Nooner's Cinnamon rolls

About five years ago I got it into my head that I was going to try and find the best cinnamon roll recipe I could.  I began the search testing tried and true recipes from family and friends, but none of them were what I was looking for,  so I widened my search and started experimenting and finally I came up with a recipe that is amazing.  They cinnamon rolls are big and moist and fluffy. The filling is gooey without being runny and there is exactly the right amount of cinnamon.  The final touch is the icing.  It is whipped and melts into the roll, with a unique and perfect balance of flavor to compliment the roll.   Now,  you need to know that this is a not a recipe for the weak of heart it contains 3 sticks of butter and 1 package of cream cheese, so don't even consider the calories.  Just make them and eat.

Here is the trick, you have to follow the recipe exactly and be prepared because they take about 3 hours to make.

Ok, this is what you do:

Sift together 

41/2 cups of fine quality flour

1/2 cup of baker's sugar (this is fine but not quite powered)

2 Tbps vital wheat gluten

1 1/2 Tbps yeast ( I like fleichman's quick rise)

In a medium sauce pan

1/4 cup of water

1 cup of milk

1 stick of butter

Melt and heat to 85 degrees

In a bowl beat 

1 1/4 large egg (I know this sounds crazy, but it really does make a difference.  It takes some practice, but it's worth it.)

Now the next step is one of two ways. 

If you have a bread machine put all of the wet ingredients into your machine and then the dry. Set it to knead and 1st rise only.

If you don't have a bread machine you need to use a mixer with a dough hook, mix it on medium for about 20 minutes and then let rise for an hour.

If you don't have a bread machine or mixer- good luck.  I tried this and had to put my hands in casts afterwards for three weeks. Not to mention all the ibuprophen.

FILLING:

1 cup of heavily packed DARK brown sugar

4 teaspoons of the best cinnamon you can find

1 stick of butter warmed to room temp

Mix them together and let them sit 

Once your dough has risen roll it out as large as you can in a rectangle. Take your room temp butter and spread it over the whole rectangle EXCEPT the top inch.  When you have spread the butter cover it with the cinnamon sugar mixture then roll it carefully from the top up.

I like to use a bread knife to cut the rolls, I usually make them about an inch thick or so(it really depends on how many I want and how big I want them).  You can also use dental floss like a garret. 

Put your cut rolls in casserole dishes or cake pans give them room on each side to grow.  In my casserole pan I usually only put 8.  Cover them and place them somewhere warm (not hot. I like to heat the oven up to 100 degrees turn it off and put them in the oven.  I also put a small container of steaming hot water in with them) to rise for 30 more minutes.  

When they've risen take them out and heat the oven to 335 for a conventional oven and 310 for a convection oven.

Once the oven is heated to the correct temp put in your rolls. 

20 minutes for a conventional oven and 15 minutes for a convection oven.

While they cook you are making the icing. You're gonna need:

1 package of cream cheese (room temp)

1 stick of butter (room temp)

1 3/4 cups of powdered sugar

1 tsp of REAL vanilla

1/8 tsp lemon extract

Cream the butter and cream cheese then mix on high for 2 minutes

Add cup of powdered sugar, start slowly and then mix on high for 2 minutes

Add remaining powdered sugar start slowly and mix on high for 2 minutes

Add vanilla mix on high for 2 minutes

Add lemon extract mix on high for 2 minutes

Take out the paddle(s) and lick them till they're clean.  Trust me.  I know.

Frost the rolls as soon as they come out the oven.  You want the icing to melt into all of the layers.  I know, I'm the bomb.  What can I say?  Lots of work, huh?  They're worth it, light and fluffy, ooey gooey goodness.

If you have trouble drop me a line and I can help you through it.  Happy baking!!!

To make a movie or not make a movie; that is the question.

I've been struggling for about a month now.  It seemed at first that I would have great success with my screenplay.  I had an "in" with some potential representation, but that hasn't really been too fruitful.

