Brunch! Frittata and Cinnamon Rolls

My house smells amazing right now.  There are about 40 cinnamon rolls making this kitchen smell amazing.  Why are there FORTY cinnamon rolls? Well, because I felt like baking.  And I couldn't decide on one kind of cinnamon roll...so I made two.

It also worked out nicely that my friend Michael was coming over and I had already decided that we were going to have a brunch-lunch.  So, I got out my mini skillets to make mini frittatas for us and then after all that vegetable and egg stuff...cinnamon rolls seemed like an excellent side!  I found a lovely recipe for the frittata over at Jinkzz's Kitchen.  This recipe was for one large frittata, and I just made two small ones with some small changes. Then, I made the Pioneer Woman cinnamon rolls (with some healthy substitutes) and then I made half with a more traditional filling/glaze and the other half with Peanut Butter and Jelly! I found the inspiration for the Peanut Butter and Jelly cinnamon rolls over at Runs with Spatulas and they were AMAZING.  The combination of peanut butter and cinnamon was actually really good and then the strawberry jelly glaze brought the whole thing together.

We had an amazing brunch and then watched the movie, Captain America.  Bri and I recently went to see the Avenger's, which was great, but it made me want to watch the superhero movies that I had missed.  Captain America was pretty great and I want to know how they made that actor look so small and then so big...and hot! Geez, he was good looking.  Anyways, it was a fun day and I'm happy to share it with you.

In other news, this might be my last post for a while depending on what happens today.  A while ago, I spilled orange juice on my laptop.  It was the scariest moment of my life (maybe...).  I stuck the computer in rice and miraculously, it lived! However, now it is a little sticky and the charger does not always work! So, I am taking the computer in to the computer-doctor today and I'm a little nervous about what will happen.  Hopefully they will be able to fix it!

Mini Frittatas (adapted from Jinkzz's Kitchen)

Ingredients:

6 eggs

1/4 cup skim milk

1/2 tsp pepper

1/2 cup low-fat feta cheese

olive oil

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 cup spinach

1 small tomato, chopped

3-4 small portabella mushrooms, chopped

shredded pecorino cheese

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350.

2. In a medium bowl, beat eggs, milk, pepper, and feta.  Set aside.

3. Place both mini skillets on the stove-top and heat over medium heat.  Place about a tsp of olive oil in each skillet and 1 clove of garlic in each skillet.  Meanwhile, chop the tomato and mushrooms.  In one skillet, saute the mushrooms and in the other saute the tomato.  After a few minutes, place half the spinach in each skillet and cook until wilted.  Once the spinach is wilted pour half the egg mixture into each skillet, lower heat to low, and cook until sides start to set. Sprinkle some pecorino cheese on each frittata. 

4. Place both skillets in the preheated oven and cook for 10-15 minutes or until the egg is totally set (shake the skillet a little to see if it jiggles, when it doesn't it's done!).

Enjoy :)

Whole Wheat-Lightened Up Cinnamon Rolls (adapted from the Pioneer Woman and Runs with Spatulas)

Ingredients:
4 cups skim milk
1 cup canola oil
1 cup sugar
2 1/4 tsp active dry yeast
4 cups all-purpose flour
4 cups whole wheat flour (I used white whole wheat)
1 heaping tsp baking powder
1 scant tsp baking soda
1 heaping tsp salt
1 cup flour
Regular Cinnamon Rolls:
8 tbsp unsalted butter, melted
cinnamon (I used China Cinnamon)
3/4 cup sugar
Peanut Butter Cinnamon Rolls:
1/3 cup (about) Natural Creamy Peanut Butter
cinnamon
3/4 cup packed brown sugar
Regular Glaze:
1/4 cup skim milk
1/8 cup warm coffee
2 tbsp maple syrup
dash of sea salt
powdered sugar
Jelly Glaze:
1/2 cup strawberry (or any flavor) jelly
3-4 tsp skim milk
powdered sugar

Directions:
1. In a large saucepan, heat milk, oil, and sugar until bubbles start to form around the sides, but it is not boiling.  Remove from heat, place in a large mixing bowl, and sprinkle yeast on top.  Let sit for about a minute.
2. Mix in the 8 cups of flour with mixer on a slow speed, about 1 cup at a time.  Mix until just combined. Cover the bowl with a clean towel and let sit in a warm place for about an hour.
3. After an hour, mix in the baking soda, baking powder, salt, and 1 cup of flour. Use dough right away (which is what I did), or refrigerate up to 3 days.
4. Preheat oven to 375.
5. Take half the dough and roll it out on a clean and lightly floured surface so that you have a long rectangle (about 30 by 10 inches).  Make the regular cinnamon rolls: brush the melted butter on the rolled out dough.  Next, sprinkle cinnamon all over the butter and then sprinkle the sugar on top. (Feel free to use more butter or sugar if you want even gooey-er rolls). Now, roll the dough up-start with the long side and slowly roll the dough up so that you have a long rod of cinnamon-y goodness! Now, take a pizza cuter or knife and cut along the rod about 1/2-1 inch at a time.  Place the rolls in lightly greased pans (You will have enough for 1 9 by 13 inch pan and 1 9 inch circular pan). Cover the pans with a clean towel and let rest for 20 minutes.
6. Take the other half of the dough and roll it out in the same way.  This time, spread a thin layer of peanut butter on the rolled out dough and then sprinkle on cinnamon.  Finally, sprinkle on the brown sugar.  Roll up the dough in the same way as the first one and cut it in the same way as well.  Again, place the rolls in lightly greased pans and cover for 20 minutes.
7.  Once the rolls have rested for 20 minutes, place in the oven and bake for about 18-22 minutes. Rolls should be lightly browned.
8.  While the rolls are resting/baking make both glazes.  In two medium bowls, whisk the ingredients except for the powdered sugar and then add sugar until you have a desired consistency.  I tried to limit the sugar and had thiner glazes.
9. Remove the rolls from the oven and pour the maple glaze over the hot regular cinnamon rolls and the jelly glaze over the hot peanut butter rolls.  The rolls will soak up those amazing glazes and be super yummy!
Enjoy :)