The Pioneer Woman's Hot Cross Buns

I can't believe how easy and DELICIOUS these were...none left! Thanks again Ree!!!

Ingredients

• Buns
• 2 cups Whole Milk
• 1/2 cup Canola Oil
• 1/2 cup Sugar
• 1 package (2 1/4 Teaspoons) Active Dry Yeast
• 4 cups All-purpose Flour
• 1/2 cup (additional) Flour
• 1/2 teaspoon (heaping) Baking Powder
• 1/2 teaspoon (scant) Baking Soda
• 2 teaspoons Salt
• 1/4 cup Sugar
• 1 teaspoon Cinnamon
• Spices: Cardamom, Nutmeg, Allspice (optional)
• 1/2 cup Raisins
• GLAZE
• 1 whole Egg White
• Splash Of Milk
• Icing
• 1 whole Egg White
• Powdered Sugar
• Splash Of Milk

Directions

BUNS
Combine 2 cups milk, canola oil, and 1/2 cup sugar in a saucepan. Stir and heat until very warm but not boiling. Turn off the heat and allow to cool until mixture is still warm, but not hot--about 30 minutes.
Sprinkle yeast over mixture. Add 4 cups of flour and stir to combine. Mixture will be very sticky. Cover with a towel and set aside for 1 hour.
Add 1/2 cup flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Stir till combined.
Combine 1/4 cup sugar with cinnamon and whatever other spices you want to use.
Lightly flour surface. Press to slightly flatten dough. Sprinkle a couple tablespoons of the sugar/cinnamon mixture. Sprinkle on about a third of the raisins. Then fold the dough over on itself and flatten again so the dough is "plain" again. Repeat the sugar/raisin process, then fold the dough again. Repeat a third time until all the raisins are used. (You won't use all the sugar/cinnamon mixture.)
Pinch off ping pong or golf ball-size bunches of dough. With floured hands, quickly roll it into a ball, then turn the edges under themselves slightly. Place on a lightly greased cookie sheet. Cover and allow to rise in a warm place for at least 30 minutes...an hour-plus is better.
PREHEAT OVEN TO 400 degrees
GLAZE
Mix 1 egg white with a splash of milk. Brush onto each roll.
Bake for 20 minutes, give or take, or until tops of buns have turned nice and golden brown.
Remove from pan and allow to cool on a cooling rack.
ICING
Mix 1 egg white with enough powdered sugar for icing to be very thick. Splash in milk as needed for consistency.
Add icing to a small Ziploc bag and snip the corner. Make icing crosses on each roll, making sure they're completely cooled first.

I mean..come on...delicious

 I

Jacob decided to help

Lemon Sugar Scrub (Pinterest)

I made this for a very special friend on her birthday! Super easy, smells fantastic, and your skin, so smooth. Enjoy!

Supplies:

• 2 1/2 cups granulated sugar; divided
• 1/4 cup coconut oil (almond oil will also work)
• 1 lemon or lemon natural oils
• 1-2 Tbsp lemon zest

Put sugar in a large bowl. Set aside. Measure out 1/4 cup of coconut oil and place it in a microwave safe bowl. Heat coconut oil in the microwave for about 30 seconds, or until the oil is melted. Pour oil over sugar and mix to combine.
Using a zester or small grater, zest the rind of 1 lemon. Then, cut zested lemon in half and, using a juicer, juice the lemon. Remove any seeds from lemon juice. Add lemon juice and zest to the sugar mixture and stir to combine.
If sugar scrub is still too “wet”, add up to 1/2 cup more sugar until desired consistency is reached.
Pour your new, fancy lemon sugar scrub into the jar. Voila! All done! Super simple right!?

The Pioneer Woman's Pie Crust

This is a super easy pie crust and so flaky. I usually DO NOT eat the crust on pies but this is so yummy! Enjoy and thanks Ree!

Ingredients

• 1-1/2 cup Crisco (vegetable Shortening)
• 3 cups All-purpose Flour
• 1 whole Egg
• 5 Tablespoons Cold Water
• 1 Tablespoon White Vinegar
• 1 teaspoon Salt

Directions

In a large bowl, with a pastry cutter, gradually work the Crisco into the flour for about 3 or 4 minutes until it resembles a coarse meal. In a small bowl, beat an egg with a fork and then pour it into the flour/shortening mixture. Add 5 tablespoons of cold water, 1 tablespoon of white vinegar and 1 teaspoon of salt. Stir together gently until all of the ingredients are incorporated.
Separate the dough into thirds. ***Note: Separating it into thirds will result in three thin crusts. If you prefer a more substantial crust, separate it in half.*** Form 3 evenly sized balls of dough and place each dough into a large Ziploc bag. Using a rolling pin, slightly flatten each ball of dough (about ½ inch thick) to make rolling easier later. Seal the bags and place them in the freezer until you need them. (If you will be using it immediately it’s still a good idea to put in the freezer for about 15 to 20 minutes to chill.)
When you are ready to use the dough to make a crust, remove from the freezer and allow to thaw for 15 minutes. On a floured surface roll the dough, starting at the center and working your way out. (Sprinkle some flour over top of the dough if it’s a bit too moist.) If the dough is sticking to the countertop use a metal spatula and carefully scrape it up and flip it over and continue rolling until it’s about ½ inch larger in diameter than your pie pan.
With a spatula, lift the dough carefully from the surface of the counter into the pie pan. Gently press the dough against the corner of the pan. Go around the pie pan pinching and tucking the dough to make a clean edge.
Bake as directed by your pie recipe.
I made a lemon pie...yummy!

