Etta's Famous Cinnamon Rolls

Twas a week before Christmas

And in my blog's queue,

Awaited a deliciously special recipe just for you.

See, this recipe is unique and has been handed down,

And it in fact made Etta Reid famous around town!

What is it, you ask?  Well, come over here.

I'll tell you the secret to filling your taste-buds with cheer!

With a little cinnamon, sugar, butter and dough,

Upon first bite, your friends and family will say "Whoa!"

So, make these rolls at your very first chance.

You'll want to thank me with a little happy dance!!

In the spirit of Christmas, I'm SO very excited to share this incredibly special recipe with you.  My Great Uncle Mike recently shared his mom's recipe for Cinnamon Rolls with me and has given permission to share it with all of you lucky folks!  This is a treasured family recipe that his mom Etta only shared with a few people.  

Recipes with stories behind them can't be beat...There's just something so special about making your grandmother's chicken & dumplings from a handwritten recipe or making cornbread dressing that's been passed down through generations.  Those foods mean so much, because just one bite can bring back so many wonderful memories.  When I use my GrannyRene's recipes, it's almost like she's in the kitchen cooking with me. 

My uncle Mike graciously shared his mom's story about these cinnamon rolls, which follows below:

"When Mom and Dad finally quit farming in NE Louisiana and moved back to Arkansas in 1975, Mom became an Investment Officer with the First State Bank in Newport.  She began baking and bringing in to the bank her special cinnamon rolls to share with her co-workers.  Of course, some of the bank's customers were invited to have some rolls and coffee while doing their business with Miss Etta.  Gradually, Tuesdays became the main day of the "Blue Haired" customers, older widows, to do their banking business with Miss Etta.  Mom told me she even had customers from the competing bank across the street move their accounts to First State Bank and join the Tuesday Cinnamon Roll Crowd.  The bank president discovered this and tried to pay Mom extra for baking the cinnamon rolls.  Mom told him it was a labor of love and only agreed to the bank reimbursing her partially for the ingredients.

Mom would start preparing the dough on Friday night and then bake some trays of rolls on Saturday morning.  Six of her brothers and father farmed about 10k acres of rice and soybeans in Jackson County.  It was amazing how each of them would have to stop and see Etta Lee around noon on Saturday's just as the rolls were coming from the oven with the smell of hot cinnamon rolls drawing them in like bears to honey.  Mom loved them all and made sure everyone had all of the rolls they could eat or wrap in a napkin to eat on the tractor or combine that afternoon."

So, there you have it...my attempt at poetry, a story and some pretty amazing cinnamon rolls to top it all off.  :)

Merry Christmas, my friends!

Before going into the oven.

Etta's Famous Cinnamon Rolls
Adapted from:  Etta Reid

Ingredients:
2 pkgs. yeast
1 tsp sugar 
2 cups whole milk, scalded
4 tsp. salt
1/2 cup sugar
2 eggs, well beaten
8 cups all-purpose flour (approximately)
1/3 cup melted butter (or vegetable oil)
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda

Filling:
1 cup melted butter, divided
1 cup white granulated sugar, divided
1/4 cup ground cinnamon, divided

Directions:
Soften the yeast in 1/4 cup of lukewarm water with 1 tsp sugar.  Set aside for 5 minutes.

Bring milk to boiling point, remove from heat and add 4 tsp. salt and 1/2 cup sugar, stirring to dissolve.  Set aside to cool to lukewarm.  

Combine beaten eggs, lukewarm milk mixture and softened yeast.  Add approximately 1/2 of the flour (4 cups).  Mix well (either with electric mixer on medium speed for 2 minutes, or by beating with a wooden spoon about 4 minutes).

Add melted butter (which has been cooled) or vegetable oil, mixing well.  Stir in remaining flour, along with the baking powder and baking soda, to make stiff dough.  Turn out onto floured surface and knead dough until it is smooth and elastic but no longer sticky.  Place the dough inside of a large bowl, which has been well greased.  Cover and place in the refrigerator for several hours or overnight (dough will double in size).  
NOTE:  For a quicker rising time, cover the bowl with a kitchen towel and place in a warm spot, away from drafts, instead of the refrigerator.  Let the dough rise for approximately 1 hour, or until doubled in size.

To make the cinnamon rolls, punch down the risen dough and turn out onto a floured work surface.  Divide the dough in half, returning one half to the bowl.  Using a rolling pin, roll half of the dough into a large rectangle, about 1/4" thick.  Pour 1/2 cup of the melted butter over the surface of the dough, spreading into an even layer.  Sprinkle with 1/2 cup sugar, followed by a very generous sprinkling of ground cinnamon.  Tightly roll up in a jellyroll style.  Next, pinch the seams to seal all edges.  Slice with sharp knife into 3/4" inch slices.   

Place on greased baking sheet, cut side down, being careful not to over-crowd the rolls.  Repeat steps with remaining half of dough.

Cover and let rise in a warm spot for approximately 1 hour or until doubled in size.

