Orange Rolls, simplified

April 17, 2025 I made the full recipe of Citrus Buns, and for some reason, I had to fight the dough. It just didn't go as I had thought it would. Plus, it's a giant batch. Five-and-a-half dozen buns. So, I'll go back to my tried-and-true cinnamon bun recipe and adapt it to be my new orange rolls go-to recipe. As of today, April 18, I haven't tried it as written, but I'm fully confident it'll be great.

Bun dough:

1 cup mashed potatoes
2 tbsp yeast
2 cups potato water or milk
3/4 cup softened butter
2 eggs beaten
3/4 cup sugar
1 tsp salt
6 cups of flour

Inside the buns:
3Tbsp melted butter (to spread onto dough)
2 cups sweetened coconut

1 cup white sugar

zest from one orange and one lemon

Blend mashed potatoes and potato water/milk. (I'm considering putting an orange in as well.)

Add the other ingredients and mix well. Add 6 cups flour and knead until soft. Cover and let rise 1 hour.

Punch and make rolls with coconut/zest filling. Let rolls rise 30 minutes. Bake at 350 degrees F for 25 minutes.

Sauce:
1 cup sugar

1/2 cup sour cream

1/2 cup butter

juice from one lemon

Mix. Heat to boiling. Pour over rolls when done or just before serving. Enjoy!

Banana Muffins and variations (spinach, pumpkin)

I have no idea where this recipe came from originally. It's in "the white recipe book" (aka a collection from a group of church friends about 20 years ago).

1 cup mashed bananas (about 3 medium)

1 tsp baking soda

2 large eggs

1/4 cup butter

1 cup brown sugar, packed*

1 1/2 cups flour

1 1/2 tsp baking powder

1/4 tsp salt*

1 tsp vanilla (optional)

1/2 cup chocolate chips

In a small bowl, stir mashed bananas and baking soda together. Set aside.

Beat eggs in a small bowl until frothy. Set aside.

Cream butter and sugar in large mixing bowl. Add half of the eggs, mixing again. Add second half of eggs, mix again. Stir in mashed bananas, mix again.

Add dry ingredients and chocolate chips. Stir to moisten. Spoon into prepared muffin pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.

Notes

I reduce sugar in most recipes. This recipe could be delicious with half the amount of sugar.

If you reduce the sugar, also reduce the salt.

Variations

You can use other ingredients in place of banana. We love a 2/3 banana with 1/3 spinach version. I use the blocks of frozen chopped spinach from Superstore. Half of one block is enough for one batch of muffins. Thaw it. Liquid can be added to batter, too.

Pumpkin muffins are great as well. Replace the entire portion of bananas with pumpkin puree, add 2 tsp pumpkin spices. For this version, use the full 1 cup of brown sugar.

Pumpkin spice mix (I make a big batch, usually about 8X this, and use 2 tsp at a time)

1 tsp cinnamon

1/2 tsp nutmeg

1/4 tsp ginger

Southwestern Egg Rolls

I have no idea why these are called egg rolls.... This is inspired by this social media post by Freddsters 

2 Tbsp olive oil

1 onion, finely chopped

1 jalapeno, finely chopped (seeds removed if you want it more mild)

2 cloves garlic, grated

1 tsp onion powder

1 tsp garlic powder

1 tsp smoked paprika

1 tsp chili powder (guajillo variety, if you have it)

1 tsp salt

1 tsp black pepper

1/2 tsp cumin

2 bell peppers, chopped

2 cups shredded rotisserie chicken

1 cup black beans (I used a whole can of beans, drained and rinsed)

1 cup corn (I used a whole can of corn, drained and rinsed)

1 small package of fresh baby spinach or half a package of frozen spinach

1 lime, juiced

Shredded cheese of choice

10 large flour tortillas

Avocado Ranch Dip

2 avocados, mashed

1 lime, juiced

1 cup ranch dressing

finely chopped cilantro to taste

1 small clove of garlic, grated

salt and pepper to taste

Directions

Saute onion, jalapeno, and garlic for a few minutes.

Add spices and bell peppers, cook for a few minutes.

Add in beans, corn, and spinach, cook until spinach is wilted.

Mix avocado ranch dip.

Lay out all 10 tortillas, add cheese to each one, divide the filling evenly. Roll them up, lay them in a frying pan with a little olive oil until browned, turn to brown on each side. 

These make a great meal, about one to one-and-a-half per person is plenty. They are great as leftovers, and make a nice breakfast with a side of eggs.

Tomato Soup From Scratch

This recipe is from my mother-in-law, possibly as far back as the late '90's. I don't remember. I haven't made it in many years, but I'm in a wintery, soupy, cozy mood, so I made a half-batch. I'll write this as the full recipe. For reference, a half-batch made 12 500mL (2 cup or 1 pint) jars.

Ingredients

2 pails of tomato chunks

1 head celery

3 large onions

3 green peppers

3 jalapenos (with or without seeds, depending on preference)

2 cloves garlic (individual cloves. Not two heads of garlic!)

3 bay leaves

3 Tbsp dried parsley (or 1 cup fresh)

2 Tbsp dried basil (or 3/4 cup fresh, loosely packed)

1 tsp paprika

1 tsp black pepper

1 cup butter

1 can tomato soup

1 small can tomato paste

1/8 cup ketchup

1 tsp baking soda

1 cup cornstarch

3/4 cup flour* 

1/2 cup sugar

1/4 cup salt

Directions

Prep veggies and roughly chop. Add into a very large pot with the herbs and spices. Boil for 45 minutes, stirring periodically. Remove the bay leaves, then use an immersion blender to zap the soup. The soup can be poured through a strainer at this point if a smoother end result is prefered.

