Christmas Morning Cinnamon Rolls

Another indulgence.....from-scratch cinnamon rolls, gooey, delicious, and hot out if the oven. The perfect way to start Christmas morning (or any morning really, because when could a fresh hot cinnamon roll be bad???).

These work especially well for busy mornings because you can prep them the night before, then keep them in the fridge until you are ready to bake them. And nobody needs to be the wiser. Let them think you slaved away. But really, who the heck gets up 3-4 hours ahead of time to make these fresh? I enjoy my sleep way too much for that.

Cinnamon Rolls
Makes 12

Dough:
1 cup milk, warm
2 TB sugar
2 1/4 tsp active dry yeast (1 envelope)
1/2 cup sugar
1/3 cup butter, melted
2 eggs
4 cups flour
1 tsp salt
Filling:
1/2 cup butter (1 stick)
1 cup brown sugar
1/4 tsp salt
3 TB cinnamon (I like Saigon best)
Icing:
4oz cream cheese, softened
4 TB butter, softened
1 tsp vanilla
1 1/2 cups powdered sugar

1. Make sure the milk is warm but not hot. Mix with the 2 TB sugar in the bowl of your electric mixer fitted with the dough hook, sprinkle the yeast over the top and let it sit until foamy, about 10 minutes. Mix in the sugar, melted butter, eggs, salt, and flour. Mix over medium speed until the dough is smooth, elastic, and coming off the sides of the bowl to form a ball. It will still be a little sticky.

2. Spray a large mixing bowl with cooking spray. Remove dough from mixer, kneading once or twice, and scraping to form a ball shape. Transfer to sprayed bowl, and lightly cover. Set aside in a warmer area to rise until roughly doubled in size, about 2 hours.

3. Punch dough down, and turn out onto a well floured surface. Roll it out into a rectangle until the dough is somewhere between 1/4 and 1/2 inch thick, about 10x20 in size.

4. Make filling: mix the brown sugar with the salt and cinnamon. Soften the butter until it is almost melted, but still solid form. Spread the butter over the entire surface of the dough rectangle and sprinkle the cinnamon sugar mix over the butter. Use the rolling pin to gently press the sugar into the butter. Then, starting at the top of the dough, slowly roll it toward you, getting it as tightly rolled as possible to form a giant log. Pinch the seam to seal.

5. Spay a 13x9 pan with cooking spray. Slice the dough into 12 even rounds and lay in the pan, reforming if needed. At this point, you can tightly cover and keep in the refrigerator up to 18 hours. Or you can let them sit for the second rise and bake right away.

6. Allow rolls to sit at room temperature for ~30 minutes to rise a second time. Heat oven to 375 and bake until golden brown, about 22 minutes.

7. Make icing by beating powdered sugar, cream cheese, butter, and vanilla until smooth. Spread over hot cinnamon rolls and serve.

Family Dinner: Christmas Eve Enchiladas

On Christmas Eve, we eat enchiladas.

 You might be wondering what makes these so "Christmas-ey"?

Well, nothing really. Except the ingredients list. Take a gander....see the absence of anything with reduced fat in the title? I could make these healthier, but I don't. And that, my friends, is what makes them worthy of a special occasion. Well, that and the fact that they are delicious. If you are in need of something cheesy, gooey, spicy, and awesome, this is your huckleberry.

PS - 1 more unhealthified recipe to share and then I am back to regularly scheduled healthy meals. I swear. I have to, because I can't afford new pants.

C.E. Enchiladas
Makes 10

1 recipe enchilada sauce (I use this one)
1 10-pack flour tortillas
4 plum tomatoes
1/2 onion
1 can black beans
1 can corn
4 cups shredded cheddar cheese
Sour cream and sliced green onions for garnish, if desired

1. Make your enchilada sauce and set aside.

2. Heat oven to 375. Spray a 13x9 baking dish with cooking spray and set aside. Add enough enchilada sauce tithe bottom of your dish to cover it. And set aside.

3. Cut your plum tomatoes in half length-wise and use a spoon to scrape out the seeds and insides, throws this away. Dice up the tomato shells and place them in a medium bowl. Dice the onion and add this to the tomatoes. Drain and rinse the beans and corn and mix together with the tomatoes and onions.

