I've found what could be one of the best blogs ever...... The Pioneer Woman. This girl does everything. She cooks, gardens, takes fabulous pictures, and homeschool her kids, all while living on a ranch. I absolutely love her cooking section. She takes pictures of the step by step process of every recipe which make the posts not only stunningly beautiful but very helpful as well. I'll be bookmarking this site because I'm sure I'll be coming back to it often to get some good ideas and great entertainment.
This recipe is my first taste of TPW cooking and it quickly became a big hit with the family.

1 quart of whole milk
1 cup of vegetable oil
1 cup sugar
2 packages Active Dry Yeast
9 cups of all-purpose flour
1 heaping teaspoon baking powder
1 "scant" (less than a full) teaspoon baking soda
1 heaping tablespoon of salt
4 cups butter
1 cup of sugar
generous sprinkling of cinnamon

Frosting
1 bag powdered sugar
2 teas maple flavoring
1/2 cup milk
1/4 cup melted butter
1/4 cup brewed coffee
1/8 teas salt


Mix 1 quart of whole milk, 1 cup of vegetable oil, and 1 cup of sugar in a pan.
"Scald" the mixture (heat until just before the boiling point.) Turn off heat and leave to cool 45 minutes to 1 hour. When the mixture is lukewarm to warm, but NOT hot, sprinkle in 2 packages Active Dry Yeast. Let this sit for a minute so the yeast gets all warm and moist and happy. Then add 8 cups of all-purpose flour. Stir mixture together. Cover and let sit for at least an hour. Now add 1 more cup of flour…
1 heaping teaspoon baking powder…1 "scant" (less than a full) teaspoon baking soda and 1 heaping tablespoon of salt. Stir mixture together. At this point, you could cover the dough and put it in the fridge until you need it—overnight or even a day or two, if necessary. Just keep your eye on it and if it starts to splurge out of the pan, just punch it down.
Sprinkle surface generously with flour.
Take half the dough and form a rough rectangle.
Then roll the dough thin, maintaining a general rectangular shape. Rectangle should increase in both width and length as you roll it out.
Now drizzle 1 1/2 to 2 cups melted butter over the dough.
Now sprinkle 1 cup of sugar over the butter…followed by a generous sprinkling of cinnamon
Now, starting at the opposite end, begin rolling the dough in a neat line toward you. Keep the roll relatively tight as you go. Some of the butter/sugar/cinnamon mixture may ooze out toward the end, but that’s no big deal.
Spread 1 tablespoon of melted butter in seven round, foil cake or pie pans. Then begin cutting rolls approximately 3/4 to 1 inch thick and laying them in the buttered pans. Repeat this process with the other half of the dough. This recipe makes approximately seven pans of rolls.
Let the rolls sit for 20 to 30 minutes to rise, then bake at 400 degrees until light golden brown, about 15 to 18 minutes.
While the rolls are in the oven, make the deliciously sinful maple frosting.


To a mixing bowl, add 1 bag of powdered sugar.
To this, add about 2 teaspoons maple flavoring…
1/2 cup milk...
1/4 cup melted butter……and 1/4 cup of brewed coffee.
Also add 1/8 teaspoon (a generous pinch) salt.
The mixture should be thick but pourable. Taste and adjust as needed.

One of the only shows my husband will watch with me is Good Eats with Alton Brown. I like watching his show because I enjoy learning the how and why details of cooking, and that's what Good Eats is all about, but I don't try many of Alton's recipes. We were watching it earlier this month though and Alton made a Tres Leche cake. My guy turned to me after the show and said, "I would love to try that cake some time". Since my husband was nice enough to watch the show with me I couldn't refuse his requested. I love cake and milk and to be able to combine them in this beautiful creation is well worth the effort.

Vegetable oil
6 3/4 ounces cake flour, plus extra for pan
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
4 ounces unsalted butter, room temperature
8 ounces sugar
5 whole eggs
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
For the glaze:
1 (12-ounce) can evaporated milk
1 (14-ounce) can sweetened condensed milk
1 cup half-and-half
For the topping:
2 cups heavy cream
8 ounces sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
For the cake:
Directions
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly oil and flour a 13 by 9-inch metal pan and set aside.

Whisk together the cake flour, baking powder and salt in a medium mixing bowl and set aside.

Place the butter into the bowl of a stand mixer. Using the paddle attachment, beat on medium speed until fluffy, approximately 1 minute. Decrease the speed to low and with the mixer still running, gradually add the sugar over 1 minute. Stop to scrape down the sides of the bowl, if necessary. Add the eggs, 1 at a time, and mix to thoroughly combine. Add the vanilla extract and mix to combine. Add the flour mixture to the batter in 3 batches and mix just until combined. Transfer the batter to the prepared pan and spread evenly. This will appear to be a very small amount of batter. Bake on the middle rack of the oven for 20 to 25 minutes or until the cake is lightly golden and reaches an internal temperature of 200 degrees F.

Remove the cake pan to a cooling rack and allow to cool for 30 minutes. Poke the top of the cake all over with a skewer or fork. Allow the cake to cool completely and then prepare the glaze.

For the glaze:
Whisk together the evaporated milk, sweetened condensed milk and the half-and-half in a 1-quart measuring cup. Once combined, pour the glaze over the cake. Refrigerate the cake overnight.

Topping:
Place the heavy cream, sugar and vanilla into the bowl of a stand mixer. Using the whisk attachment, whisk together on low until stiff peaks are formed. Change to medium speed and whisk until thick. Spread the topping over the cake and allow to chill in the refrigerator until ready to serve.

I got this from my friend Cindy. She is such a wonderful cook. She uses the freshest ingredients, usually from her garden, and it makes for the most amazing dinners. After her wonderful dinner yesterday she brings out this amazing cheesecake. I couldn't wait to make it for myself because having just one piece just wasn't working for me.

From Rocking V Cafe Kanab, Utah
Makes a 9 or 10 inch cheesecake, 12 servings

Crust
2 cups crushed graham crackers
1/2 cup melted butter
1/2 cup chopped pecans

Filling
1 1/2 pounds (24 Ounces) softened cream cheese
1 cup sugar
3 eggs
1/2 teas salt
2 table vanilla extract
1/4 cup amaretto, or other almond flavored liqueur
3 cups sour cream
1 cup prepared caramel topping
1 cup pecan halves
whipped cream for garnish

For the crust, preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. In medium bowl mix the ingredients together and press into the bottom of 9 or 10 inch springform cake pan. Bake 8 minutes. Cool while preparing the filling, and turn the oven down to 325.

For the filling, in a large bowl, whip the cream cheese until smooth. Beat in the sugar. Add the eggs and beat until smooth. Add salt, vanilla extract, and amaretto, again beating until smooth. Beat in the sour cream until just blended. Pour into the crust. Gently stir 3/4 cup caramel topping into the top half of the cheesecake, being careful not to lift the graham crust into the mixture. Arrange pecan halves around the edges of the pan. Drizzle remaining 1/4 cup caramel syrup over the pecan halves.

Bake for 50 minutes, then shut off the oven and leave the cheesecake in it for 1 hour. Cool the cheesecake on the countertop for another hour, then refrigerate for 6 hours. Remove the springform ring. Place the cheesecake in the freezer for 30 minutes before serving.

Serve with a dollop of whipped cream. Stays fresh up to 3 or 4 days in refrigerator.