McDonald's Cinnamon Melts

This recipe is similar to the one I normally make. I used all milk instead of water. I bake them in a 9 x 13 pan insead of muffin tins.

Dough
2 1/4 teaspoons active dry yeast
1/2 cup warm water (105 to 110 f)
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup whole milk
1/3 cup margarine, melted
2 eggs
1 teaspoon salt
5 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
Filling
1 cup packed dark brown sugar
2 tablespoons ground cinnamon
2/3 cup margarine, melted
Icing
1/4 cup margarine, softened
1/4 cup cream cheese
1 1/2 cups powdered sugar
1 tablespoon whole milk
1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract

Directions
Dissolve yeast in warm water in a small bowl or measuring cup and let it sit for 5 minutes.
Use an electric mixer (I just did this by hand) to combine sugar with milk and melted margarine in a large bowl.
Mix in eggs and salt.
Mix in 1 cup of flour. When flour is combined, mix in 1 more cup of flour. Mix in the yeast solution, and then stir in the remaining flour with a wooden spoon. Use your hands to form the dough into a ball, and then put the dough back into the bowl, cover it and store it in a warm place for about 1 1/2 hours.
Mix the filling ingredients together in a medium bowl, and set aside until needed.
Roll the dough out on a floured surface until about 1/2-inch thick. Use a pizza cutter to slice dough into approximately 1/2-inch wide strips, and then slice those strips into 3/4-inch to 1-inch long chunks of dough.
Use softened margarine to grease the cups of a large (Texas-size) muffin tin.
Drop 6 chunks of dough into the bottom of each cup. Spoon 1 to 1 1/2 teaspoon of cinnamon filling over the dough. Drop 7 more pieces of dough onto the filling in each cup, and then spoon 2 teaspoons of filling over the top of the dough. Cover the muffin tin with a cloth or plastic wrap and let the dough sit in a warm spot for 30 minutes so that it rises a little more.
Preheat oven to 350ºF.
Bake cinnamon melts for 17 to 20 minutes or until dough turns light brown. (I did mine about 25 minutes and they were still gooey on the bottom).
As the cinnamon melts cool, make the icing by mixing margarine and cream cheese together with an electric mixer on high speed. Add the powdered sugar and mix slowly until all of the powdered sugar is incorporated. Add the milk and vanilla, then mix again on high speed until smooth and fluffy.
Spoon about 1 tbsp of icing over the top of each cinnamon melt. Serve right away, or cover melts with plastic and freeze. To serve a frozen melt, remove one from the pan and microwave it on high for 35 to 45 seconds or until warm.

Starbuck's Lemon Loaf

Loaf
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
3 eggs
1 cup granulated sugar
2 tablespoons butter, softened
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon lemon extract
1/3 cup lemon juice
1/2 cup vegetable oil

Lemon Icing
1 cup plus 1 tablespoon powdered sugar
2 tablespoons whole milk
1/2 teaspoon lemon extract

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

2. Combine flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt in a large bowl.

3. Use an electric mixer to blend together eggs, sugar, butter, vanilla, lemon extract, and lemon juice in a medium bowl.

4. Pour wet ingredient into dry ingredients and blend until smooth. Add oil and mix well.

5. Pour ingredients into a well-greased 9x5-inch loaf pan. Bake for 45 minutes or until a toothpick stuck into the center of the cake comes out clean.

6. Make the lemon icing by combining ingredients in a small bowl with electric mixer on low speed. When the lemon loaf is cool, remove it from the pan and frost the top with the lemon icing. When the icing has set up, slice the loaf into eight 1-inch-thick slices.

Sweet and Sour Cabbage

1 head red cabbage
1/2 lb. bacon
1/2 c. sugar
1/2 c. vinegar
salt and pepper

Cook bacon until crisp. Remove from pan and add cabbage to bacon drippings. Cook cabbage until wilted. ( I added a lid). Add sugar and vinegar. Season with salt and pepper. Crumble bacon and add to cabbage.

Strawberry Cake

Cake:

a box white cake mix 4 eggs
3 T flour 1/2 c. cold water
1 3 oz pkg strawberry gelatin 1/2 c. small package frozen strawberries
1/2 c. vegetable oil

Combine cake mix, flour, and gelatin. Add oil and beat in the eggs. Combine water and strawberries. (reserve 4 T. juice from strawberries for the icing.) Add the water and strawberry mix to flour mixture and mix well. Grease and flour 2 (8 inch) round cake pans.(DIVIDE half the batter between the 2). Bake according to the directions on the cake mix box. This can also be made in a 9 x 13 inch pan.

