Coconut Almond Cinnamon Rolls

When I get a craving, there is no stopping me.  And I’m not even pregnant still.  So, imagine that.

We’ve started a tradition around here called “Big Breakfast Sunday” and each week we bake something delicious that has lots of

butter. goodness. sugar. and it must be a perfect pair with my coffee.

Last week was Mother’s day so my husband made Chocolate Chip Pancakes because they are my absolute favorite and I might request them as my last meal.

This week: Almond Coconut Cinnamon Rolls

I wanted coconut and I wanted cinnamon rolls.  The Almond was a mistake because I bought both almond and coconut extract and then I misplaced the coconut extract in my house.  Why? Forgive me.  The last I saw it was on the floor in the hallway. Don’t ask.

My mistake was also my gain. And Cy’s.

These rolls have coconut inside, as well as cinnamon, sugar, and sea salt, plus toasted coconut on top.  Isn’t toasted coconut pretty?

So when you roll them up and bake them, they have tons of layers, and in a cinnamon roll that is the best thing you could ask for.

See how pretty they look, all sitting next to each other?  Like birds on a telephone wire.  Kind of.  Or not at all, but I keep thinking about those little birdies. But this is pre-frosting, which is an essential component.

This frosting is an almond frosting, but again if you are coconut crazy, then replace the almond extract with coconut extract.  I think I will next time.

Instant replay.  Amen. Thank you. Goodnight.

Coconut Almond Cinnamon Rolls

{Recipe adapted from Better Homes and Gardens}

Coconut Almond Cinnamon Rolls

Ingredients:

large baking dish

butter for greasing

4 cups all purpose flour

1 package rapid rise yeast (Active dry yeast is ok too, just see the note at the bottom of the post!)

1 cup milk

1/3 cup granulated sugar

1 and 1/3 cup butter, divided

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon sea salt

2 eggs

1 teaspoon almond extract

3/4 cup packed dark brown sugar

1 tablespoon ground cinnamon

1/3 cup coconut flakes sweetened

1/3 cup coconut flakes for toasting

Icing:

1-2 cups milk

1/2 lb powdered sugar

almond extract to taste (again, you can use coconut here too, and I would recommend replacing the coconut here, and leaving the almond in the rolls themselves.)

Directions:

Because we are using Rapid Rise yeast, we will begin by adding the yeast to two cups of the flour and set aside. Rapid Rise yeast is added to dry ingredients first, and then the wet ingredients are added later. But for now, if you are using Active Dry Yeast, this step is the same. In a small saucepan, put milk, 1/3 cup of butter, granulated sugar and salt on medium heat, allowing butter to almost melt and the temperature reaches about 120-130 degrees. If you can, use a thermometer, because if it's too hot, it will not allow the yeast to do it's magic. If you don't have a thermometer, a good rule of thumb is to never let it boil or form small bubble around the side of the saucepan. The butter should not be totally melted, but almost, and the liquid should be cool enough to dip your finger in quickly, but not burn it. Stir occasionally so the sugar will dissolve. You are better to have the liquid on the cooler side than on the hotter side.

Once warm to desired temperature, add liquid mixture to flour and yeast and mix, along with the eggs and almond extract on medium speed for thirty seconds. Stop and scrape the sides of the bowl, and then mix on high speed for three more minutes. Add in the rest of the flour (2 cups) a little at a time until it's fully incorporated. If you are using a KitchenAid, make sure to use the hook attachment for this step. If not, then use a wooden spoon and do it by hand. Once incorporated, place dough on a floured surface, and knead for a few minutes, adding any extra flour that you could not incorporate into the mixing step. Form into a ball and let rest for ten minutes.*

While it's resting, mix the brown sugar, cinnamon, and a dash of flour into a small bowl. Heat the remaining butter in the microwave to melt, and set aside. Once the dough has rested for ten minutes, roll out into a rectangular shape, but the ends will come to more of a point. The dough should be about 1/4 inch thick. You can make it thinner, it just depends on how thick you want your rolls to be.

