Cream Cheese Cinammon Rollies

Nothing makes me happier then when I make a dish for someone and later they ask me to make it again!  This weekend, my family went to Park City for a reunion and I made these for breakfast one morning.  Two days later, my older brother asked if I'd make them again.  Honestly, I didn't exactly want to get up before everyone again and make breakfast (it was MY vacation too, ya know!).  But how could I say no?  My eagerness to please dominated my desire to sleep in a bit longer. 

It seems like these are meant to be a breakfast item, but I see no reason why they can't be made as a dessert.  They are similar to a Churro, but smaller and the insides are a cream cheese filling. 

Cream Cheese Cinammon Rollies

Ingredients:

1 loaf of white bread

3/4 cup powdered sugar

1 container cream cheese, softened

1/2 cup butter, melted

Cinammon and Sugar mixed together to sprinkle over the top

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350º

In a medium bowl, combine the powdered sugar and soft cream cheese until smooth. 

Using a knife, cut the crusts off each slice of bread. Then with a rolling pin, flatten the bread.  (I like to do a few at a time, so the bread doesn't dry out)

Scoop a spoonful of the cream cheese mixture onto each piece of flattened bread, and spread it over the surface area of the bread.   Then roll up the bread, removing any excess cream from the seam. 

Brush melted butter over all sides of each roll and then sprinkle all sides with the cinammon/sugar mixture. 

Bake about 20 minutes until the rollies are nice and toasted. 

**My mom suggested adding some orange zest to the filling.  BRILLIANT!  I will be trying that added ingredient next time!

** I re-made these a few months later and experimented with nutella and strawberries for the filling rather than the cream cheese mix.  The possibilities are endless!

Carnita Roll Ups

You know how when you think of certain meals you've eaten your mouth literally starts to water.  That's the reaction I get when I think about this meal.  

So easy and so so good!  

It calls for salsa so I knew my husband wouldn't eat it.  

Lucky me!  

I ate half of what I made over the course of a few days and the rest of the meat is in my freezer patiently waiting for me.  I'm thinking about pulling it out tonight so it can thaw in time for lunch tomorrow.

 Carnita Roll Ups

Ingredients

4 lb pork tenderloin roast

1 cup salsa

1 1/2 cups brown sugar

1 cup Coke (NOT DIET)

salt and pepper to taste

7- inch tortillas

2 cups Monterey Jack cheese, shredded

Directions

In a crock pot, place pork.  Season with pepper.  Add salsa, brown sugar and coke.  Cook on LOW for 4-5 hours (or until cooked)

Once pork is cooked, remove from the crock pot and shred.  Remove half of the sauce in the crock pot and return the shredded pork. Mix together so all the meat is covered in sauce. 

On a cookie sheet, spray lightly or use a baking mat.  

Preheat oven 375º

Lay out a tortilla and fill with 1/4 cup of pork.  Roll tight. Repeat with as many as you can. 

Sprinkle the tops of the tortillas with cheese and bake about 10 minutes. 

Remove from oven and let cook

Serve with ranch, sour cream or any type of dipping sauce. 

Source:  Sugar N Spicegals

Spinach and Ricotta Pasta Shells

I love easy cooking.  

This dish grabbed my attention at first because I realized that all I had to do was spread the filling over the shells.  That means I didn't have to stir (wow, that makes me sound really lazy)

Talk about easy cooking.   

Spinach and Ricotta Pasta Shells

Ingredients:

1 box of pasta (your choice, but I used shells)

1 1/2 cups ricotta cheese

1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese

1 egg

1 clove garlic, minced

1/2 of a 10oz package frozen chopped spinach: thawed and drained of excess liquid

nutmeg, salt and pepper to taste

1/4 teaspoon dried basil

1/8 teaspoon crushed red pepper

1 bottle of marinara sauce

2 cups mozzarella cheese, shredded

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350º.  Spray at 9x13 baking dish with cooking spray and set aside.  Cook the pasta according to directions; drain and set aside. 

In a medium bowl, combine the ricotta, parmesan and egg.  Stir until smooth.  Add the garlic, spinach, nutmeg, basil, red pepper and salt and pepper. 

Pour half of the pasta into the baking dish and top with half of the marinara sauce.  Spoon the spinach mixture over the sauce in and even layer.  Sprinkle half of the mozzarella cheese over the mixture.  Cover with the remaining pasta and sauce.  Top with remaining mozzarella cheese. 

Cover wtih foil and bake for about 25 miniutes.  Remove foil and bake another 5 or 10 minutes or until the cheese is melted and edges are slightly browned.  

**You can prepare this a day ahead.  Cover with foil and place in fridge until you are ready to cook.

  

**Freeze the leftovers too!

Buffalo Chicken Bake

This is incredible. 

 I wish I had made two.  

If you are someone who loves the  Buffalo Chicken Dip that is all the rage right now, then you will L.O.V.E this dinner.  I was secretly hoping my husband and kids wouldn't like it so I could have eaten more.  Being able to have this for leftover lunch the next day was the highlight of the day!  Sooo good!

Buffalo Chicken Bake

Ingredients:

2 boneless skinless chicken breasts

Olive Oil

1 pizza dough (I bought my from the store, but you are welcome to make your own)

8 oz mozzarella cheese, shredded

3 oz cheddar cheese, shredded

1/2 cup Franks Buffalo Sauce

1/3 cup Ranch (or Bleu Cheese) dressing

Directions:

Preheat oven to 425º (or whatever the dough packages says...)

Cut chicken into cubes and season with your favorite seasonsings.  I usually go to THIS style of seasoning for basic chicken dishes .  Heat oil in a skillet and add chicken when hot.  Cook chicken completely then add 1/4 cup of the wing sauce.  Stir to coat the chicken and let simmer for a minute or two.  Remove from heat and allow to cool.

Flour a flat surface and roll the dough into a rectangular shape. 

Mix the dressing and remaining wing sauce and spread across the dough.  Top with chicken (make sure it's cooled) and top with mozzarella and cheddar cheese.  Go crazy and add some more wing sauce over the top of the cheese if you want. 

Begin at one end of the dough and roll, but tuck in the ends so none of that gooey, goodness escapes during cooking.

Place on a greased cookie sheet or a baking stone and bake for 20-25 minutes. 

Allow to rest for 5 minutes before slicing into it (if you can wait).