Quick Puff Pastry Cinnamon Rolls

This shortcut puff pastry cinnamon rolls recipe is super quick and easy to prepare, topped with a dreamy cream cheese frosting, and irresistibly buttery, flaky and delicious! Craving cinnamon rolls but don’t feel like making homemade dough? Grab a package of puff pastry! ♡ I improvised this recipe a few weekends ago when we happened […]

This shortcut puff pastry cinnamon rolls recipe is super quick and easy to prepare, topped with a dreamy cream cheese frosting, and irresistibly buttery, flaky and delicious!

Puff Pastry Cinnamon Rolls

Craving cinnamon rolls but don’t feel like making homemade dough?

Grab a package of puff pastry! ♡

I improvised this recipe a few weekends ago when we happened to be craving some Sunday morning cinnamon rolls, but then realized (whoops!) there was no bread yeast in the pantry to be found. So instead of making my usual homemade cinnamon roll dough, I decided to just try rolling up some puff pastry with cinnamon-sugar filling, popped the swirls in the oven, and drizzled them with our favorite cream cheese icing. And sure enough, they were such a hit!

To be sure, the flaky puff pastry here is considerably different than traditional cinnamon rolls, but we really enjoyed how light they were and loved the extra butter flavor that the puff pastry added. Kind of like a cross between an American cinnamon roll and a French pastry! Feel free, of course, to add any extra ingredients that you love in a good cinnamon bun — chopped nuts, orange zest, a hint of cardamon, or even a swirl of Nutella would also be delicious with this recipe. And if you’re not a big fan of cream cheese icing, I’ve also included a simple vanilla icing option here too.

Let’s make a quick batch of cinnamon rolls together!
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Creamy Tuna Mushroom Pasta

This creamy tuna mushroom pasta recipe is super-easy to make in just 30 minutes and tossed with the coziest lemon garlic cream sauce.  Raise your hand if you grew up loving classic baked tuna casserole! ♡ Well for those of you who share my affection for a good retro-style creamy tuna pasta bake, today I […]

This creamy tuna mushroom pasta recipe is super-easy to make in just 30 minutes and tossed with the coziest lemon garlic cream sauce. 

Creamy Tuna Mushroom Pasta

Raise your hand if you grew up loving classic baked tuna casserole! ♡

Well for those of you who share my affection for a good retro-style creamy tuna pasta bake, today I thought I would introduce you to my modernized spin on this classic that we absolutely love here in our house. As you can see, there’s no baking, box mixes, or casserole dishes involved here. Instead, perfectly al dente pasta is tossed with a simple blend of sautéed mushrooms, fresh spinach, tender flakes of tuna, and a deliciously silky, garlicky, lemony, rosemary creamy sauce, then served a generous sprinkle of Parm and freshly-cracked black pepper on top.

It’s an easy breezy weeknight-friendly pasta recipe that comes together in just 30 minutes or less (basically, the amount of time it takes to prep and cook the pasta). And together, all of the ingredients combine to make each bite taste super fresh and flavorful and deliciously nostalgic. Especially that tuna, which I’m convinced is highly underrated as a pasta protein!

My husband has requested we make this recipe no less than three times this month, and asked me to be sure and mention that it makes for fantastic leftovers as well. So grab some cans of tuna from your pantry and let’s make some pasta for dinner tonight!

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Shannon Sarna Refers to Herself As A Pizza Bagel

I’m a pizza bagel (or a “matzo-rella” stick, depending on your preference), by which I mean I am Italian and Jewish—specifically, Sicilian and Eastern European Ashkenazi—which heavily influences everything I do in the kitchen. Italian- and Jewish-Ameri…

I’m a pizza bagel (or a “matzo-rella” stick, depending on your preference), by which I mean I am Italian and Jewish—specifically, Sicilian and Eastern European Ashkenazi—which heavily influences everything I do in the kitchen. Italian- and Jewish-Americans (and especially those of us from New York) have much in common: guilt, family, tradition, and of course, a passion for food.

