Cinnamon Rolls (with Caramel Option)

This recipe is one we often use for Christmas or for the children’s breakfasts as they head to summer camp. They are easy to turn into caramel rolls by a simple step that I included.

If you prefer to make the dough early, you can form the rolls, place in pan and then cover with heavy aluminum foil. Place in the refrigerator at least 12 hours, but not longer than 24. Then, when ready to bake, place unwrapped pan in cold oven and bake until golden brown (35-40 min).

Caramel

This is our favorite caramel recipe. We have tried a few other ones, but always come back to this.

Pumpkin Seeds

When ever we buy a pumpkin, we always save the seeds to roast. We also roast the seeds to butternut squash and spaghetti squash. The seeds may be different sizes, so be sure to watch so they do not over cook.

There are so many different ways to make pumpkin seeds. We did an experiment many years ago where we compared boiling the seeds first and with different oven temperatures. They were all so similar tasting, that we kept with this simple recipe from our friend Miss Krista.

Wishing Cookies

Aunt Bonnie made us these cookies for the first time nine years ago. She told us that “if you break them into three pieces without talking, your wish comes true”. It has never been proven, since my kids can’t stop talking long enough to break a cookie into three pieces 🙂

Cow Chip Cookies

We discovered this recipe many years ago in a cookbook at Grandma Reble’s house. I do not know the name of the cookbook, but it has a bright pink cover and it is a collection of recipes from different people in CO. We try new recipes from this book every time we visit Grandma’s house.

These are larger cookies, so we usually make a half batch.

Andrea showing off a cow chip before our cow chip throwing contest.

Backpacking Upside Down Pineapple Cake

It is always nice to have some sort of treat while backpacking. We usually save this treat for an extra hard day on the trial or the very last night out. It does not make a lot, we usually make two batches for the seven of us, but it is enough for something special.

This also works at home. Use canned pineapple slices and skip the step for re-hydrating.

Chocolate Chip Cookies

August 4th is National chocolate chip cookie day.

For some reason, I did not bring a chocoate chip cookie recipe when we moved to Slovakia.  My friend, Joan Britton, gave me this recipe and told me the dough was really thick (her recipe called for one egg), but was the best recipe.  I could not find chocolate chips there, so I just cut up chocolate bars.

We took them to work to share and I often left out the chocolate for our friend who was allergic to it.  The cookies are still very good without chocolate!

When we moved overseas again, the eggs were smaller and we discovered two eggs worked very well.  We also could not find brown sugar, so we started using molasses instead.  Even though we can get brown sugar here, we prefer being able to adjust the molasses to our own personal tastes.

Chocolate Cake with Zucchini and Chocolate Chips

This is a moist, light chocolate cake. It is simple to make and tastes great plain or with whipped cream on top. While we usually serve it for dessert, the kids often ask for it for breakfast also.

The zucchini is well hidden in the cake and is a great way to use up some extra zucchini from your garden. We have been enjoying this recipe since Mom M. discovered it 2012.

Grandma Bea’s Sauerkraut Pierogi

My mom taught my siblings and me how to make pierogi when we were very little. I can only remember making cheese pierogi and there were no measurements for the filling. “Add potato flakes to cottage cheese until the cottage cheese is dry. Let sit a few minutes and season with salt and pepper.”

Grandma had many different ways to make pierogi, but sauerkraut is probably my favorite. After making, warm up pierogi in a heavy pan with butter and sau·téd onions. If desired, add sour cream before serving. This makes a great meal, but is best when served with green vegetables or salad.

Grilled Chicken

My brother Joe used to love chicken grilled this way and often had extra in the freezer.

It is similar to the chicken we can get at the fair. It uses an easy marinade and is best if made early morning.