Cinnamon Cream Cheese Roll

I got inspired this weekend and did a bit of baking...stay tuned for my Iron Chef entry (secret ingredient Baking Powder) over at a Latte with Ott, A later this week.

I also decided to get creative and TRY to "create" a recipe for the Pillsbury Bake-Off in honor of my Pillsbury Bake-Off giveaway that ends on Monday, April 18.

I started with these...

I started out with the regular Pillsbury cinnamon rolls and unfortunately, they do NOT unravel like the Grands. So, I went BACK to the grocery store for the Grands and decided to go to my parent's house to make this treat. I thought it might be nice to have Mom's opinion on my creation AND I could leave half the roll there so I wouldn't eat it all by myself.

I rolled out each cinnamon roll onto a cookie sheet. If I do this again, I think I'll roll them out on some wax or parchment paper. Then I cut each one in half and laid them side-by-side and pressed their edges together.

Then I used a rolling pin to roll the dough out a bit and fuse the rolls together. I had to scrap the cinnamon off the rolling pin and spread it back over the rolls - a bit messy but that's OK...baking isn't for neat freaks!

I had already mixed up the filling and forgot to take pictures of the process. I used 6 ounces of softened cream cheese, 1 egg, 1/3 cup sugar and 1/2 t. salt. Mix all the ingredients together and spread on top of the rolls.

My family (minus one sister) are big pecan fans, so mom chopped up some pecans and I sprinkled them on top of the filling.

I carefully started on one end and rolled it into a loaf and transferred it onto another greased cookie sheet. I forgot to snap a photo before I put it into the oven so I quickly snapped on while it was baking!

Bake according to the directions on the cinnamon roll package. We baked ours on 350 degrees for about 18 minutes.

Once it's out of the oven, let it cool for 5-10 minutes.

Then use the icing from the cinnamon roll package to cover the loaf.

Cut and serve.

It was a wonderful treat warm with a cup of coffee!

There's still time to enter my Pillsbury Bake-Off giveaway. Just leave a comment on the post about my Pillsbury Bake-Off giveaway that ends on Monday, April 18.

Do you have a recipe using Pillsbury products that you think is a winner? April 18 is also the deadline to enter your recipe in the Pillsbury Bake-Off.

Pillsbury provided me with the free product, information, and giveaway through MyBlogSpark. All opinions in this post are my own, of course!

Getting Creative in the Kitchen

Well, you may disagree with the title of this post but as someone who has a very hard time NOT using a recipe when fixing supper (unless it's something I've fixed since childhood), I consider this getting creative!






I have no idea what to call it...maybe Crescent Roll Hamburger Log?

Doesn't sound too appetizing, huh?

Here's what I started with...





Have you used the Philadelphia Cooking Creme? I snagged the Italian Cheese & Herb variety with a coupon (for free) and was quite impressed with the flavor and ease of use.

It's just me so I didn't want a lot of leftovers so I used half the cream cheese and ground beef and saved the rest for another day.

I cooked up the ground beef with some salt and pepper and drained it.

I popped open a can of Pillsbury Crescent Rolls and laid them out slightly overlapping on a cookie sheet.

Then I combined half the beef with half of the container of cream cheese and a handful of Italian blend cheese.

I scooped the mixture onto the fat ends of the rolls and folded the narrow end over the mixture and tucked it under the other side.






I baked it at 375 for 11 minutes then sprinkled another small handful of cheese on top and turned on the broiler for about 2 minutes.






It was tasty for a quick evening meal. I added some frozen veggies and called it a night!

Not sure it's worth entering it into the Pillsbury Bake-off (http://www.bake-off.com/), but it was a good evening meal.

Don't forget to leave me a comment on my blog post from yesterday to be entered into a drawing for a Pillsbury Bake-off prize pack.

Pillsbury provided me with the free product (to give away), information, and giveaway through MyBlogSpark. All opinions in this post are my own, of course!

Fun with Pillsbury and a Giveaway

After traveling for both work and pleasure 12 out of the last 15 days, I decided that my kitchen needed to be used for more than just storage space (imagine 12 days of newspapers stacked up on the counter and suitcases on the floor).

I had the perfect excuse because weeks ago I received a cool package in the mail from Pillsbury, which included a cookbook with 100 of their winning Bake-Off recipes!

Have you heard of the Pillsbury Bake-Off?


Well, it's in its 45th year and is currently open for entries (until April 18) of original recipes that taste and look delicious, are easy to make and that your family will love to eat. There's even more than one category to enter, including: Breakfast and Brunches; Entertaining Appetizers; Dinner Made Easy; and Sweet Treats (my fav).

Entries are being accepted online between now and April 18, 2011, at http://www.bakeoff.com/. Find all the details and more at the web site!

Now back to my kitchen...I flipped through the cookbook and found MANY recipes that I was interested in making. Unfortunately, my pantry was not fully stocked (and I was NOT going to the store) so I earmarked several recipes for another day and turned to my gal pal over at Going Jane for a quick and easy recipe using the Pillsbury products in my fridge/pantry.

I had some pepperoni leftover from a recent girls weekend and a tube of Pillsbury pizza crust in the fridge so I decided to make some Pepperoni Pinwheels!

Before...

After...

After devouring half a cookie sheet worth of these, I was in Pillsbury bliss! Check out her recipe here.

Keeping with the theme of quick and easy recipes, I was called upon to whip up a dessert for Sunday family lunch at the cabin while my dad and brothers-in-law built a dock on the family pond.

Again, not wanting to go to the store for additional ingredients, I went to the pantry and found this...

Add to that a tub of Pillsbury Milk Chocolate Whipped frosting and this is the result.

I just ran the Oreos through my mini-food processor and added 3/4 cup to the batter and baked as directed.

Once the brownies were cooled, I frosted them and sprinkled the remaining Oreos on top.

I think the family enjoyed them...

Do you have a favorite recipe from the Pillsbury Bake-Off?

Do you have a recipe you think could compete in the Bake-Off?

Do you want to win the cool prize package I mentioned at the beginning of this post?

Just comment on this post and let me know your favorite recipe that uses a Pillsbury product and you'll be entered.

In honor of the April 18 deadline to submit Bake-Off recipes, I'll close the giveaway at midnight EST on Monday, April 18 and announce the winner the next day!

Good luck.

Pillsbury provided me with the free product, information, and giveaway through MyBlogSpark. All opinions in this post are my own, of course!