Morning Routine


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Tuesday, August 28, 2007

Fabulous Homemade Cinnamon Roll Recipe

This is for 1 pound of dough which makes 9 rolls. Weight Watchers alert: each cinnamon roll is 6 points!

Dough:
1/4 cup milk
1/4 cup water
1 egg
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp salt
3 Tbsp butter
1/4 cup sugar
1 Tbsp yeast

Glaze:
3 Tbsp melted butter
1/3 cup brown sugar

Filling:
1 Tbsp melted butter
1 Tbsp granulated sugar
1 1/2 tsp cinnamon
1 Tbsp brown sugar
1/3 cup raisins (optional)

Make dough.

Pour the melted butter for the glaze into one 9-inch round or square cake pan; sprinkle with brown sugar. With a rolling pin, roll dough into a 8x14-inch rectangle.

For the filling, brush the melted butter on the dough. In a small bowl, combine the sugars, cinnamon and raisins; sprinkle over dough. Starting with long edge, roll up dough; pinch seams to seal. With a knife, lightly mark roll into 1 1/2 inch sections. Slice a 12-inch piece of dental floss or heavy thread underneath. By bringing the ends of the floss up and crisscrossing them at the top of each mark, you can cut through the roll by pulling the strings in opposite directions. Place rolls cut side up in prepared pan(s), flattening them slightly.**

Cover and let rise in a warm oven 30-45 minutes until doubled.
(Hint: to warm oven slightly, turn oven to Warm setting for 2 minutes, then turn it off, and place covered dough in oven to rise. Remove pan(s) from oven to preheat.)

Preheat oven to 350. Bake 22-25 minutes until golden brown. Remove from oven and immediately invert rolls onto a large platter or serving dish. Serve warm.

**The rolls can be covered with foil at this point and refrigerated overnight or frozen for 1 month. Before baking, allow rolls to thaw completely and rise in a warm oven 30 minutes. (Hint: on a moment's notice you can have a fabulous gift on hand by placing uncooked rolls in disposable cake pans, covering them with foil, and attaching a label with thawing and baking directions to the top, and then freezing them. New mommies will appreciate this bonus when you bring them dinner!)

Wednesday, August 22, 2007

Impacting

I saw this video on another blog. Before I watched it I thought it was going to be another cheesy Christian interpretive dance video. Boy, was I wrong.

Chocolate-Buttermilk Sheet Cake Recipe

WW: this cakes serves 18 and each piece is 6 points.

On the mommies stroller walk this morning a couple of the ladies asked for this recipe. It's so good and I don't really like chocolate.

I'm sure a few of you just did a double take...yep, it's true. I can live without chocolate.

Anyways...this recipe is from my new, ok it's a hand-me-down, better homes and gardens cookbook. Thanks, Kurly, for giving it to me. (Like I was really going to give it back) :-)

"Known to some as Texas Sheet cake, this rich dessert often is served as brownies." - Better Homes and Gardens Cookbook

2 cups all-purpose flour
2 cups granulated sugar
1 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
1 cup butter
1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
2 eggs
1/2 cup buttermilk or sour milk (see tip below)
1 1/2 tsp vanilla
1 recipe chocolate-buttermilk frosting (below)

Note: I use sour milk mainly because my hubby is lactose intolerant. So I've used goats milk to make the sour milk. I've also used soy milk and it works fine too.


1. Grease a 15x10x1-inch or 13x9x2-inch baking pan; set aside. In a large bowl stir together flour, sugar, baking soda, and salt; set aside.
2. In a medium saucepan combine butter, cocoa powder, and 1 cup of WATER. Bring mixture just to boiling, stirring constantly. Remove from heat. Add the cocoa mixture to flour mixture and beat with an electric mixer on medium to high speed until thoroughly combined. Add eggs, buttermilk, and vanilla. Beat for 1 minute (batter will be thin). Pour batter into the prepared pan.
3. Bake in a 350 degree oven about 25 minutes for the 15x10x1-inch pan, 35 minutes for the 13x9x2-inch pan, or until a wooden toothpick comes out clean.
4. Pour warm chocolate-buttermilk frosting over the warm cake, spreading evenly. Place cake, still in the pan, on a wire rack to cool completely.

CHOCOLATE-BUTTERMILK FROSTING RECIPE:
In a medium saucepan combine 1/4 cup butter, 3 TBSP unsweetened cocoa powder, and 3 TBSP buttermilk (or sour milk). Bring to boiling. Remove from heat. Add 2 1/4 cups sifted powdered sugar and 1/2 tsp vanilla. Beat until smooth. If desired, stir in 3/4 cup coarsely chopped pecans.

MAKING SOUR MILK: If you don't have buttermilk on hand, or just want to cut down on calories and fat, substitute sour milk in the same amount. For each cup of sour milk needed, place 1 TBSP lemon juice in a glass measuring cup. Add enough milk to make 1 cup total liquid; stir. Let stand for 5 minutes before using.

Thursday, August 9, 2007

Are you being an ambassador?

An ambassador is defined as a diplomat of the highest rank; accredited as representative from one country to another. As Christians we are ambassadors representing Heaven here on Earth.

Don't forget that the culture that surrounds us is not our own. We are called to be different and our accent should give us away.

Some kids of Christian parents go astray when they fail to see meaningful differences in the lives of their parents verses the world. They don't see mom & dad as ambassadors but rather as natives. In turn, the children take on the foreign culture as their own.

But it's our job as parents to teach our kids that earth is not our home, that we have a home in Heaven, and that we are sojournors, ambassadors, while we are here. In order to teach them this, we must live it. We must fully live it; not in part but in whole. It must be a total surrender to Christ.

Remember that as ambassadors we must speak the language of where we live but our speech should be drenched with nuances of our native tongue. We should be different and it should be obvious.

Are you living as an ambassador?

Thursday, August 2, 2007

My car passed smog

About a year ago my check engine light came on. I took it to Allen's Automotive and Norm told me it wasn't anything to worry about until it was time to get it smogged. And now it's time.

So for a year the check engine light would go off for a day or two but then come back on for a couple of weeks. A couple of days ago my check engine light went off. Last night God laid it on my heart to smog my car. So I prayed and decided if the light was still off once I got to the smog station I'd do it.

I had to wait two hours at the smog station. I would start to get nervous then I'd pray. I rebuked demons from messing with my car, the equipment, and the analyzer. I kept praying that the check engine light would stay off because if it comes on anytime during the test it's an automatic failure. Then I saw on the TV in the foyer a girl playing a harp on the Montel Williams show.

I was reminded about my devotions I did yesterday. Whenever King Saul was tormented by an evil spirit he would call for David to play his harp then Saul would be comforted. That was it. Once I saw and heard the harp I KNEW that my car would pass smog. And it did. And because I had to wait so long, I got $10 off my bill.

GOD IS SO GOOD