Sticky Buns of Tradition

Every Thanksgiving and Christmas Mama Hochhalter makes homemade sticky buns (and Mama Maple makes cinnamon rolls.) This year, AJ and I decided to learn so we could always continue the tradition. This batch came from the fabulous homemade sourdough bread starter 2Bit swears by. (As you know, a starter is always available to you)

What You Need: 

-Dough from 2Bit's bread starter OR frozen dough you can get in frozen food aisle at the grocery

-Butter to spread over rolled out dough

-Cinnamon and sugar to spread over rolled out dough

-Nuts (optional but definitely scrumptious)

For the "Goop":

-1 c. butter

-2 c. brown sugar

-8 tbsp corn syrup

-Melt ingredients in saucepan on medium heat until contents are smooth. Do not overcook as it can get too hard when it cools. It's called "goop" for a reason.

-Once cooked, pour in large pan that the rolls will rise and bake in. (Pictures further down)

Roll out dough. It takes a while so be patient and prepare yourself for quite the arm work-out...

Spread the melted butter over the dough with a brush and then cover it with the cinnamon-sugar mixture.

It should be about 1/2 inch thick.

Roll it up as evenly as possible and make a 'u' shape to slice the rolls.

It should make about 20. 

Gotta love the swirl

This was the second batch and they were a lot smaller and thinner, but perfect size once they rose over night. ***See bottom of post--Unless making for a large family, you can reduce the goop recipe down and omit the second batch. 

See how the goop is at the bottom of the pan. Half of the rolls will have nuts and half won't, for those crazy nut haters.

Place rolls atop the goop

The biggest beggar of all...

Cover with a towel and let rise over night (8 hours).

Preheat oven to 375 and bake for 30 minutes. Spread a large sheet of foil on your counter. Once buns are golden, take out of oven and immediately invert onto foil.

Coffee and hot cross sticky buns make quite the tradition!!

****This was for a large batch, so for a smaller batch of goop do 1/4 c. butter, 1/2 c. brown sugar and 2 tbsp corn syrup. And use just half the dough.

Sweet Potato Casserole on Thanksgiving

With a TWIST...

What is your favorite dish at Thanksgiving?? I love sweet potato casserole so much that I could eat JUST that for Thanksgiving. Growing up, my mama Jill always added the fabulous TWIST-orange juice concentrate, to her recipe. It is simply delicious!! Hope you enjoy!!!

What You Need:
-5-7 Sweet Potatoes
-4 Tbsp butter
-1/4 c. brown sugar
-2 tbsp cinnamon
-1/2 can of orange juice concentrate


Topping:
-1 c. chopped pecans
-1/2 c. brown sugar
-4 tbsp butter

Ahem, 2Bit KNOWS some of the items are upside down...duh

Once you have boiled the sweet potatoes, drain the water and mash. Preheat oven to 350.

Slice 4 tbsp of  butter up and add to the potatoes. 2Bit's potatoes had already cooled, so I had to melt the butter. Normally, the potatoes are so hot, the butter will melt. Add the orange juice concentrate...

brown sugar... it looks like 1/2 a cup, but packed down, it's 1/4. Trust!!

Add cinnamon. 

Spread it into a greased casserole dish.

For the topping, combine 4 tbsp of melted butter with 1/2 c. brown sugar.

Try to refrain from drinking this blessed mixture...

Add 1 c. chopped nuts of your choice. Pecans 2Bit did choose...

mmmmm...

The Hochhalter family likes half brown sugar/nuts and half marshmallows. 2Bit gives the people what they want.

Bake at 350 for 20-30 minutes.

Happy Thanksgiving! 2Bit is thankful for you!!!

Sex Slavery

Perhaps you remember when 2Bit referenced Lightforce, an organization helping to equip women out of  sex trafficking and exploitation.

Here is another incredible ministry that is dear to 2Bit. Click on the link below and watch the Unearthed Sexual Exploitation video. Pray for this ministry and consider supporting UnearthedPictures to help bring women and children out of  sex slavery. 

http://unearthedpictures.org/

Below is more information from Unearthedpictures' website...

"Sex trafficking, prostitution, sexual abuse, rape, stripping and pornography are all part of the globalized pandemic of sexual exploitation that’s enslaving millions of women, girls and boys worldwide. We’ve got a responsibility to do something about it…now. Despite the amount of talking that people have done in the last 10 years, very little work is actually being done to free victims from the living hell that they’re in. Not because there aren’t enough people willing to do the work, but because the one’s that are working are all under-funded.

Here’s our simple solution. We need people who are willing to make a small monthly sacrifice and to give that money to Unearthed. We’ll use it to equip existing partner organizations that work to rescue, rehabilitate and reintegrate victims of sexual exploitation.

Here’s how it works:

We’re asking people to make a small, monthly sacrifice in their daily living. For you, it might be a few cups of coffee at Starbucks, a meal out or a movie. Whatever you decide, we’re asking that you take the money you would have spent and donate it to Unearthed. Every time we receive a donation, we’ll give the majority of it away to our incredible partner organizations all over the world who are working to free women and children from the horrors of sexual exploitation and give them a better life.

• Free to be Kids: http://freetobekids.org/
• Rapha House: http://raphahouse.org/

Your small sacrifice goes to finance undercover rescue operations, safe-house expenses, proper education, trauma counseling, job training and micro loans. Your contribution will literally change lives."

