Nov 30, 2009

Mmmmm....



Here is a super super yummy recipe for Cranberry-orange rolls...A delicious addition to the Holiday treats...(we'll all just have to exercise a little longer :)

Rolls
2 tablespoons dry yeast
1 tablespoon sugar
½ cup warm water
1 1/3 cup scalded milk
¼ cup shortening
2 ½ teaspoons salt
¼ cup sugar
2 eggs, slightly beaten
4 cups unsifted bread flour

Filling
¼ cup softened butter
½ cup sugar
Juice of one orange
Zest of one orange
1/3 cup fresh cranberries

Icing
2 cups powdered sugar
Juice of one orange
Zest of one orange
Dash of salt

To make rolls, dissolve yeast and 1 tablespoon sugar in ½ cup warm water. Scald milk and add shortening to it while hot, then cool the mixture. Once the mixture has cooled, add it and the remaining ingredients to the yeast mixture. Mix well until dough develops a slight sheen (dough should be pliable and fairly soft). Let dough rise until it doubles in six. While dough is rising, prepare the filling. Combine all ingredients in a food processor and pulse until the cranberries are chopped but not pureed. Roll the dough out on a floured surface into a circle and coat the surface with the cranberry filling. Then cut dough into 16 equal sections, like a pie. Roll up each triangular section, starting at the wide ends to make crescents. Place rolls on two generously greased cookie sheets, and cover. Allow to rise until dough looks puffy and light. Bake for 12 minutes at 400 degrees. While they are baking, prepare the icing.

Mix together powdered sugar, juice, zest, and a dash of salt. Generously drizzle icing over rolls as soon as they are removed from the oven.


mmmmm can't wait to eat them up!

Nov 29, 2009

Thanksgiving Feasts!

Thanksgiving! ...with my family... Tay and I were in charge of making mashed potatoes and thanks to our wonderful potato ricer they were super fluffy and yummy!
We were also so glad that Ryan and Maria were able to join us too!

Cute lil indians: Morning Star and Quiet Mouse

We had two Thanksgiving feasts this year (different days thank goodness!) and had a great time at both of them....This one was with friends and some of Tay's family. Jaime and Brock were nice to host it at their place and had us all at dress up as Pilgrims and Indians.


Oh how sweet! They are getting along!

mmm yum
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Nov 10, 2009

So much to be thankful for...

Tay and I had a fun time filling up this poster to remember our many many blessings from a loving Father in Heaven...I'm sure we could have kept going and going, but we were running out of room!

D&C 59:7 "Thou shalt thank the Lord they God in all things"

Nov 8, 2009

Cooking Sunday!

Do you ever just get the urge to make something you've never made before, but grew up watching your mom making? Tay and I definitely do and have had a lot of fun making some new traditions in our family.
My mom makes the best rasberry jam and I was so excited to be making some of our very own! (Well we love sharing too, so if you get the urge for some, please come stop by!)


Taylor making some delicious caramel popcorn balls...I haven't been a fan in the past because I only had the commercial store bought kind that was hard and stale...but oh I'm a fan now of homemade caramel popcorn balls...oh so yummilicious!

Surprise!

Nov 1, 2009

Halloween Surprise Continued...

So after telling my family in a fun way, we also wanted to surprise Tay's family and tell them in a fun way! We went to a Halloween party Christine and Garrett put on...
Baker and the Oven...notice the "bun in the oven" :)

ps notice the mustache...something fitting for the holiday as they are very scary and I let Tay grow one for a few weeks... but Nov 1st it's gone! No more scary mustache :)


It was fun to see everyone's costumes...Cleopatra (Elizabeth) and Mark Anthony (Nick)
Live long and prosper! (Christine and Garrett)
Brandon, Stacy, and Brody (what a cute little monkey!)
Swine Flu and Pregnant women do not go together! (Mickey and Braden)
Just a fun idea for sharing some chips and dip.

Halloween Surprise!

Halloween Fun! My mom and I put together a Halloween party for the family...carving pumpkins, eating pizza, decorating Halloween sugar cookies, and just having a ton of fun together! ...little did anyone know that we had a little surprise to share!
Taylor helping the twins...oh I mean superwoman and spiderwoman :)
as I was helping Kimi, she said, "I like carving pumpkins but I don't like getting my hands dirty"...so I ended up gutting it as she watched... :) it was pretty funny

Aubs and her "friend" Collin

Mom and Jeff
Having so much fun with the family!
So this is what we said our pumpkin was...
...and here's the back of it...
...but then, light it up and here's what you get! Hopefully you can put together the words!
We set up all the pumpkins in the next room when we were all done carving and then we told everyone to come and check them out all lit up...little did my family know we had a surprise for them! "WE'RE PREGNANT"!!!

...a carving I did for one of the little girls who really wanted a cat! I was surprised to find that it actually worked out.

...I also found this t-shirt and thought it was so fun to wear along with the surprise of telling my family. So fun! Tay and I are so excited to be parents. I am now 3 months pregnant and due in May! It's been so fun to share the good news with everyone!

Carving Pumpkins!

We carved pumpkins for a combined FHE with the cousins (Ryan and Ana Maria and Rich and Celeste) and had a blast! We even enjoyed some pumpkins seeds and pumpkin blood (orange julius :).
Ryan and Ana Maria (two face pumpkin)
Celeste and Rich (she never carved pumpkins since she was like 5!)
...notice the power tools...yea boys will be boys
spooky joker pumpkin
So fun! We love carving pumpkins!