Wednesday, May 26, 2010

The 'Lost' Sunday & "Perky" Cinnamon Rolls
















This Sunday brought a close to the series 'Lost'. Not just a show, but an institution I've invested several years dedicated to watching: Wondering what the black smoke meant, If the castaways would get off the island, Are they even on an island, Will Kate end up with Jack or Sawyer. So many questions! After watching the finale, I now feel I have some of the answers. At the very least, I was left with enough suppositions to form some conclusions of my own.

If you were a fan, maybe you'll recall the first season, when Sawyer was reading the Richard Adams book 'Watership Down'? I had read the book about a year earlier and being so presently familiar with it, believed that all the answers for what was to come would be in that book. Turns out, as the show unfolded, that clue would become more and more meaningful.

My Take: Ultimately I think the show explored the potential good and evil that exists within all of us. I believe it served as a didactic, and sort of litmus test, albeit on a grander scale, for who in us would show up when faced with decisions that, though serve for the better of everyone: humanity, including ourselves, asks us to make sacrifices to our individual sense of comfort and what we think we believe. And how achieving more of one state than the other, conscious acts of good over evil, transcends even our sacrifices and determines the place we'll call home, and moreover, what "home" is for each of us. For Jack, that was being surrounded by the people he loves. Earth, Heaven, some alternate sideways world, the location of which notwithstanding.

In the end, my heart was broken when Jack and Kate exchanged "I love you's" and kissed, knowing they may not see each other again. This made the reunion of Sawyer and Juliet bittersweet, but it all worked out. Hugo, a character I hitherto didn't like, emerged as a hero. Ben learned he did matter. I cried two and 1/2 times, one of which was really ugly. And they all made it "home."

"So much good, so much evil. Just add water."
— Markus Zusak 'The Book Thief'

For me, home is everything in my life that represents healing: books, exercise, my fiancé, cooking, fresh air, and on ad infinitum.

What is home for you?


Cappuccino Cinnamon Rolls
Recipe courtesy and Adapted from Taste of Home

Ingredients:

1 package (1/4 ounce) active dry yeast
1 cup warm water (110° to 115°)
3/4 cup warm milk (110° to 115°)
1/2 cup homemade buttermilk (Add 1/2 tablespoon of vinegar to 1/2 cup whole milk, stir. Wait 10 minutes or until curdled and stir again before using)
3 tablespoons sugar
2 tablespoons butter, softened
1-1/4 teaspoons salt
5-1/2 to 6 cups all-purpose flour

FILLING:
1/4 cup butter, melted
1 cup packed brown sugar
4 teaspoons instant coffee granules (optional)
3 teaspoons ground cinnamon

*Icing/Frosting recipes' follow directions.


Directions:

To large bowl, add water, sprinkle yeast over-top and allow to dissolve. Next add warmed milk, buttermilk, sugar, butter and 4 cups flour. With a mixer on medium speed, or using a fork, beat or stir until smooth. You may not need all of the remaining flour, but using some, stir in a little at a time, enough to form a soft dough. You want the end result to be a little sticky.

Turn dough out of bowl onto a floured surface; Knead for about 6-8 minutes, or until dough becomes smooth and elastic. Wash, dry completely and grease the large bowl. Return kneaded dough to large greased bowl and turn once. Cover bowl with plastic wrap and allow to rise in warm place until dough has doubled in size, approximately an hour.

After an hour, punch down risen dough and turn out onto a large floured surface (you'll need the room). Trying to get as close as you can to 18-in. x 12-in., roll out dough into rectangular shape. Using brush, completely cover dough in layer of butter. In small bowl, mix brown sugar, coffee granules and cinnamon; sprinkle over dough leaving 1/2 in. of the edges clear of the sugar mixture.

Select one of the 18 in. long sides and roll seam over, continue to roll dough in same direction until complete (think jelly-roll style), pinch seam to seal. Recipe yields about 12 cinnamon rolls; cut into 12 slices.
Grease 13-in. x 9-in. baking pan; place rolls, cut side facing down, in pan. Cover with plastic and allow to rise a 2nd time until doubled in size, 30 minutes approximately.

Preheat oven to 350°. Bake rolls for 22-28 minutes or until lightly brown in color. Sit pan on wire rack and allow to cool some. Spread icing over rolls while still warm. Serve immediately and Enjoy.

