Cinnamon Roll Sugar Cookies

I saw this recipe on a blog yesterday (picky-palate.com) and I had to make it today. They are soft and Cinnamony and delicious. They were in short just as good as they look. They do make a big batch, so next time I will freeze two of the logs for  later.

• 2 cups sugar
• 1 cup soft butter
• 3 eggs
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 1 cup sour cream
• 6 cups flour
• 2 tsp baking soda
• 2 tsp baking powder
• 1/4 tsp salt           
• FILLING
• 12 tbsp soft butter
• 1 cup brown sugar
• 1 1/2 tbsp cinnamon

1. Cream the butter and sugar. Add the eggs and vanilla. Beat to combine. Add the sour cream.
2. Whisk together the dry ingredients.
3. Combine the dry ingredients with the wet until a soft dough forms. 
4. Divide the dough into 4 equal parts and pat into disks. Cover each with saran and refrigerate for a couple of hours.
5. Working with one disk at a time, roll out into  a rectangle. Spread with about 3 tbsp of soft butter and then 1/4 cup of the brown sugar. Sprinkle with about 2-3 tsp of cinnamon.
6. Roll up jelly roll style as tightly as you can. If the dough gets too soft, refrigerate before slicing. 
7. Continue with the remaining disks and refrigerate in between baking.

You can freeze the logs of dough at this point if you want to save them for later or slice about 1/2 inch thick and bake at 350 degrees on a parchment lined baking sheet for about 10-12 minutes or until lightly browned.

Jenny from picky palate claims that they are even better  straight from the fridge. She also posts a cream cheese icing for them. I didn't want to go to the trouble honestly. They are delicious with out the icing, but it sure does look fabulous!

Curried Pork Satay

Okay.... Yum. That's exactly what these turned out to be. I loved them and more importantly the kids and Mike loved them too. In keeping with my new theme (try something new) I picked these because I have not had much luck feeding the kids anything with curry. Now I'll have this dinner  in my back pocket when I try something else with curry and my son immediately tells me that he doesn't like curry!

• 1/4 cup soya sauce
• 1/4 cup oil
• 1/4 cup dry red wine
• 1 tbsp sugar
• 2 tsp curry powder
• 1/2 - 1 tsp red pepper flakes ( I only used a pinch )
• 2 1/2 lbs lean, boneless pork cut into 1 1/2 inch cubes

1. In a bowl, stir together all of the ingredients. remove 1/4 cup of the marinade and set aside for later.
2. Add the remaining marinade to the pork and toss to coat. Marinate at least 2 hours or overnight.
3. If using wooden skewers, make sure to soak them in water for at least 30 minutes.
4. Preheat your grill. Remove the pork from the marinade and thread onto skewers.
5. Grill your pork over med heat and baste occasionally with your reserved marinade.

Grill until well browned on both sides and slightly pink in the center.

I served these with basmati rice and some chopped fresh green onion.

Beef Strudel

Well I decided last night that to attempt to get out of this funk I've been in lately, that I would start cooking again. I mean I do still cook but nothing interesting. Just the same old recipes that I could cook with my eyes closed. Boring! So last night I grabbed three cookbooks from my Williams Sonoma collection and picked 7 new recipes that I probably wouldn't normally make or that I just thought looked yummy! Here is on of them. It really was easy and I thought the kids would think it was fun and maybe  a little bit special. Mission accomplished! Although I didn't think it was fabulous(maybe too much dill) it did get me motivated to keep cooking!

• 3 tbsp butter                                  
• 1 large onion, minced
• 1 tsp minced garlic
• 3 tbsp minced fresh parsley
• 3 tbsp minced fresh dill
• 1 tsp dried oregano
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp allspice or grated nutmeg
• 1 lb ground beef
• 1 egg, beaten
• 1/4 cup dried bread crumbs
• salt and pepper
• 12 sheets filo pastry

1. In a large frying pan melt the butter and add the minced onion. Saute until soft. Add the garlic, parsley, dill oregano cinnamon, allspice and beef. Cook, breaking up the beef until cooked through.Transfer to a bowl and let cool slightly. Stir in the bread crumbs and egg and season to taste with salt and pepper. Let cool for 30 minutes longer.
2. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. lay parchment on a baking sheet and set aside. Place one phyllo sheet on a clean dry surface and brush it with melted butter. Top with a second sheet and brush with more butter. Continue until you have used 6 sheets.
3. Place 1/2 of the meat mixture in a strip along the the long edge leaving a 1 inch border. Fold in the ends and roll it up jelly roll style. Repeat with the remaining sheets and meat mixture to form a second roll. If making these ahead of time you can refrigerate them up to 12 hours.
4. Place the phyllo rolls on the prepared baking sheet and brush with more melted butter. BAke until golden brown, about 35 minutes. Cut into 1/2 inch slices and serve with a dollop of sour cream.

I was just thinking that these might make a better little appetizer in the form of triangles or mini cigars. Maybe with a nice minted yogurt dipping sauce?