Super Simple Sticky Buns and a Bit of Heaven of Earth

Yippee!!!! We're at the beach!.............
For the past 5 years our family has set aside a week sometime in July or August for a beach vacation in South Carolina. We stay at an awesome ocean-side community called DeBordieu. DeBordieu, to us, is one of the best kept secrets of southeastern United States. If you're looking for a lively, busy, hustle-bustle type beach with swinging nightlife, DeBordieu might not be the place for you. But if your idea of a perfect vacation is a peaceful, beautiful, quiet, family-style beach that is wide and white and just seems to go on forever you might want to check out DeBordieu.

There is a legend about DeBordieu that goes like this; "the name 'DeBordieu' was given to this area by the Marquis de Lafayette when he landed here in 1777 and exclaimed 'This land is so beautiful, it must the borderland of God!' (D'aborde Dieu)." Although Mr. Monsieur Lafayette certainly didn't see DeBordieu in it's present state, we can totally understand how smitten he was with this bit of heaven on earth!

This lovely private community has about 250 residents along with an incredibly beautiful, pristinely-groomed golf course interlaced with gorgeous lakes and marches. It's also a wildlife refuge; a habitat for all kinds of interesting creatures. We love to get up for an early morning bike ride and leisurely peddle our way through miles and miles of quiet winding trails. We never know, when we come around a turn in the path, whether we'll see a herd of surprised deer, a stately snow-white crane reigning supreme at the edge of a misty morning lake, a few wild turkeys scurrying into the forest or, crazily enough.............. alligators lazily sunning themselves in the early morning sunshine or poking knobby noses out of the water to check out the new day!

Breakfasts at the beach are generally casual, as we all have our different times to rise and shine, but I love to fix a big fancy brunch the first or second morning of our vacation. We enjoy lingering a bit over this breakfast/lunch before we head to the beach to soak in the sun and fun. I try to prepare simple, but yummy recipes at the beach and these Super Simple Sticky Buns certainly fill the bill. They were one of the highlights of our breakfast and they certainly didn't last long with this group! I've always made sticky buns from scratch which are delicious, but fairly labor intensive, and not what I call "vacation cooking". These caramely delights start with a base of pecans and raisins, then a layer frozen bread dough, followed by a drench of brown sugar, melted butter and cinnamon. Resting overnight, these little gems do a little culinary magic act. In the morning it's time to bake for thirty minutes and the results; heavenly aromas wafting from your kitchen and a mouth-wateringly delicious breakfast treat!

P.S. Check The Café this week for more pictures of lovely DeBordieu, some yummy vacation recipes, and some wonderful guest bloggers!

Super Simple Sticky Buns

1 tablespoon butter
1 25-ounce package frozen Bridgford Parkerhouse Rolls (or other frozen bread rolls)
½ cup raisins or dried cranberries
1cup toasted, chopped pecans
1 stick butter, melted
1 cup brown sugar, divided

1. Coat bottom of 9 x 13 pan with butter, then sprinkle with raisins (or dried cranberries) and pecans.

2. Place package of frozen Bridgford Parkerhouse Rolls on top of pecans and raisins.

4. Pour over rolls and cover pan with a damp towel. Place in a cold oven overnight*.

5. Remove towel and turn oven on to 350 degrees. Bake for 30 minutes, until tops are browned and juices are bubbling.

6. Invert (carefully!) onto serving tray, scooping out any remaining glaze and drizzling over top.
Serve immediately.

*I often start these early in the morning instead of at night and let them sit in a warm place for 3-4 hours. If you're going to do them overnight, put them together right before you go to bed and bake right when you get up. Make sure your house is fairly cool - they can over-rise if they sit too long in a warm spot.Adapated from s'kat and the miscellania

PRINTABLE RECIPE