Tuesday Cook Off ~ Classic Homemade Cinnamon Rolls

Tuesday Cook Off ~ Homemade Cinnamon Rolls

So if you have been paying attention to my Tuesday Cook Off blog post you know my family loves cinnamon!  Last week I was shopping at Wal-Mart and while I was in the checkout line I was reading the magazine covers when the Food Network Magazine caught my eye…homemade cinnamon rolls.   That looked absolutely delicious and I had to make them!  So I bought the issue and decided to make the cinnamon rolls on the weekend.  They were a BIG BIG hit.  Everyone just loved them and I can honestly say, they were easy to make.  The recipe does require the dough to rise three times but other than that…it’s a breeze.    Plus, you don’t even need your Kitchenaid.

Recipe from Food Network Magazine

Yields: 12 Rolls

Recipe for Basic Sweet Roll Dough

Ingredients1/2 cup whole milk
1 1/4-ounce packet active dry yeast (2 1/4 teaspoons)
1/4 cup sugar
4 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted and slightly cooled, plus more for brushing
1 large egg yolk
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 3/4 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg (optional)DirectionsWarm 1/2 cup water and the milk in a saucepan over low heat until a thermometer registers 100 degrees F to 110 degrees F. Remove from the heat and sprinkle the yeast on top, then sprinkle with a pinch of the sugar; set aside, undisturbed, until foamy, about 5 minutes.Whisk the melted butter, egg yolk and vanilla into the yeast mixture until combined. In a large bowl, whisk the flour, the remaining sugar, the salt and nutmeg. Make a well in the center, then add the yeast mixture and stir with a wooden spoon to make a thick and slightly sticky dough. Turn out onto a floured surface and knead until soft and elastic, about 6 minutes. Shape into a ball.

Brush a large bowl with butter. Add the dough, turning to coat lightly with the butter. Cover with plastic wrap and let rise at room temperature until the dough is doubled in size, about 1 hour, 15 minutes.

Turn the dough out of the bowl and knead briefly to release excess air; re-form into a ball and return to the bowl. Lightly butter a large piece of plastic wrap and lay it directly on the surface of the dough. Cover the bowl tightly with plastic wrap and refrigerate at least 4 hours or overnight.

For the Cinnamon Rolls: 

Ingredients
For the rolls:1 1/2 sticks (12 tablespoons) unsalted butter, softened, plus more for the pan
1/3 cup granulated sugar
2 tablespoons ground cinnamon
All-purpose flour, for dusting
1 batch Basic Sweet-Roll DoughFor the glaze:

1 1/4 cups confectioners’ sugar
4 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
3 tablespoons milk
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
Pinch of salt

Directions

Make the rolls: Butter a 9-by-13-inch baking dish. Whisk the sugar and cinnamon in a bowl. On a floured surface, roll out the dough into a 10-by-18-inch rectangle. Spread the butter over the dough, leaving a 1-inch border on one of the long sides. Top with the cinnamon sugar. Brush the clean border with water. Tightly roll the dough into an 18-inch log, rolling toward the clean border; pinch the seam to seal.

Slip a long taut piece of thread or unflavored floss under the roll, about 1 1/2 inches from the end. Lift the ends of the thread and cross over the roll, pulling tightly to cut off a piece. Repeat, cutting every 1 1/2 inches, to make 12 rolls. Place the rolls in the prepared baking dish.

Cover the rolls loosely with plastic wrap and let rise in a warm place until doubled in size, about 1 hour, 10 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Uncover the rolls and bake until they spring back when pressed, 25 to 30 minutes. Let cool 10 minutes in the pan. (You can freeze the baked rolls for up to 2 weeks. Cool completely before freezing, then thaw, warm up and glaze before serving.)

Make the glaze: Whisk the confectioners’ sugar, melted butter, milk, vanilla and salt in a bowl until smooth. Drizzle over the warm rolls.

Do you have a great recipe you would like to share?  Just email us at Linda@mybabypajamas.com.  Please attach a photo if you can.  If your recipe is chosen, you will win a $25.00 Gift Certificate to our website   Who doesn’t want free kids pajamas?  Please share this contest/giveaway!

Don’t forget where to find great footie pajamas, toddler pajamas and more, at My Baby Pajamas.

Handstand Friday ~ Week Three

Handstand Friday ~ Week Three

Basically, it should be week four of Handstand Friday but we had a round of the flu hit our house and none of us were up for doing much of anything.   We are all better now and back to working out!  I definitely feel myself getting stronger with my handstand and can actually hold it for a little while.   I am still by the wall just because I wasn’t feeling good last week I didn’t want to rush myself back too fast.   I am doing the handstand about 3 or 4 times a day.  My husband has even joined in the challenge.  It’s so funny to see a 6′ 4″ guy trying to do a handstand  He said once he gets better he would let me post a picture.

