Week 5 Friday: Malt-o-meal and Caramel rolls; Roast Pork with Apples, Mashed Potatoes and Caramel Cashew Cheesecake

It's Friday morning of Week Five.

 

Yay -it's Friday! On today's breakfast menu is malt-o-meal and caramel rolls, two of my Friday favorites. These caramel rolls are so simple and yet so good. 

On today's menu is something even better and even simpler. It's ridiculously good for how easy it is to make. It's roasted pork with apples over mashed potatoes. Talk about comfort food - and one not a lot of people have even tried. But after one time, you'll remember how easy and how absolutely delicious this dish is--- my kids literally lick their plates when I make this.

For dessert is a caramel cashew cheesecake. Cheesecake is my husband's favorite dessert to order in restaurants. If there's cheesecake on the dessert menu, he won't even consider anything else. So I like to cook a lot of different variations - even though plain cheesecake is his "go to." I think he'll like the caramel cashew topping this one is going to sport. (Seriously - who doesn't like caramel or cashews?)



Malt-O-Meal and Caramel Rolls

 

Roast Pork with Apples, Mashed Potatoes and Caramel Cashew Cheesecake



Breakfast:

 

 

Making Malr-O-Meal doesn't take long. It's one of my favorite hot cereals, I like the texture and flavor and it's high in iron. I've often struggled with anemia so the iron content is a bonus.

But it's best very warm and gets thick and less appetizing as it gets cold. So I always make it at the last minute. So I make the caramel rolls first.

 

CARAMEL ROLLS 

1. Turn the oven on to 375 degrees. In a round (about 10 inch size) cake pan, put half a cube of butter and place it in the oven to let it melt.

 

2. Once the butter is melted, take it out of the oven and put in a cup of brown sugar and a 1/4 cup of maple flavored syrup. Put it back in the oven to let it turn into a syrup.

 

3. After the brown sugar has dissolved some and the syrup has warmed, take it out of the oven and stir until the sugar is completely dissolved and it looks like a caramel syrup.

 

4. Open a package of refrigerator biscuits. Slightly flatten each biscuit and place it on top of the caramel syrup. After all the biscuits are arranged over the caramel, put it in the oven and bake for 7-9 minutes or until the tops of the biscuits are turning golden brown.

 

5. Take the biscuits out of the oven. Put a large plate or platter over the top of the pan and then carefully flip it over so that the cake pan with the biscuits is upside down on the plate/ platter. Carefully lift the cake pan off the biscuits leaving the biscuits on the plate /platter.

 

6. The caramel syrup will coat the biscuits and will be burning hot, so let cool a few minutes. But eat warm. ENJOY!

 

 

    MALT-O-MEAL

1. For 6 servings: Boil 1 3/4 cup water with a teaspoon salt in a medium size saucepan.

 

2. When the water is boiling, very slowly pour 1 cup of Malt-O-Meal into the boiling water while whisking. Whisk well and pour slowly to prevent lumps.

 

3. Let boil for a minute until it thickens. 

 

4. Serve sweetened with honey or brown sugar and cinnamon. ENJOY!    

  

DINNER:

 

 1. Place pork roast in crock pot.

 

2. Pour apple juice over - I use a whole bottle instead of just 2 cups.

 

3. Add ginger and brown sugar.

 

4. Peel, slice and core apples. Place on top of roast in crockpot.    

 

 

 

5. Salt and pepper. Then cover.

 

6. Cook on LOW for 6 hours or more. Slice pork. Serve on top of mashed potatoes with the juice and apple slices poured over. ENJOY! 

 

DESSERT:

 1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Melt butter. I used my Ninja blender instead of my stand mixer for this recipe today. Grind cashews for crust. Pour the butter in the blender with the ground cashews (or stand mixer bowl).

 

2. Add cake mix and egg. Blend or mix until a soft dough forms.

 

3. Place crust dough into greased 10 inch (or larger) spring-form pan.

 

 4. Bake for 15-20 minutes or until very lightly golden brown.   

 

5. Meanwhile, put cream cheese in blender (or stand mixer bowl).

 6. Add sugar and vanilla.

 

7. Add eggs and cream.

 

8. Blend or mix until smooth ( I just let it blend on low the entire time the crust baked - it turned it into a very smooth uniform mixture.)

9. Pour cream cheese mixture into baked crust.

 10. Return pan to oven and bake for 55-60 minutes or until center is firm and no longer jiggles.

 

11. Let cheesecake cool for 15 minutes on cooking rack, then run a knife around edges to separate from pan. Let cool another hour.

 

12. In a medium saucepan, add the sugar and water for the topping.

 13. Cook over medium-low heat until boiling. Cover and boil 2 minutes.

  14. Remove lid and boil uncovered for about 8 minutes or until golden brown.

 

15. Remove from heat, add cream and stir for 5 minutes or until smooth.

 

16. Coarsely chop cashews, add a bit of vanilla and the cashews to the caramel.

 

17. Pour over cheesecake. Put in fridge. Refrigerate for several hours - or best overnight. ENJOY!