Cheez Plus Garlic = Ass Expansion

Hey everyone! How the hell are all of you? If you're wondering how I am, "exhausted" comes to mind.

First of all, I spent all day Saturday chaperoning the army cadets around on their "fun day"....Lazer tag, arcade games, shopping, dinner, movies, you get the drill. A good bunch of kids, great kids actually.... if you have to spend twelve hours in the company of teenagers, it certainly doesn't hurt to pick a bunch that are polite, respectful, and used to taking orders. Regardless, my head was happy to meet my pillow when bedtime Saturday rolled around.

Sunday, I made batch after batch of cupcakes for a company bake sale. It was fun, considering I don't really make this kind of stuff much anymore, but still, it wears on a person after three or four hours.

I didn't do much baking otherwise, considering I was still catching up on my Saturday housework(things are still a mite grungy after taking last weekend off) but I did come up with one creation that was a real stunner- Three Cheez and Garlic Spiral Rolls.

You see, I was pondering the Galaxy Foods vegan cheez that they sent me, and the issue with a certain lack of meltability in vegan cheeses generally. It occurred to me that this one "flaw" might actually be a benefit in some situations. I find that rolls made in cinnamon-roll style rarely work for me, due to the propensity of the greasier ingredients to melt and slide right outta the roll. Vegan cheese would not have that problem.

So, I mixed up some dough that included some Vegan Parm and chives right in the dough. (Full recipe to follow.) After the first rising, I kneaded some shredded vegan cheddar right into the dough.

Then, I brushed the dough with melted butter and lots and lots of galic, and spread it with shredded vegan mozzarella and more vegan parm.

I carefully rolled the entire thing up, cinnamon-roll style.....

..and used dental floss to cut the dough into slices.

I put them in a 9 x 13 pan, and left it covered for about thirty minutes in a warm place.

Just before baking at 375 for twenty-five minutes, I sprinkled the top with more garlic powder and salt.

And man, when they were baking, the smell in the kitchen was enough to make me drool a little.

These were so damn good, I was wondering how the hell I didn't think of this before.

Three Cheez and Garlic Spiral Rolls

Mix in a large bowl: 1 1/2 cups very warm water, 1/2 tsp sugar, 1 1/2 tsp dry yeast.

Let sit until foamy, about 5 minutes. Then add:

1 Tbsp oil, 1/2 tsp garlic salt, 1 1/2 tsp dried chives, 1 1/2 Tbsp Vegan Parm, 3 3 1/2 cups white flour

Knead well, and let sit in a greased bowl until double, about an hour. Then, dump out onto a floured board and knead in 3/4 cup shredded Vegan Cheddar cheese. Once combined, roll out into a rectangle (or as close as you can come to one..:0)

Brush on 3 Tbsp melted margarine. Sprinkle on 1 1/2 Tbsp Vegan Parm , 1/2 Tbsp garlic powder, 1/4 tsp salt, and 1/2 to 2/3 cup shredded mozzarella.

Roll up and slice into rounds. Place in the pan, let rise until double. Sprinkle tops with more garlic and a wee bit of salt, if desired. Bake at 375 for 25 minutes.

Enjoy!