Cranberry Kissed Cinnamon Rolls

Laura passed on this recipe to me as well. The original recipe (which can be found at Very Best Baking) says to use white chocolate chips, but Laura said MSPI-friendly semi-sweet chocolate chips worked great, too! Also, she didn't want to overdo on the sugar for her kids, so she skipped the icing, and the rolls were still delicious!

Cranberry Kissed Cinnamon Rolls

2 loaves (1 lb. each) MSPI-friendly frozen white yeast bread dough, thawed, divided
2 tbsp. MSPI-friendly margarine, softened, divided
¼ cup sugar
1 tbsp. ground cinnamon
2 cups MSPI-friendly chocolate chips
1 cup sweetened dried cranberries, coarsely chopped, divided
1 cup powdered sugar, sifted
3 tbsp. rice milk or orange juice

Grease two 9-inch round baking pans.

Roll one bread loaf into 16 x 10 inch rectangle on a lightly floured surface.

Spread one tablespoon softened margarine over dough. Combine sugar and cinnamon in small bowl; sprinkle two tablespoons over dough leaving ½-inch border around sides. Sprinkle with ¾ cup chips and ½ cup cranberries, firmly pressing morsels and cranberries into dough.

Roll up dough tightly, starting at short end; seal edges with water. Cut into 6 slices; place cut side up in prepared baking pan. Repeat with remaining bread loaf.

Cover; let rise in warm place until dough almost fills pans, about 30 minutes.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Bake for 25-30 minutes or until golden brown. Cool for 15 minutes in pans on wire racks.

Melt remaining chips in small, uncovered, microwave safe bowl on medium-high for 30 seconds, stir. Morsels may retain some of their original shape. If necessary, microwave at additional 10-15 second intervals, stirring just until morsels are melted. Stir in powdered sugar and rice milk to make a stiff glaze. Drizzle over cinnamon rolls.

Hearty Brunch Potatoes

My buddy Laura passed on this recipe from Taste of Home. And although the recipe is meant for brunch, Laura said she served it at dinner. After all, who doesn't love breakfast for dinner?!

Laura also thought mixing in some scrambled eggs would be delicious, and I agree!

For a vegetarian version, just leave out the sausage. You just may want to add a little more seasoning.

Mini Crescent Dogs

In case you've been under a rock lately, the Super Bowl is this Sunday. Are you going to a party? Well, there's usually food at those types of things, so make sure you go prepared with fun foods you can eat!

Here's a recipe for a classic appetizer from Pillsbury. I know this will completely shock you, but there are MSPI-friendly crescent rolls available, and Pillsbury is one of the brands. Just be sure your cocktail sausages are MSPI-friendly, too!

1-year update

I haven't mentioned my baby boy in quite a while. He's doing great. Still has problems with dairy, but soy doesn't seem to bother him much anymore. I've added in small amounts of soy to my diet, but nothing major -- I didn't want to push it.

JD's reaction to dairy has greatly improved, though, and I have faith he will outgrow this crazy thing soon! He turns 1 year old on Friday (yikes!) and I plan to start weaning him to rice milk, with a shot of coconut milk for added fat.

So you may be wondering what will happen to this blog? Have no fear, I plan to continue posting recipes, even after I'm no longer on the diet! It's a lot of fun for me. So continue to keep checking!

Baked Blueberry Oatmeal

Another breakfast recipe! This recipe from Recipezaar was passed on to me from my friend Tina. I haven't had the chance to make it yet, but Tina said it's "awesome"!

She substituted MSPI-friendly margarine for the butter and rice milk for the regular milk. She also used a frozen berry mix, instead of fresh blueberries, and said that everything tasted great! Even the leftovers tasted good, too!

Breakfast Rolls

So sorry that I've been away for quite some time. I've been under the weather and am finally seeing the light at the end of the tunnel! Hopefully, I will continue to get better!

Anyway, here's a recipe from my mom that is absolutely one of my favorites. Don't let the generic name fool you, these rolls are ooey, gooey and oh-so-good! They are great for brunches, holiday breakfasts or just because you like waking up to something special!

Breakfast Rolls

18 MSPI-friendly frozen dinner rolls (such as Rhodes), cut in half
1 small pkg. MSPI-friendly cook-and-serve butterscotch pudding mix
1 tsp. cinnamon
1 cup chopped pecans
6 tbsp. MSPI-friendly margarine
1/2 cup brown sugar

Grease or spray bundt pan and place frozen rolls in pan. Sprinkle with pudding mix, nuts and cinnamon. Melt together margarine and brown sugar in small pan on stove top. Pour over rolls. Cover loosely with foil, then a towel. Let rise on counter overnight -- at least 8-10 hours. Bake the next morning at 350 for 30 minutes. Immediately invert onto serving platter.

Mom's Hint: The rolls are easier to cut if slightly thawed, but don't over thaw -- the pudding mix needs to get in between the rolls. Coating the foil with cooking spray keeps it from sticking to the rising rolls.