Swedish Cinnamon Rolls (Kanelbulle)

I found this recipe while I was in Sweden, and wow... Very good! These are less sweet than your average American cinnamon roll, but have such a wonderfully unique flavor. Perfect with a strong cup of coffee and sharing with friends.

Yeild: About 20 rolls

Rolls:

1 Envelope Yeast (1 Tbsp)

2 Tablespoons Butter, melted

1 Cup Milk

¼ Teaspoon Salt

¼ Cup Sugar

3 Cups of Flour

1 Teaspoon Cardamom

Filling:

2 Tablespoons Butter

3 Tablespoons Sugar

1 Rounded Teaspoon Cinnamon

Topping:

1 Beaten Egg

Pearl Sugar (available at Scandinavian shops)

Directions:

Combine milk & butter and heat until lukewarm and transfer to a large bowl. Sprinkle the yeast over milk mixture. Stir until dissolved and let rest. Sift together, flour, sugar, cardamom & salt. Add the dry ingredients, mixing until the dough is elastic and not sticky. Cover bowl with a towel or plastic wrap and place in a warm area to rise for 30 to 40 minutes. (To save time, you can also do this step the night before and let the dough rise in the refrigerator.)

While dough is rising, prepare the filling. Soften the butter and add the cinnamon and sugar to make a thick, spreadable mixture.

When the dough has risen, knead for three minutes, and turn out on a lightly floured board. Roll it into a rectangle about 1/3-inch thick. Spread the filling over the whole top.

Roll up, starting at the widest end, into a long log and cut into 20 slices. (You may want to refrigerate the dough for 15 minutes to help firm it up before cutting.)

Put cupcake papers on a cookie sheet (or place on a greased cookie sheet) and place dough slice in each.

Preheat oven to 425ºF while you let your dough rise for 20 minutes. Brush with beaten egg mixture or milk and sprinkle with pearl sugar. Bake for 10 minutes (maybe less, watch during the last few minutes until golden.

Steamed Salmon and Asparagus with Mustard Dill Sauce

Prep and Cook Time: 20 minutes Ingredients:
1 ½ lb salmon filet,skin and bones removed and cut into 4 pieces
1 + 1 TBS fresh lemon juice
2 bunches asparagus, bottom fourth removed
1 TBS extra virgin olive oil
salt & white pepper to taste
Mustard Dill Sauce
4 oz silken tofu
1 TBS prepared mustard such as Dijon
4 TBS fresh dill chopped
1 TBS honey
2 TBS fresh lemon juice
½ cup water
¼ tsp salt
¼ tsp white pepper
2 TBS extra virgin olive oil
Directions:
Bring lightly salted water to a boil in a steamer with a tight fitting lid
While water is coming to a boil, put all sauce ingredients except olive oil in a blender and begin to blend on high speed for about a minute. While blender is running drizzle olive oil in a little at a time. Set aside.
Rub salmon with lemon juice and season with salt and pepper.
Cut ends off asparagus. When water is at a full boil place asparagus in steamer basket, cover, and cook until asparagus is tender, about 3-5 minutes, depending on thickness. Remove from steamer, toss with 1 TBS lemon juice, 1 TBS olive oil, salt and pepper.
Rub salmon with 1 TBS lemon juice and season with a little salt and pepper.
Place salmon in the same steamer basket and steam until pink inside, about 3-4 minutes. Place salmon on a plate and pour desired amount of sauce over it and the asparagus.
Serves 4
Serving Suggestions: Serve with
Sliced Tomato, Dandelion Salad
Healthy Cooking Tips:
Because thickness of asparagus varies so much it is best to check for doneness instead of just relying on timing. The timing in this recipe is approximate. You want it to bend and feel tender but still crisp in the center. Over cooked asparagus will look dull and the dish will lose its freshness. Choose salmon filets from the thickest part of the fish. They will remain moist. Check for doneness by inserting the tip of a knife into the thickest part of the filet. Salmon is best, cooked medium. This means it is still pink in the center. It will be nice and moist cooked this way. Remove it from the steamer when it is cooked slightly less than desired, as it will continue to cook after it is removed from the heat. Adding the olive oil a little at the end of blending the sauce will emulsify it. If, for some reason it breaks and has a rough texture, you can add a TBS of water, and it should smooth out.

I found this receipe on WWW.WHFOODS.ORG

My family loves Salmon.