Combine the next set of ingredients in a separate pot, add to main pot once it's combined.

In a separate bowl, combine dry ingredients. Add into the soup pot while running the immersion blender to ensure there are no cornstarch blobs.

Bring till almost boiling and then ladle into prepared jars.

Notes

When I did the half-batch, I used the full cup of cornstarch without any of the flour. I really like the texture and thickness of how this turned out.

Gluten-free: This recipe would be so easily GF, if you omit the flour and ensure the commercial tomato soup is also GF.

Store-bought tomato soup is concentrated and intended to be diluted with water or milk. This recipe is ready-to-serve.

Mennonite New Year's Cookies, Fritters, Portzelky

This recipe is adapted from, and inspired by edieseveryday.com

Note! This version of the recipe requires TWO blocks of time for rising.

Ingredients

5 tsp sugar
2 Tbsp dry yeast
2 cups warm water
1 3/4 cups warm milk
7 cups flour, divided

2 tsp baking powder, optional
1/2 cup sugar (minus the 5 tsp)
1/2 cup melted lard or butter
4 eggs
1 1/2 tsp salt
4 cups raisins, coated with some flour to keep them from falling to the bottom of the dough (or chopped apples or omit fruit all together)

enough lard for frying, about 8 cups

Toppings
Sprinkle with powdered sugar when fritters are hot
Dip fritter into powdered sugar while eating
Toss hot apple fritters with a combination of powdered sugar and cinnamon
Dip into Roger's Syrup

Instructions
For a full batch, using a large bowl, mix sugar and yeast into the two cups warm water. Allow to stand for 10 minutes. Stir to combine.

Mix in 2 cups flour to make a sponge. Cover the bowl with a damp dish towel and allow to rise in a warm area until light and bubbly. Once the dough has doubled, stir in the other ingredients and approximately 5 cups flour to make a stiff batter. Let rise until doubled and fry in deep, hot fat.

You will need two tablespoons to form and handle the dough, as well as a slotted spoon to remove the fritters from the hot oil. Quickly dip the two tablespoons into the oil and form small balls of the dough with the oiled tablespoons, carefully scraping and dropping the dough into the hot oil. The fritters will sink to the bottom of the pan and then pop right back up. You should be able to fry at least six at a time, but don't crowd the pan. Fry until golden brown on both sides, carefully flipping when required. Drain on a tray lined with paper towels.

Serve warm.

Chocolate Date Bites

This is an adaptation of a recipe I found on Instagram by @littleloucooks

The recipe is written as bars but I prefer to use my mini muffin pan, lined with mini cups. It's a two-bite sweet, which is plenty for my taste buds. Also, it is originally written as using a blender. I recommend a food processor. Strongly.

230g pitted dates - or 2 cups

125g mixed seeds - or 1 cup (sunflower/pumpkin)

75g oats - or 1 cup

40g desiccated coconut - or 1/2 cup

2 tablespoons Cocoa powder

Top with:

150g chocolate -

1 tablespoon coconut butter or butter

Step 1:Line 2 (2lb) loaf tins with parchment liners or paper. Or line an 8 inch square tin.

Step 2: To make the bars: Add the dates to a bowl and cover with boiling water to soften.

Meanwhile blend the oats, seeds, coconut, cocoa powder in a blender. Blend it fine or leave it coarse for more texture if you prefer.

Drain the dates and add them to the blender.

Blend until it looks like a thick paste. If it looks dry add a dash of hot water and blend again.

Step 3: Divide between two loaf tins. Push down. Melt the chocolate and coconut oil together in the microwave or in a bowl over simmering water. Then divide between the loaf tins. Set in the fridge for 1 hour then cut into bars. Make them bite size if you like!

Keep in the fridge for 1 week.Or freeze for 3 months.

Gingerbread Cinnamon Buns

This is a variation on my regular cinnamon bun recipe. 

*Start by saving leftover potatoes, cooking one small potato, and/or save the water potatoes are cooked in.

Ingredients for buns
2 cups warm milk (or warm, not hot, potato water)
2 Tbsp yeast
1/2 cup sugar

6-7 cups flour

1 cup mashed potato

3/4 cup butter, softened

2 eggs, beaten

1/4 cup molasses

1 Tbsp cinnamon

2 tsp ginger

1 tsp cloves

1 tsp salt

Ingredients for filling

2 cups brown sugar

4 tsp cinnamon

1/2 cup butter, melted

Ingredients for icing

3/4 cup butter, softened

2 Tbsp heavy cream

2 cups powdered sugar

2 tsp cinnamon

2 tsp vanilla

Instructions

Combine milk (or potato water), yeast, and sugar, allow to proof. About 10 minutes.

Add remaining ingredients, mix with dough hook for 6 to 10 minutes, until dough comes together to form a ball. Add more flour as needed, 1/2 cup at a time. The dough shouldn't be sticky when it's done.

Allow to rise in a warm spot for 60 to 90 minutes, until it has doubled in size.

I roll out half of the dough at once. Brush the dough with melted butter and cover with half of the brown sugar/cinnamon mixture. Roll dough along the long side. Cut with a sharp knife, at 1 1/2" intervals. Place 12 pieces into greased 9x13 pan. 

Place pans in a warm spot to rise. This may be as quick as 30 minutes. They will rise a lot more as they're baked.

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees, bake for 25 to 30 minutes.

When buns are mostly cool, top with icing. 

Notes:

These buns freeze well.

I use homemade brown sugar, combining 1 cup white sugar with 1 Tbsp molasses.