I finally got to make my snowman this year!

Spent the weekend in Blackfoot and got about 6 inches of snow! 

And what a beaut she was...

Sara's Wedding and My B-day!

 Lena caught the Bouquet!!!

 Fun, fun photo booth!

 Yummmmy kebobs...which we originally were grilling outside until we ran out of propane. :(

 So glad these guys could make it to my celebration!!

Cinnabon Cinnamon Rolls

Hi Fam. So I am sure most of you have seen this recipe posted over and over on face book. I decided to give it a try on Monday and I have to say they were quite delish. I would probably do less filling next time just because it was oozing everywhere. The frosting was TO DIE FOR

I had to use way less flour... but I think that might be a Virginia thing!

So here it is

My Cinnabon Cinnamon Rolls

After several attempts at recreating this famous recipe, I've finally come up with one that might be just as good if not better than the original!

yield: 15 ROLLS APPROXIMATELY

 

prep time: 6 HOURS

 

cook time: 17 MINUTES

 

total time: 6 HOURS 17 MINUTES

INGREDIENTS:

for the dough-
3/4 cup warm water
2 1/4 teaspoons active dry yeast {use the fast acting kind!}
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup buttermilk, at room temperature
1 egg
1/3 cup canola or vegetable oil
4 1/2-5 cups all purpose unbleached flour

for the filling-
1/2 cup softened margarine
1 1/4 cups packed light brown sugar
2 1/2 tablespoons ground cinnamon
2 tablespoons cornstarch

for the frosting-
2 oz. cream cheese, at room temperature
1/4 cup softened margarine
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 tablespoon corn syrup
1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
1 1/4 cups powdered sugar

DIRECTIONS:

Making the Dough- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a dough hook, pour in water, yeast and 1 tablespoon of the granulated sugar. Stir and proof 5 minutes. Once mixture looks bubbly and frothy, pour in remaining sugar and salt. Stir on low for 15-20 seconds. In a small bowl, measure buttermilk, oil and egg. Whisk ingredients together until egg is incorporated to other two ingredients. Pour contents into the water and yeast mixture. Stir another 20 seconds in the mixer. Pour 2 cups of flour into mixer and stir on low until incorporated. Sprinkle flour in by 1/4 cup increments until dough cleans the sides and bottom of the bowl. Dough should be sticky but not sticky enough to stick to your hands when touched. Once it has reached this stage, turn mixer on and knead for 5 minutes. Remove dough from bowl, grease and replace back into same mixing bowl {since it's practically clean anyways.} Cover with plastic wrap and a dish towel. Rise 1-2 hours or until dough has doubled in size.

Filling and Cutting Rolls- In a medium size bowl, stir brown sugar, cinnamon and cornstarch together until combined. Set aside. Punch down dough. Flour a large clean table liberally with flour. Lightly flour dough as well. Roll dough out to be a 20x30 rectangle {or as close to that as possible} while moving dough around to ensure it's not sticking to your work surface. If it's a little short or uneven, feel free to cut off the edges to even it all out. {FYI-I cut off some dough on one side and filled in a spot that needed more dough on the other side to make a more even rectangle.} Spread softened margarine over dough, being sure to go right to the edges leaving a 1-inch strip untouched on one of the longer sides of dough. Dump brown sugar mixture onto the middle of the dough and spread with your hands, creating an even layer over top of the margarine, still leaving that 1-inch strip of dough untouched. If you have any filling that falls off the sides of the dough, use a bench scraper to replace. Lightly press the sugar mixture into the margarine using a rolling pin. Roll the dough up into a tight log, finishing with the plain dough on the bottom to seal the entire thing together. Cut off the uneven ends to even out the log. Score log every 2 inches and then slice your rolls using those marks. Place into parchment paper lined, margarine greased pans. 12 into a 9x13, 3 remaining into a loaf pan, or 8x8 with the small ends. Cover pans with plastic wrap and dish towels. Let rolls rise another 1-2 hours or until they are touching and have risen almost double. My rolls always spread out more than up, so just be aware that they will most likely spread out more than up. Bake in a preheated 350 degree for 17 minutes, or until tops start to brown. Watch them carefully!!

For the Frosting- While the rolls are baking, whip cream cheese and margarine together. Stir in vanilla, corn syrup and lemon juice. Scrape sides and mix again. Pour in powdered sugar and stir slowly until it starts to incorporate. Then mix on high for 5 minutes or until frosting starts to lighten in color. Scrape sides and mix again briefly. Once rolls have been removed from the oven, frost using half the amount made. Then after they have cooled a few more minutes, frost again with remaining frosting. The first frosting will melt down into the rolls and the second layer should stay put. Serve warm.