While no food writer speaks for an entire culture, it’s important to note that “Jewish food” in particular is not a monolith. My family hails from Poland and Ukraine, which influences my palate and cooking style. And while many Americans are most familiar with Eastern European-inspired Jewish food, the Jewish people have lived in or been exiled to wide-ranging lands all over the world, including Syria, Tunisia, Lithuania, Yemen, Ethiopia, Uzbekistan, Iraq, Iran, and Mexico—just to name a few. Much as I love matzo ball soup, pastrami sandwiches, and babka, there are so many other uniquely Jewish-American dishes, and stories, to tell.

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A Brief History of the American Cookout

There’s something almost spiritual about watching someone cook with fire: the glowing red charcoal pulsing with energy; the slow, controlled breaths sending ash fluttering into the air. Perhaps we tend to huddle around the flames to watch—whether we kn…

There’s something almost spiritual about watching someone cook with fire: the glowing red charcoal pulsing with energy; the slow, controlled breaths sending ash fluttering into the air. Perhaps we tend to huddle around the flames to watch—whether we know it or not, it’s an experience that tugs at our shared history. From a backyard hot dog in New Jersey, to razor-thin bulgogi in Seoul, to Jamaican jerk chicken, cooking with fire draws crowds among myriad cultures.

Jim Auchmutey, author of Smokelore, notes that grilling dates back to the Paleolithic era, when humans first cooked meat over open fire. There were no fancy rubs or sauces, no direct or indirect heat. Nonetheless, Dr. Richard Wrangham, a professor of biological anthropology at Harvard University, claims that the discovery of heating food altered the course of human development. In Catching Fire: How Cooking Made Us Human, Wrangham writes that “cooking was a great discovery not merely because it gave us better food, or even because it made us physically human. It did something even more important: it helped make our brains uniquely large, providing a dull human body with a brilliant human mind.” Before humans discovered cooking, our ancestors spent most of their time and energy chewing raw fibrous plants and vegetables. But their jaws and teeth were no match for raw meat. To make chewing easier, they used stone tools as “second teeth” to break down animal flesh. This was still a lot of work. According to Wrangham, once humans began cooking with fire, they were able to consume more calories with less time and effort, which supported the development of larger brains.

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Easy Granola Clusters

This homemade granola recipe can be crumbled into large or small clusters, it’s easy to make with just 10 minutes of prep time, and it’s perfectly crunchy and delicious. (Gluten-free + vegan too!) Anyone else love those extra-chunky clusters that usually hang out at the top of a bag of granola? I say let’s make […]

This homemade granola recipe can be crumbled into large or small clusters, it’s easy to make with just 10 minutes of prep time, and it’s perfectly crunchy and delicious. (Gluten-free + vegan too!)

Easy Granola Clusters

Anyone else love those extra-chunky clusters that usually hang out at the top of a bag of granola?

I say let’s make an entire batch of them! ♡

With just a few simple tricks, it’s actually easy to make just about any granola recipe extra-clustery. But I’m especially partial to this granola recipe, which has been our go-to at home as of late. It’s easy to crumble into whatever size of large-and-clumpy or fine-and-crumbly pieces that you prefer. It’s naturally sweetened with maple syrup, features a perfectly-balanced blend of crunchy nuts and seeds (plus any other add-ins you prefer), and seasoned with just the right amount of cinnamon, vanilla and sea salt. And best of all, this recipe only requires about 10 minutes of prep time and yields a deliciously big batch!

After enjoying countless bowls of this granola over the past few months, my husband and I can vouch that it pairs perfectly with berries, almond milk (him) or Greek yogurt (me), a good cup of coffee. But pro tip — don’t limit this granola to just breakfast time! Those irresistibly crunchy clusters would be perfect sprinkled on ice cream, fruit crisps, pudding, salads and more. Or of course, just grabbing a few clusters on the go as a quick snack! Yum.

Let’s make some granola!

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‘High on the Hog’ & the People Preserving Black Cooking Traditions

“The story of food is also the story of who we are,” proclaims host Steven Satterfield in Netflix’s High On The Hog: How African American Cuisine Transformed America.

