OMG! Cinnabon Cake!

For some reason I've been gravitating toward baking recipes more and more. Ever since I made churros last week, I was like "Hm. I could do this!"  I realize the churros recipe last week was a simple recipe but it was huge for me. I think it's because I am buying new cookbooks and I always ignore the last third of the book – the dessert/baking chapter. It would be a waste of money not to use the whole book, right? Right. Well, I am definitely taking baby steps into the baking world and this cinnabon bread is the perfect recipe for an amateur baker like me. It was featured on kitchn.com, blogged by Framed. Since I looooove cinnabons, it instantly caught my eye. I'm so glad it ended up being a relatively simple and easy recipe (and I had most of the ingredients on hand, too!) This tastes exactly like a cinnabon you would have at the mall, icing and all! ooey gooey cinnamon-y delicious! Instead of individual cinnabons, it is one big cinnabon cake you can cut into and serve warm, drizzled with icing. Perfect for guests, if you don't eat it all first!

Cinnabon Bread

1 1/2 cups flour

1/3 cup sugar

1/2 tsp salt

4 tsp active dry yeast

2/3 cup warm milk

3 tbsp vegetable oil

1/2 tsp vanilla extract

1 large egg

Cinnamon topping

3 tbsp butter, room temperature

3/4 cup brown sugar

1 tsp ground cinnamon

Icing

1 cup powdered sugar

1-2 tbsp milk

1. Lightly butter a 8x8 round or square baking dish.

2. In a large bowl, combine flour, sugar and salt,

3. In a measuring cup, warm the milk and dissolve the yeast in the warmed milk. Stir in the vegetable oil, vanilla extract and egg into the same measuring cup and into the flour mixture.

4. Mix until smooth and pour into prepared dish. Let rest for 15 minutes.

5.  While the dough rests, mix together the butter, brown sugar and cinnamon in a small bowl until crumbly (I used my hand to mix together).

6. Sprinkle the brown sugar mixture over the dough and press lightly down into the dough.

7. Place pan into a cold oven and heat it to 350F. Bake for 30 minutes until set.

8. Cool for at least 30 minutes before whisking the icing.

9. Serve warm with lost of icing!

Baked Fish Sticks

Something smells fishy!! I know, I know. These fish sticks look more like chicken nuggets. That's because they aren't really sticks, they are more like however many pieces I could get out of 2 fillets of fish. That's why some are bigger than others, maybe we'll call them baked fish nuggets? That doesn't sound too appetizing. Let's just stick with 'sticks.' I used cod and Italian style breadcrumbs to coat, which are packed with flavor. They have parsley, garlic, and romano cheese already mixed in so you don't have to add any additional ingredients. One less thing to worry about. If you can't find cod, any white flaky fish would do. I used frozen cod and it turned out great so don't be afraid to buy frozen. They turned out crunchy on the outside but hot and flaky on the inside—perfection. A dip is essential for these delicious fish sticks. Adam was in charge of the dips— ketchup, mayonnaise, ketchup mixed with mayonnaise, and dijon mustard. All were great, but the ketchup/mayo combo was our favorite.

Baked Fish Sticks

2 medium fillets of cod or any white flaky fish

1/2 cup Italian style bread crumbs

1-2 eggs, beaten

salt 'n' peppa

1 Preheat oven to 375.

2 Prepare 2 bowls, one with bread crumbs and one with eggs, beaten and seasoned with salt and pepper.

3 Cut 1 inch slices/pieces of fish and season with salt and pepper.

4 Dip fish pieces, one by one, into egg bowl then bread crumb bowl.

5 Once all fish pieces are coated, set aside for 10-15 minutes to allow bread crumbs to stick onto the fish.

6 Place fish sticks in preheated oven and bake for 12-15 minutes until golden brown. Let cool and enjoy with a dipping sauce, or two, of your choice.