4. Fill one shell at a time with a handful of cheese (about 1/4 cup) and a scoop of vegetable filling (3-4 tablespoons). Roll and place each in the pan, seam side down. I do 8 across, and then 2 length-wise. And you will have to jam them in. Note....you will have extra filling leftover.

5. Smush the enchiladas down a little if you need some room, then top with the remaining enchilada sauce. Cover with foil and bake until hot and bubbly, 35 minutes. Remove foil and top with remaining cheese and a handful of sliced green onions, if desired. Bake an additional 10 minutes or so, uncovered, until the cheese topping is melted. Serve with sour cream.

Merry Christmas

Wishing you all a very merry Christmas.

OOTD: Cozy

I wore this the other night when I took the kids out to a super fancy dinner (Culver's....that's how we roll). It was kid's night, which basically meant it was crowded.  And that there were clowns there doing face painting and balloons.

P.S. Our Culver's is better than your Culver's. Seriously. Check out these faces:

Christmas Pocohontas and Santa Batman

And check out this new necklace I got, an early Christmas present from B (dogeared gold infinity necklace). Love that guy.

Room Mom, Christmas Edition

Some nut-free treats I made for the kids party. I love that my kids go to a school where homemade treats are still allowed, it gives me something to do with my free time.

Personalized sugar cookie mittens, Rudolph and Frosty marshmallow pops, and Rudolph cups (for egg nog and apple juice).

OOTD: The Miracle Headband

Here it is again: sweater, jeans, boots. Nothing new. Be prepared to see this sweater a lot, I am constantly reaching for it.  I need to buy less Target crap and pick up more things like this.

There is one thing I really want to discuss here, and that is how awesome headbands are. I sported this look when I took the kids to Kringle's Kingdom one night when B was out of town. We needed to get out of the house and do something fun. I hadn't showered in 2 days, and I don't even want to admit how many days it had been since I washed my hair (more than 5). Things got hectic! Needless to say, I looked a wreck. This is where the magic of the headband comes in...some dry shampoo, a bun, and a large sparkly head decal and I am looking semi-human again. It was a Christmas miracle!

Does anyone else have a favorite last minute trick to go from looking like a zombie to somewhat presentable?

P.S.  I took a shower and washed my hair the next day.  I am not always fillthy.

Hi Bowser!  Headband courtesy of my sister, from S Korea.

And just for fun, a picture of the kids.  Being cute and enjoying the wonder of Christmas.

Bake It: Clementine Glazed Shortbread Cookies

Yes, another baking post. I know you are probably all sick of stuffing your faces with Christmas cookies at this point.  I know I am ( ok, not really).  But I thought I would share this one. Because, if you are like me, you have an abundance of clementines hanging around your fruit bowl. And it would be a shame not to butter and sugar them up a little...in the spirit of Christmas and all.

Clementine Glazed Shortbread Cookies
Makes ~24 cookies

2 cups flour
1/4 tsp salt
1/3 cup sugar
1/3 cup powdered sugar (for cookies)
1 cup butter, slightly softened
4-6 clementines
1 1/2 cup powdered sugar (for glaze)
1 TB corn syrup

1. Finely grate clementines to get 3 TB zest. Set clementines and zest aside.

2. Using an electric mixer, beat the butter, sugar, and powdered sugar together until smooth and creamy. Mix in 1 TB zest and salt. Gently stir in flour by hand until just incorporated.

3. Turn dough out onto plastic wrap and flatten into a disk. Wrap in plastic and refrigerate 1-2 hours, or until cold.

4. Heat oven to 350. Line baking sheets with parchment paper or cooking spray. Roll out dough to 1/4 inch thickness in floured surface. Use a cookie cutter or knife to cut into desired shape and place on prepared sheets. Bake 8-10 minutes until just browned. Allow to cool slightly on baking sheets then remove to wire racks (or your counter) to cool fully.

5. While cookies are cooling, prepare glaze. Juice clementines to get 1/4 cup juice. Mix powdered sugar, remaining 2 TB zest, clementine juice, and corn syrup until smooth. Spread over tops of cooled cookies. Let glaze dry, then store in air tight container.