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Dessert Pizza Cinnamon Roll Style! A 90-Minute Recipe

September 13, 2013 By Brandy Leave a Comment

Cinnamon roll dessert pizza! Delicious sweet dough topped with butter and a gooey brown sugar and cinnamon topping. Then finished off with a vanilla glaze.

You might also like our cinnamon rolls with caramel frosting or our pumpkin cinnamon rolls!

If you've tried our 90-minute cinnamon rolls, you know how simple and easy this recipe is. Rolling it out into a pizza is just a fun variation

Serve warm with a cold glass of milk. It will melt in your mouth. I promise.

Cinnamon Roll Dessert Pizza

(Scroll down for a printable version)

¾ cup milk

¼ c. margarine, softened

3 ¼ cups all-purpose flour

1 (.25 0z) package instant yeast

¼ cup white sugar

½ tsp. salt
¼ cup water
1 egg

Topping

1 ½ cup brown sugar, packed
1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
¼ cup margarine or butter, softened

Vanilla Icing

2 T. melted butter

1 c. powdered sugar

½ tsp. vanilla

1 T. milk

Heat the milk in a small saucepan until it bubbles, then remove from heat. Mix in margarine; stir until melted. Let cool until lukewarm.

In a large mixing bowl, combine 2 ¼ cup flour, yeast, sugar and salt; mix well. Add water, egg and the milk mixture; beat well. Add the remaining flour, ½ cup at a time, stirring well after each addition. When the dough has just pulled together, turn it out onto a lightly floured surface and knead until smooth, about 5 minutes.Cover the dough with a damp cloth and let rest for 10 minutes.

Press and roll out dough on a 16" large pizza pan that has been greased or sprayed with cooking spray. Spread dough with margarine and sprinkle with cinnamon/sugar mixture. Let rise for 30 minutes. Preheat oven to 350 degrees and bake for for 20 minutes, or until lightly browned on the edges.

Combine ingredients for icing. Drizzle icing across top. Serve warm.

Cinnamon Roll Dessert Pizza

Cinnamon roll dessert pizza! Delicious sweet dough topped with butter and a gooey brown sugar and cinnamon topping. Then finished off with a vanilla glaze.

Course Dessert

Cuisine American

Prep Time 1

Cook Time 20

Total Time 1 20

Servings

Calories 349kcal

Author Brandy Nelson

Ingredients

¾ cup milk
¼ cup margarine softened
3 ¼ cup all-purpose flour
1 .25 0z package instant yeast
¼ cup white sugar
½ teaspoon salt
¼ cup water
1 egg

Topping

1 ½ cup brown sugar packed
1 Tbsp. ground cinnamon
¼ cup margarine or butter softened

Vanilla Icing

2 Tbsp. melted butter
1 cup powdered sugar
½ teaspoon vanilla
1 Tbsp. milk

Instructions

In a large mixing bowl, combine 2 ¼ cup flour, yeast, sugar and salt; mix well. Add water, egg and the milk mixture; beat well. Add the remaining flour, ½ cup at a time, stirring well after each addition. When the dough has just pulled together, turn it out onto a lightly floured surface and knead until smooth, about 5 minutes. Cover the dough with a damp cloth and let rest for 10 minutes.
Press and roll out dough on a 16" large pizza pan that has been greased or sprayed with cooking spray. Spread dough with margarine and sprinkle with cinnamon/sugar mixture. Let rise for 30 minutes. Preheat oven to 350 degrees and bake for 20 minutes, or until lightly browned on the edges.