The new docuseries, which came out just this week, sets out to reveal the origin sto…

“The story of food is also the story of who we are,” proclaims host Steven Satterfield in Netflix’s High On The Hog: How African American Cuisine Transformed America.

The new docuseries, which came out just this week, sets out to reveal the origin stories of what we know as “American” cuisine. But this time the focus is on the people whose contributions have often been overshadowed or erased from the collective memory of American history—African Americans.

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Broccoli Salad

My favorite broccoli salad recipe features an irresistible blend of fresh sweet and savory ingredients that everyone’s sure to love! Picnic season is officially back on again with our friends here in Barcelona now that the weather has warmed up, which means that it’s time to bring back all of my favorite make-ahead salad recipes […]

My favorite broccoli salad recipe features an irresistible blend of fresh sweet and savory ingredients that everyone’s sure to love!

Broccoli Salad

Picnic season is officially back on again with our friends here in Barcelona now that the weather has warmed up, which means that it’s time to bring back all of my favorite make-ahead salad recipes for potlucks! After sharing some of my favorite recipes in years past for potato salad, pasta salad, ramen noodle salad, chicken salad, and quinoa salad, it seemed high time to share my go-to recipe for another American potluck classic…

…broccoli salad. ♡

I always tend to go the throwback nostalgic route when it comes to broccoli salad, loading mine up with that classic sweet and savory combination of crispy bacon, crunchy toasted almonds, dried cranberries, and a sweet creamy dressing. I also love the mild tang that comes with adding in lots of crumbled feta cheese, although just about any soft crumbled cheese or traditional cheddar would also do. And while the broccoli salads of my childhood were usually tossed with mayo, sugar, and — well — even more mayo, I’ve included a recipe below for a lightened-up creamy dressing sweetened with a hint of honey that I prefer much more.

This fresh and vibrant salad is a great one to have in your back pocket for gatherings this time of year and always disappears in a snap. So if you’re looking for a great broccoli salad recipe to save to your repertoire, I highly recommend giving it a try!

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What Were Cupcakes Like in the 1700s?

Amelia Simmons invented the cupcake. And if that wasn’t enough for the history books, when she first published her cookbook in 1796, she cemented herself as the author of what is now recognized as the first American cookbook.

American Cookery, or, to …

Amelia Simmons invented the cupcake. And if that wasn’t enough for the history books, when she first published her cookbook in 1796, she cemented herself as the author of what is now recognized as the first American cookbook.

American Cookery, or, to give its full title: American Cookery, or the Art of Dressing Viands, Fish, Poultry and Vegetables, and the Best Modes of Making Pastes, Puffs, Pies, Tarts, Puddings, Custards and Preserves and All Kinds of Cakes from the Imperial Plumb to Plain Cake. Adapted to This Country, and All Grades of Life (catchy, right?), is considered by food historians to be the first cookbook published in the U.S. by an American. The book included 119 recipes, marrying the traditions of British cooking at the time with new American ingredients, like "pompkin" (pumpkin), "cramberry-sauce" (cranberry sauce), and molasses in place of British treacle; it was also one of the first books (yet another pioneering moment for Simmons) to introduce the use of "pearlash," a precursor to the baking soda most home cooks keep in their pantry. Before American Cookery, the only cookbooks available in the U.S. were British. In the introduction to a 1996 edition of American Cookery, food historian Karen Hess characterizes the book as inherently American, citing "the bringing together of certain native American products and English culinary traditions." (And really, what could be more American than a cupcake?)

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Michelada Ribs Are Peak Summer

Beloved blogger Esteban Castillo’s cookbook Chicano Eats: Recipes From My Mexican-American Kitchen, out later this month, will make anyone homesick. (And very hungry.)
Landing in Northern California for college, five hours away from a satisfying Mexic…

Beloved blogger Esteban Castillo’s cookbook Chicano Eats: Recipes From My Mexican-American Kitchen, out later this month, will make anyone homesick. (And very hungry.)

