Tag Archives: Cinnamon Rolls

Meal Planning – Week 3

A weekly meal plan is always useful to have. It helps with shopping, meal preparation, healthy eating, meal variety, and can save on the grocery bill. What follows is my suggested meal plan and shopping list for Week 3. I have several weeks’ worth of meal plans developed using recipes I have created for my food blog.  You can access the meal plans for other weeks by clicking on the hotlinks at the end of this posting.   Of note, the Week 1 posting also includes information on meal planning in general.

I’ve provided a list of the main ingredients that, for the most part, would probably involve a shopping trip to the supermarket for most. However, as always, read each recipe thoroughly and carefully to create your own list as I have not listed what I consider to be “staple” items like regular milk, butter, eggs, flour, sugar, butter/shortening, oil, spices, etc.

Click on the green hotlinks to access the recipes.

MONDAY

Glazed Lemon Pecan Sweet Bread – This is a lovely treat to start off the week. Tuck it in to the lunch bags for a treat at break.

Shopping List: Lemon, pecans

Glazed Lemon Pecan Sweet Bread

Dinner:  Rich and Hearty Goulash Soup with Whole Wheat Biscuits

This soup is the full meal deal – very filling and flavorful.

Shopping List: For the Soup – Ground beef, onion, celery, carrots, rutabaga, parsnip, potatoes, zucchini, garlic, tomato paste, canned diced tomatoes, ketchup, beef stock (click here for my recipe), red wine vinegar. For the Biscuits – All purpose and whole wheat flours, buttermilk

Goulash Soup
Rich and Hearty Goulash Soup

There’s nothing like a wholesome homemade biscuit and these whole wheat biscuits go really well with the Goulash Soup.

Whole Wheat Biscuits
Whole Wheat Biscuits

Dessert: Apple Crisp

No matter the season, this old faithful dessert will always meet with satisfaction. Pure comfort food at its best!

Shopping List: Apples (e.g., any combo of Cortland, Honeycrisp, Humes, Gingergold), rolled oats, pecans, lemon juice

Apple Crisp
Apple Crisp with Vanilla Ice Cream

TUESDAY

Dinner:  Pork Loin Roast with Pomegranate, Red Wine, and Black Garlic; serve with Potato Patties and medley of roasted vegetables of choice

Black garlic is not all that common yet, here on PEI, the garlic grower at Eureka Garlic just outside Kensington produces black garlic. Click here to read the story I wrote on Eureka Garlic’s black garlic.  Not at all the taste you might think – in fact, no garlic flavor at all. Its transformation is more of a cross between a fig and a prune. Goes particularly well with pork.

Shopping List: For Pork Loin Roast – Pork rib roast, garlic, soya sauce, white wine vinegar, shallots, pomegranate molasses, chicken stock, black garlic, balsamic vinegar, red wine, orange juice. For Potato Patties – Potatoes, sour cream chicken bouillon, breadcrumbs.

Pork Loin
Pork Loin Roast with Pomegranate, Red Wine, and Black Garlic Sauce served with Potato Croquettes and Roasted Root Vegetables

These potato patties are such an incredibly tasty way to serve potatoes and they freeze well, too!

PEI Potato Patties
PEI Potato Patties

Dessert:  Date Squares

Date Squares, the perennial favorite with many! These are a yummy treat and they freeze well, too.

Shopping List: Dates, rolled oats, orange juice

Date Squares
Date Squares (aka Matrimonial Squares)

WEDNESDAY

Dinner:  Savory Cottage Pie

Lovely winter time treat, these little pies are packed full of flavor!

Shopping List: Ground beef, onion, carrots, parsnip, celery, green pepper, garlic, mushrooms, tomato paste, tomato sauce, ketchup, canned diced tomatoes, Worcestershire sauce, Dijon mustard, beef broth, molasses, frozen peas and corn, potatoes, grated cheddar cheese

cottage pie
My Island Bistro Kitchen’s Cottage Pie

Dessert: Butter Tarts

When it comes to food, it doesn’t get any more Canadian than these sweet butter tarts! A treat for sure, eh!

Butter Tarts
Butter Tarts

Shopping List: Pie Pastry, general baking supplies + maple syrup, milk/blend/cream 
Butter Tarts

THURSDAY

DinnerMussel Chowder served with Pan Rolls

This chowder is incredibly flavorful. They’ll ask for seconds on this one!

