Serving Up {Breakfast}: Orange Sweet Rolls

I love cinnamon rolls and have a bit of an obsession with pinning every recipe for cinnamon rolls that comes up on pinterest.  I will never make them all, or at least I never ought to make them all if I want to be able to fit into my jeans...  I mention this only because for as much as I like cinnamon rolls, I can't for the life of me remember why I fiddled with a recipe for cinnamon rolls and turned them into orange sweet rolls.  It was probably the influence of Rhodes bake-n-serve rolls going orange, but the twist to the traditional cinnamon roll is definitely a tasty one.

Even if you have a favorite cinnamon roll recipe that you swear by, try switching out the cinnamon for some orange zest and enjoy the bright fresh flavor.  It is a great way to start the day.

One Year Ago: Caramel Clusters

ORANGE SWEET ROLLS     

printable version

2 cups warm water

2 Tbsp. yeast

1/3 cup sugar

1/2 tsp. salt

1 egg

1/3 cup butter

2/3 cup dry milk

5 1/2 cup flour

1/2 cup butter, softened

2/3 cup sugar

3 Tbsp. orange zest

fresh orange juice

Combine warm water and yeast and allow to stand for 5 minutes.

Add the remaining ingredients, adding the flour gradually, stirring well after each addition until a sticky, but kneadable dough is formed.  Turn out the dough onto a floured surface and knead well.  Place dough in a clean bowl and allow to rise until triple in size (about 1 hour). 

Prepare topping by combining softened butter, sugar, orange zest and enough orange juice to create the desired consistency.

Roll out dough into a 24x18 inch rectangle.  Spread the orange butter topping over the dough.  Roll up dough width wise.  Slice dough into 1 1/2 inch slices.  Place on a baking sheet sprayed with non-stick spray.  Cover and allow to rise until double in size.

Bake at 350 degres for 15 minutes.  Allow to cool completely before frosting.  

My favorite frosting for these rolls is a basic cream cheese frosting with the addition of orange zest and the use of fresh orange juice to reach the desired consistency.  

Serving Up {Drink}: Orange Frostie

Earlier this month I was at the mall, which NEVER happens.  I ended up in the food court, which happens even less than me being at the mall!  Go figure!  I went to Orange Julius and they have expanded their menu to include many more flavors than just orange!  I decided to try their "Mango Passion" and it was really refreshing and yummy.

The following week we were enjoying some nice, sunny days and I decided to re-create the drink for my kids for their after-school snack.  I used my recipe for "Orange Frostie" and made a few variations.  The end product was a hit with the kids, which shouldn't surprise anyone.  My kids are so used to Green Smoothies that to be served a drink without a single vegetable, they were bound to be excited.

So here you go, my Orange Julius knock-off...

ORANGE FROSTIE     

printable version

1/2 cup sugar

1 1/2 cup milk

1/4 cup powdered milk (optional)

1 tsp. vanilla

6 oz. can frozen orange juice concentrate ***

1 tray of ice cubes, crushed

Put all the ingredients into the blender and blend on high until all the ice is crushed and the ingredients well mixed.

***For my Mango re-creation I used a can of DOLE Orange-Peach-Mango in place of the orange juice concentrate.  I also replaced 1/2 of the ice cubes with chunks of frozen Mangos (purchased at Trader Joe's).