Absolutely Sinful Cinnamon Rolls

On Sunday January 29, I started writing a blog post, which started like this:

"David, Opa & Oma and the boys are at soccer practice. While Kai shows Opa and Oma that he lives up to his Dutch heritage of World Class soccer, David entertains Ryder (who soon will add “Monkey” to his "Moose" nickname) at the playground adjacent to the soccer field. The house is quiet. I just finished packing our bags for our trip to Big Bear. For the next 5 days we will be in the mountains; soaking up fresh air frolicking in the snow (that came down more than a week ago, but hopefully has been maintained on the slopes) and enjoying the lack of sirens, traffic and our overall daily busy-ness. Beautiful. Add to that a jaccuzi on the deck and a divine bottle of red and, well…

So, I took this morning to make the “Absolutely Sinful Cinnamon Rolls”, created and perfected by the Pioneer Woman.  I made the dough last night and finished the rolls off this morning. At this moment, the cinnamon rolls are baking away in the oven and I just finished the Coffee Maple frosting that is supposed to cover these delicious rolls as soon as they get out of the oven. “Supposed to” is the right word as this frosting is so incredibly delicious, that it is hard to resist the temptation to take a bowl, fill it with frosting and eat it with a spoon on the sofa.  No matter how the rolls come out, the frosting is a keeper. I am going to come up with a cupcake that will gladly take this as its topping.

COFFEE MAPLE FROSTING

Ingredients:

1 lb. powdered sugar

1 tsp. maple flavoring (I used vanilla)

1/4 cup milk

1/8 cup melted butter

1/8 cup brewed coffee

Pinch of salt

Directions:

With the mixer (use paddle attachment), mix together all ingredients, and mix until smooth. It should be thick but pourable. Taste (though not too much) and adjust as needed.

..."

That was as far as I got.  The family returned home, just as I pulled a 2nd batch of rolls out of the oven.  The rolls turned out heavenly divine addicting ... scrumptious to the point that all of us had seconds and some of us had thirds.

CINNAMON ROLLS

The cool thing about this recipe is, that you can make the dough the night before.  Then, all you need to do the next morning, is take it out, let it come to room temp, assemble the rolls and pop them in the oven. 

Ingredients (Dough):

2 cups whole milk

1/2 cup vegetable oil

1/2 cup sugar

1 pkg. active dry yeast (equals 2 1/4 teaspoon)

4 1/2 cups flour

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 table spoon salt

Ingredients (Filling):

1/2 cup melted butter, plus more as needed

1/8 cup ground cinnamon

1/2 cup sugar, plus more as needed

Directions:

Mix milk, vegetable oil, and 1/2 cup of sugar in a pan. Scald the mixture (heat until just before the boiling point - do NOT let it boil.) Remove from heat and let it cool 45 minutes to 1 hour.  (I let it cool longer as it was still too warm for the next step.)

When the mixture is lukewarm to warm, but NOT hot, sprinkle in package Active Dry Yeast. Let this sit for a minute and then add 4 cups of flour. Stir mixture together. Cover and let rise for at least an hour.

Next, add 1/2 cup flour, the baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Stir mixture together. From here, you have three options:

* Cover the dough and put in fridge overnight.

* Assemble the rolls and put in the fridge overnight.

* Go the whole 9 yard and assemble, bake, frost and EAT the rolls.

FYI - my dough never rose much, but despite that, the final result was still awesomeness in its purest form.

If you leave the dough (or the rolls) in the fridge overnight, take it out the next morning and let it come to room temp for an hour or so.

To assemble the rolls:

Sprinkle surface generously with flour and roll the dough into a thin rectangular shape. Brush 1/2 cup melted butter on top (use more if you need to), then sprinkle 1/2 cup sugar over the butter (use more if you need to), and finish with a generous sprinkling of cinnamon.  (I didn't say this was a healthy recipe.  But did I say it was delicious?!?!)

Starting with the long/wide end, roll the dough tightly towards you in a neat line. Next, pinch the seam to the roll to seal it. (Wet your fingers with a bit of water, which makes sealing the dough easier.)  Spread 1 tbsp of melted butter in each pan/dish. With a sharp SHARP knife, begin cutting the dough into 1 inch slices, and laying them in the pans. Let rest for 20-30 minutes. Bake at 375 degrees for 13 - 17 minutes, or until golden.

Pour the frosting over the hot rolls as they come out of the oven.  Try to let them cool just a little bit so the frosting sets over and in between the rolls, but hey, hot and gooey, sticky and drippy is delicious too, so if you can't resist, go ahead and dive right in.