Shopping list: For Chowder:  2 lbs PEI mussels, onion, garlic, white wine, celery, carrots, potatoes, chicken broth, whole milk (or evaporated milk); For Pan Rolls: Yeast + standard baking supplies

PEI Mussel Chowder Paired with Upstreet Brewing Company's Commons Czech Style Pilsner
PEI Mussel Chowder Paired with Upstreet Brewing Company’s Commons Czech Style Pilsner

Nothing better with chowder than fresh homemade rolls, still warm from the oven! Bring on the butter!

Pan Rolls
Pan Rolls

Dessert: Squash Pie

Pick up a butternut squash and make this delectable pie – it’s even better than pumpkin pie and has a deeper flavor. Don’t reserve this recipe just for the autumn – it’s good any time of the year!

Shopping List:  1½ – 1¾ lb butternut squash, pastry for 10” single crust pie, evaporated milk, whipping cream

Squash Pie
Squash Pies

FRIDAY

 Dinner:  Chicken and Mushroom Crepes with Cheese Sauce; serve with favorite green salad

A real special Friday night dinner. These crepes are so tasty with their cheesy sauce!

Shopping List: For crepes – 2 cups cubed cooked chicken, chicken stock, cheese mix (e.g., mozzarella, provolone and parmesan), celery, mushrooms; For salad – lettuce and favorite salad fixings and dressing.

Chicken and Mushroom Crepes with Cheese Sauce
Chicken and Mushroom Crepes with Cheese Sauce

Dessert: Leftover Squash Pie

Squash Pie
Squash Pie

SATURDAY

Dinner: Asparagus Stuffed Chicken Breasts with Rice

Fresh asparagus works best in this chicken dish.  Super yummy and looks great when it is sliced with the rings of the asparagus being very showy!

Shopping List: Boneless skinless chicken breasts, Boursin cheese, fresh asparagus spears, prosciutto, parmesan cheese, rice.

Asparagus
Asparagus-Stuffed Chicken Breasts

Dessert: Blueberry Bread Pudding with Grand Marnier Sauce

Oh là-là, how many different ways can you say “yummy”? This moist and flavorful bread pudding will have them calling for seconds!

Shopping List:  For Pudding: 1 – 1lb loaf of soft French bread, whole milk, maple syrup, 2 cups high-bush blueberries (fresh or frozen). For Sauce: Grand Marnier, corn syrup

Blueberry Bread Pudding
Blueberry Bread Pudding

SUNDAY

 Sunday Breakfast: Special Treat – Cinnamon Rolls

Cinnamon Rolls
Cinnamon Buns

DinnerCranberry and Ginger Sauced Pork Chops; serve with baked potato and medley of favorite steamed vegetables

Jazz up pork chops with a tasty and colorful cranberry and ginger sauce.

Shopping List: Pork Chops, chicken broth, orange juice, balsamic vinegar, cranberry preserve/jam, mustard, onion

Pork Chops
Cranberry and Ginger Sauced Pork Chops

Dessert: Leftover Blueberry Bread Pudding

Bread Pudding
My Island Bistro Kitchen’s Blueberry Bread Pudding

I hope you have found some interesting recipes from my food blog to try this week!

For other weekly meal plans from My Island Bistro Kitchen, click on the links below:

Week 1 Meal Plan
Week 2 Meal Plan
Week 4 Meal Plan
Week 5 Meal Plan
Week 6 Meal Plan

Quick Cinnamon Rolls Recipe

Cinnamon Buns
Cinnamon Rolls

I don’t think I have ever met anyone who did not like cinnamon rolls.  Just the scent of them baking in the oven makes the house smell sooooo divine!  They also freeze well and they are a staple in my freezer because I can quickly pull one out on weekday mornings and pop it into the lunch bag as a special treat for morning coffee break.  A quick re-heat for about 15 seconds in the microwave and these taste like they are fresh from the oven.

The recipe I will share at the end of this post is one I have been making for many years.  The rolls end up being a bit different shape because I use muffin tins to bake them.  Several years ago, there was a hotel in downtown Charlottetown, PEI, that had a great little restaurant and this was how they shaped their cinnamon rolls.  This intrigued me and so I have been making my cinnamon rolls this way ever since first seeing them at this restaurant that, unfortunately, no longer operates.

Cinnamon rolls are really little more than a sweet biscuit dough.  They take no uncommon ingredients and are quick to make.  There are two tricks I have learned to making cinnamon rolls.  The first key is not to over-mix or over-knead the dough as this results in a tough cinnamon roll.  The second key is not to over-bake them as they will dry out.

I don’t typically drizzle an icing on my cinnamon rolls but, for those who have an extra special sweet tooth, simply mix up 1/2 cup icing sugar with 1/4 cup milk and drizzle over the cinnamon buns while they are still warm.

