Kerrygold Basic Breakfast Sticky Buns

 

     Many of you may be entertaining house guests for Thanksgiving or are just looking for something special to make for the holiday, these Sticky Buns from Kerrygold are by far one of the easiest and most scrumptious things I have ever made in my dutch oven.  The hardest part is remembering when to take the loaf of bread out of the freezer.
      Mistakenly, I poured the melted butter into my dutch oven before I added the the parchment paper.  They baked wonderfully without it but if you don't remove the buns immediately from your oven after baking, the bottom layer of caramel will harden like cement.  If you line your oven, you can lift them out together and invert them easily onto a platter, gooey topping and all.  Once I removed the rolls and scooped out the topping, I quickly washed my dutch oven under hot water while it was still warm and had no problem removing the caramel. 
     The rolls baked for 22 minutes with 12 coals in a ring around the bottom, 18 placed along the outside of the lid with 8 spaced evenly in the center.  You can add chopped pecans, walnuts, pears, apples, or cranberries to the bottom layer, you are only limited by your imagination.  I thawed a loaf of Rhodes bread dough in the refrigerator before rolling it out on the counter and with the cold weather, it took a good 2 hours for them to rise.  It goes without saying that these must be eaten while warm and preferably in two bites so you can instantly go back for another. 
     Thank you all for following my blog and I wish you and your families a very Happy Thanksgiving! 

Kerrygold Basic Breakfast Sticky Buns
1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, softened and divided
1 cup brown sugar
1 1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
1 loaf (1/3 of a 32 oz. pkg.) frozen bread dough, thawed

     Lightly oil or spray 12 inch dutch oven; line with parchment paper.
     Melt 6 Tblsp butter, pour into prepared oven, tipping to evenly coat bottom with butter.
     In a small bowl, combine brown sugar, cinnamon and nutmeg.
     Sprinkle 3/4 of sugar mixture evenly over melted butter and set aside.
     Roll dough into a 12 by 12 inch square on parchment paper or a lightly floured board.
     Spread dough with remaining 2 Tblsp butter.
     Sprinkle remaining brown sugar mixture over butter and press lightly into dough.
     Roll up tightly and pinch seams to seal.
     With serrated knife, cut into 1-inch slices.
     Place into dutch oven; cover and let rise in a warm place until doubled in size, about 1 hour.
     Bake at 350 degrees for 20-25 minutes or until golden brown.
     Let stand for 5 minutes before lifting out and inverting onto platter.
     Makes 12 rolls.

Pour melted butter into dutch oven then sprinkle with brown
sugar mixture

Roll dough into a 12 by 12 inch square then
spread with butter and sprinkle with rest of brown sugar

Roll dough, cut into 1 inch slices and place in oven

Cover and let rise until doubled in size

Bake at 350 degrees for 20-25 minutes

Gobble 'em up while they're hot

Caramel Apple Cinnamon Dump Cake

 

     This easy but delicious cake from Food.com rounds out our Thanksgiving menu.  The caramel topping adds a layer of gooey sweetness to an otherwise run of the mill dump cake.  In my 12 inch dutch oven, the cake baked for 55 minutes with 12 coals in a ring around the bottom, 18 around the edge of the lid with 8 briquettes spaced evenly in the center.  I would recommend serving it in bowls with spoons as the caramel sauce is a bit messy.

Caramel Apple Cinnamon Dump Cake
2 21 oz cans apple pie filling
1 (1 lb) box yellow cake mix
1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, cut into thin slices
2 tsp cinnamon
3/4 of 14 oz jar caramel ice cream topping

     Lightly oil or spray 12 inch dutch oven.
     In large bowl combine apple pie filling with cinnamon.
     Pour into prepared oven.
     Drizzle caramel topping in a checkerboard fashion over pie filling, first up and down, then side to side.
     Sprinkle dry cake mix evenly over caramel layer.
     Dot cake mix with slices of butter, ensuring that most areas are evenly covered.
     Bake at 350 degrees for 50-55 minutes or until golden brown and bubbly.
     Allow cake to sit for 20 minutes before serving.
     Serve with vanilla ice cream and top with more caramel if desired.

