Those Cinnamon Rolls Becky Makes

Okay, here's the official recipe of Those Cinnamon Rolls Becky Makes. I show my not-so-traditional method that is quicker and less messy.

Remove bread from the bread maker.

Cut the dough in half with a pastry knife, then in half again.

Roll the dough out to 3/4 of an inch thickness.

Using a 2 cutter, cut out circles.  (I used the lid from a Baker's Joy can)

Dip the rounds in melted butter and then roll in the cinnamon sugar mixture.

Layer the rounds on a cookie sheet or in a bundt pan.  I used parchment paper on the bottom of the pan.    Let rise about 30 minutes before baking.

Those Cinnamon Rolls Becky Makes

(Makes 80-100)

2 cups milk

1 cup butter + an additional cup for dipping

2 eggs

½ cup sugar

2 tbsp. yeast

2 tsp. salt

6 cups flour (divided)

In a microwave-safe dish, melt 1 cup of butter.  Add milk sugar and heat until warm and butter is melted. Measure 2 cups of flour and yeast in a mixing bowl.  Add in the milk mixture and eggs.  Mix until well combined.  Add the remainder of the flour.  This makes a really sticky dough.  Pour onto lightly floured counter, and knead until smooth and elastic. Place the dough into a butter-greased bowl, turning the dough over to coat with butter.  Let rise until doubled, about 1 hour.  Punch down, and divide in 1/2.  Roll out one section of dough at a time to ¼ inch thickness and cut into rounds with a 2” biscuit cutter.  Mix 2 cups of sugar and 2 teaspoons of cinnamon.  Melt the additional cup of butter.  Dip rounds in butter and then cinnamon and sugar mixture.  Place on ends in Bundt pans or a large cookie sheet (stacked side by side on end).  Let rise 30 minutes.  Bake at 350 for 25 minutes.  Cool in pan, turn onto plate drizzle with a glaze.  For the glaze mix 2 cups of powdered sugar with 1 tsp. vanilla, 2-3 tablespoons melted butter, and enough milk to make a smooth consistency. 

Becky Bolan

Okay, here's my variation: I make this dough in my bread maker.  I put the warmed milk and butter in the pan first.  Next I add the flour, salt, sugar, and eggs on the side.  I make a well into the flour and add the yeast.  I only use two packages of yeast when I use the bread maker.  I set my bread maker to the "dough" setting.  When it starts to mix I stand by the bread maker adding more flour until it starts to form a ball.  Might take up to ½ a cup of flour.  It works perfectly every time and is less messy.  This recipe will make enough for one large cookie sheet.  I make four rows of stacked rolls.

My Kids Crack Me Up!

The other night we were having friends over.  My son, Ben, was in the kitchen with me helping me get ready.  As he's opening my wine bottle he looks up and asks me, "Mom, should I be a wine guy or a beer guy?"  I told him to drink wine with the ladies and save the beer for the guys.  He agreed.  Now, mind you, he's 8 years away from his first drink, but he's planning his future now.

Adventures of Daniel

I frequently refer to Daniel as a, "Domestic Terrorist."  If you have ever followed him around the house picking up after him, you would understand what I mean. 

Daniel is my fourth child.  My fourth boy, that is.  He came quite unexpectedly.  Someone, and I'm not mentioning any names, was supposed to see a certain doctor after number three and chickened out.  You know I marched him right back to the doctor four months later and ordered a certain procedure to be performed, as I watched.

Daniel is autistic.  I don't want to go into detail, but I will say this.  Every accomplishment, every gain, every nugget I hold on to tightly.  They seem to make the bad days better.  This week is  one of his amazing weeks.  He picked up the phone yesterday and had me call his grandpa.  He carried on a conversation with him!  He walked into the living room this morning with his boxers hitched up and declared, "I look fabulous!"  This week he is a bundle of joy.  Making us laugh at every turn.  He's engaged in everything.  He is excited about Thanksgiving for the first time. 

5 Years Later

Five years ago, I lay in a hospital bed peering down at my newly flattened chest.  Quite a shock.  I had to relearn my body.  When I looked down, I didn't see anything.  Just my shoes, quite a change from my triple D view.

Five Years ago today Dr. West removed both of my girls and the very last few remaining cancer cells that had invaded my body.  It's Officially the day I was declared, "Cancer Free".  

It was a large lump (baseball-sized) in my left breast.  "Mastitis" they kept telling me.  I had an 8 month old baby and I had stopped breast feeding.  How could that be?  When my OB saw it, his chin literally dropped to the floor and the color drained from his face.  He was on the phone with the surgeon within minutes.  