Enjoy!

My most important testers give them a big thumbs up.  Well, Kai does.  Ryder just stuffs his face.

Strawberry Oatmeal Bars

Food is my passion.  I was born to eat and drink.  After I got married, this purpose in life expanded to "cooking, baking and pouring".  Being married to not only the most amazing husband in the world, but also the most grateful and appreciating consumer of my dishes and drinks, stimulates and motivates to continue to surprise my family and try new things out.

So, as I try out recipes, possibly even come up with my own, I am going to share the hits on my blog.

STRAWBERRY OATMEAL BARS

One of the treats to myself is watching The Pioneer Woman on the Food Network every Saturday.  When the kids have their "quiet time", Mommy has hers:  Mommy + a cup of tea + pillows on sofa + cooking on TV = "Poifect".

Last week, The Pioneer Woman shared the recipe of Strawberry Oatmeal Bars.  This morning, I realized I had all the ingredients in the house.  What better than trying out new recipes without having to shop for it?

This recipe is easy to make, fun to assemble with the kids (mine LOVED getting their hands dirty while mixing it all together).  The outcome: oatmeal and butter made my hands soft.  Dear Husband wanted to have the Oatmeal Bars for lunch and the kids...well, they're napping.  I'll save them a piece for snack time.

Ingredients:

1 3/4 sticks salted butter, cut into pieces, plus more for greasing pan

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1 1/2 cup oats

1 cup packed brown sugar

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

One 10 to 12-ounce jar strawberry preserves

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Butter a 9x13" pan.

The recipe doesn't clarify if the butter needs to be cold, room temp or softened.  I softened it, but it made it difficult to press the mixture in the pan.  The next time I will probably use cold butter and see how things come out then.

Mix together the butter, flour, oats, brown sugar, baking powder and salt.  Press half the oat mixture into the prepared pan.  Spread with the strawberry preserves.  Sprinkle the other half of the oat mixture over the top and pat lightly.

Bake until light brown, 30 to 40 minutes.  Let cool completely, and then cut into squares.

Enjoy!

My (Currently) Favorite Dessert - Berry Fool

This is one of those recipes that (unfortunately) I cannot take credit for.  I got it out of my previously mentioned favorite cookbook: "I [heart] Trader Joe's Cook Book" by Cherie Mercer Twohy.  The version that she describes is a Blackberry Fool, but my version uses a variety of berries and therefore has the altered name of the Berry Fool - yes, I know, very creative on my part!!  No need to comment on that.

It's easy, cheap and lends itself for a great presentation.  You can prepare it in advance, stick it in the fridge and pull it out when you're ready to dig in.  Oh, and it's got fruit and calcium so it's GOTTA be healthy!! 

When you make it, let me know how it came out, but above all, ENJOY!!

Ingredients:

1 (12 oz.) container fresh mixed berries (frozen will work too) - I used a raspberry, blueberry and blackberry mix
2/3 cup sugar, divided
squeeze of lemon juice
1 1/2 cup heavy cream

Serves: 3-4

Directions:

In a food processor, purée the berries.  Add 1/3 cup sugar (use less if using sweetened , frozen berries) and lemon juice, and blend.  In a separate bowl, with an electric mixer or whisk, beat the cream, gradually adding the other 1/3 cup of sugar, until it holds a peak when the beater (or whisk) is lifted from the bowl.  Remove a bit of the whipped cream to use for garnish and put aside.  Fold in the purée with a silicone / wooden spatula.  Spoon into individual glasses and chill or freeze.  When ready to serve, garnish with a bit of whipped cream and your choice of berries.

5-Color Balsamic Pasta Salad

I wanted to share one of my favorite summer pasta dishes.  It is absolutely delicious and so easy (and quick) to make.  Perfect for the busy mom who is juggling kids, making dinner, catching up with hubby at the end of the day, enjoying a cocktail, feeding a cat and 2 dogs and doing dishes - all at the same time.

5-color Balsamic Pasta Salad

This pasta salad is great as meal on its own.  It is served at room temp or luke warm, so it’s perfect for warm summer evenings.   The recipe is vegetarian, but you can easily add some (mild) sausage or pieces of hard salami to the dish to add some protein.  I have tried it with the salami – yum!

