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Wednesday, February 23, 2011

Meyer Lemon Sweet Rolls

I ran across this YUMMY recipe for Meyer Lemon Sweet Rolls on Cheekykitchen.com back in January...  I finally found a reason to make them, in February, and have made them a few more times since...  They are definitely one of my ALL TIME favorites....  ;)  It's not too late to share the reipe is it??  You can find the original recipe here
You'll need:
2 cups very warm water
2 tablespoons dry yeast
2/3 cup instant nonfat dry milk
1 1/2 cup sugar
2 teaspoons salt
1 1/2 cup butter
1 egg
5 to 5 ½ cups all-purpose flour
Zest and juice of 6 Meyer Lemons
1 (8 ounce) block cream cheese
6 cups powdered sugar
I LOVE nothing more than the smell of freshly zested lemon.....
....and I definitely got overly excited to watch the dough "rise"!  ;)
putting it all together!!  ;)
Directions!
1. In a large bowl, whisk together the warm water and yeast. Allow the yeast to proof by setting is aside for about 5 minutes. If a foamy layer forms at the top of the water, your yeast is ready to go!
2. Whisk in the dry milk, 1/2 cup of sugar, and salt. Add 1/2 cup of softened butter to the mixture, as well as the egg. Slowly begin stirring in the flour, one cup at a time. Add just enough flour to create a soft (but not sticky dough). Knead the dough until it becomes elastic. Drizzle a bit of olive oil over the top of the dough, place it in in a large, clean bowl, cover lightly with a damp towel, and let it rise in a warm place for one hour.
3. Cut the risen dough into thirds. Use a rolling pin to spread the dough into a long, thin rectangle (about 1/2 inch thick). Melt the 1 cup of butter and spread approximately one-third of the melted butter over the long rectangle of dough. Sprinkle the zest of two lemons across the butter (you can sprinkle more for a lot of lemon flavor), then sprinkle 1/3 cup of sugar across the melted butter. Roll the dough up tightly, then slice into 1 1/2 inch cinnamon rolls, and transfer to a large baking sheet. Repeat until all the dough has been used.
4. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Allow the rolls to raise on top of your preheating oven for 20-30 minutes. Bake rolls in the oven for 16-18 minutes, or until the tops are a light, golden brown. Remove and frost immediately with Lemon Meyer Cream Cheese Icing.
5. For the icing, beat together all of the fresh-squeezed juice from the lemons, cream cheese, and powdered sugar until very smooth. Spread over warm Lemon Meyer Sweet Rolls. Enjoy immediately.
YUMMMM!!!
I PROMISE if you make these you WONT be dissapointed!  thanks again for the recipe cheekykitchen!!  ;)

Sunday, February 20, 2011

flowers, flowers everywhere!

I really believe that God gives us "signs" to re-assure us that everything in life is going to work out...  that no matter what happens he will be there to take care of us!  :)  this weekend I went up to visit my cousin Bea....  I can't believe it's been almost 6 years since her mom, my aunt Rena passed away...   I remember the day like it was yesterday...  It was sudden and unexpected, in that time my cousin has had 2 beautiful baby girls, and we always laugh because the girls couldn't be any more "girly"...  haha!!  They LOVE barbies, tutu's and dresses, where as my cousin was the complete opposite...  ;)  My aunt  would of been so proud...  It was pouring rain almost the whole time I was up there...  and I saw these beautiful flowers for the first time on friday...  i remember thinking wow...  the rain does wonders for flowers here...  and then on sat. my cousin asked me if I had seen her mom's flowers...  I said no, which ones?  and she said..  the only one's that are blooming out there...  haha!  she told me that these were planted shortly before her mom passed away...  and they come up every year around this time....  Spring I guess...  and they stay for a long time...  It's the only flower in the yard that blooms like this every year...  My cousin said it makes her feel like her mom is still here "watching" her and the girls...  how wonderful is that??  Naturally I had to go photograph them...  and lucky for me, the rain decided to stop, just long enough for me to do this!!  :)
then I found these guys right next to them....  there was only two of these but they were so bright and beautiful that I had to take their picture too!!  ;)

Friday, February 18, 2011

Where oh where do I begin??