Layer pie filling, caramel sauce, cake mix then top with
slices of butter

Bake at 350 degrees for 50 minutes or until brown and bubbly

Top with whipped cream or ice cream and the remaining
caramel sauce

Roasted Brussels Sprouts with Pecans

     To me a holiday menu would not be complete without my favorite vegetable, Brussels sprouts.  Sprouts roasted in a dutch oven are beyond compare, from Real Simple Magazine, the added crunch of toasted pecans makes this recipe particularly good.  If you are not a fan of sprouts you could easily substitute with carrots, thickly sliced on the diagonal. In my 10 inch dutch oven, they roasted with 10 coals in a ring around the bottom and 20 on the lid, in 30 minutes they were crisp tender, lightly browned and totally delicious. 

Roasted Brussels Sprouts with Pecans
1 1/2 lbs Brussels sprouts, trimmed and halved
1/2 cup pecans, roughly chopped
2 Tblsp olive oil
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

     Lightly oil or spray dutch oven.
     Toss the Brussels sprouts, pecans, olive oil, garlic, salt and pepper in dutch oven until well combined.
     Roast at 400 degrees for 25-30 minutes or until golden brown and tender.

Toss all ingredients together in dutch oven

Roast at 400 degrees for 25-30 minutes

Autumn Acorn Squash

     Here's an easy to make side dish from Mr. Food, acorn squash are brushed with a maple glaze and simply baked until tender.  In my 12 inch dutch oven, they baked with 12 coals in a ring around the base of the oven with 28 briquettes on the lid.  In one hour they were browned around the edges and fork tender however I left them sitting, undisturbed, keeping them warm until the rest of our dinner was ready.  Sweet and buttery with a touch of heat, they make a perfect accompaniment to any fall menu.

Autumn Acorn Squash
2 acorn squash, cut in half lengthwise and cleaned.
1/2 cup maple or pancake syrup
2 Tblsp hot pepper jelly
1 Tblsp butter, melted
1 tsp ground cinnamon

     Lightly oil or spray dutch oven.
     Place squash cut side up in prepared oven.
     In medium bowl, combine maple syrup, jelly, butter and cinnamon.
     Coat cut side of squash evenly with syrup mixture, spooning some in middle of squash.
     Bake at 400 degrees for one hour until squash is fork-tender and starts to brown around the edges.

Brush acorn squash with maple mixture, spooning a little
extra in center

Bake at 400 degrees for one hour until tender and
brown around edges

Orange-Glazed Rock Cornish Game Hens

     When I was growing up having Rock Cornish Game Hens for dinner was really a big deal, my mother saved them for special occasions and even now when I make them they bring back memories of birthday celebrations and holiday gatherings.  Easy to make yet there is something so elegant about a tiny bird sitting on your dinner plate, it makes you feel like royalty.  I found this excellent recipe on the Tyson web site and will definitely be filing it away to make again in the future. 
     I split two whole hens in half and placed them on a thickly sliced onion in the bottom of my 10 inch deep oven.  You can also leave the hens whole, elevate them on a rack or even place them right into your oven.  There's really no way you can foul up this recipe (no pun intended).  I started with 10 coals around the base of the oven and 20 on the lid.  After 45 minutes, I brushed them with the remaining glaze, replaced the top coals with 18 fresh ones because it was a cold and blustery day and in 30 minutes they were brown and completely cooked through.  The sweet orange and honey glaze is a wonderful combination and something you may want to try on chicken as well. 

