Homemade Cinnamon Rolls.

Doesn't this look heavenly? Believe me, they are just as if not more delicious than they look. This one is a must-try.

Clone of a Cinnabon
(adapted from this recipe)

1 cup warm milk (110 degrees F/45 degrees C)
2 eggs, room temperature
1/3 cup butter, melted
4 1/2 cups all-purpose flour, sifted
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup white sugar
2 1/2 teaspoons yeast

1 cup packed brown sugar

2 1/2 tablespoons ground cinnamon

1/3 cup butter, softened

4 ounces of cream cheese, softened

1/4 cup butter, softened

1 1/2 cups confectioners' sugar

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/8 teaspoon salt

1. In a large bowl, dissolve the yeast in warm milk. Mix in the sugar then let it sit for 5-10 min, until bubbles start to form.  Add the melted butter, salt, and eggs, mix well. Sift the flour and add it to the mixture.
2. Knead the dough into a ball, but don't over work it. Cover, and let dough rise in a warm place until doubled in size.
3. While dough sits, mix together brown sugar and cinnamon in a small bowl.
4. Once dough rises, roll it into a 16x21 inch rectangle on a lightly floured surface. (helpful tip: put plastic wrap on the counter to prevent the dough from sticking. It works like a charm!)
5. Spread softened butter over dough and sprinkle the sugar and cinnamon mixture evenly. 
6. Roll up dough and cut into 12 equal pieces. About 1.5-2 inches wide.
7. Place rolls in lightly greased/parchment lined 9x13 inch baking dish, about 1-2 inches apart. Cover and let rise until nearly doubled in size. Preheat oven to 400 F.
8. For frosting, combine cream cheese, 1/4 cup butter, confectioners' sugar, vanilla extract and salt in a small bowl. Mix well.
9. BAKE rolls in preheated oven until golden brown, about 15 minutes. Spread with frosting.
   Enjoy the BEST cinnamon rolls ever, period.

Pear Bavarian Torte.

Absent doesn't even begin to describe what kind of blogger I have been lately. My apologies. Life, as usual has been, well...hectic, chaotic and just plain busy...and I have been fatigued, passive, and more or less unmotivated. I am hoping that this change in weather will do the trick, but no promises.

Here is a repeat recipe. The pear bavarian torte I had made once before and blogged about is no where to be found in the archives, so here it is again. Maybe this time you'll give it a try! ;) I love this recipe, so easy but delicious and somewhat more sophisticated than your average apple tart or pie. enjoy.

(adapted from this apple torte recipe)

1/2 cup room temperature butter
1 cup sugar, divided
1 cup flour
1 (250g) package cream cheese
1 egg
1/2 tsp vanilla
1/2 tsp cinnamon
3 ripe Bartlett pears

1. Heat oven to 425 degrees F. Beat butter and 1/3 cup of the sugar in small bowl with electric mixer on medium speed until light and fluffy. Add flour; mix well. Spread onto bottom and 1 inch up side of lightly greased 9-inch springform pan.
2. Beat cream cheese and 1/3 cup of the remaining sugar in same bowl with electric mixer on medium speed until well blended. Add egg and vanilla; mix well. Spread evenly over crust. Combine remaining 1/3 cup sugar and the cinnamon. Add sugar mixture to pears in a bowl, and toss to coat. Arrange over cream cheese layer, adding as little of the liquid as possible.
3. Bake for 10 min, then reduce temperature to 375 degrees F and continue baking 25 min, or until center is set. Cool on wire rack. Loosen torte from rim of pan. Cover and refrigerate 3 hours before serving. Store any leftovers in refrigerator.

Family ♡

for more from Our Family Photos 2012, go HERE.

Merry Christmas.

Wishing you all peace, love and joy this holiday season!

Growing up.

The older I get, the faster time seems to fly. I can't believe it's half way into November and approaching the end of the year already...didn't we just have Halloween? And wasn't it just summer not too long ago?

It seems like yesterday, I was holding my precious newborn babies wondering what life would be like when they could walk, talk, play, and sing. Those days I have been dreaming about seems to be passing by just as fast as they have been approaching and a part of me is scared. a little anxious. a lot excited. Mommyhood has been a blessing and a trial...the hardest thing and the best thing that has ever happened to me.

My little ones, as you grow up, please remember, that mommy has and will always love you. Be there for you and with you every step of the way. Cry with you, laugh with you, learn and grow with you.


I love you...

to the moon and back.

Cream Cheese Cookies.

 

3 oz cream cheese, softened
1 stick (8Tbsp) butter, room temp
3/4 cup sugar
1 cup flour
1 tsp vanilla
2 tsp lemon juice

1. Using a handmixer, cream together butter, cream cheese and sugar until light and fluffy. Add the vanilla and lemon juice, and mix well. Stir in the flour using a spoon or spatula, just until incorporated.

2. Drop dough by tablespoonfuls onto baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Space them out 1 1/2 inches apart from each other, as they will spread just a little. Bake at 350 degrees for 8-10 minutes until edges are crispy and golden brown. *tip: edges burn pretty easily depending on oven and baking sheet, so keep a close eye on your first batch and adjust accordingly...[For the Ghost cookies (Halloween post), I used about a tablespoon and a half and shaped/flattened the dough right on the baking sheet. I used dried blueberries for the eyes, but chocolate chips would work great too!]

These cookies are creamy, tangy, sweet, chewy, and yummy. I hope you'll give them a try!

Spookilicious.

I hope everyone had a safe and enjoyable Halloween, now my son's "favrite" holiday. This year we had a blast with our candy-loving sugar monsters -- being able to actually enjoy trick-or-treating without feeling like the greedy adults using their kids as an excuse to get lots of candy. If you can't guess what they were, N was a hobo by day, selling his little trick monkey brother to get lots of candy, and of course, Batman by night. My sweet mom overnighted this Batman costume for N after he told her what he really wanted to be this year for Halloween. I know, we're cheap horrible parents. But thank goodness for awesome grandparents :)

Lastly, make sure to check out how I made the Ghost cream cheese cookies in this post!

and with that....