Posted by Scott Torborg

Found this recipe on AllRecipes.com, it got great reviews so the kids and I decided to make this on Mother’s Day. They were scrumptious!  We didn’t make the cinnamon honey syrup, but that sounds like a nice addition.   These cakes were so good, I ate them straight up.  The flavor reminded me of chocolate chip muffins.

2 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 cup sugar
2 tablespoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
2 eggs
1 1/2 cups milk
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1/2 cup miniature chocolate chips

CINNAMON HONEY SYRUP:
1 cup honey
1/2 cup butter or margarine, cubed
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

In a bowl, combine the flour, sugar, baking powder and salt. Combine eggs, milk and oil; add to dry ingredients and mix well. Stir in chocolate chips. Pour the batter by 1/4 cupfuls onto a lightly greased hot griddle. Turn when bubbles form on top; cook until second side is golden brown. Keep warm.

Combine the syrup ingredients in a 2-cup microwave-safe bowl. Microwave, uncovered, on high until butter is melted and syrup is hot, stirring occasionally. Serve with pancakes.

Posted by Scott Torborg

My cousin Dan told me about this simple recipe many years ago.  I recently made these with my neighbors and it made me think why it’s not a more frequent meal at my house. They were so tasty.  The only thing my neighbors did differently was brush the top of the calzone with egg whites and sprinkle some parmesan cheese on top.  I thought that was a nice touch.

1/3 loaf frozen bread dough, thawed, for each calzone
Pizza sauce
Pizza toppings
Mozzarella cheese

Roll bread dough out into approximately 9″ circle. Top half of dough with pizza sauce, toppings and cheese. Fold other half over toppings and pinch edges to close. Bake on cookie sheet at 350º for 20 minutes, or until golden brown.

Posted by Scott Torborg

As far back as I can remember, these caramel rolls have graced my mom’s kitchen table on Christmas and Easter mornings.  They’re thick caramel rolls that are hearty and delicious. She said she found this in a book many, many years ago and has tweaked it to her liking over the years.  She memorized the recipe, so it took a little prying to get all the little details out. My twist to the recipe is to make one and half times the original caramel recipe (quantities reflected below) which makes for even more sweet and gooey goodness.

Dough Ingredients:
1/2 C. Sugar
1 1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 C. shortening (Crisco)
2 packages dry yeast (Red Star or Fleischmans)
1 1/2 C. HOT water
2 large eggs
5-6 C. bread flour (regular flour will work)

Caramel Ingredients:
1 1/2 C. Brown Sugar
3/4 C. White Corn Syrup
1 1/2 sticks of soft Butter or Margarine
1 1/2 tsp. cinnamon

1. Mix dough ingredients in this order:
   1) sugar, shortening and HOT water;  2) stir in eggs;  3) stir in yeast; 4) add 2 cups of flour; 5) add salt; 6) remaining flour.
2. As you add the remaining flour it may get to be too much for the mixer, use a big spoon, you may have to eventually kneed in flour if necessary.  Add enough flour so the dough is pliable and workable without sticking to your hands, spoons or counter.
3. Form dough into a ball and place into a bowl, cover with a dishtowel and place in a cool oven with the light on. Let the dough rise about twice it’s size (about an hour, but varies, so keep an eye on it after 30 minutes.
4. Next, punch dough down back into a ball cover with dishtowel and let it rise a second time to twice it’s size (about another hour, but watch after 30 minutes).
5. Just before you take the dough out of the oven, mix the caramel mixture ingredients together REALLY WELL, the caramel mixture will be really soft.
6. After dough rises a second time, roll dough with a rolling pin into a rectangle shape about a 1/2 inch in thickness.
7. Spread caramel mixture over dough keeping it a 1/2 inch from the edge of dough.
8. Roll up the dough the long way, on the final roll pinch dough to keep it together.
9. Using kitchen scissors, cut into 1 1/2 inch  rolls.
10. Place into greased pans, but DO NOT pack them tight.  They can touch some, but allow a little room around each roll.
11. Cover pans with a dishtowel and place in a cool oven with light on.
12. Let rolls rise until about twice the size, give or take.  This takes about another hour, but watch after 30 minutes.
13. Take rolls out of oven.
14. Heat oven to 325 degrees.
15. Bake 15-20 minutes, look for golden brown color.
16. Take out of oven, flip pan onto cook sheet(s) and enjoy!

My  mom would typically make these the day before a holiday and then reheat them the next morning.  It’s hard not to dig in when they first come out of the oven.

Posted by Liza Torborg

I got this recipe from chef Tom Skold at a soup and salad cooking class. Be careful to use just a little of the sriracha sauce until you know how spicy you like it. It’s very potent stuff!

2 T. olive oil
1 medium white onion, diced
6 garlic cloves, chopped
2 tsp. cumin, ground
2 C. chicken stock
2 – 10 oz. cans tomatoes with green chilies (Rotel)
2 – 15 oz. cans black beans, drained
1 1/2 C. Frozen corn
Salt, to taste
Sriracha hot chili sauce, to taste
Sour cream, to garnish

Heat olive oil in a quart saucepan and sweat the onion until translucent. Add garlic and cumin and cook another two minutes.

Add stock, tomatoes and chilies, and beans. Bring to a boil. Puree part of the soup (a little more than half) to give it some body. Add the corn and season to taste. Serve in warm bowls garnished with crumbled tortilla chips and dollops of sour cream.

Serving size: 6

Posted by Scott Torborg

Got this recipe from my co-worker Natalie W.  She won our weekly football pool and shared her winnings by bringing in a couple loaves of this apple bread.  She made three loaves, but only two made it to work.  That’s how good this recipe is.

3 eggs
2 C. sugar
1 C. vegetable oil
1 tsp. vanilla
3 C. flour
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. salt
4 C. chopped apples (chopped fairly small)

Topping:
1/4 C. softened butter
1 T. flour
1/2 C. sugar
3 T. cinnamon

Cream together oil, eggs, sugar, vanilla, baking soda and salt.  Stir in apples and flour.  Pour into 3 loaf pans (approx. 8.5 x 4.5″)  and sprinkle with topping.  Bake at 350 degrees for about 45-60 minutes.  Check with a knife to be sure loaves are done.