Use a pastry brush, or just a spoon, and spread half of the melted butter evenly over the dough, leaving about 1/2-1 inch of space on each side. Sprinkle brown sugar mixture evenly over butter. Use a spoon to make sure it's evenly dispersed. Now sprinkle the coconut evenly over filling, and then sea salt on top of that. Roll the dough starting at the bottom point, and rolling towards the top point. It will be full, so try and roll tightly, but be careful not to rip the dough. Once rolled, pinch the ends that do not have any filling in them, and use a bread knife to cut them off. Carefully cut the dough into about 1-1/2 inch (again, depends on how thick you want your rolls to be and how many) pieces. Place each piece into the baking pan, cover in a warm place for about 40 minutes to an hour to let them rise. Mine didn't look that giant, but they still worked.

While you are waiting, preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Once heated, place coconut flakes on a cookie sheet and bake for about 5 minutes, watching closely so that the coconut gets toasted and not burned. Remove from oven. Continue to let dough rise. I leave the oven on and have the rolls on the stove so that the heat allows them to rise faster.

Place powdered sugar into mixing bowl, and add a small portion of the milk. Mix on low, scraping the sides of the bowl, and add the rest of the milk in small doses, watching the texture of the icing. Some people like the icing thick, others thin, so add more or less milk accordingly. Add the Almond or coconut extract to taste.

Once rolls have risen, place in oven for 25-30 minutes or until golden brown. Remove and let cool slightly, then pour frosting over rolls. Serve warm, and add toasted coconut on top.

Enjoy!

*If using Active Dry Yeast, place dough ball into greased bowl, cover and let double in size, about 1-1 1/2 hours. Punch down dough, then follow steps above like the rest of the recipe.

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Liberty and Justice for All

Ive been thinking about the events of the past two days and I feel as though I am alone.  The news that Osama Bin Laden has been killed has filled every station both TV and radio, and conversations of the past few days.  People are thrilled that a terrorist who is said to be the mastermind behind 9/11 and other terrorist plots against the United States is dead.  As I witness the joyous reaction of this news, I am trying my best to not only assume positive intent, but to also understand.

I am pretty sure that people believe that the United States is a much safer place.

That justice has been served because Osama has killed so many people.

That this war was not for nothing.

And nothing is wrong with these thoughts.  Well, maybe.  You see, I hope that the United States is a safer place, but I fear it is not.  We are a target now more than ever, as we have killed a leader of a group of people.  This is a scary thought.

Justice, my friends, is not vengeance.  A friend of mine posted on her blog a good response that shares most of the same points of views and she included a quote by Mark Finney:

There’s a big difference between “justice” and “vengeance.” Justice is about about making sure people get what they deserve, Vengeance is about delighting in the suffering of another person. I pray that we Americans can respond to the news about Bin Laden in a way that celebrates and honors justice, not just vengeance.

I am saddened that there is joy over the death of Osama that celebrates vengeance and not justice in some cases.  There is nothing wrong with celebrating justice, the Bible is clear of many circumstances where this is the case, and our attitude of relief, gratitude, and humility are very appropriate responses. And the Christ follower inside me is deeply mourning that he did not know Jesus, something I think that if we are Christians, we should all mourn as well.

And finally, I am so thankful to the military of the United States who do protect us on a day to day basis.  Although Osama was a bigger threat than we may ever fully realize, the military protects us day in and day out, from many a crime and person that we never hear about.

Im just not sure that no matter the situation we should celebrate the suffering of another human being.  Death of a human life with a family, and without knowing Jesus is never a cause to ring bells and shout for joy.  I am proud of our military, in deep gratitude and grateful that justice was served. I am not celebrating vengeance, the suffering of another person, because no matter what the case, it is heart breaking that their sin had to take them to a place that in order for justice to be served they had to be killed.

