Cinnamon Roll Bread Pudding.

So, at The Scoop we offer these delicious cinnamon rolls from AmyCakes.  They are truly fantastic, but sometimes, we don’t sell them all each day.  Which makes me sad, because it means someone out there didn’t get to benefit from the awesomeness of AmyCakes, but it also makes me a LEETLE happy because…well…the Hubs & I totally take home the ones that are past “sell by” date. 

A lot of the time, we nom on them as our breakfast at home, or occasionally, if my coworkers are lucky, I’ll bring a couple into the office for them to fight over.

And then, just recently, we finally saved up a stockpile of six by freezing them…just so I could try out this recipe.

Now…I’ll be honest.  It’s next to impossible to improve upon AmyCakes.  Her cakes & pastries are truly phenomenal and she’s won Best Cinnamon Rolls in 417-Land. But, we’ve been regularly (a couple times a week) eating these cinnamon rolls for the last 4 months now, and sometimes you just need something a wee bit different. 

When I worked at Martin’s in New Orleans, we sold fresh Wild Flour Bakery (from Chef Susan Spicer) bread daily.  It had no preservatives, so it only had a shelf life of a couple days before we had to pull it from sale.  In the Gourmet Foods department (where I worked), we would slice & toast the past-sale baguettes to sample out with our Cheese of the Day, or cube larger loaves, toss with olive oil, cheese, and spices to make freshly toasted croutons (*drools*). And our chefs would regularly repurpose the other unsold loaves into bread pudding. (There was a chocolate cherry bread that lent itself to this VERY nicely—I still have dreams about that treat).  So I figured—why not try the same idea with cinnamon rolls?

My stockpile of deliciousity.

INGREDIENTS:

6 cinnamon rolls

6 eggs, beaten

1 tsp vanilla

3 cups skim milk

1 tsp cinnamon

1 tsp nutmeg

Optional: sugar (I didn’t add any because Amy’s cinnamon rolls are well-iced. But if you’re using un-iced rolls, you’ll probably want to add a little.)

For Icing:  1/2 cup powdered sugar + 1-2 tbsp water (go by consistency, not measurements)

DIRECTIONS:

Preheat the oven to 325 F, then lightly grease a 9x13 pan with butter or non-stick spray.

Cube up your cinnamon rolls & spread them evenly in the pan.

Combine the remaining ingredients (except those noted for icing) in a large bowl and whisk well.  Then pour evenly over the cinnamon roll cubes.

Let the pan set on the counter for about 20 minutes to allow the wet ingredients to soak into the bread.  Then bake for 50-55 minutes, or until golden and fully cooked (check with toothpick).  Allow to cool for 15-20 minutes.

Place the powdered sugar to a small bowl & add a small amount of warm water,then whisk.  Continue to add water until the mixture has the consistency of school glue.  Then use the whisk to drizzle the icing over the top of the bread pudding.

Serve warm. Makes about 6-8 generous helpings.

This treat is so decadent we might have to consider selling them at the shoppe!!!  They still retain all the delicious flavor of the cinnamon rolls, but now have a rich, moist center.  BONUS:  This makes a great breakfast OR dessert.  Or both.  I mean…can you think of a better way to begin AND end your day?

 

(No NutriFacts since I don’t know the information for Amy’s cinnamon rolls.)

Audience Participation!

I realize everyone reading this might not be former FoodNetwork addicts like myself, but does anyone remember the show “Calorie Commando” with Chef Juan-Carlos Cruz?

We’ll look past the fact that Chef Cruz is now in jail for trying solicit homeless guys in a murder-for-hire scheme (sheesh)…because aside from that venture into CrazyTown, I loved this show.  Watchers would write in with their favorite not-so-healthy dishes and good ol’ Juan-Carlos would whip up a recipe to make a healthy version of that dish.  Be it lasagna, bacon cheeseburgers, cheesecake, or chicken fried steak, Juan-Carlos had the answer.  And he’d bring the watcher who had suggested the item onto the show to taste his re-creation of the dish to let them decide if it was a decadent enough replacement of their supposed favorite dish (though, I mean, really, you’re on national TV.  Who’s going to say, “Sorry, Juan-Carlos, this tastes like crap”?)