Ingredients:

9 oz. Farfalle [bow-tie pasta] - I usually boil the whole 12 oz. Bag and save some pasta for the next as a kids’ meal with some added parmigiano cheese and garlic.
8 oz. Ciliegine mozzarella [cherry-sized balls] (You can use regular sized mozzarella as well, just cube it in 1” pieces)
6 oz. Black pitted olives (drained) and halved
3 tomatoes, seeded and diced in 1” pieces
1 1/2 – 2 cups chopped fresh basil
1/8 cup balsamic vinegar (use more or less according to your liking)
Salt & Pepper to taste
1/2 cup good olive oil
3-4 cloves garlic (depending on the size and how much you like garlic – we LOVE it) - minced
Parmigiano cheese, grated

Directions:

Boil the pasta according to the directions on the bag. 

In a bowl put together the mozzarella, halved olives, tomatoes and basil.  Toss it with the balsamic vinegar and add salt and pepper to taste.

When the pasta is done, drain it in a colander and add it to the other ingredients. 

Poor the olive oil in the pan that you used to boil the pasta in.  When the oil is hot, toss the garlic in and stir.  When the garlic becomes aromatic, take the pan immediately off the heat.  You don’t want the garlic to turn brown as it will become bitter!!!!  Poor the olive oil and garlic over the salad and stir gently.

Serve with Parmigiano cheese and enjoy!!

Friday Faves - Week 4

Happy Friday Everyone!

The first weeks of Friday Faves have already brought up some great ideas and suggestions - some of which I have already put to great use!  I would like offer other mommies the opportunity as well to start a Friday Faves on their blog.  Not only will it provide you with a chance to get some great suggestions and share ideas with your blogger friends, it also gives you the chance to be featured on my blog!

Here's how it works:


1. Become a follower of my blog.

2. Write a post, including anywhere from 3-5 'fill-in-the-blanks' that start with "What's your Favorite..." (Similarly as I do in my Friday Faves post).

3. Add the Friday Faves button to your post:


<center><a href="http://mformommy.blogspot.com/search/label/Friday%20Faves"><img border="0" src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4150/4847535262_340caf18a7_m.jpg" /></a></center> 


4. Link your post up anytime during the week while the linky below is open.  (Make sure to link up the appropriate post, not your blog home page!)

At the end of the week, I will choose the 'winning' Friday Faves list of questions and feature the winning blog, its questions and their answers in my Friday Faves post.

You don't need to write a follow up post on the feedback you get from people, however, if you'd like to do that, I bet your readers would enjoy it.

So, mama's - let's get the creative juices flowing!!

Now, let's find out what people's feedback was on last week's Friday Faves:

1. Favorite cocktail
My absolute fave is the lychee martini.  (2.5 oz. vodka, 2.5 oz. lychee syrup, 1 oz. Lychee Liquor, 2-3 lychees for garnish).  You can also find the recipe on my recipe page.
The funny thing is that recently I have been trying out different recipes, among which the pineapple martini (spot the theme?) and this, was one of the ones that Emily mentioned liking as well!!  Great minds think alike!  Click here for the recipe.
Mommycrat and I seem to have similar taste as well as one of her faves includes the 'Crantini', which turned out pretty darn similar to the Cosmo I have mentioned on my recipe page!
TV mentions the Brachetto D'Acqui and the Mojito.  I had never heard of Brachetto D'Acqui, which apparently you can buy, so I guess I'll have to 'suffer' and try it out some time soon.  Thanks for the suggestion TV!  I am always open to discovering new "Mama Juices" as we call them here at home :-0

2. Favorite outdoor activity on a summer day (other than swimming)
Walks in the park seem to be the thing to do among us mommies with younger kids. For kids a bit older, I like Joey's suggestion of laying on a blanket and looking at the clouds, spotting shapes in the sky.
But...after reading Petra's answer of what her teenage kids do...it certainly makes me look forward to when the boys are a bit older as I think they would LOVE this.  I have to admit, I'll be there on the side watching (next to Petra!), holding my breath hoping the boys aren't gonna break something, but it sure sounds like a heck of a lot of fun for teenage, testosterone over-loaded boys:
"Tramp jumping with the sprinklers or hose on is the best outside activity with teenagers... I have to admit I am usually on the deck watching, but it always gives me a good laugh.  Not super safe though, so do at your own risk.  (We have a net)."