Stuffed Shells and Focaccia Bread

1 box (12 ounces) Jumbo Shells

1 pound ground beef

2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 bag (6 ounces) baby spinach, chopped
1 cup finely chopped onion
1 clove garlic, minced

1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1 egg

12 ounces cottage cheese

1/2 cup shredded mozzarella
1/4 cup freshly grated Parmigiano cheese
1-2 jars Marinara Sauce

PREHEAT oven to 350 F.
COOK Shells according to package directions; drain, reserving 1/3 cup of the pasta cooking water.COOK ground beef in a large skillet over medium-high heat 4 minutes or until no longer pink, stirring occasionally. Drain grease.
ADD oil, spinach, onion, garlic, reserved pasta water; continue cooking 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Remove from heat.
ADD seasonings and blend well. Let mixture cool.

COMBINE egg and cheeses and add to cooled meat mixture.
POUR 1 cup of the Marinara Sauce into a 13x9 inch baking dish.
FILL Shells with meat mixture; place in dish. Pour remaining sauce over shells; cover with foil.
BAKE for 30 minutes or until thoroughly heated

This is a favorite with all of us in our house, and the mixture is easy to prepare even up to 24 hours before you intend to assemble and bake it. Depending on how much sauce you like you may want to have 2 jars on hand, or one extra large jar.....we like sauce! Served with focaccia bread and a salad, this is a yummy meal that makes great leftovers.  Below is the focaccia bread recipe I always use, and this is easy and great to make with kids.  Leo loves to make the "fingerprints".  We usually make without the sun-dried tomatoes and it's just as good.

Foccacia Bread

1 cup water
3 cups bread flour
2 tablespoons dry milk powder
3 1/2 tablespoons white sugar
1 teaspoon salt
3 tablespoons butter, softened to room temp
2 teaspoons active dry yeast
1/2 cup chopped sun-dried tomatoes
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons Parmesan cheese
2 teaspoons dried rosemary, crushed
1 teaspoon garlic salt
1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese

DIRECTIONS:
Place water, flour, powdered milk, sugar, salt, butter or margarine, tomatoes, and yeast into a large kitchen mixer.  Using the dough hook mix the dough until a soft ball clings to the hook.  If the dough is too sticky, add a small amount of flour, too dry add a small amount of water.  I heat my oven to 170 degrees while mixing, or use the lowest heat setting you have on your oven.  Once the dough is done mixing, remove from mixer bowl and spray with oil.  Replace the dough ball and turn to coat with oil.  Cover bowl with a damp, light cloth and place in the warmed oven, turning off the heat.  Let rise for about 1 hour.

After about one hour the dough should be doubled in size.  Take the dough out. Knead for 1 minute by hand. Let rest.

Dust a 10 x 15 inch baking tray with cornmeal. Roll out dough to fit the pan. Make indentations in the dough with your finger tips. Brush top surface with oil, and cover with a damp cloth. Allow to rise for 30 minutes.

Sprinkle with parmesan, rosemary, garlic salt, and mozzarella.

Bake at 400 degree F (205 degrees C) for 15 minutes, or until nicely browned. Cool slightly, and cut into squares for serving.

• To make a thicker bread, use a smaller pan or a large casserole dish for baking it.  This thicker bread is great for sandwiches.  

Sloppy Joes

This recipe is very similar to the sloppy joes my mom raised me on, the onions and celery are added here for a some added veggies which I always try to slip into Leo's food. Forget the Manwhich, these are yummy and well worth the time spent in the kitchen, which is not long. Enjoy!

2 pounds lean ground beef
1/2 cup chopped onion
1 cup chopped celery
1 (10.75 ounce) can condensed tomato soup
1/4 cup ketchup
1 tablespoon white vinegar
1/4 cup packed brown sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
8 hamburger buns


Place ground beef in a large skillet over medium heat. Cook until evenly browned, stirring to crumble. I like to use a potato masher to even out the lumps. Add onion and celery, cover the pan, and cook until tender and transparent, about 5 minutes. Drain off any grease.
Stir the tomato soup (undiluted), ketchup, vinegar, brown sugar and Worcestershire sauce into the beef mixture. Season with salt and garlic powder. Heat to a simmer over low heat, and cook until thoroughly heated, stirring frequently to prevent it from burning on the bottom.
Spoon the hot beef mixture onto buns, which may be toasted first, and serve.