these qualify for my Recipe Redo on a Budget.

But first, how the heck did a cinnamon roll even get created? Thought this was interesting!

In the 13^th century Marco Polo opened the spice trade to Europe. Medieval chefs were using cinnamon and the cinnamon was very expensive. Cinnamon rolls are probably descended from their first fritters. There was an English bun called the Chelsea bun that was described in an English cookbook almost exactly like a cinnamon roll. Then in the 1910s a cookbook did an exact recipe for cinnamon rolls. By the 1922 there was a huge fad for delicious cinnamon rolls that everyone could enjoy and everyone did want them. Then in the 18^th century the Philadelphia cinnamon roll was born. With brown sugar, honey, cinnamon, and raisins, it was a new twist on the old favorite. It was brought by the English and German immigrants to America. No one will ever know where the true origin of cinnamon rolls come from, after all, cinnamon and bread are very ancient foods. When foods are used often and for a very long period of time, origins are difficult to discover. While history is fascinating, the taste of cinnamon rolls is a testament to all those who have contributed to the taste of it in the past.

 

Budget Breakdown

• Brown Sugar- freebie
• Pillsbury Reduced-Fat Crescent Rolls- $1.49
• Splenda- $3.85
• Cool Whip Free- $2.99
• Light Butter Spread- $1.75
• Fat-Free Cream Cheese- $2.29
• Salt- freebie
• Cinnamon- freebie
• Butter Spray- $2.29

Total= $14.66  Per Bun= $1.22

*Generally a cinnamon roll from Cinnabon or any fast food place will cost you around four bucks, and not to mention a hefty overdose of calories and sugar.*

Gooey Cinnamon Rolls with Cream Cheese Icing

Makes: 12 

Ingredients:

--For Dough--

• 1 package refrigerated Pillsbury reduced-fat Crescent Rolls
• 16 sprays of I Can’t Believe It’s Not Butter Spray

--For Filling--

• 1/4 C dark brown sugar
• 1/4 C granulated Splenda(or other no cal sweetener of choice)
• 1/2 Tbsp light butter spread
• 1 1/2 Tsp cinnamon
• 1/8 tsp salt

--For Icing--

• 1/4 C Cool Whip Free, thawed
• 3 Tbsp FF cream cheese, room temp
• 1 Tbsp Splenda, granulated

Directions

• Preheat oven to 350 F
• To make filling, combine all ingredients in medium bowl, stirring well to make sure the butter gets mixed in evenly. Set aside.
• To make icing, combine all ingredients in small bowl and mix until smooth and blended. Place in the fridge to chill and set.
• Prepare a dry surface by sprinkling it with a small amount of flour to prevent sticking. Remove dough from package and knead into a ball.
• Using a rolling pin lightly dusted with flour, very firmly roll out dough into a thin sheet about 8 x 12 inches. Spray the dough’s surface evenly with butter spray.
• Spread filling evenly over dough, leaving a 1/2 in border around the edges.

• Starting with long side of the dough, roll it up tightly, forming a log. Once dough is completely rolled up, pinch the long seam to seal.
• Turn the log over so that the seam side is facing down. Using a very sharp knife, cut log into 12(the original recipe says 8, but I squeezed in 4 more!)being careful not to squish dough.
• Spray a baking pan with nonstick spray and arrange pieces of dough in the pan with swirl sides facing up. Use your hands to firmly press down the tops of the pieces. Pinch the side seams if necessary.
• Cover pan with aluminum foil. Bake in oven for 8 minutes.
• Remove foil and return pan to oven. Bake an additional 5 minutes, or until rolls have risen and are slightly browned on top.
• Evenly distribute icing over cinnamon rolls and dig in!

Here’s a virtual roll to quell your cravings! (I know you have one now!!)

Chilly Days=Warm Meals

I don't know about you, but I have already had enough of this cold weather thing called winter. And unfortunately, it's only about half over(at least here in Minnesota). The past week or so, our area has been featured on the national Weather channel, which is unusual, due to our cold temps getting down to -50 F with windchill. It is actually dangerous to be out for more than a couple minutes and they try to tell all people to stay inside as much as you possibly can. To me, that's just a good excuse to stay inside and cook up a creation that will warm you from the inside out, which is exactly what this ham and cheese brunch ring does. Not only is it a great way to use up some leftover ham you have sitting around(which was another reason for making this), but it pairs perfectly with a steaming bowl of tomato soup! Believe me, you will get rave reviews, no doubt! Of course, if you don't like ham, or any other of the ingredients, you can change it up to your liking, and possibly come up with a completely different and stunning recipe!

Ham and Broccoli Brunch Ring
Adapted from Pillsbury Cookbook
Makes: 8 servings Time: 1 hour

Ingredients:
1 tablespoon margarine or butter
1 1/2 cups frozen chopped broccoli, thawed
1/4 cup chopped onion
1 package (3 oz) cream cheese, softened
6 eggs
1/4 cup milk
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon pepper
3/4 cup diced cooked ham (4 oz)
1/2 cup shredded Cheddar cheese (2 oz)
2 cans (8 oz each) Pillsbury® refrigerated crescent dinner rolls

Directions:
Heat oven to 375°F. Spray large cookie sheet or 14-inch pizza pan with cooking spray. In 12-inch nonstick skillet, melt margarine over medium heat. Add broccoli and onion; cook 2 to 3 minutes, stirring frequently, until tender.
In medium bowl, beat cream cheese until smooth. Add eggs, milk, salt and pepper; beat well. Add egg mixture to vegetable mixture in skillet. Reduce heat to medium; cook, stirring occasionally from outside edge to center. Cook until eggs are set but still moist. Stir in ham and Cheddar cheese.
Unroll both cans of dough; separate into 16 triangles. Arrange triangles on sprayed cookie sheet with short sides of triangles toward center, overlapping into wreath shape and leaving 4-inch round opening in center. Lightly press short sides of dough to flatten slightly.
Spoon egg mixture onto widest part of dough. Pull end points of triangles over filling and tuck under dough to form ring. (Filling will be visible.)
Bake 25 to 30 minutes or until deep golden brown.