Dried Cranberry Cocoa Cinnamon Rolls

I think about food too much. Visions of sweet and savory foods never drift far from my mind. Sometimes I wonder if it is all I am capable of thinking of, as I plan my meals on the walk to school or mentally make a list for the market at the gym. I have some serious food on the brain.
Sometimes I challenge myself to a little game. These games can be dangerous. Once I've got an idea in my head, it doesn't leave. The idea is to imagine a fruit or vegetable and think of as many recipes off the top of my head that feature them. Let's take pumpkins. Pumpkins become pumpkin pie. Pumpkin Custard. Pumpkin bread. Pumpkin bread pudding. Pumpkin oatmeal. Pumpkin alfredo... And suddenly I have a list of recipes a mile long that I absolutely must make right now.

This is precisely the process in which these dried cranberry cocoa cinnamon rolls were conceived.

The rolls are full, dense, and delicious. They don't even need icing because the brown sugar mixture keeps the interior so moist (though I won't fault you if you decide to drown your roll in sugary goodness). Best of all, they keep well in the freezer. If you decide Sunday night your Monday morning might need a bit of a pick-me-up, you can toss a roll in the fridge to rise overnight, pop it in the oven first thing in the morning, and by the time you have to run out the door you'll have a hot, fresh roll to devour, fighting off those Monday blues.

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Savory Sundays: Sweet Potato Fries

I never liked sweet potatoes growing up. My family ate them solely at Thanksgiving, baked and covered in cinnamon and marshmallows, courtesy of my aunt. In my mind, a potato is a potato, sweet or not. I don't know about you, but I don't normally cover my baked potatoes in marshmallows. Sweet potatoes are funny shaped, have pointy ends, and try too hard to be real potatoes. But mostly I don't like them because they are orange.
I don't eat orange vegetables for fun. I eat them to punish myself after a bad (horrible, awful, delicious, mostly sugar-filled) day of eating. When I get the munchies late at night, I break out the carrot sticks instead of the salty potato chips (or the chocolate). I eat orange foods with a scrunched up, unhappy face. I bite them with bitterness and disdain. I curse in the name of beta-carotene.

But all of this was before I discovered sweet potato fries.

I love french fries. You love french fries. I haven't met a single person who doesn't enjoy eating them (and I bet you haven't either). I think my dilemma with sweet potatoes was that I was eating them sweet when I should have been eating them savory. Ohh, sweet potatoes were meant to be eaten this way, salty and spiced. It makes them everything nice.
These sweet potato fries are about 10 times healthier than the normal french fry. Sweet potatoes are naturally stuffed with antioxidants and are nutrient-rich, including vitamin A, vitamin C, and beta-carotene. By baking the fries (instead of frying), you can retain a lot of those nutrients and eliminate a lot of the fat. These sweet potato fries are lightly salted and have a little kick from the cayenne pepper. You might just find yourself making these a regular companion to your hamburgers.

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Pumpkin Spice Oatmeal

I like to wake up and eat hot, nutritious breakfasts. I don't care if its a cold winter day, where the cereal will warm my insides and keep them warm on the walk to school, or if its a hot summer day and my insides will slowly roast for the next couple hours. It just isn't a good start to the day if there isn't a steaming bowl of cereal in front of me.
Almost every single morning for the past 18 years, I have eaten a large bowl of Coco Wheats for breakfast. By now, I don't even really taste the coco wheats--they have just become a part of my morning routine. I bet I could make them blindfolded. I cook them methodically. Put in exactly the same amount of sugar. The same amount of milk. Make sure I get exactly the right amount of lumps. It's has become an art form.
So last night, when my dinner choices consisted of Coco Wheats, Cream of Wheat, and oatmeal, I was okay with this. My cupboards may resemble those of an old woman, but I can't help but love the subtly sweet, easily digestible, creamy wheat and oat cereals. And so I made this pumpkin spice oatmeal again for dinner. And it was wonderful.
This pumpkin spice oatmeal tastes like pumpkin pie. And you get to eat it for breakfast! And its healthy! I love letting the brown sugar melt on top. It makes brown, sugary rivers through the oats and it reminds me a crème brûlée. This oatmeal tricks your mind into thinking you are eating a decadent dessert for breakfast (but your body is happy from all the nutrition). The perfect breakfast for a brisk autumn morning.

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