I had such high hopes in finding an agent, but after meeting and being able to really talk to some great pros in the industry, I found out that you have to have a personal introduction to an agent, pretty much by someone they already work with to even get a query into their hands, much less your script.  Kinda killed my immediate dreams.  Died the death. Kaput.

But then I got a chance to chat with one of my filmmaking idols, Kieth Merrill.  If you don't know who he is you are missing out.  His first movie, The Great American Cowboy, won an Oscar.  Pretty awesome credentials.  He also started , The Audience Alliance (www.audiencealliance.com).  A production company that takes the interests and values of their audience into account. Plus he has been nominated for two more Oscars.  OK, enough fawning (sorry Kieth).  He told me that I shouldn't wait for the whims of the industry, he said make the movie yourself.  Then you'll BE in the industry. 

Frankly, it makes sense, but it scares me.  There is so much to making a movie.  I know I can do it, I certainly have the know how to shoot a movie, but there is so much else to consider.

For instance, money.  How do I go about rounding up the money? I mean, where do I find people to invest their money in MY movie?  No matter how great the story is it will be tough.

And if I can find the investors, is it fair to subject my family to the life that will follow?

Let's not forget festivals, and actors, and distribution, and crew, food, locations and living through post. Shorts are one thing, a feature is another beast all together.

But...if I do make the movie, I will be following  a dream.  I can finally do what I want and am good at.  I might possibly find the connections and opportunities to make it a viable career. I can involve my whole family, I can make sure that my vision is followed.  Plus, I can make my contribution to the world with clean, but engaging, entertainment.

I have decided though that if I do make the movie I will keep this blog going through out the process.  Keep a step by step log of its making.

Feel free to weigh in with comments, opinions, and ideas.  I need all the help I can get.

5 Things

My kids are growing at a rate that seems to be faster than the speed of light, and this realization has got me thinking about what being a dad has been like for me.

Every dad wants to look back on his life, and with a sparkle in his eye and the flash of a perfectly white smile say' "Wow, I was some awesome dad.  Look at all the things my kids have learned from me." 

Unfortunately, for me, what I realized was, "Wow, what amazing kids I have.  Look what they've taught me."

This surprises me.  You see; I was a horrible child.  I don't know how my parents let me survive past 3 or 4.  I got into things that my parents could never in their wildest dreams have imagined a kid could get into.

I flooded the the upstairs hallway so that my bro. and I could have a 'raging river' to float our mattress down (Grizzly Adams style).

I snuck into my elderly neighbor's house and cut all of her electrical cords.

I painted my previously mentioned younger brother with my mom's acrylic paints and set him loose on her new white carpet.

I started fires in the closet, I peed on my older brothers' clothes (sorry Dan.  Hehehe.)

Yes, my parents survived mostly sane (I mean 6 boys? come on, who could be TOTALLY sane after that?)

So you can see my relief at my own seeming good luck with my  kids.  I thought payback city was coming.

Giddy with the realization that somehow I had been blessed with two amazing children I wrote down the first five things that I have learned from each of them.  Here goes:

5 things I've learned from my daughter

1. A silly dad is like a favorite old stuffed animal, every girl that has one loves it.  Even if she won't admit it.

2. Hugs won't cure everything, but they're a great start.

3. Food is the way to a girl's heart too.

4. Crying means,'I don't have the words to express what I'm feeling. Now give me a hug, or leave me the heck alone'.

5. A girl only stays Daddy's Angel if you take the time to tuck her in every night.

5 things I've learned from my son

1. To wrestle=to love.

2. Every dad starts out a superstar.  What happens from there is up to you.

3. There are things a boy should ONLY learn from his dad.

4. There are things a dad should ONLY learn with his boy.

5. No matter how great a dad you are you'll NEVER be Mom.

I know, I know.  This life of dreamy parental bliss won't last forever, but it's certainly been enjoyable so far.

There are surely things I'm too  dull to see, or have left out.  I would love to hear some of the things anyone else has learned from their kids.

Let me know.