3. Favorite kid's breakfast
I have to admit, I cannot get myself to make a big elaborate breakfast in the morning.  Why?  Let's see: husband needs coffee, toddler needs oatmeal (I make anything else, he won't eat it), baby needs milk and fruit, cat needs food, dogs need food, oh yeah, and then there's mommy: a bowl of cereal on the go for her please.  If I start cooking an elaborate breakfast, someone is bound to get impatient and every single creature in my household would let me know if that happened to be them.  So, the quick and easy way it is at our house.Emily mentioned pumpkin and banana buckwheat pancakes, while cinnamon toast with cream cheese is a favorite at TV's place.  Petra's blog is called "From Donuts to Crumpets", so take a wild guess as to their favorite breakfast...right...donuts & crumpets. Petra, feel free to share your crumpet recipe if you have a chance!!

4. Favorite easy-to-put-together and fun kid's art project
Petra and Joey had great suggestions for this one:
* Petra goes back to her own memories of rubbing leaves: put different leaves under a sheet of paper (one at a time) and gently rub over them with different color crayons.
* Joey suggested writing their own books: fold paper and staple it to write your own book.  Great idea, especially when the toddler is a bit older and 'gets it'.

5. Favorite smelly kids' feet remedy
Kai has smelly feet.  Not pretty.  I am desperately looking for a remedy.  Now, don't think I don't bathe my child.  He gets a bath every day.  His feet get scrubbed every day.  With soap!  They still smell.
Before I specified in last week's post that it pertained to my toddler's feet, Emily had already responded and suggested soaking your feet for 30 minutes in strong black tea.  I have read about that and if I every suffered badly from less-than-pleasantly smelling tootsies, I will certainly try that.  However, I don't think I will be able to have my toddler soak his feet in tea for that long...Petra mentioned dryer sheets in the shoes.  Overnight, and even when they are wearing them.  Unfortunately he didn't groove on the dryer sheet in his shoe while wearing it...
At the moment I am waiting for my pediatrician to call me back with a suggestion.  Will certainly update when I talk to her.

So, dear friends, for next week, start your own Friday Faves and don't forget to link up below. 

At this mommy's blog, I would love to hear about your Favorite:

1. ... family vacation destination.
2. ... tricks to keep your child occupied in the car.
3. ... cook book.
4. ... body lotion / body butter.
5. ... kid's book.

Have a wonderful weekend everyone!

The Day After Night 2

Last night went so much better than the previous.  Ryder only woke up once, though his excitement about his new found activity-of-choice (rolling over) combined with a very, very wet diaper, made for a diaper & outfit change and an hour of soothing and trying to keep him calm enough, to allow him to fall back asleep again.  He finally did, but I have to say that nights and nights of interrupted sleep are starting to catch up with me.  I was exhausted this morning.  Why is it that I am more tired when I wake up in the morning then in the afternoon, or even in the evening when I have hours of activities behind me?

As predicted, yesterday's cake didn't last long.  I think there's about a quarter left - that will be gone before the day is over.

Overall, this is turning out to be a rather productive day: laundry is in the dryer, I ran some errands this morning in preparation for Father's Day (can't go into detail as my DH occasionally checks out my blog), am about to make dog food (yes, we partially make it ourselves), and cookies are baked (and my house smells like fresh cookies...WONDERFUL!!!)  These are by far the best (and possibly healthiest) oatmeal chocolate chip cookies you will ever have.  I know, I know.  My perspective of what is 'healthy' might be a bit cloudy, but as far as chocolate chip cookies are concerned, these are pretty....uhum...healthy.

Best Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies:

1 cup butter

1 cup sugar

1 cup brown sugar

2 tbsp. flaxseed meal

4 tbsp. water

2 eggs

1 tsp. vanilla extract

2 cups flour

1 tsp. baking soda

1 tsp. salt

2 tbsp. Brewer's yeast (be generous)

3 cups oats (thick cut is better)

2 cups chocolate chips (or raisins for oatmeal raisin cookies)

Preheat oven to 375.  Mix together flaxseed meal and water and set aside for 3-5 minutes.  Cream the butter, sugar and brown sugar.  Add eggs one at a time.  Stir flaxseed mixture and add with vanilla to butter mixture.

Beat until blended.  Sift the dry ingredients together, except the oats and choc. chips.  Add to the butter mixture, mix until blended.  Stir in the oats, then the choc. chips.  Scoop onto a baking sheet and bake 8-14 minutes.  (Baking time depends on the size of cookies you're making).

Enjoy :-)

Kai is yet again in an awesome mood.  He's all about kisses and hugs.  As I loosened the straps from his car seat this morning when we got back from running errands, he said "Mommy kiss" and wrapped both his arms around me neck, pulled me towards him and gave me the biggest smooch ever.  Ah, I love toddler kisses.