....so here I am, spending my weekend up north... :). Last night I took a trip down memory lane, via my blog.... It was then that the "overwhelmed" by the blog, and all the pictures, disappeared.... Suddenly I wanted to blog some more... Of course the iPad won't let me "play" with the blogs in draft mode... So the only ones I have access too are those that came from my phone.... And now I can't wait to get to the computer and release all of the "draft" mode one's.... So look for more blogs soon, but be warned, I'm behind from thanksgiving... So the blogs are probably all gonna be out of order. ;)

Wednesday, February 9, 2011

Feliz Cumpleanos Mami!

Mike and Gaby hosted dinner for my grandma's b-day...  and let me tell you it was DELICIOUS!!!  :)  we all enjoyed good food, and great company! 
Chef Michael, see the towel on his shoulder?  he takes "cooking" seriousy!  ;)
Gaby modeling the delicious prawn skewers

and we made a yummy salad!
mmmmm...  dinner was served!  how yummy does that look?  and the best part was that Mike got the plate "picture" ready for me...  and we can't forget the wine!  ;)
They were all ready for dinner!

My dad was in charge of making sure Sisco behaved!  ;)  so far it looks good!  ;)
posing with her home made tres leches cake!
LOVE this picture
haha! 



And of course the puppy wanted to be included too!
Feliz Cumpleanos Mami, and thank you Gaby and Mike for the yummy risotto, shrimp and salad meal...  :)

Tuesday, February 8, 2011

Disneyland!

What better way to spend a tuesday afternoon than going to Disneyland?  I seriously LOVE, LOVE my season pass...  and I definitly get the most out of it!  ;)  So the girls and I went ahead and went after I got off of work today!  The day couldn't of been nicer....  It was clear and the weather was perfect....  :) 
We started off by getting cotton candy and kettle corn at Downtown Disney...  Ella was in Heaven!  ;)
Then we were off to Tom Sawyer's Island....  :)
.... and Pirates, it seems to always be our first ride!  ;)
Brody and Ella were so cute, holding hands!  ;)
hahaha!!!  that cotton candy could NOT have been any bigger!
....Jakey wanted just a little bit!!  haha!!  look at that reach!
the girls....  :)
hahaha!!!
Jake and I took a trip on Dumbo....  I can honestly say he wasn't a fan...  :/
.... and then we rode the storybook ride....  and nope there weren't any christmas trees this time!!  ;)
Ella and Luke got to "steer" our boat....
Mr. Owen!! this kid is seriously ALWAYS happy!!  :)
.... and Mr. Luke....  he REALLY wanted to go on the woody ride, the line was a little long...  so I handed over my phone...  see that smile?  it's "angry birds" related...  haha!!! 

..... and there we are, at the end of another fun Disneyland trip....  I already feel like I need another one!  ;)

Monday, February 7, 2011

Happy Birthday Mom!

My mom's favorite cake is Tiramisu, and since we celebrated yesterday, I decided to come home with a little Tiramisu for her...  I went ahead and picked one up at work, I wasn't so sure about it, BUT LET ME TELL YOU, it was AMAZING!!!!  and I'm not just saying that....  The picture really doesn't give it justice at how good it was!!  :)  we ate it all gone...  it was a small  piece but we still cut it in four...  I think we were all satisfied!  ;)  I can't wait to have a reason to pick another one up...  Just because!  ;)
The birthday girls!  we can't have too many pictures... lol! man am I gonna miss when  she goes home! 
:(
...And then they had a little skype time, to catch up with the rest of the family in Guatemala....  Gotta love technology these days!!  :)

Sunday, February 6, 2011

PF Changs for mom's b-day!

We usually take my mom out to a family dinner to celebrate her b-day....  This year she decided on PF Changs....  We seriously LOVE that place...  :)  so off we went to celebrate, the restaurant was empty...  Guess that's what happens when you celebrate on Super Bowl Sunday!  ;)
My grandma and my mom!  :)
Haha!!  this picture cracks me up....  I think it's because the excitement on Gaby's face when the dessert shots arrived was PRICELESS!!!  ;)
haha!!  she went ahead and ordered 2!  :)
awwww...  aren't they so cute?
a family shot!!  :)
Grandma, mom and the kids!!  :)
They requested a picture in front of this wall with their orchids!!  ;)
My brother and the moms!  :)
The sky was AMAZING when we left....  Naturally I needed to snap a picture!  It seriously amazes me how God paints such a beautiful sky for us!  and it's always "just because"!  :)