The World's Best Cinnamon Rolls. Period!

Ingredients:

2 c. vanilla ice cream, any brand
½ c. butter
1 c. brown sugar
1 ½ c. chopped pecans, optional but recommended
1 pkg. Rhodes cinnamon rolls, frozen. Reserve icing for after baking.

Directions:

In large skillet or saucepan combine ice cream, butter and brown sugar. Heat on medium heat, stirring continuously, until melted together. Meanwhile, place the cinnamon rolls in a 13x9 in baking dish. Once ice cream mixture is melted together, stir in pecans and pour over cinnamon rolls. PICK UP EACH ROLL TO ENSURE THAT THE ICE CREAM MIXTURE IS UNDERNEATH EACH ROLL!!

Allow the cinnamon rolls to sit out on the counter overnight. **Do NOT skip this step, the rolls have to rise. Also, do not place the rolls in the refrigerator, they must be left on the counter.**

In the morning, bake the cinnamon rolls at 350 degrees for 30 minutes or until golden brown on the top. Remove from oven and frost with reserved icing.

Source: Michelle Haupt

Special thanks to Jenae Harris and Michelle Owens for testing out the cinnamon rolls!

Blackberry Beef Marinade Stir-Fry

Ingredients:

Marinated Blackberry Beef, reserve ½ marinade
½ c. stir-fry sauce
1 zucchini, cubed
1 bag frozen vegetables
½ c. reduced-fat soy sauce
1 onion, diced
Olive oil for stir-frying
Lime juice to taste (optional)
Hot cooked rice

Directions:

In medium wok, drizzle olive oil and heat on med-high heat until hot, but not smoking. Add beef and ½ marinade and cook 6 minutes or until lightly browned. Remove beef from wok. Add onion and zucchini to wok and cook 8 to 10 minutes until zucchini is beginning to brown and onions are translucent. Add vegetables, stir-fry sauce and soy sauce to wok. Let cook until vegetables are done, approximately 10 minutes. Return beef to wok and allow to cook until beef reaches desired level of doneness (approx. 5 min. for medium and 10 for well-done). Serve stir-fry over hot rice.

Source: my creativity

Blackberry Beef Marinade

Ingredients:

1 orange
¼ c. EACH: Arbor Mist Blackberry Merlot, Low-Sodium soy sauce, and Stir-Fry sauce
1/8 c. EACH: lime juice, olive oil, and Sriracha HOT chili sauce (can be found at Wal-Mart)
1 tsp. garlic salt
1 tsp. seasoned meat tenderizer (optional)

Directions:

Cut orange in half. Squeeze juice into small bowl. Add remaining ingredients to the bowl. Stir to mix. Pour marinade in bag to cover beef. Allow to sit at least 5 hours, but preferably overnight.

This marinade is for beef—specifically beef that will be used on the grill or in stir-fry.

Source: my creativity

Apple Delite!

Ingredients:

3c. apples, peeled, and sliced
1 pkg. (3 oz.) Jell-O (in powder form)
1c. flour
1c. sugar
½ c. butter, room temperature

Directions:

Place sliced apples in a buttered, 9 in. square baking dish.
Sprinkle gelatin over apples.
In a small bowl, combine sugar, butter and flour. Mix until crumbly.
Sprinkle over apples and bake at 350° F for 30 minutes or until top is light brown and firm to touch.

Source: www.allrecipes.com

Tips:

This is wonderful regardless of what type of apples you use; however, if you use green apples (Granny Smith, Jonah Gold, etc.) then use lime Jell-O. If you use any type of red apple, use a red Jell-O (the flavor does not matter).

Zesty Carrots

Ingredients:

½ c. Balsamic vinaigrette dressing
1 lb. sliced carrots
2 tbsp. basil
2 tbsp. chopped nuts (pecans and walnuts work best)

Directions:

Pour dressing over carrots in large nonstick skillet. Stir to coat.
Cover and cook on medium heat for 10 minutes, stirring after 5 minutes. Stir in basil and nuts. Continue cooking for 5 minutes.

Source: A Taste of Home Cookbook

*Shown with Palindrome Christmas Chicken*

Palindrome Christmas Chicken

Ingredients:

2 ¼ tsp. dried parsley, divided
2 ¼ tsp. dried basil, divided
2 ¼ tsp. dried oregano, divided
3 cloves garlic, divided
¼ tsp. salt, divided
¼ tsp. pepper, divided
2-3 tomatoes, sliced and divided
3 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, unthawed

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350° F. Coat a 9 x 13 inch baking dish with cooking spray. Sprinkle 1 tsp. dried parlsey, basil and oregano over the bottom of the pan. Top herb mixture with 1 ½ sliced tomatoes. Top tomatoes with a sprinkling of salt and pepper. Place chicken breasts over herbs and tomatoes. Sprinkle remaining salt and pepper over chicken breasts. Slice remaining tomatoes over chicken breasts. Sprinkle chicken breasts with the remaining herbs.

Bake chicken in over for 40 minutes or until juices run clear.

Source: www.allrecipes.com

*Palindrome Christmas Chicken shown served with Zesty Carrots*

Shrimp and Zucchini with Lemon Velvet Sauce

Ingredients:

1 medium onion, chopped
1 tbsp. + 1 tsp. extra virgin olive oil
2 medium-sized zucchini, thinly sliced
1 tsp. ground red pepper
1 tsp. salt
¼ c. + ¼ c. lemon juice
¼ c. vodka * I prefer Skyy
½ c. evaporated milk (you may also use regular milk, but if you do allow extra 5 min. cooking time and YOU MUST STIR CONTINUOUSLY to prevent lumps)
¼ c. grated Parmesan cheese
14 oz. (1 pkg.) frozen, raw shrimp (peeled, deveined with tail off)
2 c. hot cooked rice
Fresh cilantro for garnish (optional, of course)

Directions:

1. Place chopped onion and 1 tablespoon olive oil in skillet. Cook on medium heat until onions are translucent.
2. Add sliced zucchini to onions. Season with ground red pepper and salt.
3. Allow zucchini mixture to cook 8 to 10 minutes.
4. Add ¼ c. lemon juice and vodka to zucchini mixture. Allow to cook until lemon juice and vodka begin to evaporate (about 5 minutes).
5. Add the rest of the lemon juice, evaporated milk and parmesan cheese to the skillet. Stir until mixed well.
6. Toss in the frozen shrimp and fold all ingredients together. Allow to cook for 7 -10 minutes or until shrimp is done (shrimp will be pink in color when it is done).
7. Serve shrimp and zucchini mixture over hot rice. Garnish with cilantro (if desired).

Tips:

1. Serve shrimp and zucchini mixture immediately. Sauce will thicken drastically upon standing (if you use the evaporated milk; if you use regular milk, the thickening will not be as significant).
2. The sauce mixture (with the shrimp and zucchini) is also great on pastas; however, it works better on small pasta (penne, rigatoni, bowtie, etc.).
3. This recipe serves 3-4.
4. Avoid tasting the sauce until you add the milk and cheese. It does not taste very good when it is just lemon juice and vodka. Trust me.

Source:

My creativity