ICING:
4 T reserved strawberry juice
4 T. melted butter
2 cups powdered sugar ( I added more to make it a thicker frosting)

Combine juice and melted butter. Mix into sugar until it is of spreading consistency. This is more like a glaze when ready

Sausage Cheese Balls

Good for breakfast or as an appetizer.

1 pkg sausage
1 10 0z. sharp cheddar cheese grated
2 c. bisquick

Mix all ingrediets together. Roll into 1 inch balls. Place on a greased cookie sheet. Bake at 400 for 10-12 minutes.

Chicken Scampi

Chicken Scampi With Linguine


2 lbs boneless skinless chicken breasts
1 egg beaten
3/4 cup Italian seasoned breadcrumbs
1/4 cup parmesan cheese
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1 lb linguine
1/2 cup butter
4 garlic cloves, minced
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
2 tablespoons butter
1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley

lemon wedges


Cut the chicken into bite size pieces. Dip the chicken in the beaten egg, then into the bread crumbs, which have been mixed with the grated cheese, ½ tsp salt, and ¼ tsp pepper. Spread the coated chicken pieces on a rack or a platter. This can be done several hours ahead and refrigerated.
Heat ½ cup oil in large skillet. Add 1/3 chicken pieces; sauté until golden brown. Remove chicken with a slotted spoon, and repeat with remaining chicken. Discard oil from skillet, and wipe clean.
Cook the pasta; add garlic salt to water for extra flavor while boiling. While the pasta is cooking, melt the ½ cup butter in the skillet. Add the garlic and cook 1 minute. Add the cooked chicken, lemon juice, salt and pepper. Toss to coat the chicken pieces with the sauce. Do not allow chicken to cook further.
Drain the pasta, and toss the remaining 2 Tbsp butter; then spoon onto platter. Spoon chicken and sauce over pasta. Sprinkle with parsley and serve with lemon wedges. I like to use more lemon juice than the recipe calls for, but I love lemon!

Spaghetti Sauce

I browned italian sausage , omitted the green pepper, and used 1 large can of spaghetti sauce instead of the whole and crushed tomatoes. I added all of the other ingredients and let it cook away. I cooked the meatballs right into the sauce. ( I of course added my own stuff to the meatballs) Enjoy.

1 egg
1/4 cup milk
1 cup soft bread crumbs
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon minced fresh parsley
1 pound ground beef

Sauce:

1 pound Italian sausage links, cut into 2-inch pieces
1 large onion, chopped1 medium green pepper, chopped
1 can (28-oz) whole tomatoes, drained and squished
1 can (28-oz) crushed tomatoes2 cans (8-oz) tomato sauce
1 can beef broth
1 can (6-oz) tomato paste
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 teaspoons each: dried basil, oregano and parsley flakes
2 teaspoons sugar
Salt and pepper to taste

Hot cooked spaghetti
Grated parmesan cheese

In a bowl, combine the first 6 ingredients. Add beef and mix well. Shape into 32 meatballs. In a pan, cook sausage, onion and green pepper until vegetables are tender; drain. Add the tomatoes, tomato sauce, broth, tomato paste, garlic and seasonings. Add meatballs (raw); stir gently. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 2-3 hours. Serve over spaghetti; sprinkle with parsley and parmesan cheese.Drop the meatballs into the sauce raw and letting them cook in the simmering sauce... there's no comparison... dropping them in raw and letting them cook in the sauce is WAY better than pre-browning them.

Oreo Bark/

1 pkg Oreo cookies
White chocolate

Crush oreo cookies. Melt white chocolate. Combine the two ingredients. Spread out into a sprayed jelly roll pan. (Layer with foil or waxed paper for easier removal). Let harden. Break into bite sized pieces.

***This can also be done with crushed candy canes and melted white chocolate.

Oreo Truffles

1 pkg oreo cookies
1 8 oz. cream cheese
white chocolate

Crush oreo cookies. Soften cream cheese. Combine the oreos and the cream cheese. Make into small walnut size balls. Chill. (freezer works best-about 1 hour). Melt white chocolate. Quickly dip chilled oreo ball into white choc. Let harden. Keep refrigerated...

Pretzel Rolo Treat

An easy treat that combines the flavors of salty and sweet.

small pretzel rings
rolo candies
m&ms
pecan

Lay pretzels on a baking sheet. Add a rolo to each pretzel. Bake at 350 for 4-5 minutes. Immediately top with an M& M or a pecan half.