Nutrition

Calories: 349kcal

Garlic Fries & Fry Sauce

September 4, 2013 By Brandy 1 Comment

I ventured to the State Fair this summer with my 4 kids. We had a great time seeing the exhibits and going on a few rides. One of the things people always talk about when going to a fair is the FOOD.Â All of the yummy fried foods. We splurged and decided that we would share an order of garlic fries. I saw an add for them in the flyer we got at the main entrance. We searched all over and finally found the booth that sold the "famous" garlic fries. We waited over 10 minutes for them to be made and carried our little bucket over to the shade to enjoy them. I took one bite of my first ever garlic fry....and was SO disappointed. It was hard. And not like an over-fried hard, but a cold hard. Like it was still frozen! I thought maybe it was a fluke and so I grabbed a few more. They were mushy. The kids thought they were fine and by this point I was not going to go back and wait in line for more. $7 for a bucket of mushy and half-cooked french fries. I was done with garlic fries.

Then I went to Trader Joes and saw them in the freezer section. $3/bag. I decided to give them another shot. This time we had success! They were so amazing and we all agreed that they were 500% better than the State Fair flops. I decided that we needed to figure out how to make our own. Here is our version. Use fresh potatoes to make your fries, or your favorite brand of frozen french fries. Either way, they are yummy. If you only clicked on this post for the fry sauce, scroll down to the bottom!

frozen fries, parsley, garlic, butter and salt

Garlic Fries

gluesticksblog.com

2 lbs. frozen french fries (I like these kind)

3 T. fresh parsley, chopped

3 T. minced garlic

3 T. butter, melted

sea salt to taste

Arrange your fries on a baking sheet and cook according to package instructions. Make sure they are nice and CRISPY! You can even broil them for a few minutes after baking them to make sure.

Melt butter in microwave and add garlic, parsley and salt (about ½ tsp.) and add more after the fries are baked.

Pour into a large bowl.

As soon as fries come out of the oven, dump them into the bowl and toss with tongs until completely covered. Add more salt if necessary.

Serve immediately!

Perfectly crisp (not undercooked) and full of garlic flavor. We couldn't get enough of them!

Be sure to serve them with your favorite sauce. Ranch, ketchup, or fry sauce. I love Chick Fil A's fry sauce and this one comes close (at least I think it does).

Fry Sauce

gluesticksblog.com

½ c. mayo

1 T. bbq sauce (Sweet Baby Ray's is our favorite)

1 tsp. ketchup

Mix and refrigerate 30 minutes before serving to allow flavors to meld.

What is your favorite dipping sauce for french fries? Do you have another variation for fry sauce? I'd love to try it!

A Small & Simple Birthday Gift {Mason Jar Vase}

August 30, 2013 By Brandy 5 Comments

Â Dallin's Cub Scout leader had a birthday. I was late in finding out what day it was and saw someone wish her a happy birthday on Facebook. We wanted to do a little something for her too, and since she lives just down the street, we decided to do more than post on her timeline. She is such a sweet lady and Cub Scout leader to Dallin.

Â Kaylee donated two Gerber daisies from her garden and I put them in a small mason jar with a decorative lid. These lids are fun to use with straws, bu they work great for making a quick mason jar vase! The gerber daisy's stem was just the right thickness to slide in. I added a drop of blue food coloring and wrapped the jar in twine.

I was excited to get to try out my new masking stickers that WholeportÂ sent me. I absolutely love them. They add such a fun added detail to anything and each pack comes so many fun designs.

It was such an easy little gift to put together, but I think it turned out cute.

Bright and cheerful. Just like Sister T!

This post contains sponsored product (masking stickers).

Sesame Street Characters {Using Polymer Clay}

August 26, 2013 By Brandy 4 Comments

Most folks stopped playing with play-doh sometime during their childhood. I guess I am not most people because I had way too much fun making these polymer characters with Ruby! We started out with the plan of making Elmo and Cookie Monster, but once I got started I had to make all of our favorites. And here they are!

They just make me laugh everytime I see them. Such goofy, fun characters that remind me ofÂ being a kid. Except for Abby. I don't think she was around back them.

We love polymer clay because it is easy to work with and you can save your creations by baking them.Â It comes in so many fun and vibrant colors. You can even get glow in the dark and sparkle varieties. Aaron has a nice collection of FIMO. We didn't want to dive into his stash so I picked these up from Wholeport. You can find polymer clay at your local craft store as well.

