Quick Cinnamon Biscuits

We are definitely cinnamon roll people. That's probably mostly my fault. Nope, blaming it on Mom. She was the one who got me hooked on the hot, fresh kind out of the oven. The over buttered/over sugared version they serve at the mall cannot compare. I love making them at home but come breakfast time there is usually not enough patience for me to get through the entire rising process. I tried these this morning and thought they were great! A little work getting the dough to roll but worth it!
Yield: 9 biscuits

Cinnamon Sugar Filling

• 1/4 cup brown sugar
• 2 teaspoons cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg, (can be omitted)
  

Biscuit Dough

• 2 1/2 cups unbleached white flour
• 2 tablespoons brown sugar, packed
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 1/2 cups plus 1 tablespoon heavy cream

Icing

• 3/4 cup confectioners’ sugar
• 4 to 6 teaspoons milk or heavy cream

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.

For the Filling: In a small bowl, combine the brown sugar, cinnamon and nutmeg. Set aside.

For the Dough: In a large bowl, stir together the flour, brown sugar, baking powder and salt. add 1 1/2 cups cream, and stir until the dough forms a ball, about 1 minute. With your hands, fold the dough over a few times in the bowl, until the dough is smooth.

Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface. Lightly flour your hands, and pat the dough into a 1/2-inch-thick rectangle, about 9 X 13 inches. Brush the surface of the dough with the remaining tablespoon of cream. Sprinkle evenly with the cinnamon sugar topping.

Starting from the long side, roll the dough into a cylinder. Slice into 9 equal rounds. Place the rounds, cut side down, into an ungreased 8-inch square baking dish or a pie plate. Bake for about 30 minutes, until the biscuits are lightly browned.

For the Icing: While the biscuits bake, mix together the confectioners’ sugar and milk or cream until smooth. When you remove the biscuits from the oven, immediately drizzle them with icing. Serve warm.

Adri's Chicken Tetrazzini

My good friend, Adri made this one night when the boys and I visited. She was kind enough to share the recipe so I could make it again at home. Sooooo good!
7 oz spaghetti, broken into thirds
1/4 cup butter
1/4 cup flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1 cup chicken broth
1 cup heavy whipping cream
2 tablespoons water
2 cups cubed cooked chicken or turkey
1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese

Preheat oven to 350
Boil and drain spaghetti
In 2 quart sauce pan, melt butter over low heat. Stir in flour, salt and pepper. Cook, stirring constantly, until mixture is smooth and bubbly; remove from heat. Stir in broth and whipping cream. Heat to boiling, stirring constantly. Boil and stir 1 minute
Stir spaghetti, water, and chicken into sauce. Pour spaghetti mixture into ungreased 2-quart casserole dish. Sprinkle with cheese.
Bake uncovered for about 30 min or until bubbly in the center.

Chicken Pot Pies

This recipe was a lot of work, but I'm definitely going to be making it again. It's worth the extra work to have it mostly from scratch. Even the boys at it... and it had vegetables inside!!
1 pound skinless, boneless chicken breast halves - cubed
1 cup sliced carrots
1 cup frozen green peas
1/2 cup sliced celery
1/3 cup butter
1/3 cup chopped onion
1/3 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon garlic salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1/4 teaspoon celery seed
1 3/4 cups chicken broth
2 (9 inch) unbaked pie crusts

Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.
In a saucepan, combine chicken, carrots, peas, and celery. Add water to cover and boil for 15 minutes. Remove from heat, drain and set aside.
In the saucepan over medium heat, cook onions in butter until soft and translucent. Stir in flour, garlic salt, pepper, and celery seed. Slowly stir in chicken broth. Simmer over medium-low heat until thick. Remove from heat and stir in chicken mixture.
Fill the bottom pie crust with mixture. Cover with top crust, seal edges, and cut away excess dough. Make several small slits in the top to allow steam to escape.
Bake in the preheated oven for 30 to 35 minutes, or until pastry is golden brown and filling is bubbly. Cool for 10 minutes before serving.
(I made these in custard cups with pre-made pie dough. They took about 25 minutes to bake.)

Coffee Cake

Coffee cake is one of Phil's favorite things. Cake in the morning justifiably. What could be wrong with that? It also goes perfectly with coffee, which is another must for him. This is my favorite recipe so far that I found here.

Cake
1/2 cup (1 stick) butter or margarine
1 cup sugar
2 eggs
2 cups King Arthur Unbleached All-Purpose Flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup sour cream or yogurt*

*Feel free to use low-fat (NOT nonfat) sour cream or yogurt; if using yogurt, try vanilla or another complementary flavor, if desired.

Topping
1/2 cup sugar
2 teaspoons cinnamon
2 teaspoons vanilla
1/2 cup chopped walnuts (optional)

Cream together the butter or margarine, sugar, and eggs. In a separate bowl, mix together the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Add the flour mixture to the butter mixture alternately with the sour cream or yogurt, stirring after each addition.

Grease and flour a regular-sized (9 1/2-inch) tube pan or bundt-style pan, or a 9 x 9-inch pan. Spread half the batter in the pan, and sprinkle with half the topping mixture. Repeat with remaining batter and topping.

Bake the coffeecake in a preheated 350°F oven for 25 to 30 minutes, or until the cake tests done. Cool it for 10 to 15 minutes, then remove it from the pan. (If you've baked it in a 9 x 9-inch pan, just serve it right from the pan.) Place the cake right-side-up (topping up) on a plate to serve.
Yield: about 12 generous servings.