Pioneer Woman's Cinnamon Rolls.

These are, hands down, the best cinnamon rolls I've ever had or made. This post exists simply to point you to the recipe, if you've never heard of these. PLEASE make these. You won't regret it. Enjoy!

Cinnamon Rolls 101

Notes on Cinnamon Rolls

Variations I haven't yet tried:

Orange-Marmalade Rolls

Chocolate Chip Cookie Sweet Rolls

Crock Pot Pulled Chicken & Honey Whole Wheat Buns.

I LOVE this chicken recipe. It is so delicious, so simple, so quick (for a crock pot recipe), and did I mention, SO DELICIOUS!! I didn't modify the recipe at all, (well, other than halve it, as I don't need to feed 8-10 people...) so I'm going to send you to the original site for the recipe. Stay tuned for the buns recipe though!!

The buns are delicious in and of themselves. I've used this recipe for burger buns, hot dog buns, simple rolls, and now for this.

Honey Whole Wheat Rolls, originally from Celecia Stoup of Hobart, Oklahoma

Ingredients:

2 packages active dry yeast (or 1/2 oz total, or 4 1/2 t. total)

1 c. warm water

1/4 c. butter or margarine, melted (I used butter)

1/4 c. honey

1 egg

3/4 c. whole wheat flour (I've been using rye flour, as I'm out of whole wheat and want to use up the rye)

1/2 c. old-fashioned oats

1 t. salt

2 1/4 - 2 3/4 c. all-purpose flour

Additional melted butter or margarine (opt.)

Directions:

In a mixing bowl, dissolve yeast in the water. Stir in the butter, honey, egg, whole wheat flour, oats, salt, and 1 cup of the all-purpose flour; beat until smooth. Add enough all-purpose flour to form a soft dough. Turn out onto a floured surface, knead dough until smooth and elastic, about 6-8 minutes. Place in a greased bowl, turning once to grease top. Cover and let rise in a warm place until doubled, about 1 hour. Punch dough down. Shape into 15 rolls, (or whatever shape you need...I can get about 10 hot dog buns...) Place on a greased sheet. Cover and let rise until doubled, about 45 minutes. Bake at 375°F for 20 minutes or until golden brown. Brush with butter. Enjoy!

Banana Bread.

This bread is perfection. When done right, it is just the right balance between springy texture and banana goodness. When under or over cooked, well, it's still pretty good. :) On top of it all, it's very easy. So please, never let your browning bananas go to waste again!

Banana Bread, from Elsie Van Camp

Ingredients:

1 c. sugar

1/2 c. shortening (I always use softened butter)

1 T. sour milk or cream (I used sour cream this time, but I often use sour milk)

1 t. baking soda

2 eggs, beaten

2 c. flour

1/2 t. salt

3 bananas, mashed well

1/2 c. nuts, optional (I almost always add walnuts or pecans, but I forgot this time!)

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease a 9x5 in. loaf pan, (or several smaller pans) and set aside.

Cream the sugar and shortening (butter!) together till light and fluffy. Add sour milk or cream and baking soda to mixture, blend well. Add eggs.

Sift together the flour and salt, and then add to the mixture, alternating with the mashed bananas. When all is mixed well, add the nuts if you like. When well-blended, pour into loaf pan and bake for 45 minutes to 1 hour. (Adjust cook time if you are cooking smaller loaves.) Enjoy!

Edna Mae's Sour Cream Pancakes.

Oh. My. Wow.  These pancakes, hands down, were the best I've ever made, possibly ever tasted. They are light, fluffy, not too sweet, and are scented with vanilla deliciousness. I can't wait until the next time I get to make these.

I confess, I am NOT a pancake connoisseur. We usually buy the box of 'Just add water' mix, and as much as I love the idea of making pancakes from scratch, I'd yet to come across a recipe that consistently turned out as nice as the mix. I may never buy the mix again now. (Though I probably will. I have a toddler, who goes from full to screaming hungry in five minutes. I need something fast.) These pancakes are not slow cookers, by any means. They are a lovely quick breakfast for a relaxed Saturday morning, or, depending how your weekday mornings are, perhaps even then. Please make them. You'll never look at pancakes the same again. 

Edna Mae's Sour Cream Pancakes

(Ree, the lovely woman who shared this recipe in her cookbook, The Pioneer Woman Cooks, does not have this recipe on her website anywhere that I can find. However, Deb over at Smitten Kitchen does such a lovely job with step-by-step photos and such I thought I'd send you there for the recipe. Enjoy!)

Blueberry Almond French Toast Bake.

This delicious breakfast is beyond simple. Prepare everything the night before, and in the morning, simply pop it in the oven when you wake up and let it bake while you get ready for your day.  If you like, you can trade the blueberries for any berry you prefer, though if you use strawberries I recommend slicing them first. I should divulge that this is a very egg-heavy recipe, and that I halved it, using an 9x9 pan, for that reason.

Blueberry Almond French Toast Bake, from Ellie Krieger's So Easy Cookbook

Ingredients:

Cooking spray

1 whole-wheat baguette (about 18 in. long, 8 oz.) cut into 1 inch cubes

2 cups low fat milk

8 large eggs

8 large egg whites (that's right, in addition to the whole eggs.)

1/3 c. pure maple syrup (don't use imitation, it is so sorely lacking)

1 t. vanilla extract (I may or may not have put more than this, despite halving the recipe. You just can't go wrong with vanilla.)

1/2 t. ground cinnamon

2 cups fresh blueberries

1/3 c. sliced almonds

2 T. dark brown sugar

Directions:

Spray a 9x13 inch baking pan with cooking spray. Arrange the bread in a single layer in the baking pan. Whisk together the milk, eggs, egg whites, maple syrup, vanilla, and cinnamon. Pour the egg mixture over the bread in the pan, spreading it around so the liquid saturates the bread.  Scatter the blueberries evenly on top. Sprinkle with the almonds and brown sugar. Cover and refrigerate for at least 8 hours or overnight.

Preheat the oven to 350°F. Uncover and bake for 50 to 60 minutes. Serve hot. Enjoy!