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Homemade Oreos

I absolutely love Oreos.  I have a memory of when I was young of eating an entire package of Mini Oreos before dinner.  Mom was none too pleased.

Just the other day I bought a new pink shirt, a pair of shorts, wedges, and a dress.  The next day  I took back the dress and the shorts.  And traded them for another dress and a diamond purse.

I use the word “diamond” very loosely here.

But not the term “oreos.” These are legit, delicious, let’s-dunk-them-and-eat-a-whole-batch oreos.

And no matter how many I eat, I will always fit into that diamond purse.

Homemade Oreos adapted form My Baking Addiction

Homemade Oreos

Ingredients:

For the Chocolate cookie:

1 1/4 cups all purpose flour

1/2 cup unsweetened dutch processed coco (I used Hershey's Special Dark)

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 teaspoon baking powder

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 1/2 cups sugar

1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons of room temp, unsalted butter (I used vegan butter)

1 large egg

For the filling:

1/4 cup room temp, unsalted butter (I used real butter here)

1/4 cup vegetable shortening

2 cups powdered sugar

2 teaspoons vanilla extract (use clear if you want to keep the filing white, or dye it a light color. I used blue gel dye, so the brown from the vanilla did not matter.)

Gel dye to desired color (optional)

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 375 and set two racks in the middle of the oven. Add all ingredients for the chocolate cookies except the butter and egg into a large mixing bowl and stir ingredients together by hand until combined. Mix using mixer on low speed and slowly add butter and salt, mixing until dough comes together.

On a non-stick cookie sheet, dish out teaspoon sized amount of dough a few inches apart. Once all on cookie sheet, damp clean hands with a bit of water and roll dough into balls. Place cookie sheet in between the two racks in the oven and bake for 8-9 minutes, rotating once for even baking. Once done, place on cooling racks. I found it easiest to do all of the cookies first. Allow cookies to cool completely before adding icing.

Once cooled, make a pair of cookies that are most alike in size and place them together. Clean out mixing bowl in prep for the icing.

To make the icing, place the butter and vegetable shortening in a mixing bowl and mix on low speed, adding in the vanilla and the sugar. Turn the mixer on high and mix for about 2-3 minutes or until fluffy. If you are adding dye, do it at this step.

Use a spoon to make a dollop of icing in the center of one of the pairs of cookies. You can be generous. Then use the other cookie and gently press on top of the icing so that it spreads to the edges. Repeat process until all the cookies are done.

If you live in a warm place, put these in the refrigerator and then take them out 5 minutes before eating.

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Black Bean Brownies

I officially have a three month old child.  I can’t believe it.  Where did time go?  It really feels like yesterday that drove I from Englewood, Colorado with my family to Orange, California to attend Chapman University.  Chapman is where I met my husband, and 8 years, 2 degrees, a wedding, and baby later, here I am. Eating black bean brownies.

This is a totally normal combination.  Me and brownies.  Me and nostalgia. Black beans and chocolate. You’re welcome.

I had a post on my friend’s blog, Rage Against the Minivan, about enjoying my new curves after having a baby. And I do. But I still try and say on the healthy side, and because black beans have protein, then I must eat these if I want to build lean muscle. You’re welcome.

I was inspired to make these because my dear friend Julia brought me some the other day.  She put bananas in hers which takes them to another, delicious level. If you want to make these a real treat, check out Coconut Caramel Sauce that she puts on her black bean brownies!