This is just a matter of taste, but I thought I would give cream cheese icing a try since I've always had traditional powdered sugar glaze. I prefer the latter, but just in case you like cream cheese icing on yours, I'll give you the recipe for both, tradition sugar and cream cheese icing.

Cream Cheese Icing

Ingredients:

1/2 (8 ounce) package cream cheese, softened
1/4 cup butter, softened
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1-1/2 cups confectioners' sugar
1-1/2 teaspoons milk

Directions:

In a large bowl, combine cream cheese, butter, vanilla extract, confectioners' sugar and milk. Beat until creamy.

Traditional Confectioners' Sugar Icing

Ingredients

2 cups powdered sugar
1 tablespoon butter, melted
1 teaspoon vanilla
Milk or cream (2 to 4 tablespoons), more if needed

Directions:

Combine all ingredients in a bowl and, with hand mixer on medium, mix until creamy.

This is what your dough should look like before kneading.













After the dough has been kneaded.














After the dough has been allowed to rise.














After the dough has been rolled out, sprinkle with sugar mixture and begin rolling one of the long sides into jelly-roll.

















Cut your rolls into 12 slices and place, cut side down, in greased pan.













Voila! Eat while still warm.


10 comments:

  1. Hi Ree! I'm not a Lost fan, so can't really relate to the show (although it does sound touching), but I can most definitely relate to cinnamon rolls. And holy moly these look great. I love cinnamon rolls so much. Home to me? Hmm...a nice home-cooked meal with family and friends (and of course, dessert).

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  2. Oh yeah, I was very touched. I made the cinnamon rolls because I knew I would need some comfort to start off my day before the final airing that night. I was one of those shamelessly crying people who cared deeply what would happen to my friends on the island.
    =(... *giggles*

    I love what home is to you. Thank you for answering. Sounds like the perfect way to enjoy something you've made, surrounded by the people you love. And of course, with dessert! ;-)

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  3. These cinnamon rolls sound amazing all light and fluffy and sweet and tender! I can't think of anything else to conjure nostalgia or loneliness or just plain hunger!

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  4. Beautifully written lost recap. The whole show and finale were so well done. I miss the island and the characters so much I just started to watch season one on netflix. Your cinnamon rolls look exquisite.

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  5. I like you take on Lost. I've not watched them all but it's a great show.

    Home ~ there's no place like home and it can be anywhere. It's a sigh of relief when you walk through the door and are loved for being just you. It's a safe place, a sanctuary and it's where the love of my life is. It's a state of mind and a place to call your own. It's a place where we make memories and everyone should have a place to call home!

    And of course cooking! Love, love your cinnamon rolls. I must try this recipe, with both frosting's. Now, they look like home!

    Great post!

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  6. They look fabulous. I've been wanting to bake cinnamon rolls for such a long time now. I think this might be the perfect weekend.

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  7. I am so impressed you made those! Now I just need to stop drooling...

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  8. wow!!cinnamon rolls looks so perfect and am drooling here :)very nice presentation!!

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  9. I have always wanted to make homemade cinnamon rolls but am a little scared of yeast!
    I guess I need to get over it!!
    I miss Lost :(

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  10. Hi Daisy, I totally agree. I thought the ending of "Lost" was beautifully done.

    Pam, that's such a lovely answer. Thank you for sharing what home is to you with me.

    Barbara Bakes, I hope you ended up making the rolls and enjoyed them as much as I did.

    Simply Life, they were super easy. I love working with yeast.

    Cookies and Cups, Oh please do give yeast another try. I'm addicted to using it once I got the hang of it. I make bread, bagels and soft pretzels often.

    The two simple rules when using yeast are, never heat your water to more than 115 degrees as too much heat will kill it. I microwave the water and gauge the tmeperature using a clean finger. Also, yeast needs something to "feed" on one it has been activated by the warm water, primarily something sweet, like sugar or honey or both. Also, never mix salt directly into your yeast and liquid mixture as that will also kill it. Mix salt with a fork into the flour and after the yeast, sugar and liquid mixture have begun to foam (about 5 minutes) add in your flour and stir. Keep your dough in a warm place and allow it to rise, but only the length of time suggested by the recipe. Anything beyond that and your dough could over-rise, causing it to collapse upon cooking.

    I hope that was helpful and you'll try using yeast in some of your recipes. Once you get the hang of it, it's addictive!

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