Catch Up Time ...... Again

I am way behind again.  We have had lots of company and my time was not my own.

We always enjoy having company and the house seems really quiet when they all leave....not complaining you understand.

First things first....we have had some wonderful rain, over 2 inches after a month of nothing.  The temperatures are way down too.  We actually had the furnace on for an hour yesterday afternoon.  The dew was so heavy yesterday morning that it looked like frost which isn't too far off.

More good news:  Willow calved.  I will be milking again very soon.  I haven't even seen the calf yet.  I did spend some time a few days ago cleaning the milking side of the barn so I am ready for her.  I hope she is ready for me!  We have a new load of feed coming today.

I hope we can also corral a few calves to wean.  We like to start them on grain  before selling.  My freezer is getting pretty low on meat too.  I need to pick out a likely speciman.

I will just post some  random thoughts of the past couple of weeks.....

Cooking:

I made  a batch of Hodgson Mills  white bread (dh's favorite).  This bread requires three raisings and is so fine textured and soft.  I thought maybe the secret was the extra raising so when I next made my favorite honey whole wheat recipe, I used the same technique.  I think it improved the texture of this bread too.



I plan to use this method on all my bread from now on.....unless I get in a hurry!

I also made a batch of my favorite (our favorite) cinnamon rolls and love this fine silky dough so much I plan to use it for dinner rolls next time.

I thought I had a previous picture but couldn't find it...I almost waited too late.  I froze most and only have l and a half left....

Here is the recipe.  Note:  I give credit where credit is due. Originally I got it from Thibeault's Blog.

Home Cookin Chapter: Recipes From Thibeault's Table

Cinnamon Rolls (Buns)

=====================

From Joy of Baking

Dough:

4-1/2 to 5 cups all-purpose " flour

1 Package active dry yeast

1 Cup milk

1/3 Cup "" butter

1/3 Cup sugar

1/2 Teaspoon salt

"3 eggs

Filling:

3/4 Cup packed brown"sugar

1/4 Cup all-purpose " flour

1 Tablespoon ground cinnamon

1/2 Cup butter

1/2 Cup light raisins (optional)

1 Tablespoon half-and-half

1 recipe Powdered Sugar Glaze

Note: I prefer a Cream Cheese icing.

1/4 cup butter

1 cup cream cheese

Cream together and add enough icing/powder sugar to make a creamy icing.

Powdered Sugar Glaze:

In a bowl stir together 1 1/4 cups sifted powdered sugar, 1 teaspoon light corn syrup, 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract and enough half-and-half (1 to 2 tablespoons) to make the glaze thin enough to drizzle over cinnamon rolls.

.

In a large mixing bowl combine 2 1/4 cups of the flour and the yeast.

In a small saucepan heat the milk, the 1/3 cup butter, 1/3 cup sugar,

and salt just till warm (120 degrees to 130 degrees)and butter is

almost melted, stirring constantly. Add to flour mixture. Add eggs.

Beat on low speed for 30 seconds, scraping sides of bowl. Beat on high

speed for 3 minutes. Using a wooden spoon, stir in as much of the

remaining 2 1/4 to 2 3/4 cups flour as you can. Turn dough out onto a

lightly floured surface. Knead in enough of the remaining flour to make

a moderately soft dough that is smooth and elastic (3 to 5 minutes).

Note: If you have a mixer with a dough hook, change to it and knead about 6 minutes on a slow speed.

Shape into a ball. Place in a greased bowl, turning once. Cover; let

rise in a warm place till double (about 1 - 1 1/2 hours).

For filling,

combine brown sugar, the 1/4 cup flour, and cinnamon. Cut in remaining

butter with a pastry blender until mixture is crumbly. Set aside.

Punch dough down. Turn onto a lightly floured surface. Cover and let rest for

10 minutes. Roll the dough into a 12 inch square. Sprinkle filling over

dough square; top with raisins (if desired). Roll up jelly-roll style;

pinch edges to seal. Slice roll into eight 1 1/2 inch pieces. Arrange

dough pieces, cut side up, in a greased 12 x 9 x 2 inch baking pan.

Cover dough loosely with clear plastic wrap, leaving room for rolls to

rise. Refrigerate dough for 2 to 24 hours. Uncover and let stand at

room temperature for 30 minutes. (If you are making the cinnamon rolls

immediately, don’t chill dough. Instead, cover loosely, let dough rise

in a warm place till nearly double, about 45 minutes.) Break any

surface bubbles with a greased toothpick. Brush dough with a

half-and-half. Bake in a 375 degree oven to 25 to 30 minutes or till

light brown. If necessary to prevent over-browning., cover rolls

loosely with foil the last 5 to 10 minutes of baking. Remove rolls from

oven. Brush again with half-and-half. Cool 5 minutes. Invert onto a

baking rack and invert again onto a plate. Can drizzle with Powdered

Sugar Glaze. Serve warm. Makes 8 rolls.

Random thought:

I received this new type of card from our daughter.  I thought it was so pretty, I had to share:

Hallmark of course (she has worked for them since college).

It has a tiny little button to turn the light on at the top of the card.



Random Cat Picture



At least we don't have  a mouse problem any more.................