wordsfromanneli

Thoughts, ideas, photos, and stories.


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Cinnamon Rolls

Sometimes they are called “Sticky Buns.”

Make your easy bread dough with small variations. I doubled the recipe and added a bit more butter and two eggs to the dough. That seems to make it lighter. I’ll put the recipe at the end.

You’ll need the ingredients shown in the photo below:

Cinnamon, butter, brown sugar, raisins (or currants), pecans (or walnuts).

After letting the dough rise in a big bowl in a barely warm oven, cut it in half and roll out each half (one at a time).

Spread melted butter on the rolled out dough.

Sprinkle with brown sugar (maybe not as much as what is shown in this photo), cinnamon, currants, and pecans.

Roll up the dough and cut the roll into 12 pieces. I usually cut it in half, and then cut the halves in half, and then those four pieces are cut into three pieces, making twelve pieces in all.

Butter the 9″ x 13″ baking dishes, especially buttering the sides well, and place the twelve pieces in each dish. They will rise in a warm place and grow together as they rise.

In this photo, I don’t have anything in the bottom of the baking dishes except butter. These will be regular cinnamon buns.

If you want sticky buns, for two baking dishes (two dozen rolls) put 1/2 cup of butter, 1 and 1/3 cups brown sugar, and 1/3 cup water in a saucepan and bring it to a boil for about a minute. Then pour that syrupy mixture into the prepared baking dish and sprinkle some pecan halves in the bottom of the dish before putting the rolled up dough pieces in the dish.

When the buns have risen so they are touching each other, preheat oven and bake at 375 degrees for 35 minutes.

In this batch I put the sticky syrup in the bottom of each dish so when I inverted the buns, they have the melted brown sugar and pecans on the top.

A little tip for inverting the very hot baking dishes — wear oven mitts, and make sure to loosen the sides (why you did the good buttering job). Place a platter over the buns. Flip the whole baking dish with the platter on top so that platter is now on the bottom. Then loosen and remove the baking dish.

The basic dough recipe (for the two pans of cinnamon rolls, I doubled the recipe below, so 4 cups of milk, 4 tbsp. butter, etc.):

 

2 cups of  lukewarm milk

2 tbsp. butter

2 tbsp. honey (or sugar)

2 tsp. salt

1 egg (if you want it)

5 cups flour (adjust as needed)

2 tsp. fast acting  (instant) yeast

*****

What I do:

I pour the milk into a big measuring cup and put it in the microwave for two minutes.

Pour the warm milk into the bread pan in the bread machine (if you’re using a bread machine on the dough setting) or into the bowl of your Kitchen Aid mixer.

  • I just remembered that in a bread machine you might only be able to do a single batch of dough. In the mixer, or by hand, you can double the recipe.

Add the butter, salt, and honey.

Then, add some of the flour. I added a couple of cups of flour and then added an egg or two if doubling (the flour having cooled the mixture a little so I don’t end up with bits of cooked egg). Then I add the instant yeast and the rest of the flour.

Mix and knead as necessary. Put into a big bowl in a barely warm oven to rise.

*****

 

 


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Spring Snow

There’s no denying snow looks fine,

It makes the scenery divine,

 But what effect on bird and beast?

I’m sure they like the snow the least.

 

They migrate down the mountainside

To lower levels and abide,

They beg the sun to melt the cold,

Because they’re tired of being bold.

 

In summertime the hillsides warm

And sunny bees will hum and swarm,

The berries waft about their taste,

So very few will go to waste.

 

The easy life of leisure times

Is special to the warmer climes,

And when the frosts of winter leave,

The living hill enjoys reprieve.


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The Escape Plan

Mandarin #1:    Hey, buddy! You can lower that periscope. I can tell you where we are.

Mandarin #2:   I know where we are. I’m just watching for the predators. You think you’re too sweet to be eaten, but I know different. I see them getting settled in their recliners, looking like they need something sweet and juicy.

Mandarin #1:   What? You don’t think I’m sweet?

Mandarin #2:   No, dummy. It’s because you ARE sweet that you’ll get eaten.

