(From Brazil): Cinnamon Rolls in Brazil

So I wanted to make an american treat for FHE with 10 investigators last Monday so we decided on cinnamon rolls. We don´t have much time as missionaries so I used Xann´s 40 minute magic roll recipe (written below) for my base.  I doubled the recipe.  I started out and made the dough like the recipe said and mixed it in the biggest pot we have.

I then had to roll out the dough.  We don´t have a rolling pin so I had to use a can of lard we had in the cupboard.  It worked perfectly! 

I then put soft margarine/shortening stuff on and a mixture of brown sugar and cinnamon on top.

I then rolled them up and cut them with the last piece of dentil floss in the house (yeah, this experience is like the widdow using the last of all she had to make Elijah a loaf of bread:) )  I put them in a buttered pan.  I let them raise for about 20 mins when the recipe calls for 10.

We then put them in the oven.  We didn´t know the exact temperature because it´s celcius and I´m pretty sure the temp is not correct on our dial so we just continued to pric them with a fork and see if they were doughy.  They stayed in for about 23 mins I think.

I then made a cream cheese frosting with margarine/shortening, cream cheese stuff (not exactly the same thing), and powdered sugar that I found. They turned out soooooooooo good!!!  At FHE, everyone loved them!!  I kind of felt bad because my cinnamon rolls were devoured but the cake that the other lady made was not eaten... oh well.  J. and M. kept coming back and cutting tiny pieces :)

We had extra dough so after cutting them I stuck them in the freezer with tin foil over them.  On Thursday, Sister G. did 1 year on mission so we wanted a cake.  We didn´t have time or money so in the morning I set out the cinnamon rolls and when we got home at 9:15ish, they were raised.  I put them in the oven and made more frosting.  We had a little party with cin rolls and ice cream that sister G bought (with my money because she wanted to contribute but didn´t have any money.)  It turned out even better the second day! ( other pics.)

40-minute rolls

From The Taste of Home

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons active dry yeast
• 1 cup plus 2 tablespoons warm water (110° to 115°)
• 1/3 cup vegetable oil
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 1 egg
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 3 to 3-1/2 cups all-purpose flour

Directions
     1.     In a large bowl, dissolve yeast in warm water. Add oil and sugar; let
stand for 5 minutes. Add the egg, salt and enough flour to form a
soft dough.

     2.     Turn onto a floured surface; knead until smooth and elastic, about
3-5 minutes. Do not let rise. Divide into 12 pieces; shape each into
a ball. Place 3 in. apart on greased baking sheets.

     3.     Cover and let rest for 10 minutes. Bake at 425° for 8-12 minutes
or until golden brown. Remove from pans to wire racks to cool.

Yield: 1 dozen

Baby Shower

I have decided that I love throwing/hosting parties and showers. With help from one of my friends, I threw a double baby shower for two ladies. One is expecting a boy and the other a girl, so I went with a blue and pink theme. I didn't stick with the common baby blue and baby pink though. I definitely branched out and brought some pop into the picture with royal blue, hot pink, and different shades and tones of the two. It turned out lovely! And the moms-to-be loved it.

Below is a picture of the dessert table. I made and served three different desserts, all going along with the color theme. The chocolate cupcakes were finished off with a swirl of almond buttercream blues and vanilla buttercream pinks, and topped off with a cute little safety pin decoration. I love how they turned out!

The dipped marshmallows were very easy, as were the dipped Oreos. Simply melt the pink and/or blue vanilla candy melts in the microwave, dip half of each Oreo and marshmallow in the chocolate, and let it rest on a sheet of waxed paper until completely hardened. When able to remove them easily from the paper, simply place a kabob or popsicle stick in the middle and display them on blocks of floral foam. I bought four different blocks and wrapped them in colored tissue paper. Now I can re-use the blocks for other occasions; I just have to use new tissue paper!

The cupcakes were my usual Chocolate Cupcakes, except I added an additional 1 c. of flour and baked for about 20 minutes per dozen. It made exactly 3 dozen cupcakes. I used the Buttercream Frosting recipe from Our Best Bites. The pink cupcakes were vanilla and the blue cupcakes were almond. I added an additional 1/4 tsp. almond extract per half batch of frosting. The almond buttercream was a BIG hit!

The decorations were quite simple, yet sophisticated. For the fireplace, I simply cut triangles out of colored and patterned papers and hung them on ribbon from the mantle using baby clothespins. 

We used blue and pink balloons and paper lanterns throughout the house to keep the theme consistent.