Orange-Glazed Cornish Game Hens
2-4 Cornish Hens without giblets, fresh or thawed
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
1/2 cup frozen orange juice concentrate, thawed
1/4 cup ketchup
1/4 cup honey

     Lightly oil or spray dutch oven.
     Cut each hen in half down backbone if desired.
     Sprinkle hens with salt and pepper; place in prepared oven.
     Combine orange juice concentrate, ketchup and honey.
     Spoon or brush on hens until completely covered.
     Roast at 375 degrees for 45 minutes.
     Baste hens with remaining glaze; replace top coals if necessary.
     Bake for 30 minutes more or until hens are done (internal temp of 180 degrees F).
     Allow hens to rest for 10 minutes before serving.

Place hens in oven and brush completely with glaze

Roast at 375 degrees for 45 minutes then baste with
remaining glaze

Roast for another 30 minutes or until completely done

The hens were amazingly juicy and sweet

An Easy Thanksgiving Dinner

     I'm trying something different today, instead of posting individual recipes I thought I would share with you the steps I took to prepare a complete dinner in my dutch ovens.  For those of you who are experienced dutch oven cooks, this may be old hat, especially when you are used to stacking and rotating several or many ovens at one time.  I prefer not to stack my ovens, I feel I can control the temperature better that way but often it's a necessity especially if you're short on time and space.
     Timing is everything in the kitchen and also when you're juggling a few dishes in your dutch ovens.  I'm going to post the recipes over the next few days but for now I'm going to share with you the menu and the steps I took to prepare this easy but very delicious dinner. If you don't have the time or equipment to roast a turkey in a dutch oven, game hens can be prepared in half the time and your guests are bound to be impressed.  I was the chief cook and bottle washer but depending on how much help you have, you may prefer to light a larger batch of coals, put everything on at once and stack your ovens.

The Menu
Orange-Glazed Cornish Game Hens
Autumn Acorn Squash
Roasted Brussels Sprouts with Pecans
Caramel Apple Cinnamon Dump Cake

     The first thing I did was light the coals for the acorn squash. 
     In the fifteen minutes it took to ignite the coals, I prepared the squash in my 12 inch oven, then placed them on the heat.
     I lit the second batch of briquettes for the hens and while they were lighting I cut, glazed and readied them for the coals.
     Once I placed the hens on the coals I had thirty minutes to clean up the kitchen and prepare the Brussels sprouts.
     After 30 minutes, I lit another batch of coals with enough for the sprouts and the extra briquettes I needed for the lid of the game hens.
     Fifteen minutes later, I placed the sprouts on the coals, basted the hens with the remaining glaze and replaced their top coals with freshly lit briquettes.
     In the meantime I let the squash sit with enough heat from it's dwindling coals to keep it warm.
     In thirty minutes the hens were ready, the sprouts had roasted and the squash was perfectly tender.
     Once everyone had been served, I cleaned out my 12 inch dutch oven, relit another batch of coals, tossed together the dump cake and went back to enjoy dinner.
     In 50 minutes the apple cake was browned and bubbling and my guests were ready for a nice warm dessert.

Pumpkin Crumble Cake

     If you're a lover of all things pumpkin, this very moist and crunchy cake from Betty Crocker will definitely satisfy your sweet tooth. Tasting more like a pumpkin pie, the buttery topping sinks into the cake as it bakes.  In my 12 inch dutch oven, the cake baked for 50 minutes with 12 coals in a ring around the bottom, 18 briquettes around the edge of the lid with 8 spaced evenly in the center.  Be sure to test the center before taking off the coals and allow it to cool for at least 45 minutes before removing from your oven.

Pumpkin Crumble Cake
Cake
1 box Betty Crocker SuperMoist yellow cake mix
1 cup water
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1 tsp pumpkin pie spice
3 eggs
1 15 oz can pumpkin (not pumpkin pie filling)
Topping
3/4 cup chopped pecans
1/2 cup firmly packed brown sugar
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, softened

     Lightly oil or spray 12 inch dutch oven; line with parchment paper.
     In large bowl, beat cake ingredients with electric mixer on medium speed for 2 minutes.
     Pour batter into prepared dutch oven.
     In medium bowl, mix topping ingredients with fork.
     Sprinkle over batter.
     Bake at 350 degrees for 45-50 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out almost clean.
     Cool for 45 minutes before removing from dutch oven.
     Garnish with whipped cream, cinnamon and chopped crystallized ginger if desired.