Mandarin #1:   Well, if you think that silly periscope is going to save you, you’d better close the hatch now and “DIVE! DIVE! DIVE!” because here they come – that old couple that’s sick of winter and wants a taste of summertime – that’s US, by the way – the reminder of summertime.

Mandarin #2: So, what should we do?

Mandarin #1:  I don’t know…. Maybe you can scare them off by looking weird when you wiggle your periscope. Maybe they’ll think you have some disease.

Mandarin #2: And what about you?

Mandarin #1:  No diseases here, but I’ve got a plan. When they try to skin me alive, I’ll hold on tight to my skin, naturally, and make it harder for them to do a clean job. Their hands will get sticky, and they’ll get up to get a tissue. While they’re gone I’ll just roll away. Maybe hide under the table.

Mandarin#2:  That won’t work. Haven’t you seen their dog? She’s always hanging around begging for food.

Mandarin #1:  Oh, that. I’ve got that covered. I’ll squeeze a bit of OJ in her eye. She doesn’t like that. Ha ha. I’m looking forward to that.

Mandarin #2:   What about me?

Mandarin #1:  Oh, I think I can spare some juice and squirt you too.

Mandarin #2:   No! Don’t be a smartypants. I mean how will I escape?

Mandarin #1:  Well, like I said, you have that periscope. You can DIVE, DIVE, DIVE.  Then we can roll away into the sunset…well, under the couch, anyway.


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Like it or not

Tired of this winter! Do you feel it too?

No time for resting with nothing to do.

Searching for food to keep warm every day,

When will the sun come out so we can play?

 

No leaves are out yet,  no blossoms appear,

I liken the weather to winter, I fear,

It looks like these lichens are tired of it, too,

I’m simply not likin’ it, how about you?


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Vanity and Innocence

Eight proud blossoms, heads held high,

Eager to embrace the sky,

Hoping to be seen. 

 

Five young weaklings bending down,

Study moss upon the ground,

Think, “What can it mean?”

 

Pride will wilt with warming sun,

Blooming faces will be done,

Turning paper thin.

 

Innocents will rest in moss,

Stunned to realize their loss,

How short life has been.


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The Bag Lady Resurfaces

I have a lot of scraps from discontinued upholstery and drapery samples and am happy to have found a use for them.

If you’re not into sewing, just skip over this next part and go to the end of the post after the photo.

*****

Each side panel of the bags has three rows of four 4″ squares.

The sides  have a strip of 2 1/2″ by about 11″ (depending on the height of your panel). The top has a 2 1/2″ strip that is about 18″ long (again, you’d measure your bag that now has the strips on each side of the panels). The bottom strip is the same length but it’s 3 1/2″ wide.

There’s a lot more to do to put the sides together, cut out a 2″ corner to make a flat part in the bottom. There’s interfacing to use as a stiffener on the panels, and then a lining to fit the inside of the bag. Pockets on the inside of the bag are nice too. The straps with interfacing in them are pieces that are 5″ by 28″ folded over and sewn.

The tricky part is to get the straps to be between the outside of the bag and the lining inside. But that’s the fun of putting it all together.

There are lots of videos that show how it’s done, but the best thing is if you can go to a sewing class put on by your local sewing store.

Don’t ask me how many needles I broke going over some of the thickest parts of the fabric, especially where the handles attach. It’s worth it though.

These bags are fun to make because no two are exactly alike.


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Baja Dogs

We are the guardians of the roof,

And though it’s hot up here,

Our job is to say, “Woof-woof-woof,”

And strike all hearts with fear.

As chow I’m toughest of them all,

I make intruders stop,

I only hope that I don’t fall,

That would be quite a drop.

With me there is no serious threat,

I pace the roof above,

And what you see is what you get,

A dog in need of love.

I’m not a guard dog as you see,

I’d be one if I could,

The roof dogs all make fun of me,

Because I’m made of wood.

My name is Andy and I sleep,

I never am awake,

A battery makes me breathe so deep,

Because, you see, I’m fake.

 

*** Andy was a stuffed toy dog, just like a teddy bear. He had a battery inside him that made him look like he was breathing by making his chest go up and down. He had me totally fooled and the woman who owned him had him on her shop counter, loving every minute of my reaction as I asked if I could pet him. I was really surprised when she told me he was completely “not real.”