Sunday Morning tradition!

At our house we have a tradition on Sunday mornings and special days, Moma, me, makes a special breakfast.  It is different every week and holiday.  This morning it is homemade cinnamon rolls.  (recipe below)  Past ideas are reindeer pancakes for Christmas, Bunny butt pancakes for Easter, Texas for Texas Independence day.  Miss S loves pancakes and ask for them nearly everyday, and she can have them with Sugar Free syrup. My family has gotten so used to sugar free syrup that when I got some lite because it was free, the boys asked to have S's instead.  To us it taste better, I know most of you are turning up your noses at the thought, but you get used to it.

I have to brag on my pageant girls.  I guess I need to back up I have a pageant system that is non profit.  Yesterday we had a pageant and despite less than 10 contestants we still collected 170 items and 3 trash bags of clothes for the families in West, Texas where the fertilizer plant exploded.  If you really start to think about it.  The Oklahoma City Bombing did that much damage with only a Ryder truck full of fertilizer, this was an entire plant of fertilizer and a very small town.  But I am so proud of these girls, they didn't get anything in return.  So next time somebody talks down about pageants or you see Drama on Toddlers and Tiaras, remember what I just said these pageant girls did for strangers.

Today is also a very special day in history.  I don't get political on this blog and I am not starting now but many will take it that way.  Today is the 152nd anniversary of the beginning of what Southerns call "The War of Northern Aggression", although the rest of the country knows it as the Civil War.  I personally call it the War of Northern Aggression, being the good southern girl I am.  That was not a war over slavery as they teach now, the South did not like the Northerns "Yankees" and DC taking some of their rights away and imposing their beliefs on the south.  Sound familiar?  Just food for thought.

Back on topic:

Here are some pictures of other "special" Breakfasts.

Bunny butts for Easter.  The kids thought these were so funny.  Even the 14 year old loved them.

Rudolf the Red Nosed Reindeer pancakes.  

Not to bad free hand if I do say so myself.

Today's Cinnamon rolls are proofing now then into the oven and make some icing.

Cinnamon Roll recipe
Ingredients:
1 cup warm water
1 pkg active dry yeast
1/4 cup sugar
1 tsp salt
3 tbls softend butter I used Texas Road cinnamon butter (recipe below)
1 egg, beaten
3 1/2-4 cups flour

Method
Put water and yeast in large mixing bowl and add next 4 ingredients. Beat with dough hook until well blended. Add 3 1/2 to 4 cups flour and mix until soft dough forms (should not be sticky). Put out onto floured board and knead a few times until smooth. Place in greased bowl, cover until dough doubles, Then roll out on a floured surface until about 1/3 inch thick and rectangular.  Brush on more of the Texas Roadhouse cinnamon butter across the entire top of the dough, sprinkle lightly with brown sugar.  Then roll from on end longways to the other side.  Then with a dough cutter (or pizza cutter) cut about an inch thick rolls off.  Place on a WELL GREASED cookie sheet.  Then let it rest and raise again for about 15 minutes.  Then bake for 20 minutes at 350.  

Icing: 
 1 stick of butter
1/2 cup of shortening
1 tsp vanilla
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 milk
1-3 cups of powdered sugar To your desired thickness.

Mix until creamy.


Texas Roadhouse Cinnamon Honey Butter

·         ½ cup butter

·         ½ cup powdered sugar

·         ½ cup honey

·         1 tsp. cinnamon

melt the butter and mix well.

Rolls are in the oven.  And I am starving

Black Eyed peas ready to make.

Ready to make black eyed peas.

These are easy to make up and store for later.  We all know that we are supposed to eat black eyed peas for New Years.  Make these up in summer when your peas come in and for later.

Black eyed peas

2 c black eyed peas

1 ham  seasoning packet

tsp salt

tbsp pepper

2 tsp pepper flakes ( adjust to your taste)

Layer in a clean dry bottle add an oxygen absorber and seal. 

To cook add 4 c water and enjoy.

This has 5 servings about 18 grams carbs per serving.  So it is Diabetic friendly. You can adjust the seasonings to what your needs and taste.  When I cook black eyed peas fresh, I add a whole jalapeno, so I substituted it with Red pepper flakes.

Cranapple Jelly.

Got up this morning and made some Cranapple Jelly.  It is yummy on biscuits or toast.

 Cranapple Jelly

• 3 cups of Cranapple juice (tried to get one with lower sugar content)
• 1 package of powdered pectin
• 4 1/2 cups of  sugar.

Makes 5 1/2 pints of jelly
Sterilize your jars and lids
Start your water in your water canner boiling
In a Large sauce pan pour in all your juice and turn to high.  I like to get my juice hot first.  Then add pectin and stir until fully dissolved.  Let boil for a minute, then add the sugar and stir until it is all dissolved. Bring to a rolling boil for 1 1/2 minutes stirring and being careful not to let it boil over.  Pour into your jars leaving 1/4 inch of head space.  Put the lids and rings on the jars and carefully place in the water bath canner.  Make sure there is at least an inch of water over the top of jars.  Once the water is at a boil set your timer for 10 minutes.  Then let it cool and listen to the music of the Ping.  When the Jars are completely cool check the seals, label them, and up them way.  If a seal isn't secure put in the fridge and use immediately.

This recipe works for Grape, any of the Cran juices, and pomagranite juice. I have even made green tea jelly, but you have to add 1 tbsp to it.  J loved it but I thought it tasted like liquid Pez.
Happy Canning!

What to do with left over holiday candy.

If you are anything like me, you ration out holiday candy and then end up with tons left over.  What to do with it?  Well here is your answer.  Old spaghetti sauce jars washed out and dried.  Place the can in them and save the candy for later.

The Smarties will get used fastest since we use them when S is having blood glucose lows.  But the rest will last a while and this takes up far less room than gallon baggies in the cabinet.  

Why store candy in your food storage?  Well there are 3 reasons:

1. Comfort and normalcy is important in rough or stressful times.  Remember if we as adults find it stressful, the kids will too.  A little piece of candy every once and a while will go a long way to soothe a stressed out child.
2. Sugar is a quick energy boost although short term.
3. If there is widespread problems, SHTF situations, you can use candy and especially chocolate for bartering.  Think about it.  Sometimes couldn't you just kill for some chocolate?

There you go recycle jars and store some candy in them.