Pour batter into parchment lined oven then sprinkle
evenly with topping

Bake at 350 degrees for 45-50 minutes or until
tester comes out clean

Allow to cool before lifting from oven

More like a pumpkin pie without the crust

Bacon Cheddar Corn Pudding

      If you're looking for a nice side dish to bring to your next dutch oven gathering or Thanksgiving dinner, this spoon bread/corn casserole from Kraft is easy and very filling.  In my 10 inch dutch oven, it baked with 10 coals in a ring around the bottom of the oven, 14 placed around the edge of the lid and 6 briquettes spaced evenly in the center.  After 35 minutes, or when the middle was firm to the touch, I sprinkled on the topping and let it bake for 10 minutes more. It has all the elements of a great campfire recipe, can be mixed in one bowl, is easy enough for the beginning dutch oven cook to master and best of all, it's smothered in cheese and bacon.  

Bacon Cheddar Corn Pudding
2 eggs, beaten
1 15 oz can cream-style corn
1 11 oz can corn with red and green bell peppers, drained
1 8.5 oz package corn muffin mix (Jiffy sized)
1/2 cup ranch dressing
1 8 oz. package shredded Cheddar cheese, divided
4 green onions, sliced
4 slices cooked bacon, crumbled

     Lightly oil or spray 10 inch dutch oven.
     Mix first 5 ingredients until well blended; stir in 1/2 cup cheese.
     Pour into prepared dutch oven.
     Bake at 375 degrees for 35-40 minutes or until center is firm to the touch.
     Meanwhile, combine remaining cheese, onions and bacon.
     Top casserole with cheese mixture, bake 10 minutes more or until lightly browned.
     Makes 8-10 servings as a side dish.

Pour batter into prepared 10 inch dutch oven

Bake at 375 degrees for 35-40 minutes or until firm
to the touch in center

Top with bacon, Cheddar, scallion mixture and bake for
10 minutes more or until melted and lightly brown

An easy spoon bread pudding for your next dutch oven gathering 

Vanilla-Ginger-Pear Crumble

     This recipe from Betty Crocker is a labor of love.  Peeling, coring and slicing the pears takes a bit of time but your efforts will be rewarded by this sweet and crispy dessert.  In my 10 inch dutch oven, the crumble baked for 50 minutes with 10 coals in a ring around the base of the oven with 14 coals around the edge of the lid and 4 spaced evenly in the center.  Try ginger snaps in place of the vanilla wafers to give it even more of a warming bite. 

Vanilla-Ginger-Pear Crumble
Pear Mixture
6-7 medium, slightly ripe, Bartlett pears, peeled, cut into 1/2 inch slices (about 6 cups)
1/4 cup granulated sugar
2 Tblsp all-purpose flour
2 tsp vanilla
1/2-3/4 tsp ground ginger
Topping
1/3 cup flour
1/4 cup firmly packed brown sugar
1/4 cup (1/2 stick) cold butter, cut into pieces
12-14 vanilla wafer cookies, crushed (about 1/2 cup)

     Lightly oil or spray 10 inch dutch oven.
     In large bowl, mix pear mixture ingredients until evenly coated.
     Spread in prepared dutch oven.
     In same bowl, mix 1/3 cup flour and the brown sugar.
     Add butter using pastry blender or fingertips until mixture resembles coarse crumbs.
     Stir in crushed cookies.
     Sprinkle topping mixture evenly over pears.
     Bake at 350 degrees for 50-55 minutes or until pears are tender and topping is golden brown.

Sprinkle topping mixture over sliced pears

Bake at 350 degrees for 50-55 minutes

A gingery crumble to celebrate the flavors of fall