Ruby is at the age where she no longer puts odd objects inside her mouth so I felt safe letting her help me. If you have young children just be aware that this is not edible like salt dough and you need to wash their hands thoroughly after using it.

We started out by breaking off even portions of clay and rolling them into a ball for the heads of the characters.

Then we made eyes. Lots of them.

You can use a paring knife or other kitchen tools to form and cut the clay. In the photo above I was cutting out Big Bird's beak.

Polymer clay sticks really well to itself. Just press and it's on there (once it's baked). Since I kept all of the shapes the same (except for Bert) it was easy to make them look uniform.

Here they are. All ready to go into the oven. 265 degrees for 30-40 Â minutes. Allow to cool on the pan before removing.

These guys are nice and sturdy. Ruby has been rolling them around, carring them all over the house and sharing them with her siblings. She can drop them on the carpet or short distances and they won't break. They don't crumble and they are completely solid. That is the beauty of polymer clay.

This little guy was waiting for the kids when they got home from school. They thought it was pretty funny.

hands holding Cookie Monster and Elmo character

Which character is your favorite?

Oh, and here are some "Puffles" (Club Penguin) that Kaylee made when she got home from school. She didn't want to be left out of the fun!

This post contains sponsored product (polymer clay).

Roasted Vegetable Dinner

August 19, 2013 By Brandy 4 Comments

I am a girl who loves her veggies. When I shop in the produce section, I always over-shop. And don't get me started on fresh fruit...

I usually find myself quickly having to use up produce that is about to go bad and this is our FAVORITE way to do so. It is also the easiest. A roasted vegetable dinner is absolutely delicious and filling.Â It's a one-pan dinner and reheates well too.

The beauty of this is that you can roast just about any vegetable. Here are our favorites:

Broccoli, bell peppers, cauliflower, corn, potatoes, onions, cherry tomatoes, asparagus, kale, Brussels sprouts, green beans, soy beans, and carrots.

Fill up your baking sheet with chopped veggies and herbs. I added fresh chopped garlic and dill from our garden.

Drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with sea salt and pepper. Bake at 425 until the potatoes (or thickest vegetable) are tender, about 30 minutes.

If you use baby kale, make sure it is on top of the other veggies so that it crisps up. This is one of my favorites to cook in the oven. Crisp and salty!

I could eat this several nights a week....and did last week!

Fried Soft Tacos in Coconut Oil are a Delicious Weeknight Meal

August 14, 2013 By Brandy 2 Comments

A childhood favorite dinner, fried soft tacos! Soft flour tortillas are fried in a shallow pan in coconut oil until golden on each side. Fill with taco meat, cheese and a variety of toppings. My mom used chili instead of taco meat for a mock Navajo taco. So yummy!

Did you grow up on fried soft tacos? I did and so did my husband. It is still my favorite way to have a taco, but I only make them on rare occasions because throwing thatÂ huge spoonful of shortening into the pan kind of makes my heart hurt. But they are oh so good!Â Recently I tried using coconut oil and they were JUST as good. So that is a better alternative.Â Â If Â you haven't had a soft taco this way, you need to try it. And make them for your family...a few times a year.

Fried Soft Tacos in Coconut Oil

I throw aÂ BIG spoonful (about ⅓ c.) of shortening or coconut oil into a hot frying pan. Fold your tortilla in half and toss it into the oil. When it begins to puff up and turn golden brown on the bottom, flip it over with some tongs and fry the other side.

Repeat for remaining tortillas. I usually do two at a time. Add more shortening if needed.

Drain on paper towels and fill with your favorite taco fillings!

Heaven on a plate right there.