The surgeon took one look at me and said, "It's cancer."  I get sick just thinking about it.

After hearing the diagnosis my family sat around my living room in a cancer coma.  I told my brother to give it to me straight.  I wanted to hear the truth.  What was I looking at?  How long did I have?  He went into the office and came back several minutes later with tears in his eyes.  I had a 28% chance of being here in 5 years.  

You see I had been diagnosed with one of the worst breeds of cancer out there.  Called Inflammatory Breast Cancer it is known to be quite aggressive.  My outlook was grim.

My younger sister had been diagnosed just two years before.  I remember her surgeon telling the family how lucky she was to have Lobular Breast Cancer.  That type stays in the breast.  She was also Estrogen positive which meant she had drugs available to her after treatment to ward off the cancer.

Me on the other hand, was not so lucky, according to the internet.  That was a Thursday night.  I have to say, it was the worst weekend of my life.  Not knowing is the worst.  Not having a plan to execute.

On Monday I met with the Oncologist.  Well, my three sisters, my two sister-in-laws, my husband, and my niece met with her.  Don't do cancer alone.  Dr. Tetef told us that although I was not Estrogen or Progesterone positive, I was HR-2 positive.  Just 5 months before this diagnosis, coupled with my type of cancer, was a death sentence.  However, there was a new drug on the scene.  Herceptin.  They called it the "Penicillin of cancer".

To be continued....

Sweet Shop

Look at the Sweet Shop some of my friends put together for our Volunteer Appreciation at our school.  It could not have been any cuter.

We gave parents baggies to fill up with candy.  They went nuts.  I couldn't believe how much they took!  Do you see the cute platters?  Laura put those together with candlesticks and plastic plates.  They could not have been any cuter. 

Most importantly this day was to thank our parent volunteers.  Without them, I don't know what I would do!

Summer Daze

Well, I had surgery on Tuesday.  The "girls" needed a little adjustment.  I didn't plan on a big surgery and I didn't think I would be out of it.  I wasn't.  Wednesday I took a few naps and a few Motrin.  I feel much better today.  There's no real pain when you don't have any feeling in that area anyway.

My baby is coming home from camp today.  He's been gone for a whole week.  Here's a picture of him at camp.  I really miss him.  He's the boy who takes care of me.  He makes my coffee and brings me a cup when I need one.  In many ways he's the girl I never had.  I have really missed him this week. 

We are planning a big day at the fair tomorrow.  I have gone over the many different food items I can buy from deep friend butter to chocolate covered bacon.  The truth is, I will get none of these.  I pretty much stick to the basics.  I don't want to take a chance of getting sick at the fair.  We usually get the mini-donuts and grilled corn.  Can't go wrong there.  None the less, it's fun to look and smell.  My favorite attraction at the fair is the home goods area.  Where else can you learn about the latest mop or kitchen gadget.  I can't count the number of things we have bought here.  I had a salsa maker that I used for years.  I could still use it.  It's somewhere in the garage.

Daniel had speech yesterday.  I was amazed at how well he listened and complied with the SLP.  He really is growing up quickly.  He gets himself dressed and takes care of his needs.  That's 12 years of mommy dressing and pottying and I think I'm finally finished.  It's time to move on to the next chapter.

Today in the car we talked a long time about college.  I want my boys to move away from home and go to college.  I want them to live in the dorms and enjoy college.  I want to make this happen for them.  You can't get that experience back.  Living at home and driving to school is not the same.  I keep telling Joey that he needs to pick a college and he keeps reminding me he's only in 2nd grade!

Happy Birthday!

Happy Birthday to my 48 year old husband!  I remember spending his 25th birthday together.  How did we get to be so old?  Tonight we went out to dinner with friends and had a great time.  Twenty-four years together and we're still having fun.  Happy birthday sweetheart.

Just Saying

Random things I need to put into the cybersphere:

• Have you ever learned more about someone than you ever wanted to know?  And not in a good way?  
• I spent the entire evening avoiding my son's teachers at Open House because I didn't want to hear what they might say.  (I have really good kids)
• I have so much to do in the next few weeks I just want to go to bed and lay there until June 24th.
• The show Extreme Couponing really bugs me.  They are just organized hoarders.

Thank you for indulging me.

Dan's Birthday

Six years ago today I was holding my new baby in my arms.  The overwhelming love I felt for him then is even stronger today.  Such a sweet boy.  So much has happened in those 6 years!  I am just grateful to be alive.  I am grateful to be his mom.  Happy Birthday my sweet boy.