Bake in a preheated 400 degree F oven for 10 - 12 minutes, until lightly browned.  Remove from heat and glaze with the icing (recipe below) while the rolls are still warm.

Serve warm and enjoy!

Icing for Cinnamon Rolls:
Ingredients: 
1/2 cup melted butter
1/4 tsp salt
1 lb powdered sugar
1/4 cup hot water
1 tsp Mexican vanilla

Directions:
Pour the melted butter into the bowl of a stand mixer, fitted with whisk attachment.  Add the salt.  With the mixer on low speed, slowly add the powdered sugar until it has all been incorporated, adding the hot water halfway through.  Finally, add the vanilla.  Mix on medium speed, until it becomes a smooth, thin glaze, adding a tiny bit more hot water if needed.

The beautiful Etta Reid! :)

Roasted Greek Shrimp with Orzo

Some of my best memories growing up revolved around vacations spent along the Gulf of Mexico.  Those vacations were filled with fun in the sun, time spent with family, and delicious meals made unforgettable by the amazingly fresh seafood right out of the Gulf near my home state of Alabama.

To this day, I still love a big plate of fresh shrimp, grouper, snapper, flounder or yes...even raw oysters (with hot sauce and a saltine cracker, of course!). 

The wonderful thing about seafood is that it cooks quickly, plus it's really healthy (as long as it's not fried).  That's always a combination worth smiling about!

This dish for Roasted Greek Shrimp with Orzo has become one of my recent favorites.  It's packed with vibrant flavors that will have your tastebuds singing.  I love Greek ingredients almost as much as fresh seafood, so I'm particularly proud to say this is an original recipe.  

And you know what?  It's SO Easy!

For this dish, fresh Alabama Gulf Shrimp are simply mixed with olives, artichoke hearts, grape tomatoes and fresh parsley.  After a quick drizzle of olive oil and some seasonings, it makes a quick trip to the oven and is roasted for about 10-12 minutes.  A sprinkling of crumbled, feta cheese finishes things off, and the delicious mixture is served atop a bed of warm orzo pasta.  

So, now that you're hopefully craving a big plate of delicious seafood, why not hop on over and check out the Alabama Gulf Seafood website.  It's filled with pretty much anything and everything you ever wanted to know about Gulf seafood, including great recipes.

Bon Appetit, my friends!

Roasted Greek Shrimp with Orzo
by Celeste Ward

Ingredients:
1 lb Alabama Gulf Shrimp, peeled, deveined, with tails on
1  2.25 oz. can sliced olives, drained
6 oz. quartered & marinated artichoke hearts, drained
5 oz. grape tomatoes, halved
1 Tbsp fresh parsley, minced, plus more for garnish
1 Tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
1/8 tsp. garlic salt
freshly ground black pepper, to taste
1/2 - 1 cup feta cheese, crumbled
1 cup cooked orzo pasta (directions below)

Directions:
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. 

Place the shrimp in a large mixing bowl.  Next, add the olives, grape tomatoes, and fresh parsley.  Squeeze all excess liquid out of the artichoke hearts and add those to the bowl with the other ingredients.  Drizzle the mixture with the extra virgin olive oil and season with the garlic salt and freshly ground black pepper.

Stir well to thoroughly combine the ingredients.

Spread the mixture into a single layer on a baking sheet lined with a silicone baking mat or parchment paper. 

Roast in the pre-heated oven for approximately 10 - 12 minutes, or until the shrimp is cooked through.

Sprinkle with feta cheese and serve over the warm orzo.  Garnish with fresh parsley.

For the Orzo:
Ingredients:
1 cup orzo pasta
1 Tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
1 tsp. lemon zest
Salt & pepper, to taste

Directions:
While the Greek shrimp mixture is roasting, cook orzo according to package directions.

Drain the cooked orzo and drizzle with the extra virgin olive oil.  Add the lemon zest and season with salt and pepper.  Stir together and keep warm until ready to serve.

Old-Fashioned Peanut Butter Cookies

There's something just so marvelous about baking cookies in December while the Christmas tree lights cast a warm glow across the room.  This time of year certainly puts me in the baking mood.  In fact, cinnamon rolls, banana nut bread and perhaps another pecan pie are all in my very near future.

Baking simply makes my heart smile.  :)

Earlier today, my father-in-law mentioned that he had been craving peanut butter cookies.  Little did he know, that the little gears in my head quickly went to work, and a few hours later we were back at their house with a warm plate of these amazing cookies.  

And amazing they are...seriously.  I found a recipe from Bon Appetit magazine over on Epicurious that I tweaked here and there.  I added a little molasses and honey...and also substituted the vanilla extract with butter pecan extract instead. 

The results?  Pure fabulousness!

The molasses and honey made the cookies a little softer in the middle and perfectly crunchy around the edge (just how I like them!).  If you prefer a crunchier cookie altogether, leaving out the molasses and honey should do the trick.

