Pirate Fare, Cinnamon Rolls, & more

Lots of recipes today, as we had a weekend full of great food. Homemade pizza Friday, pirate party Saturday, cinnamon rolls and pork salads with craisins & feta on Sunday. Whew. Here's the lowdown:


Pirate Stew
Adapted from Diana Rattray (about.com)

• 2 lbs. ground beef
• 1 green pepper, chopped
• 1 onion, chopped
• 3-4 ribs celery, chopped
• 2-3 carrots, chopped
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 can (16oz.) black beans, drained & rinsed
• 1 can (16oz.) corn, drained
• 1 can (16oz.) diced tomatoes, undrained
• 1/2 tsp. cinnamon
• 5-6 dashes Tabasco
• salt & pepper to taste

Brown & drain beef. Mix with other ingredients in crockpot. Cook for 7-9 hours on low or 3-5 hours on high. Serve on rice.



















Mom's Rum Cake from AllRecipes.com. This is very easy and got rave reviews! Make the day before.

• 1 (18.25 ounce) package yellow cake mix
• 1 (3.5 ounce) package instant vanilla pudding mix
• 4 eggs
• 1/2 cup water
• 1/2 cup vegetable oil
• 1/2 cup rum
• 1/2 cup chopped pecans
• 3 tablespoons butter
• 1/4 cup water
• 1 cup white sugar
• 1/2 cup rum

DIRECTIONS:
1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C). Grease and flour one 10 inch tube pan. [I used a 9.5-inch round cake pan & it was just fine.]
2. Combine cake mix and pudding mix.
3. In another bowl beat eggs, water, oil and rum until frothy. Add cake mix/pudding mixture and beat until well mixed. Spread pecans evenly over the bottom of the prepared pan and pour batter over pecans.
4. Bake cake at 325 degrees F (165 degrees C) for 60 minutes or until a toothpick comes out dry when inserted in the center. Allow to cool in pan for 5 minutes and remove from pan. Place in serving dish immediately, right side up. (Pecans should be on the bottom)
5. To Make Glaze: During the last 15 to 20 minutes of baking time, combine butter or margarine, water and sugar in a sauce pan and bring to boil over high heat. Reduce heat to medium and boil rapidly until it's very thick and syrupy stirring very frequently. The syrup must be reduced quite a bit and very thick otherwise it will make the cake mushy. Remove from heat and add rum. While cake is still hot, poke holes all over top of cake with a toothpick and spoon glaze over top of cake. Allow cake to sit at room temperature for one day then refrigerate.


















Cinnamon Rolls
These were from a Giada de Laurentiis recipe.

• 3 tablespoons butter, melted
  
• 1/3 cup hazelnuts, toasted and coarsely chopped (we used pecans instead)
  
• 1/4 cup packed dark brown sugar
  
• 2 tablespoons sugar
  
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  
• 1/8 teaspoon ground cloves
  
• 1 (1-pound) loaf purchased frozen white bread dough, thawed (we used Rhodes)
  
• 3/4 cup powdered sugar
  
• 3 tablespoons mascarpone cheese
  
• 1 tablespoon buttermilk
  

Brush 1 tablespoon of melted butter over the bottom and sides of an 8 by 8 by 2-inch baking dish. Mix the nuts, brown sugar, sugar, cinnamon, and cloves in a small bowl. Roll out the thawed dough on a lightly floured surface to a 12 by 9-inch rectangle. Brush 1 tablespoon of butter over the dough. Sprinkle the nut mixture over the dough, leaving a 1/2-inch border along the top and bottom sides. Starting at 1 long side, roll up the dough jelly-roll style, forming a log. Pinch the seam to seal. Cut the log into 9 equal pieces. Arrange the rolls, cut side down, in the prepared baking dish, spacing evenly. Cover the dish with plastic wrap. Let the rolls rise in a warm draft-free area until puffed, about 45 minutes.

Position the rack in the center of the oven and preheat to 325 degrees F.

Bake the cinnamon rolls uncovered until the tops are golden brown, about 25 minutes. Meanwhile, whisk the powdered sugar, mascarpone cheese, and buttermilk in a medium bowl until smooth and creamy.

Brush the remaining 1 tablespoon of butter over the baked cinnamon rolls and then drizzle the cheese mixture over top. Serve warm.



















Pork Tenderloin Salad
I made this up and it turned out pretty well.
Cook a marinated pork loin as directed. We get these in the meat department and try various flavors. I used lemon-garlic today. They are very easy and bake in about 40 minutes. Let rest for about 5 minutes after cooking. Slice on a diagonal.

Plate spring mix greens with mandarin oranges, craisins, feta crumbles, and Italian or viniagrette dressing. Serve the pork on top. Easy & a great light summer meal.