How’s your #handstandfriday coming along?   We would love to hear about it!  Don’t let fear hold you back from trying something new.

Happy Friday!!

Tuesday Cook Off ~ 12 Inch Chocolate Chip Cookie Cake

Tuesday Cook Off ~ 12 Inch Chocolate Chip Cookie Cake

In one month we celebrate three birthdays out of four in the house.   It’s a busy month!  The problem is making the birthday cake or cupcakes.   None of us like icing and it looks dumb to just write “Happy Birthday”  on a non iced cake.   So my oldest son decided we should do big cookies like you buy in the store.   Since my oldest son has food allergies and does better with homemade items, we decided to look for a good 12 inch cookie recipe.   By the way, this was not as easy as you would think but I think we found a winner.

After trying a couple of recipes, this was the winner.  My boys said it was better than the store bought cookie. YEA!

Recipe from Cookiemadness.net.

Recipe serves 10-16

Ingredients

• 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour (11 1/4 oz)
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1 tsp salt**
• 8 oz unsalted butter (or use 4 oz butter and 1/2 cup shortening for 1 cup total)
• 1 cup packed light brown sugar
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 2 large eggs
• 2 teaspoons vanilla
• 1 bag semi sweet regular or miniature size chocolate chips (2 cups)
• 1 regular size bag (about 1.5 oz) plain M&M’s or, if you live in the UK, smarties

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 300° F. Line a 12 inch round pizza pan with a circle of parchment or non-stick foil. Alternatively, you can make your own pizza pan by molding non-stick foil into a giant 12 inch circle.
2. Mix flour, baking soda and salt together; set aside.
3. Cream butter and both sugars by hand or with an electric mixer. Beat in the eggs and vanilla. When well mixed, add flour mixture and stir until blended Fold in chocolate chips.
4. Put all the batter in the pan and press it into a circle. Stop the circle about 1 ½ to 2 inches from the rim. Press M&M’s decoratively into top.
5. Bake on center rack for 32-35 minutes or until cookie is golden around edges and appears set.

I made this recipe without the M & M’s.   It was delicious!  In fact, my husband just asked me last night to make him one to bring to work for everyone   If you have a great 12 inch Sugar cookie recipe, please email me at linda@mybabypajamas.com.  Thanks!

Do you have a great recipe you would like to share?  Just email us at Linda@mybabypajamas.com.  Please attach a photo if you can.  If your recipe is chosen, you will win a $25.00 Gift Certificate to our website   Who doesn’t want free kids pajamas?  Please share this contest/giveaway!

Don’t forget where to find great footie pajamas, toddler pajamas and more, at My Baby Pajamas.

Baseball String Bracelets

Baseball String Bracelet

Take me out to the ball game

Take me out with the crowd
Buy me some peanuts and crackerjacks
I don’t care if I never get back
Let me root, root, root
For the home team
If they don’t win it’s a shame
Aahh.
For it’s one,
Two,
Three strikes you’re out
At the old ball game

It’s that time of year…baseball season.   I just love baseball season and it’s not because my husband played Major League Baseball either.   It’s just something about baseball and summer.   Maybe because it’s the lazy days of summer and the kids aren’t in school.  I don’t know what it is but I love it!

It’s also little league baseball time around the country.  Now, here in Arizona we are finishing up our little league season because it’s just too hot to play in the summer.  My youngest son ends his season this week and we will have the year- end season party this weekend.   Since my husband is the manager, I wanted to do something special for the boys at the party.   My friend, Erin, posted a picture of these baseball string bracelets she made for her boys today.  I just knew I had to make them for the party.

Do you have a baseball fan in your house?  This would be a cute and fun gift for them.

Here is how to make the baseball string bracelets:  I made two today!

You will need a baseball (you get two bracelets from one ball), a Xacto knife, plus a scissors helps too.

First you will need to cut out the stitches all the way around the baseball.  Try to get your cuts as close to the stitches as possible without cutting them.  When you are all finished you can use the scissors to cut any uneven parts.  You will have to apply a fair amount of pressure, and maybe even go over each line twice to cut all the way through the leather.

Once you have cut all the way around the stitches you’ll need to remove the leather pieces.  The leather is stuck onto the ball inside with some adhesive, so it could take a little elbow grease to get it off.

Once you take both leather pieces off you’ll need to remove the strings.  They will still be in once piece and should be easy to pull off.

Here’s is what your baseball should look like at this point:

You won’t need the ball or leather any more for this project.  Locate the point on the seam where the stitching begins/ends, this is where you should cut the remaining leather.  You will see the extra string at this point.   Be careful not to cut off the excess string, you’ll need every inch!