This recipe makes about 3 - 4 dozen, depending on how large you make them.  If you don't need that many, you could easily halve the recipe or freeze the extra dough for later use.

Bon Appetit, my friends!! 

Old-Fashioned Peanut Butter Cookies

Adapted from:  Bon Appetit magazine, January 1998 via Epicurious

Ingredients:

3 cups all purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
1 cup chunky peanut butter (do not use old-fashioned style or freshly ground)
2 teaspoons butter pecan extract (or vanilla)
1 cup (packed) light brown sugar
1 cup sugar
2 large eggs
1/4 cup molasses
1 Tbsp honey

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350°F. Line 2 large baking sheets with parchment paper. Mix flour, baking powder and salt in medium bowl. Using electric mixer, beat butter, peanut butter and vanilla in large bowl until well blended. Beat in both sugars. Add molasses and honey, mixing until well combined.  Scrape down sides of bowl. Stir half of dry ingredients into mixture. Add eggs 1 at a time, stirring well after each addition. Mix in remaining dry ingredients. 

For each cookie, roll 1 heaping tablespoonful of dough into 1 3/4-inch-diameter ball. Arrange dough balls 2 1/2 inches apart on prepared baking sheets. Using back of fork, flatten dough balls and form crosshatch design on tops. Bake cookies until dry on top and golden brown on bottom, about 14 minutes. Cool cookies on baking sheets 5 minutes. Using metal spatula, transfer cookies to racks and cool completely. (Can be prepared up to 3 days ahead. Store in airtight container at room temperature.) 

Superb Sweet Potato Souffle

When the holidays roll around, I adore a good Sweet Potato Souffle!  It's one of my very favorite sides this time of year.  Its brown sugary sweetness, perfectly buttery, and pecan-filled topping can't be beat, and then there's the light, airy goodness of the sweet potatoes below.  

Yum.

I found this recipe from Paula Deen and made some changes to the butter and sugar quantities.  One whole cup of sugar in the sweet potatoes seemed like an awful lot, so I cut that amount in half.  I also cut the butter down to 6 Tbsp.  For the topping, I left that alone and didn't really change anything except for a little extra pecans.

The results were wonderful, however, still pretty sweet.  My philosophy is...If it's the holidays, go ahead and indulge because this souffle is quite delicious!  If making this again throughout the rest of the year, I might decrease the sugar in the topping just a little bit, so as not to TOTALLY blow the diet.  ;-)

Bon Appetit, my friends!

Superb Sweet Potato Souffle
Adapted from:  Aunt Peggy's Sweet Potato Souffle - Paula Deen

Ingredients:
Souffle:

• 3 cups cooked and mashed sweet potatoes, from about 2 to 3 small baked potatoes
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 3 eggs, beaten
• 1/2 cup milk
• 6 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
• 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
• 1/2 teaspoon salt

Topping:

• 1 cup packed light brown sugar
• 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, about 1/2 stick, cubed, at room temperature
• 1/2 cup self-rising cake flour
• 1 cup chopped pecans

Directions:

Souffle: Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Lightly grease an 8-inch square baking dish.
In a large bowl, combine the sweet potatoes, sugar, eggs, milk, butter, vanilla, and salt. Pour the mixture into the prepared baking dish.

Topping: Combine the brown sugar, butter, flour, and pecans in a separate bowl. Crumble the topping over the sweet potato mixture.

Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, until the topping is golden brown. Serve hot. 

Simple & Amazing Cranberry Sauce

There were many years where our Thanksgiving table was always graced by the congealed cranberry sauce of the canned variety.  You know the one - It plops out of the can with a "thwack" and then is sliced into slivers before being served.  However, I had a wonderful revelation a few years back...HOMEMADE cranberry sauce.  Why had I not been making it at home all along??

It's incredibly easy and results in a much tastier accompaniment for that oh-so-delectable cornbread dressing that we look forward to all year long.  After all, we put so much love and care into the dressing, that it's a shame not to pair it with something homemade and delicious as well.

For the past several years, I've made this Double Cranberry-Apple Sauce.  But, I wanted to try something new this year - something a little easier and maybe not quite so tart.  This recipe for Simple & Amazing Cranberry Sauce was perfect.  Minimal ingredients, majorly easy and incredibly scrumptious.  This one is definitely going in my Thanksgiving folder as a new favorite.

Bon Appetit, my friends!  :)

Simple & Amazing Cranberry Sauce
Adapted from:  Savory Sweet Life


Ingredients 
(recipe can be doubled if feeding a big crowd)

12 oz bag fresh cranberries
3/4 cup orange juice
2/3 cup brown sugar
1/3 cup white sugar
Optional: 2 oz gold rum

Instructions
Place all the ingredients in a sauce pan and cook on medium-high for 15-20 minutes or until most of the liquid has reduced – stirring occasionally. You’ll hear the cranberries popping – don’t worry, that’s what you want them to do. 

Remove from heat and serve. Cranberry sauce can be made days ahead and brought to room temperature or slightly heated before serving.