Mouth Watering

Yesterday I made the best cinnamon rolls EVER!!! I had no idea how much time went into them but it was so worth it. They came out of the oven hot and ready to eat as our dessert, yum! They are so soft and buttery. If you have the time to make them from scratch I will post the recipe below : )

So here is the recipe. I hope everyone enjoys them : )

Ingredients:
***Dough***
2 packages active dry yeast
1 cup warm water (105-115 degrees F)
2/3 cup sugar, divided

1 teaspoon sugar
1 cup warmed milk
2/3 cup butter
2 teaspoons salt
2 eggs, slightly beaten
7 cups flour, or more if needed
***Filling***
1 cup melted butter, divided
1 3/4 cup sugar, divided
3 tablespoons cinnamon
1 1/2 cup chopped walnuts, optional
1 1/2 cup raisins, optional
***Creamy Glaze***
2/3 cup melted butter
4 cups powdered sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla
6 tablespoons hot water, more as needed

Directions:

In a small bowl mix together warm water, yeast and sugar and set aside. In a large bowl, mix milk, remaining 2/3 Cup sugar, melted butter, salt and eggs; stir well and add yeast mixture. Add half the flour and beat until smooth. Stir in enough of the remaining flour until dough is slightly stiff (dough will be sticky). Turn out onto a well-floured board; knead 5-10 minutes. Place in well-buttered glass or plastic bowl, cover and let rise in warm place, free from drafts, until doubled in bulk, about 1-1 1/2 hours. When doubled, punch down dough and let rest 5 min. Roll out on floured surface into a 15x20" rectangle.

Filling: Spread dough with 1/2 Cup melted butter. Mix together 1 1/2 Cup sugar and cinnamon; sprinkle over buttered dough. Sprinkle with walnuts and raisins, if desired.

Roll up jellyroll-fashion and pinch edge together to seal. Cut into 12-15 slices. Coat bottom of a 13x9 inch baking pan and a 8 inch square pan with remaining melted butter, then sprinkle with remaining sugar. Place cinnamon roll slices close together in pans.

Let rise in warm place until dough is doubled in bulk, about 45 min. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Bake 25-30 minutes, or until rolls are nicely browned. Cool rolls slightly.

Creamy Glaze: Meanwhile, in med. bowl, mix melted butter, powdered sugar and vanilla; add hot water 1 Tablespoon at a time until glaze reaches desired spreading consistency. Spread over slightly cooled rolls.

This recipe for Cinnamon Roll serves/makes 12

So Navie is starting to count to 10. I'm so proud of her. She needs a little encouragement from us to keep her going because she gets bored with it after awhile. We'll see if this math boredom carries through into school : )

"Deceptively Delicious"

So I went out and got myself a new cook book, "Deceptively Delicious". Navie will not eat any vegetables other than peas, and this cook book teaches you how to puree veggies and put them into different recipes without anyone knowing : ).

So far I have made cauliflower, broccoli, and butternut squash puree. I can't wait to try out some of the recipes that calls for them. I still need to make spinach, carrot, and sweet potato puree. There is a really yummy looking recipe for brownies that calls for carrot and spinach : )

All of these purees came from 1 butternut squash, 1 head of cauliflower, and 2 broccoli crowns. I divided them into 1/2 cup portions since most of the recipes only call for a 1/2 cup of puree. And an added bonus is that since I will be in the habit of making different purees, I will be able to use some as baby food too when the next baby is born (no I'm not pregnant). They freeze great.

So seriously, if anyone else has the same problem getting the kids/hubby/yourself to eat veggies than you should take a peak at this book. I haven't actually made any of the recipes yet but have two of them on the meal menu for this week. I'll let you all know how they turn out.