Find the middle of the seam and cut it in half.  Each piece should be around 8 inches long.  Begin unraveling the stitching at each end of the bracelet until you have about 4 inches of string unwound.  This should leave about 1 to 1 1/2 inches of leather sticking out.

Cut off the excess leather without cutting the strings.  You should now have two ends that have 4 inches of string and 5 inches of seam in the middle.

The best closure I found for this bracelet is simply tying the two ends into a knot each time I wear it.  To do this you will need to braid each of the loose strings and secure with a knot.  The strings will be gummy in the beginning from the adhesive used to attach the leather to the ball, but this will go away after you wear the bracelet a few times.

You will notice the leather is formed into a circle; the leather will flatten out as you wear your bracelet.

Good luck!!

Who are you rooting for this summer?  It’s “Go Cubs” in this house

Random Thoughts of the Day

It’s that time again when my mind is racing with useless random thoughts.   Sometimes it can be so time consuming with all the thoughts running through my head.   It’s probably because I haven’t been able to run the last couple of days.   I have been under the weather with horrible sinus problems.   What are you thinking about right now?

1.   My youngest lost a tooth last night…while sleeping.  Who loses a tooth when they are sleeping?   Has this happened to any one else’s child?

2.   I now have a teenager that should help with chores, why is it that I am still the one putting out the trash all the time?

3.  Why does my dog get a sudden burst of energy right before we go to bed or/and are in bed.   It’s not like we don’t exercise him.   Does this happen to anyone else?

4.  Watching Modern Family while writing this blog.   I just love that show.  Did you know that the character Luke (Nolan Gould) graduated High School at age 13!

5.  What’s the going rate for a lost tooth?

6.  I love Instagram!!  A lot of my friends live all over the country.  We use Instagram to stay up to date on everything in our lives.

7.  Really can’t think because my head is pounding to bad!  I hate sinus infections

What are your random thoughts?

Tuesday Cook Off ~ Avocado Salmon Cakes

Tuesday Cook Off ~ Avocado Salmon Cakes

As I was reading my March issue of Runner’s World magazine, I came across an awesome recipe.   At first I didn’t know if I would try it because it called for can pink salmon.   I usually like my salmon fresh.   Well, I was wrong!  This recipe was delicious.   Plus, it’s very easy to make with a lot of benefits.

Did you know that canned salmon is one of the richest sources of the omega 3 fast EPA and DHA.    These fats decrease heart-disease risk and improve bone strength, which may help runners (me) avoid stress fractures.  It’s also an excellent source of protein and vitamin D.

The Avocado Salmon Cakes are great as an appetizer or my husband and I love them as a light lunch on the weekend.  Whichever you choose, I promise if you like salmon you will not be disappointed.

Recipe from Runner’s World Magazine.

Yields 8 salmon cakes

Recipe:

Mix two 6-ounce cans pink salmon, 2 eggs, 1/2 cup bread crumbs, 1/3 cup milk, 1 shredded zucchini and 2 tsp. curry powder.  Stuff into 8 greased muffin cups.  Bake at 350 degrees for 25 minutes.  While the cakes are cooking prepare the avocado sauce.

In a food processor, puree 1 avocado, 1/2 cup plain yogurt, juice of 1 lime, 1 tsp. wasabi and 1/4 tsp. salt  Serve salmon cakes with avocado sauce.   Delicious!

Do you have a great recipe you would like to share?  Just email us at Linda@mybabypajamas.com.  Please attach a photo if you can.  If your recipe is chosen, you will win a $25.00 Gift Certificate to our website   Who doesn’t want free kids pajamas?  Please share this contest/giveaway!

Don’t forget where to find great footie pajamas, toddler pajamas and more, at My Baby Pajamas.

For the Love of My Pit Bull

Chance

In June of 2012 we lost our beloved pug, Hobbes.   He was 15 years old and lived a great life.  Being a dog family and having two boys who begged and begged for a new dog, my husband and I decided we would rescue a dog.   We did our research and have a friend who volunteers for a local dog rescue.   On a Friday night in September of 2012 we ended up adopting our 10-week-old pit bull mix.   His name is Chance and he is the sweetest dog in the world.

The idea of this post came about when I was talking to a neighbor the other day and they were unsure of the pit bull breed.  They said they were happy Chance was pit bull/lab mix.   And said they felt safer knowing he was only half pit bull.   This is when I realized that most people are uneducated about pit bulls and I wanted to fix this problem.

Pits bulls are a working dog and are great at agility, search-and-rescue, tracking, weight pulling, carting, Shutzhund, hunting, obedience, therapy, and more.  They are a very trainable dog and are eager to please their owner.   In fact, LawDogs USA, for example, opted to use pit bulls exclusively as drug detection dogs because they are so trainable.   Now does that sound like a terrible breed?

