Had a mini melt down

I don’t know what’s going on with me lately. On Wednesday, I was at work, nothing much going on. You know, doing my thing. I had a 20 top wait a while for their table. A couple of ladies were taking their time. One person from said 20 top walks over to them and tells them to hurry up because they were waiting a long time. I got little scolded at. I wanted to go home to vent to the SO, he wasn’t there. I got a little upset which then snowballed to super crying upset. Then the conversation moved onto what am I do with my life, etc. Told him my mom wanted to buy a house in Orlando and I would move to get a job there. He thinks it’s silly because why would I move if I haven’t even gotten one interview (point well made). I blame my craziness and crying to a change of birth control. Hopefully, my body will get used to it…SOON. So, to make myself feel better, I baked.

I baked these cinnamon rolls. I made cinnamon rolls before, but they were a lot of work (because of the yeast) and they weren’t even that good. So, when I came across a different set of rolls via tastespotting, I knew I had to try them. And, they were delicious and they didn’t even have cream cheese frosting, which I’m not a huge fan. Sorry, I didn’t take pictures. I can’t seem to find my camera. Maybe I’ll save up and get a new one! OoO. I’ll look out for it on Black Friday.

Cinnamon Rolls by Craving Chronicles
Ingredients
DOUGH
2 cups 2% milk (I didn’t have 2% milk, the SO bought fat free…EW. I put in 1 3/4 cups of fat free milk and 1/4 cup of heavy cream)
½ cup granulated sugar
½ cup canola oil (I used vegetable oil)
1 package (2 1/4 Teaspoons) active dry yeast
4 cups + ½ cup flour, divided
1½ teaspoons salt
½ teaspoon (scant) baking soda
½ teaspoon (heaping) baking powder
Cooking spray

FILLING
1½ cups (3 sticks) butter, softened
1 cup brown sugar
4 tablespoons ground cinnamon
raisins (optional)
nuts (I used crushed pecans for one batch)
long strand of unflavored waxed dental floss (NOT mint)

ICING
3 cups of powdered sugar
4 tablespoons butter, softened
8-10 teaspoons of milk
2 teaspoon of vanilla

Directions
Make ahead: Combine milk, 1/2 cup sugar and oil in a large pot over medium heat. Heat, stirring to dissolve sugar, until just before boiling. Remove from heat and set aside to cool for about an hour or until lukewarm (between 105° – 115°F; use a thermometer to check). Sprinkle the yeast into the warm milk mixture and allow to sit for a few minutes. Add 4 cups of flour and stir together until a sticky dough forms. Cover loosely with a kitchen towel and let rise somewhere warm for about an hour. In a small bowl, whisk together remaining ½ cup of flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Add to dough and combine thoroughly to form an elastic dough. Spray the inside of a large bowl with cooking spray. Put dough in the bowl, cover tightly, and store in the refrigerator overnight, or up to a day.

Assembly: Spray a 9-inch round cake pan with cooking spray. Generously flour a clean, dry surface. Place half the dough on the floured surface and using a rolling pin, roll out into a large rectangle. Gently spread ¾ cup of softened butter over the dough with a butter knife. Sprinkle 2 tablespoons of cinnamon and 1/2 cup of brown sugar over the buttered dough. Add any raisins, nuts or other fillings.

Starting on the longer side of the rectangle, roll dough in a tight spiral toward the other end and pinch the seam shut. Slide a strand of dental floss under the rolled dough 1-1½ inches from the end. Cross the ends of the floss over the top of the roll and pull in opposite directions, slicing off a section of dough. Repeat with the rest of the dough, placing buns in the prepared pan. You will have space between the buns.

Repeat with the second half of the dough. (If you only want to make one batch of buns, you can tightly wrap and freeze the other half at this point. In that case, use half the amount of the ingredients for the glaze.)

Set aside to rise for 30-45 minutes. Bake in 350°F oven for 15-18 minutes, or until lightly browned on top.

To make the glaze, combine powdered sugar, butter, 6 teaspoons of milk and vanilla in a small bowl. Continue adding milk one teaspoon at a time until you get a thick frosting. (It will thin when spread on the warm buns.)

It was great! The SO took it to work and everyone gobbled it up. This is definitely the go-to recipe for cinnamon rolls. And, I loved how she gave suggestions for freezing the batch. Some recipes don’t give you that options and just stuck with too many baked goods.

Relevations

It was my birthday last Monday. When a birthday comes around, it is a time of reflection. How has this year different from last year? Have I made any personal achievements? Have I bettered myself in any way. I think it is on the “no” side. I am where I was last year, financially, well, maybe worse because now I have car payments. The SO and I are better I suppose. We’re still together and that is more than I can say for most people I know. We love each other and every year, it just deepens.

For my birthday, we went to eat at Dragonfly. It was delicious, scrumptious, and all those synonyms for tasty. Then we went to see Avenue Q. It was great! I think the SO liked it a little but more than I did. It is basically Sesame Street for adults. We came home and had my favorite ice cream cake. At the restaurant, one the servers made me a birthday cake! It was a surprise and everyone came out and sang happy birthday. I have to confess, I got a little teary eyed. I felt special.

I did go to the Women’s Career Expo on Friday. It was tailored to older women, more like displaced homemakers. I did take advantage of the resume critique and mock interview. Hopefully, this will help me land that hard-to-find grown up job. I keep on trying to be optimistic, but it is difficult in these financial times.

Next week, I have four days off in a row. There is going to be a lot of baking. Sugar cookies are on the list. I don’t know what else I should make.