Pumpkin Cheesecake

2Bit's sister-in-law, Gabrielle, recently made the creamiest, most amazing pumpkin pie. The reason it was amazing is because it tasted more like cheesecake than pumpkin pie. Very few people do I know that dislike pumpkin pie as much as my husband and myself. But, after trying Gabrielle's pumpkiny goodness, we both became fans. So, I decide to try it out, and with Thanksgiving being right around the corner and all, it's only appropriate. BUT, you know how 2Bit is, always trying to find a little healthier recipes or at least a little less fattening. So, while the Paula Dean recipe sounded quite perfectly rich, the recipe below from allrecipes.com is the healthiest I found.

• What you need:
• 
  
• 1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese, softened
• 3/4 cup packed brown sugar
• 3 eggs, beaten
• 1 (15 ounce) can solid pack pumpkin puree
• 1/2 cup whipping cream
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
• 1/2 teaspoon salt

(http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Pumpkin-Cheesecake-Pie/Detail.aspx)


You can do a flour pie crust or a graham cracker crust. I had one I bought from the store. Don't judge 2Bit for not making her own graham cracker crust this time. Too busy she was....I try to keep a crust on hand for busy times such as these. You might do the same with the holidays approaching.

Start mixing softened cream cheese

Then add brown sugar and mix until it's fairly creamy

Once the cream cheese/sugar mixture is creamy, add 3 eggs, one at a time.

Notice how smooth. 2Bit loves smooth anything

Add 15 oz can of pumpkin and continue to mix

Add the 1/2 cup of whipping cream

Again, smooth as butta...

And your spices, of course, make the dish. Add 1/2 tsp cloves, 1 tsp cinnamon, 1/2 tsp ginger, 1/2 tsp salt and it calls for nutmeg, which I did not have.. Tasted find though in the end.

Now I tasted the batter and it didn't seem as sweet as I was expecting, so what saves the day??? 

CHOCOLATE. Always...

Bake at 350. 

And if the cruel oven cracks your pie...


 Just whip up some whipping cream to hide the evidence... Who's crackin up now, oven??
       

See, whipped cream looks and tastes superb...

***You're gonna have a little more pie filling than a HEARTY 9 inch pan's worth, so you could do two small ones or one hearty one and the remainder in whatever else you have. 2bit used a mini pan for the remainder.

Pecan Pie Bars

Do you have a hot Thanksgiving party to go to but don't know WHAT TO BRING?? (We have all been in this horrible predicament, no need to lie, it's 2bit you're talkin' to..) These pecan pie bars are your ticket to being the prince or princess of the party. I brought them to a get together and, let's just say, I shoulda brought my tiara, b/c I was the princess of that partay! (I am almost sure everyone there would agree)

If you are like 2bit Joy, you equate Thanksgiving Day to Pecan Pie Day, after all, didn't Thanksgiving start hundreds of years ago with Chief Pecan and General Pie coming together in peace in an effort to establish an agricultural treaty? I am pretty sure it did because I remember dressing up like Chief Pecan for a Thanksgiving lunch in kindergarten. Anyways, pecan pie is divine, these bars taste like little pecan pies, ergo these little babies are DIVINE...

Why not just make the real thing and do pecan pie? Well, these yummy treats, also called "graham cracker chewies," are wayyy easier because you don't have to make a pastry crust.

Oh man guys, I just realized Thanksgiving is 1 week away.... Whew. Luckily my mom does all the work; so I don't have much planning to do. But this year, 2Bit is making the pecan pie that Granny has made since 2Bit can remember, and it is cherished by all. Big shoes. To fill. Can 2bit. Do it? We shall. See.

Ok, who cares, right? You just wanna make pecan pie bars. I understand. In honor of you, I give, ze recipe: 

Pecan Pie Bars

(Recipe adapted from http://thecookiescoop.blogspot.com/2010/09/graham-cracker-chewies.html)

Crust:
1 1/3 cups graham cracker crumbs ( 8-9 whole crackers) (2Bit added a few chocolate graham crackers too)

1 tbsp. sugar

3/4 stick unsalted butter, softened
2 tbsp. AP flour

Topping:
1 1/2 cups packed brown sugar ( I used light brown)
1/2 cup chopped pecans
1/3 cup graham cracker crumbs ( about 2 1/2 crackers)
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. vanilla

2 large eggs, beaten

Preheat oven to 350.

To make crust:

Ziploc and pop it :)

1. Place the crackers in a ziploc bag and crush with a rolling pin to make fine crumbs. If you have fancy gadgets and want to cooler than 2Bit, use a food processor.

You can be a classy baker without a food processor. Just put your tiara on, roll out the crumbs in another room, and tell people you used a food processor. Oh 2Bit forgot to mention, she actually used a food processor, not a ziploc bag and rolling pin.. Nicely done, 2Bit, they will never know :)

2. Mix the crumbs, sugar, butter and flour in a mixing bowl til moist and crumbly.

The crust is the right consistency when you pinch it together and it sticks together like a snow ball.

3. Press the mixture evenly and firmly into the bottom of a 9" square pan. (Tip- Use a one cup measuring cup for easier pressing)

Or you can use some strange dimensioned baking dish. It's whatev you fancy. 2bit fancys using what she's got and she doesn't got a 9" square pan. Not even joking.

4. Bake til lightly browned, about 20 minutes.

To make topping:

1. Stir all the ingredients together til blended.

Just throw it in the bowl, uh huh uh huh uh huh, just throw it in the bowl.

2. Spread the topping over the baked crust

3. Bake for 20 minutes or til just slightly jiggly still.

4. Let it cool completely, then cut into the size pieces you'd like. ( Refrigerating helps make cutting the bars easier.)

Whoopsy.... 2Bit couldn't wait to try one.

Mmm... All that gooey pecan goodness..  Just throw it in the mouth, uh huh uh huh uh huh, just throw it in the mouth..