I don’t want to go on and on about myths and pit bulls.   Plus, I know pit bulls get a lot of bad press.   But it’s not bad dogs it’s BAD OWNERS!  I guess I just want everyone to keep an open mind about any animal and just make sure you do your homework before you buy or rescue a dog.

Tuesday Cook Off ~ Best Chocolate Chip Muffin Recipe

Best Chocolate Chip Muffins

My oldest son just loves chocolate chip muffins.   They are probably his favorite out of all the muffins.  In fact, at the grocery store if he is along, he always ask for one.  Now he has food allergies and it’s harder for him to eat store bought food with paying some kind of price.  So we went searching for the best chocolate chip muffin recipe and I believe we found it.   We tried a few recipes and these seem to be our favorite.   The top is a little crunchy and it’s not too cake like in texture.   If you have a chocolate chip muffin recipe and you think it’s great, we would love for you to share.

Here is the recipe:

Yields 12 large muffins

Sift together and set aside:

2 1/2 cups flour
3 tsp baking powder

In the bowl of a stand mixer with the whisk attachment in place, whisk together on high speed until foamy and slightly stiffened.

2 eggs
1 1/4 cups sugar
2 tsp vanilla extract

Mix together in a measuring cup with a spout:

1/4 cup melted butter
1/4 cup vegetable oil

Slowly add the oil and butter mixture to the egg mixture in a slow stream as the mixer continues to whisk.

Mix together

1/2 cup whipping cream

1/2 cup milk

2 tbsp apple cider vinegar

Add slowly to the mixing bowl continuing to mix but at a reduced speed.

Fold in the dry ingredients by hand with a rubber spatula being careful not to over mix. Don’t worry about lumps in the batter, they are fine. When the dry ingredients are almost incorporated, gently fold in

1 1/2 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips

Spoon batter into well greased muffin tins, filling them to the top. If you like you can sprinkle about a teaspoon of sugar over the top of each muffin before baking.

Bake in a preheated 400 degree F oven for about 20 minutes or until a wooden skewer inserted into the center of a muffin comes out clean.

Do you have a great recipe you would like to share?  Just email us at Linda@mybabypajamas.com.  Please attach a photo if you can.  If your recipe is chosen, you will win a $25.00 Gift Certificate to our website   Who doesn’t want free kids pajamas?  Please share this contest/giveaway!

Don’t forget where to find great footie pajamas, toddler pajamas and more, at My Baby Pajamas.

Handstand Friday ~ Week Two

#handstandfriday

I just thought I would update you on my progress with my yoga handstand.   I try to do the handstand everyday about 3 or 4 times.   It’s really the only way to get better.   My progress is coming along nicely; I still have myself by a wall for safely.   But I am now not using the wall to stay up in the handstand.  YEA!

Are you taking the #handstandfriday challenge?   How has your handstand progressed?  We would love to hear about it!  Join us and take the challenge.   Don’t be afraid to try something new

Happy Friday!

 

Random Thoughts of the Day

Do you ever just sit around and let your mind race with your thoughts?   Are your thoughts all over the map like mine?  Is it because I am a mom and wife and never have a moments peace.   I feel like my thoughts are all over the spectrum.

Here are my 10 random thoughts for day:

• I love to cook and even like to bake now.   But I hate to make chocolate chip cookies.   It’s not like they are bad, my family loves them and request them all the time.   I just hate baking them.  Is that weird?
• I hate coffee.  I mean hate the taste.  Actually makes me gag.   What to hear something strange?  I LOVE the smell of coffee.   When my husband is making his coffee in the morning I love to be around just so I can smell it.
• Since you now know I hate to drink coffee, I could sure use a Diet Coke.  Yes, this is my means of caffeine.   I drink only one a day
• I should probably get the kids up for school or we will be late.  It’s almost 7 am and we are out the door before 8 am.
• I would like to blow off work today and run by myself.  Without my dog!   I love my dog, Chance, but sometimes it’s nice to go on a long run alone!
• I wish I had straight hair naturally.  Well, maybe I don’t but I wish I could snap my fingers and it would be blown out straight.  People with straight hair have no idea how long it takes us curly hair people to have their hair.
• Later today we have a baseball game, track meet and my husband’s softball game.   I wish I could come home and just sleep. Is that bad?  Don’t worry, I will be there cheering my boys on.
• What’s for dinner??  I should really think about this now before it’s too late.   Oh hell, it’s Smash Burgers tonight!  My boys will be so happy.
• Today is hump day! Yea!  Friday can’t get here fast enough.
• My Dyson vacuum has been in the shop for repairs for a week.  Boy, my house could use a cleaning.   Not looking forward to that this weekend

What is going through your mind at this moment?

P.S.   I wish I was still in my pajamas!