Below are some diaper dolls that we made, a boy and a girl. The tutorial can be found here. It is a nice decoration because we were able to send each mama home with a doll: 17 diapers, a onesie, a receiving blanket, a beanie, and a binky. A little mini bundle of cuteness!!!

 

All in all, it was a successful baby shower. The mamas loved it and quite a few girls came out to support them. I hope to have more shower/party posts in the future. Like I said, preparing for it was very fun!

(From Brazil) Brazilian Chocolate Chip Cookies and Makeshift Treats

Chocolate Chip Cookies - Brazil Style

During the last world cup game, we attempted to make cookies.  I used my food science background and ratios to make a dang good chocolate chip cookie!  We will bring them today and see how they are.  Sam should put them on the blog.  They are a bit round, but that is because they don´t have butter here and the sugar is different.  The melting point of the shortening stuff is much higher than butter which results in a more round cake like cookie versus chewy with butter.  I was trying to explain this to sister Clark.  She looked at me and said she was really happy that science made me excited but she just wanted to eat the cookie and didn´t care to hear.  I continued anyways:)

Using What's on Hand to Make Crave-Worthy Meals

People here don't make breakfast food and Sister Clark wanted Mcmuffins for lunch last p-day. They don't have bagels or English muffins and people don't make biscuits here. I made biscuits with some old lard we found in the cupboards which turned out really good. I made eggs with milk and a tiny bit of mayo to put on top. Here they don't have bacon in strips so we bought a block of bacon and I cut it into strips and fried it up to put on the sandwiches. We had two each and a salad. They turned out really good.

We also wanted buttermilk pancakes one day so before bed, I prepared the dry ingredients for the recipe Sam sent me. The next day I squeezed a lemon in the milk for a makeshift buttermilk (they don't have buttermilk here) and made some dang good pancakes. This picture is not good because I forgot to take pics and this one was a little well done. Sister Clark's parents sent peanut butter so we ate them with peanut butter and bananas. I put honey on mine too.

The last one is just a fun and simple breakfast I made for Sister Clark. She doesn't like to cook so it's a good way to serve her. I want to make a cookbook with fun kid food ideas like faces and stuff. What do you think?

Summer S'mores Cupcakes

Recently we got invited to a big going-away party for some people from our ward. It was a potluck-type affair. Whenever I know other people are going to be providing food as well, I try to find cute dessert ideas that would really stand out on a normal dessert/snack table. I think these S'mores Cupcakes did the trick! I found the idea in my recipe book, "Savoring the Seasons with Our Best Bites". Instead of using their chocolate cake recipe though, I just used Shon's Birthday Cake recipe and added just enough flour to make a thicker batter so the cupcakes wouldn't sink while baking. Otherwise, I followed the recipe as written, and baked until toothpick in center came out clean.

I did use their recipe for Marshmallow Frosting though:

3/4 c. real butter, softened to room temperature

3/4 c. powdered sugar

1 tsp. vanilla

1 container marshmallow cream

3-5 Tbsp. milk 

Beat butter, powdered sugar, and vanilla extract until creamy and smooth. Use a stand mixer with a paddle attachment if you have one. Add marshmallow cream and blend until incorporated. Scrape sides of bowl and continue beating a full minute at a medium-high speed. Add milk, one tablespoon at a time, and beat until combined. When you add milk, frosting may change in appearance and appear clumpy and separated. Continue beating on high speed until it comes back together and appears fluffy and smooth. Repeat with tablespoons of milk until desired consistency is reached.

I then used a swirly frosting piping tip, sprinkled crushed graham crackers on top, and finished off with a Hershey's chocolate chunk, as recommended in the recipe book.

Shaner said they could possibly be the best cupcakes he'd ever eaten. Not bad!

Adorable Crochet Baby Sandals

A friend of mine had a baby shower recently. She was expecting a little boy. (Little man was actually born a couple days ago and he is adorable!) I thought I would try something out-of-the-box and creative as a baby shower gift. So I found this free pattern for Crochet Baby Sandals and tried it out! I think they turned out rather cute! Of course, I used V-man as the foot model to make sure they would actually work, and sure enough, they were a perfect accessory for his chubby little foot :) 

I would have chosen different colors, but this was the only yarn I had quick access to at the time. Since I haven't crocheted anything in about a decade - and even then it was basically only dish-rags - I was quite pleased with how the little sandals turned out. And the mama-to-be loved them, which is all that matters :)