Crockpot Sugared Almonds

cooking spray

1 1/2 cups sugar (try not to freak out on me)

3 tablespoons cinnamon

1/8 teaspoon kosher salt

1 egg white

1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract

3 1/4 cups whole raw almonds (that's what was in the packages I bought; it's a weird measurement)

aluminum foil or parchment paper

The Directions.

Use a 4-quart slow cooker. Spray the stoneware well with cooking spray. In a mixing bowl, combine sugar, cinnamon, and salt. Set this bowl aside.

In a larger mixing bowl, whisk together the egg white and vanilla extract. Pour the almonds into this bowl and stir well to coat. Add your cinnamon mixture to the top of the nuts and toss with spoons to fully coat (too many nuts to do the plastic bag toss---you'd have to do batches).

Put the almonds into the slow cooker and cover. Cook on high for 2 hours, stirring every 20-30 minutes or so to keep the almonds on the side of the crock from getting too crispy.

When the nuts are all hot and toasty, let them cool fully on a length of foil or parchment paper. When fully cool, store in an air-tight container.

Holiday Morning Buns

from King Arthur Flour blog

3 1/2 cups (14 3/4 ounces) all-purpose Flour + 1/2 cup (2 1/4 ounces) cornstarch
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 1/4 teaspoons salt
2 tablespoons (7/8 ounce) sugar
2 to 2 1/4 cups heavy cream

Coating
7 tablespoons butter, melted, OR 2 5/8 ounces milk
Cinnamon and sugar for rolling (I just mixed my own together)

Lightly grease a 9″ x 13″ pan, line with parchment, and grease the parchment. Parchment isn’t absolutely necessary, but it makes it easier to get the bubbly, sugary buns out of the pan once they’re baked.

Whisk together the flour, baking powder, salt, and sugar. Add 2 cups of the cream all at once, then toss and stir the mixture till the dough comes together. If necessary, add additional cream to make the dough cohesive. Gather the dough in your hands and knead it a few times to make sure there are no dry spots.

Place the cinnamon sugar in a small, shallow bowl or pan; or in a plastic zip-top bag. Break off pieces of dough about the size of a ping pong ball, or about 1 1/8 ounces. Dip each piece in melted butter or milk, then roll or shake in the cinnamon-sugar to coat. Place the cinnamon-coated dough balls into the pan of your choice in a single layer; they’ll be touching one another, which is just fine.

Cover the pan with plastic, and place in the freezer overnight, or for up to a week or so. If freezing longer than overnight wrap the entire pan in plastic wrap, then in foil. Next day, remove the pan from the freezer, and let the buns rest at room temperature while you preheat your oven to 350°F. The buns don’t need to thaw.

If you’re baking the buns immediately (not frozen), bake them for 45 to 50 minutes, till the buns in the center are cooked through. You can asses this by taking a toothpick and actually digging into the center bun to take a look; it should look totally baked, not doughy. If the buns have been frozen, bake them for 65 to 70 minutes, testing for doneness as instructed above. Tent them with aluminum foil after 45 minutes of baking. (I actually forgot the “tenting” step and the buns didn’t get burned – phew!)

Remove from the oven, and serve immediately. Dust with confectioners’ sugar, if desired, right before serving.

Slow Cooker Green Chile-Chicken Enchilada Casserole

2	cans (4.5 oz each) Old El Paso® chopped green chiles
1	can (10 3/4 oz) condensed cream of chicken soup
1	can (10 oz) Old El Paso® green enchilada sauce or other green chile enchilada sauce
1/4	cup mayonnaise or salad dressing
12	corn tortillas (6 inch), cut into 3/4-inch strips
3	cups shredded cooked chicken
1	can (15 oz) Progresso® black beans, drained, rinsed
2	cups shredded Mexican cheese blend (8 oz)
2	large tomatoes, chopped (about 2 cups)
2	cups chopped lettuce
1/2	cup sour cream

1. Spray 3- to 4-quart slow cooker with cooking spray. In cooker, spread 1 can of the green chiles. In medium bowl, mix remaining can of green chiles, the soup, enchilada sauce and mayonnaise.
2. Arrange 1/3 of the tortilla strips over chiles in cooker. Top with 1 cup of the chicken, 1/2 cup of the beans, 1/2 cup of the cheese and 1 cup of the enchilada sauce mixture, spreading to edges of cooker to completely cover tortilla strips. Repeat layers twice, reserving last 1/2 cup of cheese.
3. Cover; cook on Low heat setting 6 to 7 hours.
4. Top with remaining 1/2 cup cheese. Cover; cook about 5 minutes longer or until cheese is melted. Serve with tomatoes, lettuce and sour cream.

Pioneer Woman’s Cinnamon Rolls

Ingredients

• 1 quart Whole Milk
• 1 cup Vegetable Oil
• 1 cup Sugar
• 2 packages Active Dry Yeast
• 8 cups (Plus 1 Cup Extra, Separated) All-purpose Flour
• 1 teaspoon (heaping) Baking Powder
• 1 teaspoon (scant) Baking Soda
• 1 Tablespoon (heaping) Salt
• Plenty Of Melted Butter
• 2 cups Sugar
• Generous Sprinkling Of Cinnamon
• _____
• MAPLE FROSTING:
• 1 bag Powdered Sugar
• 2 teaspoons Maple Flavoring
• ½ cups Milk
• ¼ cups Melted Butter
• ¼ cups Brewed Coffee
• ⅛ teaspoons Salt

Preparation Instructions

Mix the milk, vegetable oil and 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 both packages of Active Dry Yeast. Let this sit for a minute. Then add 8 cups of all-purpose flour. Stir mixture together. Cover and let rise for at least an hour.

After rising for at least an hour, add 1 more cup of flour, the baking powder, baking soda and 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 overflow out of the pan, just punch it down).

When ready to prepare rolls: Sprinkle rolling surface generously with flour. Take half the dough and form a rough rectangle. Then roll the dough thin, maintaining a general rectangular shape. Drizzle 1/2 to 1 cup 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. Next, pinch the seam of the roll to seal it.

Spread 1 tablespoon of melted butter in a seven inch round foil cake or pie pan. Then begin cutting the rolls approximately ¾ to 1 inch thick and laying them in the buttered pans.

Repeat this process with the other half of the dough. Let the rolls rise for 20 to 30 minutes, then bake at 400 degrees (see note below) until light golden brown, about 15 to 18 minutes.

For the frosting, mix together all ingredients listed and stir well until smooth. It should be thick but pourable. Taste and adjust as needed. Generously drizzle over the warm rolls. Go crazy and don’t skimp on the frosting.

Note: My rolls don’t work for me at 400 degrees anymore. I now bake them at 375 degrees.