Anyone else feel gypped by this Christmas break...or lack there of?
This has to be the worst placement of Christmas, because we are barely getting any time off! My Christmas break is already over and I barely had any time to play with my toys! When aiming for optimum holiday time off, a Wednesday/Thursday Christmas is definitely ideal. That placement also leads to a weekday New Years, which again, gives you more time off. I believe my middle school self performed some intensive analysis to provide you with that above data. Now that I am done with that obnoxious ungrateful sounding rant, I'll talk about my Christmas.
My Christmas this year graced me with some great kitchen appliances. The most honorary was my KitchenAid Pasta Roller. Hallelujah where has this item been all my life? Let's not pretend that I'm frequently making homemade pasta but, I would definitely do it more if I didn't have to slave away cranking that pasta roller. I used to literally break a sweat while using that machine and my mom cringed every time I screwed that metal device on to the edge of my countertop. But now things have changed. You better bet that I will be cranking (without having to physically crank) out more homemade pasta this year. If any of you pasta lovers are contemplating this attachment, please buy it. You will be amazed. Most unique present shoutout goes to my Dad, who bought me a fermentor. Pretty sure its a glorified glass jar however, I'm anxiously watching the pile of sauerkraut that sits inside that jar, waiting for it to turn into sauerkraut. I have hope! (Calling all food fermenting experts, please convince me this will work).
My Christmas this year graced me with some great kitchen appliances. The most honorary was my KitchenAid Pasta Roller. Hallelujah where has this item been all my life? Let's not pretend that I'm frequently making homemade pasta but, I would definitely do it more if I didn't have to slave away cranking that pasta roller. I used to literally break a sweat while using that machine and my mom cringed every time I screwed that metal device on to the edge of my countertop. But now things have changed. You better bet that I will be cranking (without having to physically crank) out more homemade pasta this year. If any of you pasta lovers are contemplating this attachment, please buy it. You will be amazed. Most unique present shoutout goes to my Dad, who bought me a fermentor. Pretty sure its a glorified glass jar however, I'm anxiously watching the pile of sauerkraut that sits inside that jar, waiting for it to turn into sauerkraut. I have hope! (Calling all food fermenting experts, please convince me this will work).
I spent my one day off of this Christmas break making cinnamon rolls. It's such a great weekend (or day off) activity. Plus your house will smell amazing the whole time. I'm all for house smelling points. These cinnamon rolls aren't as heavy as...well...Cinnabon, but they taste pretty darn good. Instead they are buttery, flaky and resemble more of a croissant like texture. For me, since sweets aren't exactly my cup of tea, I refrained from using the icing, however I did include a simple recipe below.
Dough:
3 cups all purpose flour + extra for flouring surfaces
1 package instant yeast
1/4 cup white sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup cold milk (I used skim, came out fine)
2 tablespoons softened butter
Filling:
3/4 cup brown sugar
1/2 stick of butter softened
2 tablespoons ground cinnamon
Egg Wash:
1 egg
1 tablespoon water
Icing:
1 cup powdered sugar
2 - 3 tablespoons milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Whisk together flour, sugar, salt and yeast in the bowl of a standing mixer. Slowly incorporate the cold milk using the dough hook attachment. Knead at a low speed until a ball starts to form. Add the 2 tablespoons of softened butter into the mixture. Clear the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula and continue mixing until all ingredients are incorporated into the ball. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for one hour.
Turn dough out onto a flour work surface. Roll with a rolling pin until the dough reaches a 10x14 in rectangle. Spread the softened butter evenly over the surface of the dough. Sprinkle brown sugar and cinnamon over the dough so it completely covers the surface. Role up dough and pinch edge together to seal. Cut into 8 - 10 slices. Place the rolls into a well greased baking pan and bake rolls for 35 - 30 minutes.
Meanwhile mix powdered sugar, milk, and vanilla until the glaze thickens. Generously drizzle the glaze over the rolls when you take them out of the oven.
3 cups all purpose flour + extra for flouring surfaces
1 package instant yeast
1/4 cup white sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup cold milk (I used skim, came out fine)
2 tablespoons softened butter
Filling:
3/4 cup brown sugar
1/2 stick of butter softened
2 tablespoons ground cinnamon
Egg Wash:
1 egg
1 tablespoon water
Icing:
1 cup powdered sugar
2 - 3 tablespoons milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Whisk together flour, sugar, salt and yeast in the bowl of a standing mixer. Slowly incorporate the cold milk using the dough hook attachment. Knead at a low speed until a ball starts to form. Add the 2 tablespoons of softened butter into the mixture. Clear the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula and continue mixing until all ingredients are incorporated into the ball. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for one hour.
Turn dough out onto a flour work surface. Roll with a rolling pin until the dough reaches a 10x14 in rectangle. Spread the softened butter evenly over the surface of the dough. Sprinkle brown sugar and cinnamon over the dough so it completely covers the surface. Role up dough and pinch edge together to seal. Cut into 8 - 10 slices. Place the rolls into a well greased baking pan and bake rolls for 35 - 30 minutes.
Meanwhile mix powdered sugar, milk, and vanilla until the glaze thickens. Generously drizzle the glaze over the rolls when you take them out of the oven.
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