Recipe Notes:
-See step my step photos for more details I neglected to mention.
-Also, if your frosting isn't quite ready after you pull the rolls out of the oven, cover with foil so the tops don't dry out and get crispy.
-If you notice it takes forever for your rolls to rise, try adding an extra teaspoon of rapid rise yeast to your dough next time around. I also like to use Red Star Platinum yeast--it's hardcore stuff.

Signing

So I've been trying [inconsistently] to teach a few signs to the boys so they could communicate better. They haven't been too interested until today. Cooper finally started signing "more". I don't think he fully understands the meaning of it yet, except that Mommy gets really excited, but he does associate the sign with the word. Just thought I would share my "proud mommy moment". :)

 Sorry about the back light.

(Side note: The more videos of the boys I post, the more I realize how annoying my voice is when I talk to them. It gets all high pitched. Sorry about that also.)

More Walking

I am loving that the twins and ayla are starting to walk at the exact same time! It is so fun. Can't wait til we're all together again :) :) :)

 

Toddler Bites

Hi fam

Dad, Mom and Jenny are officially gone from my house and I am in mourning. But while mom was here she mentioned that maybe Jason or Heather were in need of some good ideas for feeding their little cutie patooties. So here are a list of my no fail go-to's when it comes to feeding my picky toddler.

1. Mixed Veggies. Strange I know but Addison will eat and entire bowl of mixed Veggies. Maybe it is because they are colorful or the perfect size for finger food but she thinks they are super yummy. So I buy this bag at Walmart in the frozen veggie isle for about 2 dollars. Then I steam them for about 20 minutes while I am getting dinner ready. I believe you can also just throw them in a bowl with a little water and microwave them covered. With a little salt they really are quite tasty and it is such a big bag they go a long way. I usually over steam some of the bag and then puree it into baby food for Brie.

2. This option isn't nearly as healthy but it is a favorite. Bread and cheese. I just take a piece of bread throw on a cheese single and microwave for about 10 seconds. Cut it into bite size pieces with the pizza cutter and WHALA! A quick easy meal.

3. Mac and cheese is always a kid favorite. If you over boil the noodles they mash up quite nicely with a fork, if you are worried about noodle size. However it is a great finger food if you don't mind your little ones getting a little messy!

4. Muffins! My kids are huge muffin fans. Banana, zucchini or bran. Muffins are easy to make and tasty! I usually bake a double batch and freeze what we won't eat that day then when I want a quick easy snack I pull out a muffin and microwave for 30 seconds. 

5. GREEN SMOOTHIES. Seriously the best way to sneak in all those extra vitamins from the spinach and kale. Addison has been drinking these since she was probably 10 mo. I usually buy the big bags of spinach and kale then I blend it all up with a little apple juice and pour into ice cube trays. Once they are frozen I put all the cubes into a big ziploc bag. That way they are ready and easy to add to any smoothie any time! The only drawback is they don't do well in bottles or sippie cups because of the pulp. Originally I bought a few cups from the dollar store that had a lid and straw. But the straws were always getting lost which led me to this discovery...

http://www.amazon.com/Yummi-Pouch-Set-of-6/dp/B00AJFHG8A/ref=sr_1_3?s=baby-products&ie=UTF8&qid=1393429109&sr=1-3&keywords=reusable+squeeze+pouch

THEY. ARE. AWESOME!

They are reusable squeeze pouches, just like the baby food pouches in the store. They are perfect for a smoothie or applesauce or really any puree you make. They are easy to fill, easy to clean, and easy to use. 

The baby food pouches get expensive fast. My kids love the applesauce squeeze pouches, and could go through a box in 2 days. With these I can make my own pouches of applesauce or any other blended creation! They are especially awesome for taking on the go. You can fill them up and throw them in a diaper bag and not have to worry about spoons and bowls and all that mess! 

So there you have it. My list of no fail toddler treats. I am sure all kids like different things so all of these might not be your kids favorite but hopefully something helps!

LOVE YOU ALL! And if you bring me your babies I will feed them for you!

xoxo- Jill

Bennett is Getting Better

Bennett has been able to take a few steps for a few weeks now, but today we started seeing some big improvement. I think he was starting to feel the pressure from Ayla. Cooper also showed his first signs of walking today.