Twist on Cinnamon Rolls

We get a weekly shopping guide in mail which mostly consists of ad's for local businesses. This week however I came across some great ideas for perking up Pillsbury Grand's Cinnamon rolls. You basically bake the cinnamon rolls as directed on the package and then make a quick and easy topping. You can find more delicious recipes on Pillsbury.com or Facebook.com/pillsbury

Carmel Pecan Buns

Bake buns, set aside; reserve icing.

2 TBSP Butter
1 cup chopped pecans
1/4 cup packed brown sugar

To caramelize pecans, melt butter in 10 inch skillet over medium heat; add pecans. Cook, stirring constantly, 2-3 minutes or until butter just starts to brown. Add brown sugar. Cook, stirring constantly, until the sugar melts and bubbles, about 2 minutes. Spoon over buns. Remove cover from icing; microwave on medium for 5-10 seconds or until thin enough to drizzle over the buns.

Apple Walnut Sticky Buns

2 TBSP butter, softened
1 medium Granny Smith apple, peeled, cut into 1/2 inch cubes
3/4 cup chopped walnuts
1/2 cup packed brown sugar

Heat over to 375. Generously butter 8 regular muffin pans. In bowl, mix apples, walnuts, and brown sugar; divide evenly among muffin cups. Separate cinnamon rolls; reserve icing. Place 1 roll in each cup. Bake 12-14 minutes or until tops are golden brown. Cool 5 minutes. Place cookie sheet upside down over muffin pan; turn over. Remove pan. Remove cover from icing; microwave on medium for 5-10 seconds or until thin enough to drizzle over the buns.

Ground Meats Simplified

I did my fair share of comfort food cooking this winter. Like most families, one of our favorites is chilli and I made it several times. I don't used ground meat to often to cook with but for my chilli I use both ground beef and sausage. I hate cooking ground meat because I can ever get it crumbly enough. One day I decided I had had enough and got out my potato masher and gave that a try. To my pleasant surprise it worked like a charm! Better than I would have thought. Now, I don't dread cooking ground meats :)