Praline King Cake

I hit the jackpot with this one, it was PERFECT! Now I did cheat a little, using a boxed dough mix. But the filling was homemade and the end result was just delicious!

1 box of Pillsbury Hot Roll Mix

Filling:
1 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup chopped pecans
1/2 cup flour
1 tablespoon cinnamon
1/2 cup melted butter

Mix all ingredients except for butter. Slowly add butter until the mixture is crumbly.

Icing:
1 cup confectioners sugar
1 tablespoon melted butter
dash vanilla extract
water as needed

Mix all ingredients, adding water as needed. You want the icing to be thin enough to drizzle on the cake, but not too thin that it won't stick to the cake. You can add water if too thick, or more confectioners sugar if too thin.

Colored Sugar:
1 cup sugar, divided into 4 parts
4 different food colorings

Put 2 drops of food coloring into the sugar and stir until well blended.


For the dough:
Make dough according to box. After kneading, let rise for about 30 minutes.
On a well floured surface, roll dough out into a rectangle.
Spread the filling evenly all over the dough, leaving about a half an inch from the sides.
Slowly roll up the dough, starting with the widest end. Roll up as tight as possible, like a jelly roll. Make sure your surface was well floured, or the dough will stick.
Place roll on a well greased baking sheet. Form into a ring and let rise until doubled in size, about an hour.
Cook at 375 for 15-20 minutes, until brown on the outside. Remove the cake and brush with a bit of melted butter.
Immediately ice the cake, and top with colored sugars.

Hassleback Potatoes

These delicious potatoes were a great way to change up a plain baked potato!

Hassleback Potatoes
Adapted from: Carrie's Sweet Life

6 small Yukon gold potatos
salt
pepper
garlic powder
2 tablespoons softened butter
parsley
olive oil

Wash potatoes well. Cut slices into even intervals. I popped them into the microwave for 6 minutes to get the cooking started.
Mix butter, salt, pepper, parsley and garlic powder together, making a paste. Place potatoes on a baking sheet lined with foil. Season with salt and pepper and drizzle with a little olive oil. Spread the butter paste over each potatoe, stuffing some down into the cuts.
Bake at 400 for about 25 minutes, or until tender and brown.
If you don't microwave, cook for 45 minutes in the oven.

Southwestern Egg Rolls

These are actually little won-ton's, but it's the same concept. They were really good. A little time consuming to make, but worth it!

Southwestern Egg Rolls
Adapted from: Annie's Eats

1 can corn, drained
1 (15 oz.) can black beans, rinsed and drained
1 (10 oz.) package frozen chopped spinach, thawed and squeezed dry
3 cups shredded Mexican cheese blend
1 (4 oz.) can diced green chiles, drained
4 green onions, chopped
½ tsp. chili powder
1 tsp. salt
½ tsp. pepper
¼ tsp. cayenne pepper
1 1/2 packages won-ton wrappers (or can use egg roll wrappers, but they will be bigger)

Directions:

In a large bowl, combine everything but the egg roll wrappers. Mix well to blend.
Take a won-ton wrapper and place a small amount of filling in the middle and fold the corners in. Wet fingertips with a bit of water to seal the folds. Place seam side down on a greased cookie sheet, do not overlap. Bake at 425˚ F. Bake for 15-20 minutes, until lightly brown. I served with ranch dipping sauce.