Landing in Northern California for college, five hours away from a satisfying Mexican meal and 12 from a homemade one, Castillo realized that to mend the chile-relleno shaped hole in his heart, he'd have to take matters into his own hands. A call home yielded neither definitive instructions nor ingredients (“hechale un poquito de esto y del’ otro,” or “add a little of this and a little of that”), but despite his lack of clarity and kitchen know-how, Castillo was surprised to find how naturally it all fell together:

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American Buttermilk Pancakes

Fluffy, easy and so classic! A delicious buttermilk pancake recipe for breakfast/brunch or even dessert. I realised that out of all the pancake recipes on my site, I haven’t done a plain + simple, American style pancake recipe. If you’ve been reading my blog for a while now, you’ll probably know that I am a little bit obsessed with pancakes. I grew up eating Aunt Jemima’s pancake mix pancakes which my mum would bring back from America when she’d go over to visit relatives. When I started cooking for myself, pancakes were something that I started trying to make from scratch so I could eat them more often. After many years now of pancake-making, I’ve picked up tips along the way as well as learnt my own best practices for the perfect texture. A few things I’ll note below.. My top pancake-making tips: Adding some malted milk powder to the batter: I can’t remember where I read this but I love this little addition. I add malted milk powder instead of sugar (as it’s usually sweetened) and it adds such a delicious flavour to the pancakes. It’s optional as I know loads of people won’t have it to hand, plus […]

The post American Buttermilk Pancakes appeared first on Izy Hossack – Top With Cinnamon.

a tray of American style buttermilk pancakes with butter  & maple syrup

Fluffy, easy and so classic! A delicious buttermilk pancake recipe for breakfast/brunch or even dessert.

I realised that out of all the pancake recipes on my site, I haven’t done a plain + simple, American style pancake recipe. If you’ve been reading my blog for a while now, you’ll probably know that I am a little bit obsessed with pancakes. I grew up eating Aunt Jemima’s pancake mix pancakes which my mum would bring back from America when she’d go over to visit relatives. When I started cooking for myself, pancakes were something that I started trying to make from scratch so I could eat them more often.

a plate of buttermilk pancakes with butter and maple syrup

After many years now of pancake-making, I’ve picked up tips along the way as well as learnt my own best practices for the perfect texture. A few things I’ll note below..

My top pancake-making tips:

  1. Adding some malted milk powder to the batter: I can’t remember where I read this but I love this little addition. I add malted milk powder instead of sugar (as it’s usually sweetened) and it adds such a delicious flavour to the pancakes. It’s optional as I know loads of people won’t have it to hand, plus it’s only just there for the taste.
  2. Using a mixture of plain yoghurt and water to make ‘buttermilk’: we *can* get buttermilk in the UK but it is harder to find and I find it has more limited uses than yoghurt does. I eat yoghurt in many different meals/recipes so (a) I usually have it in the fridge and (b) it’s more likely that I’ll use it all up. Thinning the yoghurt out with some water helps bring it closer to buttermilk texture. The acidity, protein and fat content of the yoghurt is close to that of buttermilk so works in a pretty similar way to buttermilk. That said, if you have buttermilk and want to use it, go for it! I just tend to do the yoghurt trick instead.
  3. Separating the eggs (but not whipping the whites): a lot of fluffy pancake recipes require you to whip egg whites and fold them into the batter which does definitely help make a super light pancake. However, the majority of the time I don’t want to do this step! I would rather have a less fluffy pancake than have to clean my electric whisk. I picked up this tip of mixing in the yolks and whites separately from this pancake recipe on The Kitchn. It does seem to help make the pancakes a bit fluffier and is so easy to do.
  4. Cooking the pancakes on a low heat: I find this ends up helping you get the right level of browning on the pancake whilst also making sure the batter in the centre is cooked.
  5. Reheating pancakes for a crowd: If you’re serving the whole batch of pancakes to a bunch of people at once, I’d recommend making them and then transferring to a baking tray. Once they’re all made, you can pop the tray into the oven at around 100C (200F) for 10 minutes to warm them back up. You can keep a tray in the oven and keep adding to it as you’re cooking the pancakes but sometimes this can mean that you first pancakes end up sitting in the oven for 30 minutes and get really dry.
  6. Reheating pancakes for 1 to 2 people: just do this straight in the frying pan! You can brush the pan with a bit of oil first and then add the cooked pancakes to the pan over a high heat on the stove. Flip them over once the underside is hot and let the other side warm up too. This is the best way to preserve their texture plus it’s very quick when you’re only doing it for a few pancakes. I sometimes reheat pancakes in my toaster when I’m feeling extra lazy, but I find that a lot of the time they end up crumpling, getting stuck in the toaster and subsequently burning.

