Bring out the Bundts!

Dec 8, 2015

RECIPES & PHOTOS COURTESY RHODES BAKE-N-SERV

Think about the holidays and, chances are, there’s food somewhere in the picture. And with the food, another season of gifting and entertaining is about to begin.

Baking has always played a prominent role in the festivities. Whether you display, serve or give food this holiday—beautiful, classic bundt creations are certain to be everyone’s favorite.

Part of the fun is in the pan. Bundt molds come in many delightful styles, but all share a traditional hole in the center. You can find shapes styled after cathedrals or trees or simple variations of favorite soft rounds. And, a great shortcut to capturing the essence of warm-baked holiday moments is to use readily available frozen dough as your base ingredient. The rest is as easy as . . . well . . . as these bundt recipes.

Those who love the fruity tang of the season will crave the orange cranberry recipe bundt that’s practically to die for.  Chocolate lovers take note—we’ve got you covered with a decadent, chocolate stuffed sticky bundt. Heavenly! On the savory side, this buttery, sausage and herb filled bundt will just hit the spot. And you may notice that they all make great gift bundts, as well.

The magic happens when you tip these beauties out of their pans. The sleek, elegant shapes are ready for a quick glaze or frosting coat. So, when you make out your holiday grocery list include some of these ordinary ingredients that can be transformed into extraordinary seasonal bundts.

Cranberry Orange Pull-Apart

INGREDIENTS
12 Rhodes™ Orange Rolls or 24 Rhodes™ Dinner Rolls* thawed but still cold
3.4-oz package non-instant vanilla pudding
1/4 cup dried cranberries
1 orange rind, grated
1/2 cup butter or margarine, melted
cream cheese frosting, included with rolls

DIRECTIONS
Cut rolls in half and roll in dry
pudding mix. Arrange, alternately with cranberries and orange rind, in a large sprayed bundt pan. Sprinkle remaining pudding over rolls. Pour melted butter over top. Cover with plastic wrap and let rise until double in size. Remove wrap and bake at 350°F 30-35 minutes. Cover with foil last 15 minutes of baking. Immediately invert onto a serving platter. Cool slightly and drizzle with cream cheese frosting.

*If using dinner rolls, add 1/4 cup sugar  to pudding and follow recipe above.

For frosting, mix 1 cup powdered sugar, 1 tablespoon melted butter and 2 tablespoons fresh orange juice.

Zesty Sausage Bundt

INGREDIENTS
18 Rhodes™ Dinner Rolls, thawed but still cold
1/2 cup butter or margarine, melted
1/4 cup fresh thyme, finely chopped
1/4 cup fresh rosemary, finely chopped
1/4 cup fresh parsley, finely chopped
1 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1 pound sausage, cooked, crumbled, drained

DIRECTIONS
Flatten each roll into a 4-inch circle. Place butter in a shallow bowl. Combine herbs and cheese and place in a shallow bowl. Coat each dough circle with butter and then with herb/cheese mixture. Arrange 6 dough circles evenly in a large sprayed bundt pan, to cover the bottom. Circles will overlap. Sprinkle half the cooked sausage over dough. Repeat with 6 more dough circles and the remaining sausage. Add last 6 dough circles to the top to cover sausage. Cover with plastic wrap and let rise until almost doubled. Remove wrap  and bake at 350°F 35-40 minutes. Cover with foil last 10 minutes of baking. Remove from oven and invert immediately onto serving platter.

Chocolate Stuffed Sticky Bundt

INGREDIENTS
24 Rhodes™ Dinner Rolls, thawed but still cold
1 1/2 cups milk chocolate chips
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 tablespoon cocoa
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 cup chopped pecans or toffee bits
1/2 cup butter or margarine, melted
1/2 cup packed brown sugar

DIRECTIONS
Cut rolls in half. Wrap each half around 1 teaspoon chocolate chips and completely enclose. In a bowl,  mix granulated sugar, cocoa and cinnamon. Dip each roll half in sugar mixture until well coated. Place in a large sprayed bundt pan. Sprinkle any remaining sugar mixture and pecans or toffee bits over rolls. Stir together butter and brown sugar in a small, microwave safe bowl. Microwave 30 seconds. Stir well and pour over rolls. Cover with plastic wrap and let rise until almost to the top of the pan. Remove wrap and bake at 350°F 35 minutes. Cover with foil last 10 minutes of baking. Invert immediately onto serving platter.

For more recipes and information about Rhodes’ products visit www.rhodesbread.com

Power Up, naturally, for the Holidays

Dec 7, 2015

Let’s face it, the holiday season can be hectic. We’re busy gift shopping, decorating the home, attending school functions, baking, hosting or attending parties, and with so much going on it’s sometimes difficult to maintain energy levels or get enough sleep. We’re also around more people doubling the risk for catching a cold or the flu.

Now is a good time to start powering up your immune system to keep pace with the energy you need to get through the holiday season and avoid being sick too!

These smoothie recipes taste good, look festive and are packed full of vitamins, minerals and antioxidants to fuel your body. So go ahead, indulge and POWER UP naturally!

Each recipe makes two servings.

Colours of the Season Smoothie

INGREDIENTS

purple layer
2 bananas, peeled and frozen
1/2 cup blueberries
4 large strawberries, hulled, stems removed
1/2 cup yogurt
1/2 cup prepared baby beets
2 1/2 cups ice

green layer
2 bananas, peeled and frozen
1/2 cup frozen mango or peaches
1 handful kale
1 handful baby spinach
1 squeeze of lime
2 1/2 cups ice

NOTE: You can add a squeeze of honey before blending if you prefer your smoothie a touch sweeter.

DIRECTIONS

Put all the purple layer ingredients into a blender and blend until smooth. You want this to be pretty thick so the layers stay defined and separated. Pour mixture into 2 glasses. Freeze for 20 minutes.

Wash and dry blender. Put all the green layer ingredients into the blender and blend until smooth. Use a little coconut water to blend, if necessary.

Remove purple smoothie from the freezer and slowly pour the green layer on top. Serve and enjoy! Note: As long as the bottom layer is partially frozen, you can reverse the layers as shown pictured.

Festive Layered Smoothie

INGREDIENTS
1 cup frozen raspberries or strawberries
1 medium frozen banana
1 cup coconut milk
1 cup frozen mango chunks
1 cup pineapple juice
Chia seed, optional (for garnish)

DIRECTIONS
Using a blender, add the raspberries or strawberries, or a mix of both, banana, and coconut milk. Blend the mixture until smooth. Pour into two glasses.

Rinse out blender and dry. Add the mango chunks and pineapple juice. Blend the mixture until smooth.

Gently pour the mango smoothie over the the raspberry smoothie. You can leave the layers sharply defined or use a spoon to pull a little of one layer through the other for a festive look.

For garnish, sprinkle on chia seeds, and add a few colourful straws just before serving.

Green Power Smoothie

INGREDIENTS
2 apples, cored and cut into chunks
2 small pears, cored and cut into chunks
1 peach, pitted
Juice of one lemon
3 to 4 cups water or coconut water
1 handful kale leaves
2 to 3 large handfuls spinach leaves

DIRECTIONS
Place the apples, pears, peach, lemon juice, and water into a blender, blend until smooth. Add the greens, a little at a time, blending well between additions, until smooth.

Taste the smoothie and adjust flavour by adding more greens or fruit, as desired.