Recipe adapted from Baking with Agave Nectar:Over 100 Recipes Using Nature’s Ultimate Sweetener as seen on Mama Manifesto

Black Bean Brownies

Ingredients:

4 ounces dark chocolate
1 cup butter or butter substitute
1 15 oz can soft-cooked black beans, drained well (canned is fine)
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
¼ cup instant decaf coffee
¼ teaspoon sea salt
4 large eggs
1 cups light agave nectar

1/2 cup maple syrup

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 325°F. Line an 11- by 18-inch (rimmed) baking pan (or jellyroll pan) with parchment paper and lightly oil with canola oil spray. ( I did not use parchment paper, and I'm here to tell you that you should:) )

Melt the chocolate and butter in a glass bowl in the microwave for 1 1/2 to 2 minutes on high. Stir with a spoon to melt the chocolate completely. Place the beans, 1/2 cup of the walnuts, the vanilla extract, and a couple of spoonfuls of the melted chocolate mixture into the bowl of a food processor. Blend about 2 minutes, or until smooth. The batter should be thick and the beans smooth. Set aside.

In a large bowl, mix together the remaining 1/2 cup walnuts, remaining melted chocolate mixture, coffee substitute, and salt. Mix well and set aside.

In a separate bowl, with an electric mixer beat the eggs until light and creamy, about 1 minute. Add the agave nectar and beat well. Set aside.

Add the bean/chocolate mixture to the coffee/chocolate mixture. Stir until blended well.

Add the egg mixture, reserving about 1/2 cup. Mix well. Pour the batter into the prepared pan. Using an electric mixer, beat the remaining 1/2 cup egg mixture until light and fluffy. Drizzle over the brownie batter. Use a wooden toothpick to pull the egg mixture through the batter, creating a marbled effect. Bake for 30 to 40 minutes, until the brownies are set. Let cool in the pan completely before cutting into squares. (They will be soft until refrigerated.)

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Bridging the Great Divide

I love me some Chip. And I love me some Cy. My husband.

I remember about a year ago sitting on a plane traveling from San Francisco to Orange County for an annual girl’s weekend with my mom, and two other moms in my life plus a friend Alex. And I’m sitting next to a woman who looks about my age who strikes up a conversation with me about a book that I was reading.  After a bit of dialogue concerning books and other cultural topics of conversation, she asks if I have children. I say no, and she says “You’re so young.  There’s plenty of time.  Just wait. Because everything, everything changes.”

She said this with such urgency, and her tone didn’t match her demeanor.  She seemed so calm and collected, yet when she told me that everything changes with children, I picked up a bit of anxiety, stress, and maybe a bit of sadness.  Of course, I barely know this woman, but this conversation replayed in my mind a million times when I was pregnant and began to breed great fear inside me.  Would I ever get time to spend with just Cy again?  Would I be locked up in my house, stuck in my robe and never shower?  Would we ever go out again? What would life be like?  I was so worried about these things that I cried and cried to Cy on many a night, and he would just comfort me, promising that we would make time for one another, and that adding a baby was not taking away from our love, but just adding to it.

And this is where we find ourselves.  A house full of love.  Yes, sometimes I am in my robe perhaps longer than I want to be, but it’s fun and Chip doesn’t seem to care if I have my makeup done or not.  And me  and Cy?  We’ve definitely made sure we have our time.  We have worked hard to put Chip on a schedule and he goes down around 7:30 each night, leaving us with 4 hours of time just the two of us.

However, over the past week I sensed a divide.   During the days that we have off together, Cy is often trying to find time to do things that he likes to do: music, computer games, exercise, house projects, etc.  I don’t mind in the least watching Chip so these things can be done.  But then, he will offer the same courtesy to me, and I began feeling unwanted and sad.  A divide began forming and the more time we spent together while Chip was around, the more I felt like we were doing things together, but separate.  We didn’t talk all that much, but mostly because I was keeping quiet, kind of feeling like I was unwanted.  And truthfully, it wasn’t because of anything Cy did.  It was all me.

