My Sister's Buns and Chicken Piccata

My sister M is a wonderful baker.

This fact alone is enough to make me [slightly] jealous but add the fact that she weighs about 17 pounds, is tall and willowy and beyond beautiful and well, I may as well keep loving her because that is just too much jealousy for one person to carry around.

Plus she's really nice. And she shares all her recipes complete with her personal notes so that all the testing and tweaking is out of the way and you just end up with a pan full of goodness.

Um, just asking, what kind of buns did you think I was referring to?

M's Cinnamon Buns: (makes 12 really big buns)

All of the comments in ( ) are M's.


Cinnamon Rolls
2 cup milk
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 c vegetable oil
1 package active dry yeast
3 1/2 cups + 1 cup all purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt

Cinnamon Filling
1/2 cup butter, melted
1/2 cup sugar
Cinnamon

Glaze
4 tablespoon butter, melted
2 cup powdered sugar
3 tablespoon milk  (I used a little more)
1 teaspoon vanilla

Combine the milk, sugar, and oil in a large bowl.  Microwave for 2 minutes
and then stir well.  Sugar should be dissolved.  If not, microwave for
another minute.  Use a candy thermometer to determine the temperature of the
milk mixture.  Wait until it cools down to about 90 - 110 degrees.  This is
the best temp for yeast to thrive.

Add the yeast and stir.  Then add the 3 1/2 c flour a little at a time until
it is all combined.  Cover with plastic wrap and a dish towel and let rise
until double in size - about 1 hour.  (Mine took about 2 hours to double)

Take the towel and plastic wrap off.  Add the last cup of flour, baking
powder, baking soda, and salt.  Stir to combine, you do not need to knead
the dough.

At this point you may cover the bowl with plastic wrap and place in the
refrigerator for up to 3 days.  When you plan to prepare the rolls, take the
dough out and let sit on the counter for an hour.  You can skip the
refrigerator altogether if you want to just proceed into making the rolls.

Roll the dough into a large rectangle.  Melt the butter for the filling and
pour on the dough.  Use a  pastry brush to spread the butter.  Sprinkle on
the sugar and then enough cinnamon to cover the dough.

Now roll it up.  You should end up with a log of dough.  Use a sharp knife to cut the rolls and place cut side down in either 2 buttered 8x8 [six rolls each) or a buttered 9x13 pan [12 rolls].  Let rise in dishes for
another 20 minutes.  (mine didn't really rise much at this point - they rose
up in the oven during baking)

Bake at 375 for 15 - 20 minutes (mine took about 24 minutes) or until light
golden brown.

Combine the ingredients for the glaze and pour over the warm cinnamon rolls

For my mother's day dinner, TBHITW decided he would be the cook. I took on the role of prep chef and and assistant - handing him ingredients (and a glass of wine) when ordered asked to do so.

This recipe is as easy as it is delicious and the best part? You probably have every ingredient you need already in your pantry or refrigerator. We served the chicken with wild rice and steamed asparagus on the side and Sauvignon Blanc in our glasses.

Chicken Piccata (serves 4)

2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut in half and pounded into cutlets
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
Flour (about 1/4 cup)
2 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil
1/4 cup white wine
1 heaping teaspoon garlic, minced
1/2 cup chicken broth
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1 tablespoon capers, drained and rinsed
2 tablespoons cold, unsalted butter
4 fresh lemon slices
2 tablespoons fresh parsley, chopped

Season the chicken cutlets with salt and pepper, then dredge in flour. Add oil to large saute pan and heat on medium high. Add chicken and and saute until golden brown on each side, about 3 minutes per side.

Transfer chicken to a platter and tent.

Deglaze the pan with wine, then add garlic. Cook until garlic is golden and fragrant and wine is nearly evaporated. Add chicken broth, lemon juice and capers to the pan. Return the chicken cutlets to the pan and simmer for about 2-3 minutes until warm and cooked through. Add any juices from the platter to the pan also.

When chicken is hot and cooked through, remove to warm, clean platter. Add lemon slices and parsley to pan and cook for about 1 minute. Remove from heat and swirl butter into sauce, 1 tablespoon at a time until sauce is slightly thickened. Poor over chicken cutlets, garnish with additional parsley sprigs and serve immediately.