The Tiny Bag {Toddler Backpack}

August 6, 2013 By Brandy 6 Comments

Little sister was feeling left out the other day when the older ones were getting their school backpacks out and trying on new ones. She even tried to get one of them to strap a lunch box on her back so that she could have one too.

That's when I decided that she needed her own. Being the crazy person that I am, I decided to make her one instead of buying one. She isn't even 2 years old and is such a petite little gal. I found a toddler backpack tutorial online and altered it quite a bit to fit her body.

Using scraps (flannel and cotton), and the fittings from Aaron's broken backpack, I created this little backpack for her. It zips open and has plenty of room for her toys and treats.

"Hey guys! Wait for me!"

Here is the tutorial I used from Crazy Little Projects. It is the perfect toddler/preschool backpack. Since Ruby is so small, I had to shorten it by about 4" and bring in each side about 2". I used a 9" zipper, and altered all side pieces and strapsÂ to be smaller as well.

I did my straps and strap fittings completely different than the tutorial. It just made more sense to have it patterned after a regular backpack. With the length adjustment straps at the bottom. You can see how I laced them in the photoÂ above.

The tutorial shows how to add a lining. Since I used a heavy fusible interfacing on each piece of fabric, and was running low on coordinating fabric scraps, I decided that the interfacing would be sturdy enough.

At times I thought this project was a nightmare, but then it would start to come together again and give me more confidence. I am always so grateful for those who share their tutorials. This one was just darling and she did a fantastic job with it.

RubyÂ has been wearingÂ her backpackÂ all over the house and even brought it to church with her.Â While she may want to tag along after her siblings, I'm thrilled to have her home with me for another 4 years!

DIY Lip Gloss

August 3, 2013 By Brandy 24 Comments

DIY lip gloss is incredibly easy to make. If you can melt and pour, you can make lip gloss. Like Burt's Bees? You can make your own version of their peppermint lip gloss yourself for a fraction of the price. Prefer something sweeter? Add your own flavorings and scents to create any variation you want! This post contains affiliate links.

First, you will need to gather your ingredients. I purchased some in the grocery store and the rest online.

Beeswax pellets: I purchased these on etsy for a couple of bucks. This small baggie will last me a long time.

Coconut Oil: You can find this at the grocery store in the baking aisle. I purchased Spectrum organic coconut oil. There are so many uses for coconut oil so even though you will only use a few tablespoons in this recipe, it won't go to waste.

Vitamin E Capsules: You can find a small bottle for less than $1 at the drug store.

Olive Oil: easily available at the grocery store.

Essential Oils: I purchased mine on E-bay, but you can find these from a variety of companies.

Flavor Oils: If you choose not to use essential oils, you can find a variety of flavor oils on etsy. Kaylee chose "Monkey Farts" to scent her DIY lip gloss. (It smells like bananas and fruit---in case you were curious).

Lip gloss tubes:Â I've purchased the lip gloss containers (screw on lids) from Bulk Apothecary for a great price, and you can find the lip gloss tubes like the ones above on Amazon.

Medicine syringe: This makes pouring the melted ingredients into the tubes quick and easy.

Microwaveable dishes: I used glass ramekins. Something throw away would be even better so that you don't have to clean them. Just toss them in the trash when you are finished!

Gathering your ingredients is the hardest part. Now that you have decided which types of oils/scents you'd like to use, let's makes some lip gloss!

This recipe makes 12 tubes with some to spare. I divided it into 3 small individual batches so that we could make a variety of scents: peppermint (think Burt's Bees!), lemon lime, and monkey farts. So each smaller recipe made about 4 tubes. If you want to leave it unscented or only use one oil, just make the whole batch.

You can mess with the measurements to make the lip gloss more/less firm. I've adjusted this one to make a consistency that I like, but if you'd like one even softer you can add an extraÂ tablespoon or so of coconut oil to your batch and experiment from there.