Cinnamon rolls are a nice addition to a weekend brunch and so I am sharing some photographs of a recent brunch where I featured cinnamon rolls.

If you are like me, weekday morning breakfasts are generally quick and there is little time for relaxation over the first meal of the day.  However, weekend breakfasts or brunches are much more relaxing.  In the summer, we like to eat breakfast/brunch out under the front verandah.

So, here was what was on the brunch menu: Fresh-squeezed orange juice, boiled egg, cheese, multi-grain toast with homemade rhubarb marmalade, yogurt, fresh-from-the-oven cinnamon rolls and, of course, a nice pot of tea.

I love these little blue and white egg cups!

As you can see, the color theme for today’s brunch was blue and white.

I like to add a splash of color to the plates. Nothing more than a slice of orange, a piece of parsley from the herb garden and a sweet little viola is needed.

There’s always time for a second cup of tea on weekend mornings so a nice big teapot is a good thing!

And, of course, there are the cinnamon rolls to finish off with that second cup of tea!

It’s hard to stop at just one of these yummy cinnamon rolls!

Curious to see what the cinnamon roll looks like inside?

Cinnamon Rolls

Ingredients:

2 cups flour
2 tbsp white sugar
4 tsp baking powder
½ tsp salt

½ cup cold butter
1 egg, lightly beaten
½ cup milk

Cinnamon Filling:

⅓ cup butter, softened
½ cup brown sugar
2 tsp cinnamon

Method:

Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease 10 muffin cups.

Assemble ingredients.

Whisk together the flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt together in large bowl.

Using a pastry blender, cut in butter until mixture is consistency of coarse crumbs.

Whisk the egg and milk together and pour over dry ingredients. Stir with a fork just until the wet ingredients have been incorporated.  Do not overmix – ingredients will be further incorporated during the kneading process.

Turn ingredients out on to a floured surface. Knead ten times. Do not over-knead as this will create a tough dough.

Roll out dough into a 9”x12” rectangle.

Spread the dough with the softened butter.  Sprinkle the brown sugar over the surface. Evenly sprinkle the cinnamon over the sugar.

Starting at the nearest long edge , roll up the dough evenly into a log shape. Pinch the seam to seal. Using a sharp knife, cut the log into 10 even pieces.

Place each roll in a greased muffin cup.

Bake for 20-25 minutes or until buns spring back to a light touch. Do not overbake or the cinnamon rolls will be dry.

Let cool in pans for 5-7 minutes then transfer to a wire rack to finish cooling.

Yield: Apx. 10-12 cinnamon rolls

(NOTE: I find the cinnamon rolls are a better size if just 10 are cut out of this recipe; however, it is possible to get 12 by cutting each a bit smaller.)

Cinnamon Rolls

These easy-to-make quick Cinnamon Rolls are super delicious and perfect for brunch or coffee break. Best served warm and freshly made.
Course Snack
Keyword cinnamon rolls
Servings 10
My Island Bistro Kitchen Barbara99

Ingredients

Dough:

  • 2 cups flour
  • 2 tbsp white sugar
  • 4 tsp baking powder
  • ½ tsp salt
  • ½ cup cold butter
  • 1 egg, lightly beaten
  • ½ cup milk

Cinnamon Filling:

  • cup butter, softened
  • ½ cup brown sugar
  • 2 tsp cinnamon

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease 10 muffin cups.
  2. Combine flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt together in large bowl.
  3. Using pastry blender, cut in butter until mixture is consistency of coarse crumbs.
  4. Whisk the egg and milk together and pour over dry ingredients. Stir with a fork to make a soft dough. Do not overmix.
  5. Turn ingredients out on to a floured surface. Knead ten times. Do not over-knead as this will create a tough dough.
  6. Roll out dough into a 9”x12” rectangle. Spread the dough with the softened butter, leaving ½” border unbuttered along one long edge. Sprinkle the brown sugar over the surface. Evenly sprinkle the cinnamon over the sugar.
  7. Starting at the long edge opposite to the unbuttered edge, roll up the dough evenly into a log shape. Pinch the seam to seal. Using a serrated knife, cut the log into 10 even pieces. Place each roll in a greased muffin cup.
  8. Bake for 20-25 minutes or until rolls spring back to a light touch. Do not overbake or the cinnamon rolls will be dry.
  9. Let cool in pans for 5-7 minutes then transfer to a wire rack to finish cooling.

Recipe Notes

Yield: Apx. 10-12 cinnamon rolls

(NOTE: I find the cinnamon rolls are a better size if just 10 are cut out of this recipe; however, it is possible to get 12 by cutting each a bit smaller.)

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Cinnamon Rolls

Cinnamon Rolls

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