Anyway.  That show was on back when I first started cooking a lot, a college senior exploring life beyond frozen & boxed dinners.  And it’s that show that has inspired me to constantly look for ways to “health-up” the dishes I already love.

Plus, now that the holidays and our winter ski vacation are out of the way, my household has snapped into “pre-beach season” mode… meaning the hubs & I are back to using our nutrition trackers, (trying) to get our butts to the gym 3 times a week (he’s better at it than me…I’m a big-time rationalizer, and have been known to think, “well, if I power-walk while I’m thrift store shopping, it counts as exercise…”) and cutting out the decadence.  So I figure if that’s going on at our house, then we’re probably not alone, and maybe some of you are slipping into that mode as well.  But hey—we’re human, and we like to eat what we like to eat, right?  I love me a good salad…but doggonit if those fries and cookies aren’t tempting.

So, I’m channeling my inner Juan-Carlos (the “healthy chef” Juan-Carlos, not the “hey bum, would you kill my spouse for a thousand bucks” Juan-Carlos) and asking YOU, the reader: 

 

What would YOU like to see appear in a future post on The FeauxCajun Kitchen? 

It doesn’t have to be a Cajun dish. 

Leave your response in the Comments Section, and check back often to see if your craving is featured!!!

 

Thanks!!!

Louisiana “Truck Stop” Chicken

Hey there kids, here’s one of those Kitchen Improv recipes.  This recipe gets its name because, well, most of the ingredients were, in fact, purchased at a truck stop in Louisiana. 

As you know, I have a tendency to smuggle my favorite Louisiana products back to Missouri with me when I visit down South.  During my last adventure, I stopped at a truck stop near Franklin, Louisiana, on my way from Lafayette to New Orleans, and I picked up a bag of Zapp’s “Voodoo” Chips and some pork rinds.

The Voodoo chips are my favorite Zapp’s blend—the story goes, someone in the Zapp’s kitchen accidentally knocked several spices off a shelf, and when they tasted what had spilled, it was pretty darn tasty!  And they recreated the happy accident & started selling them.  It’s sort of a blend of salt & vinegar, BBQ, dill, and….well, probably everything else.  It’s delicious, that’s what it is!

I could easily nom down a bag of these chips in one sitting by myself, but the pork rinds were purchased more for my husband.  We ate about half the bag, and then I had an apostrophe.

“Lightin’ has just struck my brain.” “Well, that must hurt.”

 

I know back during the Atkins phase, using pork rinds as an alternative for breading on chicken was pretty popular.  And I’ve seen potato chips used as breading before as well… so why not mix them together?

Ingredients:

2 oz bag of your favorite potato chips (The more flavor, the better)

2 oz bag of pork rinds

1 tsp Cajun seasoning

4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts

1 egg

 

Directions:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Pulverize the pork rinds & chips using your favorite method (we used a food processor, but a blender would also work, or if you prefer a non-mechanize method, you can put them in a large freezer bag & smash with a rolling pin.)  Add Cajun seasoning & mix well & place in a large bowl or lipped plate.

Crack egg into a bowl & beat until well blended.

Create a work station to keep things organized & cut down on messes:

Dip the chicken in the egg wash until well coated—then let excess drip off.  Drop chicken into the chip/pork rind breading mixture & toss to coat fully.  Then transfer chicken to a roasting pan with a wire rack.

Bake for 30 minutes or until no pink remains.

Serve with your favorite non-truck stop side dish (we went with steamable pasta & broccoli).

Makes 4 servings.

NutriFacts:

Calories 234.8

Total Fat 11.1 g

Saturated Fat 3.6 g

Polyunsaturated Fat 2.8 g

Monounsaturated Fat 1.3 g

Cholesterol 75.3 mg

Sodium 421.2 mg

Potassium 386.2 mg

Total Carbohydrate 7.3 g

Dietary Fiber 0.7 g

Sugars 0.0 g

Protein 25.1 g

Shared on The Sweet Spot

Kitchen Improv: Chicken Chili Bake

I was craving some Tex-Mex the other night so I threw this recipe together after work.  I originally wanted to make it with ground beef & a cornbread crust; however, I came home to discover that we had neither beef nor cornbread in our stockpile.  So…I improvised, and the result was this quick, delicious, and rather healthy two-pan dish:

Ingredients:

3 large boneless, skinless chicken breasts

1/2 tablespoon cajun seasoning

1/2 tablespoon Pampered Chef Chipotle Rub

1/2 cup dark beer (for steaming)

(1) 8oz can Zesty Rotel Tomato Sauce

(1) 8oz can mushroom pieces, drained

(1) 14 oz can Mexican style chili beans

(1) 14 oz can petite diced tomatoes & onions, partially drained

(1) 14oz can creamed corn (you can use regular canned corn if you prefer or don’t have creamed corn)

1/2 tablespoon dried onions

1/2 green bell pepper, diced

1 jalapeno, seeded & diced

2 cloves garlic, minced

Seasonings to taste: chili powder, cayenne, cumin

1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese

1 package refrigerator biscuits

1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro

 

Directions:

Season the chicken with the cajun seasoning & chipotle rub, then place into a skillet over medium-high heat.  Once the chicken is browned on each side, cut a few slices into each breast, and then pour the beer into the skillet & cover with a lid, to allow the chicken to steam.  This will help the chicken to cook through thoroughly without drying out.  We used Leinenkugel’s Fireside Nut Brown Ale:

            

Once the chicken is cooked through, remove it from the pan & chop.  Add the canned ingredients, onion, bell pepper, jalapeno, and garlic to the skillet.  Re-add the chicken & stir thoroughly.  Cover & simmer over medium heat for about 10 minutes.

While that’s going, preheat your oven to 400 degrees.

Once your peppers start to soften, taste test the chili to determine if you need to add any additional seasonings.  Then transfer the mixture to a glass 9x13 baking dish.  Cover with the shredded cheese and drop the biscuits evenly across the top.  Bake for 10 minutes.

When it comes out of the oven, sprinkle the top with cilantro and serve!

 

 

NutriFacts: (Makes about 8 servings)

Calories 453.8

  Total Fat 13.2 g

  Saturated Fat 4.3 g

  Polyunsaturated Fat 0.4 g

  Monounsaturated Fat 0.3 g

  Cholesterol 64.4 mg

  Sodium 1,535.4 mg

  Potassium 402.9 mg

  Total Carbohydrate 47.5 g

  Dietary Fiber 5.5 g

  Sugars 5.8 g

  Protein 35.4 g

Shared on 33 Shades of Green's Tasty Tuesday and The Sweet Spot.

Kitchen Improv: S’mores or Sopapilla “Pie”

 

Bonus “recipe”. 

Have you ever accidentally smashed and/or forgot about a premade pie shell in your freezer?  The crust is crumbled, the package damaged, and you don’t really remember when you bought it?

…Anyone?  Come on.  I can’t be the only one.  Seriously…anyone?  Anyone?

(“Bueller?  Bueller?”)

 

Okay, fine, deny it all you want.  NOBODY’S PERFECT, OKAY???

Let’s say you have a random “perfectly good, non-smashed, non freezer-burnt” pie shell that you just can’t think of anything interesting to do with.  You don’t want pie, but you are craving sweets.

Allow me to intervene with a quick improv recipe.

Step One: Heat your oven to 400F.

Step Two:  Mix up a few tablespoons of cinnamon sugar (2 parts sugar to 1 part cinnamon is my preferred ratio, but go with what you like).  Sprinkle this all over your pie shell, making sure to coat as well as you can.  Cover the whole shell if possible.

Step Three: Assume you and whomever you’ll be sharing this with are having conflicting cravings.  Someone wants chocolate.  Someone just wants cinnamon & honey.  Not a problem.

Spread a handful of dark chocolate chips across half the pie shell.  Then, on that same half, spread a handful of mini marshmallows.  Leave the other half alone… for now. (muahahaha…)

Step Four: Bake for 15-20 minutes until the shell is nicely browned.  Then remove from oven & allow to cool for 5 minutes.

Step Five: Drizzle honey over the non-smores-y side.  Then use a pie spatula to cut into 8 sections.

Step Six:  Devour half of it before you remember to take a picture.

Ladies & Gentlemen, I present to you:

S’mores “Pie”…

…and Sopapilla “pie”.

 

You’re Welcome.