Ryder is doing very well I must say, without his paci.  I thought it would be a lot harder during the day, but I guess I assumed he needed it more than he actually did.  Falling asleep is going pretty well as well.  Okay, so maybe except this morning.  Unfortunately I am still looking for a comfortable way to cuddle with him before putting him down.  That used to be the time that he always got his paci, so I think there is still that association.  I put him down completely awake now and usually only have to go in once or twice to soothe a bit before he falls asleep.  Yippee!!  We're making progress. Here's hoping for a yet even better night.  Oh, how I long to sleep through the night again...

The Day After Night 1

I survived the night (barely though).  Yesterday I wrote that we thought that Ryder might be rolling over soon.  Well, maybe today I should write that I am going to win the lottery soon...(because Lord knows we could use that) as last night I was up for over 2 hours with a toddler who went between flipping himself onto his tummy (and not being able to roll back yet) to being upset with the lack of paci to suck on.  Yes, I know, 2 hours is better than the 4 hours the night before, but this time, Ryder made sure that even David was aware of his new-found ability to flip himself over like a hamburger.  He (Ryder) fell asleep without too much problems last night though.  No crying, just fussing in my arms as we still haven't found a comfortable position together, but as soon as he was in his crib, all was well.  (This broke my heart though.  I want him to be comfy in my arms as well.  Com'on, I'm is momma!!!!).  The 2-hour block from 2:46 - 4:44 am were not as pleasant.  I couldn't even make it back from his room to mine before he had flipped himself over (again) and got frustrated (again).  I don't remember how long this period will take of me having to roll him back onto his back, but I sincerely hope it won't be too long.

Given that I don't drink coffee, I made myself the strongest cup of tea I had ever made, just to get me going a bit.  The whole time I was up last night I was dizzy and light-headed, which continued well into the morning.  I know what you're thinking...NO, it wasn't a hangover!!  All I had yesterday was water (but maybe not enough).

After the night that I had, it is obvious that my level of patience is not very high today.  So, my little trip to the store didn't brighten my day: for the past 2 weeks I have been looking to get a package of #2 nipples for the bottles that Ryder uses.  And for the past 2 weeks, the tag on the end of the hook (on which they are supposed to hang) have had this grey sticker on it.  Many useless helpful employees have told me that that means that the "item has been ordered and the shipment arrives tonight".  So, with my simple reasoning, I may conclude that that means that they would have them tomorrow right?  WRONG!!  They haven't had them 'tomorrow' for 2 weeks now.  Today I asked again and unfortunately, I picked the wrong lady to ask - she obviously couldn't give a crap had a baby as well who had kept her up most of the night and the word 'helping' clearly didn't exist in her vocabulary repertoire.  Now, if it was just the nipples, that would be one thing.  But it's the same for the finger paint.  Finger paint people!!  I want finger paint for my son, so he can express himself artistically in his own wonderful toddler-ways (which I am sure will be highly entertaining and possibly frustrating).  So, I came home with just Ryder's reflux medication and a set of spoons for Kai.  Wahoo!!  What a catch!!

And then, there was the car ride... Going to the store is partly the same way as going to my best friend's house.  Kai loves her and her daughter (they are boyfriend & girlfriend ;-), so on the way to the store he was convinced and got very excited exclaiming that we were going to see them.  It broke my heart to tell them that they were Bye Bye (=out of town) and that we were not going to see them, but were going to the store instead.  Luckily, he soon figured out that that meant that "Kai sit in shopping cart".  From that moment on, that was his focus. 

And here I am, enjoying some quiet time.  Both boys are asleep, I'm getting to write AND my favorite cake just came out of the oven.  

I cannot wait to enjoy it, but it needs to cool.  Darn.  It is by far the best (and healthiest) cake I have ever made.  Yes, it's healthy: it's a Lemon (read: Vit.C) Yogurt (read: Calcium) cake.  Most likely I will be the only one labeling it healthy, but hey, it tastes good and that's the most important thing.  It's a perfect combination of sweet and tartness, it's moist and, well...it never lasts longer than 24 hours in our house.  Unfortunately I cannot take credit for this treat-from-heaven, but I am more than happy to credit Ina Garten.  She rocks, she's awesome and her food...simply delicious.  Go check it out and when you've made it yourself, do let me know how you liked it.  

Off to cut myself a slice to go with a cuppa tea before my monkeys wake up.