What should the thickness of American pancake batter be?

If you’re only used to making crepes/English pancakes, making American-style pancakes can seem like a whole other world. I tend to think that thicker batter helps the pancakes rise more and be fluffier in the end and you can try this out yourself: hold back some of the liquid (around 50ml?) when making your batter, mix the ingredients together and see what the texture is like. Maybe even make a test pancake with it! Then, if needed, you can always add more liquid to loosen it up. It’s easier to adjust a batter that’s too thick than try to fix a batter that’s too thin.

You want the texture of the batter to be pourable so it’ll spread out a bit once in the pan, yet definitely thicker than crepe batter. Almost like a thick-ish cheese sauce texture, if that makes sense.

fluffy American pancakes on a tray

Other pancake recipes:

American Buttermilk Pancakes

American Buttermilk Pancakes

Yield: serves 2-4
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 10 minutes
Total Time: 20 minutes

Ingredients

  • 150g (1 1/4 cups) plain white (all-purpose) flour
  • 2 tbsp malted milk powder e.g. Horlicks (optional - see notes)
  • 1 1/2 tsp baking powder
  • 1/2 tsp bicarbonate of soda (baking soda)
  • 1/4 tsp fine table salt
  • 250g (1 cup) natural plain yoghurt
  • 80g (1/3 cup) water
  • 25g (2 tbsp) light olive oil/vegetable oil OR unsalted butter, melted
  • 2 medium UK eggs (large US eggs), separated
  • vegetable oil for the frying pan

Instructions

  1. Combine the flour, malted milk powder (if using), baking powder, bicarbonate of soda and salt in a medium bowl. Mix well to combine and remove any lumps.
  2. Add the yoghurt, water and oil/melted butter to the bowl of dry ingredients. Add the yolks in too and stir until the mixture is mostly combined with a few floury patches left. Once you're at this stage, add the egg whites to the bowl and then stir until fully combined but being mindful of your mixing (overmixing will produce a dense pancake).
  3. Set a large, non-stick frying pan on the stove over a medium heat. Add some vegetable oil to the pan, you only need a thin layer to coat the pan with - I like to use a heatproof pastry brush to spread it out over the whole surface but you can just tilt and swirl the pan to achieve this.
  4. Scoop up a few tablespoons of batter (I like using a 50ml mechanical ice cream scoop for this) and dollop into the pan to form one pancake. Repeat to form 2 to 4 pancakes in your pan (depending on the size of your pan), making sure you leave room around each pancake for it to spread and puff.
  5. Turn the heat down to low and leave to cook until the underside of each pancake is golden and the edges of the batter on top starts to look dry. Use a metal spatula to flip the pancake over and let it cook until golden on the other side. Remove to a baking tray and repeat the cooking of the rest of the batter as before, adding more oil to the pan as needed between batches.
  6. I like to warm up my tray of pancakes in the oven (at around 100°C/200°F) after I've cooked all of the batter.
  7. Serve warm with butter & maple syrup.

Notes

- If you don't have malted milk powder: replace with 1 tbsp of granulated sugar and an extra 1 tbsp of plain white flour

- A note on buttermilk: I use a mixture of natural yoghurt (which is looser than Greek yoghurt) and water to mimic buttermilk since it is hard to find in the UK. If you can get buttermilk, use 330g (1 1/3 cups) of buttermilk instead of the yoghurt and water.

Have you made this recipe?
I’d love to see how it went! Tag me on instagram @izyhossack and hashtag it #topwithcinnamon so I can have a look & reshare in my stories!

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