You see, I have the unbelievable blessing of staying home for my job for the majority of the week.  And while I wouldn’t trade that time with Chip for anything, I still spend the majority of my hours alone, or without adult contact.  And Cy, he’s surrounded by customers and other employees and he spends his day talking and collaborating.  Around 6:00 pm we collide, two different days into one same world.  And we were missing the mark. After Chip is cuddled, sung to, smiled at, and fed, he is in bed. Dinner has been made, eaten and dishes cleaned. And our night is done.  So on days off, Cy needed some time alone.  Some time to decompress, without talking, just thinking and working and doing things that he loves. This is what makes him energized.  I, on the other hand, need for all of us to be together.

I need us to feel like  a family unit.  I don’t want more time alone, I’m alone all day.  I need us to do something together that reminded me of the old days but collided with the new.  I don’t want Chip to just go to sleep at night and us to count down the moments to be alone. And I don’t want us to spend our days off doing things separately, or just carting Chip around forcing him to fit into our schedules.  What energizes me is seeing all three of us doing something together, and building memories and bonds as a family. Taking care of one other, and me putting Cy and Chip first while Cy is putting me and Chip first, and us figuring out a new normal.

And all of this came out yesterday in the middle of IKEA, in a stream of words that didn’t make much sense. I’m always choosing the most opportune times to bring up big discussions. Ha. A nursing break alone in the car gave me time to think and put these thoughts into a concise statement.  And Cy, God bless him.  He jumped into action.  But so very subtly that I didn’t feel like it was forced. And it wasn’t.  Cy got it. He understood, and was so happy I voiced this, because he felt this way too.

And so we did what any family does when they realize that they have been standing on two opposite sides of a divide.  We bridged the gap. With a dance party.

And for one hour of loud dance music, we built a bridge between the divide that had tried to come between us.  Music can heal all sorts of illnesses, and build strong bridges.  We are a family. A unit. And we are figuring this whole thing out.  We stumble around a little bit, but we build bridges and we wouldn’t have it any other way.

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Bacon Wrapped Turkey Meatloaf

My love for bacon runs in the family.  My mom loves it, I love it, and I am sure that Chip loves it because I wanted it always while I was pregnant.

My love for turkey is a close second and although it can’t be Thanksgiving all year round, ground turkey is my way of saying “oh yes it can.”

Once we went to the Grand Canyon for Thanksgiving.  It was lovely.  It snowed, the canyon changed colors a hundred times during sunrise, and we had a traditional Thanksgiving dinner at one of the  Grand Canyon’s nicest restaurants.  And all I could think about was that there were no leftovers.

Grand Canyon. Leftovers.  Tough choice.

If I were to do it again, I would.  Expect I would purchase a few extra meals “to go” pretending I had a sick child or relative back at the room and I would mini fridge and microwave these meals for the rest of the trip.

Go ahead, call me classy.

And while this meatloaf is no throwback to Thanksgiving, it does have turkey and bacon, which in my book, is a winning combo.

Bacon Wrapped Turkey Meatloag

Ingredients:

1lb ground turkey

6 strips (or more if you want to go wild) of applewood smoked bacon

6-10 mushrooms

1 red bell pepper

2 eggs

3 slices of multigrain bread (or any kind of sandwich bread you have on hand)

2 tablespoons plus a few squirts of ketchup

olive oil for greasing casserole dish

1 loaf pan (optional)

1 large casserole dish

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Coarsely chop red bell pepper and place into large bowl. Finely chop mushrooms and add to bell peppers. Cut slices of bread into small squares, and add them along with the turkey (uncooked) into the same large bowl as the mushrooms and pepper. Add eggs. Use hands to mix ingredients together, making sure that everything is incorporated. Add ketchup and continue to mix. Once all the ingredients are mixed together, place into loaf pan in order to mold the meatloaf in a "loaf shape". Turn loaf pan upside down, allowing meatloaf to fall out into greased casserole dish. Lay bacon on top of the meat loaf, where each strip is touching and only one layer covers the top of the meatloaf. Squirt ketchup across the top for garnish. Bake at 350 degrees for 1 hour and 10 minutes. Enjoy!

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