Some Pretty Amazing Cinnamon Rolls

This post is long overdue and I'm sorrrryy! But I promise the wait has been worth it and this is why:

"Any word I use would be an understatement because that's how good they were…too good for words!" 

Some people don't like being in the kitchen.............................................well, I think you're cray but I also respect that everyone is different :-). For me, cooking/baking is relaxing and almost therapeutic. I love when things come out just right and when something doesn't, I just rack it up as a learning experience and try again. 

You know those kind've people that will slave all day in the kitchen and then when its time to eat all of the yummy stuff, they just don't feel to? Yeah, I'm not one of "them" in any way…at all…like ever. Well, the first time I made these I turned into one of "them". When the cinnamon rolls were ready, I didn't even try the icing! Instead of eating 3 like I usually would, (for quality control purposes of course) I just took them to the lime - Caribbean slang for get together/hang out - that I was going to unknowing of how good/bad/ugly they were.

Thankfully they were great (!!!!!) and I have made them a couple of times since and I hope that if you try to make them you enjoy the long process as much as I do and that your tasters are as impressed as mine were.

So I just said that this is a process and it is definitely that, not a difficult one, but still a process nonetheless. So if you don't have about 4 hours to spare then you should probably save making them for when you do have that kind of time. Rushing and cooking is not a good combination and only results in a bad mood when you inevitably make silly mistakes.

So here you go. Cinnamon Rolls that I got from Sweetopolita. She called them "Cinnabon-Style Gourmet Cinnamon Buns". I didn't change much if anything at all but I want to go through the steps with photos because visuals make everything seem a little more possible. I know, I'm the best :D.

Ingredients

Dough

1 (7g) package of instant dry yeast

1 cup whole milk, warm (not boiling hot!)

1/2 cup granulated sugar

1/3 cup margarine (I use Sunflower)

1 teaspoon salt

2 eggs

3 1/4 cups all purpose flour

3/4 cup bread flour (I use Waitrose)

Filling

1 cup packed light brown sugar

3 - 4 tablespoons of cinnamon (depends on how cinnamon-y you like it)

1/3 cup margarine, softened

Frosting

1/2 cup cream cheese (used both Philadelphia and IGA - both worked fine), softened 30 mins

1/2 cup margarine, softened 30 mins

1 1/2 - 1 3/4 cups icing sugar sifted (depends how sweet you like it)

I teaspoon vanilla flavour

1/8 teaspoon lemon flavour

Instructions

The first thing you're going to do is get 1 cup of milk and put it in the microwave for about 30-35 seconds, when you touch the milk it shouldn't burn you but it should definitely be warm. 

Pour the milk in a large bowl and add the yeast. This is what its going to look like when you give it a stir:

After about 5 minutes it should look like this:

Next up you add the sugar, margarine, eggs and salt. Mix it up until it looks like this:

(Not very appetizing at all)

Now you're going to add the flour. I sieve my flour while I add it because it will make the finished products even more light at fluffy. When everything is combined, dust your hands with some flour and knead the dough into a large ball.

Remember you're just bringing the dough together. You do not want to overwork it. Now this is the part where you cover the dough and let it rise for about an hour. This hour is a great opportunity to clean up a little and check Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and your phone. Oh and its also a good time to prepare the filling. To do this you just combine the brown sugar and cinnamon until it looks like this:

When the hour is up and your dough has gotten a little bigger its time to get rolling! Roll your dough into a big rectangle on a lightly floured surface. It should be about 1/4 inch thick (approximately). Be patient when rolling the dough and really try to maintain the rectangular shape. It can be kind of frustrating at times but once again, beee patient!

When you've finished rolling the dough its time to start assembling the rolls! The first thing you're going to do is spread 1/3 cup of softened margarine over the surface of the dough. Then, sprinkle the brown sugar and cinnamon mixture on top, leaving about 1 inch untouched around the edges.

Gently roll the dough and make sure its tight!

Get a sharp knife and slice the large cinnamon roll into pieces that are about 2 inches long. You should get about 10-12 rolls based on how your big rectangle came out. Place these on a prepared cookie sheet about 2 inches apart and let them rise for another hour.

While the cinnamon rolls are rising, you can make the icing! 

In a medium sized bowl, using a hand mixer, blend the cream cheese and margarine for 6 minutes on a low speed. Change the speed from low to medium-high and blend for another 10 minutes. This is REALLY boring and I usually put some headphones in and listen to some music until its over.

Next your'e going to add 1 cup of the icing sugar and mix for 1 minute on a low speed. Add the remaining icing sugar and  mix for another minute. Add the vanilla and lemon flavours and mix for one more minute on a medium-high speed.

Transfer the icing to an airtight container and refrigerate for at least half hour before using.

Now your rolls have finished rising and the end is near!! Place the prepared cookie sheet in an oven at 400 degrees F and bake for 10 minutes or until the rolls are golden brown. 

Let the rolls cool on a cooling rack for a few minutes and top with some icing and enjoy!

How do ya like your eggs?

Hellooo beautiful readers, its Friday, Friday gotta get down on Fridaaaay. Yes, I'm quoting Rebecca Black for the sole purpose of getting that song stuck in your head, you can thank me later.

Today is a very special day and that's because its my first ever recipe post! Now, anyone who knows me knows that I am a shameless foodie and if you don't eat your food, I will (unless it has pickles). 

What I'm sharing with you today is something I tasted a few years ago and loved, and then more recently I started making my own version when I decided that it was time to start putting a bigger effort into healthy eating. My sisters request this all the time, even Shannon who could vie for the title: Pickiest Eater of All Time.

This recipe is really, really simple and it can be varied any way that you like based on what you feel for or what you have inna ya kitchen. So, without further ado, I present.. BAKED EGGS! (Stop making that face, they are actually really yummy).

Here's what you will need to serve about 3-4 people.

Ingredients:

6-8 eggs 
1 head of broccoli, chopped
1 small-medium sized onion, diced
2 cloves of garlic, sliced finely
1 medium-sized tomato, diced 
1/4 cup tomato sauce
1/2 sweet pepper (any colour you like), diced
1/4 cup mozzarella cheese, grated 
1/4 cup cheddar cheese, grated
3 slices of packaged ham, diced
Salt and pepper to taste
Butter (for the pan)

*These measurements do not have to be exact, its really about what you like and/or what you have. Sometimes when I have left over baked chicken I'll chop up 1 or 2 pieces and add that instead of the ham. And whenever I have fresh mushrooms I throw some in as well.

Method:

Pretty oven 350 degrees F 

Chop, dice and slice your broccoli, onion, garlic, sweet pepper, tomato and ham (and anything else you want to add that needs chopping, dicing or slicing), and grate your cheese.

Melt some butter in your non-stick frying pan and add the broccoli, onions and garlic. Let this cook for about 5 minutes at a medium-high heat. At this point I add some salt and pepper to the ingredients in the pan.

Next, add the sweet pepper to the pan, mix the tomato and the tomato sauce together and add that too along with the sliced ham. 

Sprinkle the cheese on top of everything.

Now its time to add the eggs! Turn the heat to low and get a bowl. Crack the first egg in the bowl and be veryyyy careful not to break the yolk (this has no effect on taste but come on, I know you want your finished dish to be pretty). I usually add the first egg to the middle of the frying pan and the other five in a circle around it. You can do whatever you like.

When you've added all your eggs and salt and peppered them you can put your frying pan in the oven (make sure its safe to go in the oven!!) for 15 - 20 minutes.

And voila! Baked eggs!

These can be eaten at any time of the day really and they are pretty healthy too. Hope that you enjoy them!