Chili and Ooey Gooey Rolls

Chili and Cinnamon Roll Haiku

Veggies in red sauce

Two kidney bean cans in there

Ooey gooey buns

Good evening! I am so happy to share with you my very first dinner! My roommate Kara had been talking about the combination of chili and cinnamon rolls. She told me that she used to eat it for lunch in elementary school and loved it! I think it must be a Northern Wyoming thing because I have never heard of such a combo and neither had my other roommate Juli. Apparently this pair of opposites goes all the way back to Kara's great-grandma Kreger who used to make it for her family. So earlier this week when I said I wanted to make chili, it was an immediate light bulb that there would be cinnamon rolls as well.

The chili I made was a vegetarian chili and yet it was packed with flavor. And to top it off, it was super easy to make. Here is the recipe:

Ingredients
1 onion
1 red pepper
2 stalks celery
1 clove garlic
1/4 cup water
2 small zucchini (about 1 pound)
salt and pepper
2 (14 - ounce) cans diced tomatoes
1 (6 - ounce) can tomato paste
2 tablespoons chili powder
2 (15 - ounce) cans kidney beans

Directions
Peel and cut onion into 1/2 inch pieces, cut red pepper into 1/2 inch pieces, cut celery in half lengthwise and then cut into 1/2 inch pieces and place in large sauce pan. Add garlic and water to sauce pan. Cook over medium heat 5 minutes. Trim ends of zucchini and cut in quarters lengthwise and then into 1/2 inch pieces and add to the pan. Season with salt and pepper (generous) and cook for 10 minutes. Add the tomatoes, tomato paste, chili powder, and un-drained kidney beans and cook over low heat for 45 minutes so flavors blend. Season with salt, pepper, and chili powder if desired, and serve warm. (Recipe courtesy of "College Cooking: feed yourself and your friends" by Megan & Jill Carle)

Sounds pretty tasty huh?! And even if you are not a vegetarian, this will be something you enjoy. My best friend Mark came over for dinner tonight and he is a known meat eater. For him it is mandatory that there be some kind of meat in a meal. When I told him that it was vegetarian chili he cringed a little, but after that first bite he was a believer. And I found it important that the chili simmer for at least 30 minutes because it really does allow all the flavors to marry and really give that little extra spark. And to top it off, we sprinkled a bit of cheese on top for that finishing touch. This chili was tasty and healthy with all the veggies. There was the crunch of the celery and the creaminess from the tomatoes that gave a nice texture in your mouth. And it was so easy to make!

Now I know you are wondering about the cinnamon rolls, so here they come! Kara found a great recipe called "Nana's Cinnamon Rolls" from foodnetwork.com.

Ingredients 
2 (1/4 - ounce) packages dry yeast
1/2 cup warm water
4 eggs
1/2 cup sugar
2 teaspoons salt
5 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup butter, melted

Filling
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 stick butter, melted
3/4 cup brown sugar
1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
1/4 cup chopped pecans
1/2 cup raisins

Glaze
1 1/2 cups powdered sugar
3 tablespoons milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Directions

Spray a large mixing bowl with nonstick spray.

Dissolve yeast in water in a bowl of a standing mixer with dough hook. Let sit for 5 minutes. In a large measuring cup beat together eggs, sugar and salt. Whisk in egg mixture to the bowl of yeast. Add 1 cup flour and mix until smooth. Add melted butter and mix well. Add remaining 4 cups of flour in stages and mix until stiff dough is formed. Add dough to greased bowl. Place bowl in a warm area with a towel on top. Let rise until it doubles in size, about 1 hour.

Filling: Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Grease a 9 by 13 by 2-inch pan On a cutting board, sprinkle 2 tablespoons flour. Punch down and roll out dough to approximately 12 by 15-inch rectangle. Spread with butter. Sprinkle sugar, cinnamon, pecans, and raisins. Roll dough into a large pin wheel cylinder and cut ends off the roll. Cut into 8 portions. Put in greased pan, pin wheel side down and let rise to double in size. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes until browned evenly. Remove from the oven and allow to cool completely.
 

Glaze: Mix in medium size bowl with whisk until smooth. Drizzle glaze over on top of the cooled rolls.

 It may seem like a little bit of a process, but if a college student can make it on a week night it can't be that bad. And boy do they taste great! I could hardly believe that these cinnamon rolls were so yummy. It could be all the butter in them, but lets not dwell on that. You will want to eat these slowly and savor every bite.

Both the chili and the cinnamon rolls made enough to feed at least 4 and have quite a bit extra for left overs. So making them early in the week and enjoying them for lunch is a great idea. I hope you try them soon and I hope you check in again soon to see what new dinners are just around the corner!