DIY Lip Gloss

makes 12 tubes

3Â Tablespoons. beeswax pellets
3 vitamin E capsules
4 Tablespoons. coconut oil
3 Tablespoons. olive oil
20-24 drops essential oil orÂ flavor oils

Place all ingredients (except for essential oils) into a microwaveable dish. Just cut the tips and squeeze out the oil from the vitamin E capsules. Microwave at 30 second intervals, stirring after each one, until beeswax is melted. It will take between 60-90 seconds. Dip a small spoon in your wax, life it out,Â and let it cool. Test the consistency by running your finger across it. If you'd like it to be a bit more smooth, you can add your extra oil now. Microwave again, and re-test.

Add your oils to your liking.

Using your syringe (and working quickly!) fill your tubes all the way to the top. Keep adding individual drops of the mixture until it is almost over-flowing. The mixture settles and this prevents a dip in the center of the tube.

Let stand until firm and completely cooled before adding caps. This was such a fun project and I am looking forward to making more as gifts. Like I said before, experiment with your ingredients. I may try adding more oil the next time around to see what that does. My first batch was drier than I would have liked, but the second batch turned out great. It set up well, went on smooth and feels amazing. The peppermint makes your lips feel nice and tingly.

Kaylee added stickers to hers so that she could tell them apart from mine. We even made an unscented tube (the race car) for Aaron.

If you could choose any scent combination for a DIY lip gloss, what would it be? I'd love suggestions on what kind to make next time!

If you enjoy making your own beauty products, you may enjoy this collection of homemade beauty gifts that I put together below!

Homemade Beauty Gift Ideas

Reversible Placemat Tutorial

July 31, 2013 By Brandy 13 Comments

This placemat tutorial will teach you how to make a set of reversible placemats in under 30 minutes!Â Homemade placemats are incredible easy to make. They are a perfect beginning sewing project and make a great gift.

I've made lots of placemats over the years, and when I got to thinking about it I realized that most of the placemat sets that I've sewn have gone to friends and family who can sew and could easily make a set for themselves.

I think they are one of thoseÂ projects that many of us don't think about making for ourselves. So the next time you are looking for a wedding, birthday, or housewarming gift...think placemats. They make every table setting that much brighter.

This set was sent to my sister and her family as a housewarming gift. Her home is painted in cool blues and greys and I thought this fabric combination would look nice with her color scheme.

What makes these placemats so quick to make is the fact that you don't need to quilt or add batting or padding to make them sturdy. They are made with canvas (home dÃ©cor fabric). If you used basic cotton or calico, you would need something like interfacing or a light batting inside, but two layers of this nice home dÃ©cor fabric works great. You can find all sorts of fun prints at your local craft store. How much you buy will depend on how many you want to make. A yard of each will make at least 4. The fabric I have came in a 60" yard so I was able to make 6.

Reversible Placemat Tutorial

You will need 2 (14"x18") pieces for each placemat.

Lay your front and back pieces together, right sides facing.

Mark a section along one of the long lengths for turning them right-side out in a few mintues. This isn't completely necessary. You can just sew and make sure to stop with enough space to turn it later on, but if you are like me and start day dreaming while you are sewing, this will prevent you from needing a seam ripper if you sew the opening shut.

Starting at the bottom pin, stitch around the entire place mat with a ⅜" seam.

opening in fabric to turn right side out

Remove pins.

Clip your corners so that when you turn it around they will be nice and crisp. Reach you hand inside of the opening and turn your place mat so that the right sides of the fabric are on the outside. Push out corners and iron all seams nice an flat.

Fold down the flaps on your opening and pin to secure. Top stitch a ¼" seam around your entire placemat. This will keep the edges flat, reinforce your stitching, and close up the opening you used to turn it right-side out.

You now have one finished placemat. Continue on until you have 2, 4, or 6 finished placemats!

A fun set of placemats that are reversible too.

Now to decide which fabrics to use for the ones I make for our dining room!

Whether you are making a set of 2 or a set for a family, you can easily finish this project in 2 hours or less.