Posted by Ree | The Pioneer Woman on December 22 2007

Cornflake and Parmesan crusted baked Tilapia

Another quick supper!

Ingredients:

• 3 cups crushed corn flakes
• 1 egg, slightly beaten
• 1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
• 1 tsp or more of kosher salt
• 1 tsp or more of Tony's Cajun seasoning
• 1 tsp lemon pepper 

Directions:

In a large zip lock bag, crush the cornflakes using a rolling pin or I just used my hands. You can also use a food processor but come on, it's more fun using your hands, helps with the stress :)

Okay, once you have it all crushed fine pour it into a cake pan with the cheese, mix, use another cake pan for the egg. This will be your "dipping" section.
Season your fish with salt, lemon pepper, and Cajun seasoning. Set aside.

Preheat your oven to 400. I used a large cookie sheet and then put a baking cooling rack on the cookie sheet and sprayed it with cooking spray. That way the fish gets crunchy on the bottom and top.

Ready to dip. Take your seasoned fish, dip it on both sides in the egg mixture, then into the cornflake/cheese mixture, then onto the cooling rack. Don't worry, some of the cornflakes will not stick. Once you have all the fish coated just put any of the excess cornflake mixture on top of the fish. I sprayed the top of the fish as well with the cooking spray.

Bake at 400 for 10 minutes. It will continue to cook after you pull it out of the oven. Let is set for about 5 minutes then serve.

I served this with baked fries and grilled nectarines drizzled with honey and topped with Gorgonzola cheese. The fries were on the bottom rack, fish on top rack of the oven.

Baked Fries:

• 2 large Yukon gold potatoes, cut up into thin fries
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1 tbsp Tony's, Cajun seasoning
• 1 tbsp kosher salt

Preheat oven to 400. Spray a large cookie sheet. In a large bowl, mix the olive oil, seasoning, and potatoes until well coated. Put the fries on the cookie sheet and bake for 10-15 minutes.
Turning once after 10 minutes.

Ranch Chicken and Rice

SUPER easy and delish! The hubby LOVED this dish!

Ingredients:

• 2 cups uncooked instant rice
• 1 1/2 cups 1% milk
• 1 cup water
• 1 envelope ranch dip mix
• 1 1/2 lbs (or more) chicken breast, cut into strips
• 1/4 cup melted butter
• 1 tsp (or more) kosher salt

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 350, spray/grease a 2 quart baking dish.
2. In a small bowl, combine the milk, water, and ranch mix.
3. Put the uncooked rice in the baking dish, pour the milk mixture over the rice, layer the chicken in the dish, drizzle the butter over the chicken, and sprinkle the salt over the entire dish.
4. Cover and bake for 35 minutes or until no longer pink.
5. Let it set for about 5 minutes and serve.

Bubble Up Enchilada Casserole

This is a very easy recipe. I browned the meat the night before and it only took 10 minutes to prep and then 25-30 to bake. You can use just 1 lb of beef or turkey. I don't really care for certain ground turkey so I like to "mix it up" and the original recipe did not have any seasoning and I thought it tasted a bit "flat" so I spiced it up a bit. I also recommend using block cheese. Also, I had about 1/4 cup of left over bite size turkey pepperoni that I added to the meat mixture. Enjoy!

Ingredients:

• 1/2 lb of ground turkey
• 1/2 lb of extra lean ground beef
• 1/4 cup turkey bite size pepperoni (optional)
• 1 10 oz can of enchilada sauce
• 1 8 oz can of tomato sauce ( I only used half)
• 1 cup shredded cheese (1/2 cup of mozzarella & 1/2 cup of sharp cheddar)
• 1/4 cup of diced onion
• 1/2 tsp or more "just a pinch" McCormick Italian seasoning
• 1/2 tsp of Tony's, Cajun seasoning
• 1 can of reduced fat biscuits, cut into quarters

Directions:


1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly mist a 2 quart baking dish with cooking spray and set aside. The original recipe uses a 9x13.

2. Brown turkey/beef in a large skillet or saute pan with the diced onion. Drain if there is any excess grease/fat.

3. Add the enchilada sauce, tomato sauce, seasoning, turkey pepperoni, and stir to combine. Put your biscuit pieces in the baking dish. Pour the sauce over the biscuits. Sprinkle the cheese on top.

4. Bake for 25-30 minutes until brown and bubbly. Let stand for 5 minutes before serving.

No bake chocolate eclair dessert (Pinterest)

This is a very easy recipe and the chocolate layer is so rich and delish!!! It literally makes this dessert. Enjoy!

Ingredients

Filling:

2 (3.5 oz.) boxes vanilla instant pudding (or 1 large)

3 c. milk

1 (12 oz.) container Cool Whip
Graham crackers

Topping:

1/3 c. cocoa

1 c. sugar
1/4 c. milk
1 stick (1/2 c.) butter (or margarine)
1 tsp. vanilla

Directions

For the filling:

1. Mix pudding and milk; beat. Stir in Cool Whip.

2. Place a layer of graham crackers in the bottom of a 9x13" dish. Spread 1/2 of the pudding mixture over the graham crackers. Repeat with another layer of graham crackers and pudding; then top with a final layer of graham crackers.

For the topping:

3. Bring cocoa, milk, and sugar to a full rolling boil; boil about 1 minute, stirring very frequently. Remove from heat and cool one minute. Add butter and vanilla; stir until butter is melted.

4. Pour chocolate topping over the top layer of graham crackers.

5. Refrigerate over night.