Sunday 20 January 2013

Good Times!

Sunday Bloody Sunday!

Lying on the soft green grass with Chopper and Peanut staring at the beautiful trees relaxing on a Sunday has to be one of the most amazing things to do in life! We are so small in the scheme of things. Life is precious! This earth is on loan to us while we exist until we are once more within it!

Sunday 13 January 2013

Sunday Cinnamon Rolls!

You have to love a cold wet Sunday on a farm. Fresh cool breezes and we are in the middle of summer. The smell of rain on the grass. Rodney our Rooster crowing in the background and endless views of our beautiful Australian landscape! So what better than hot cinnamon rolls fresh out of the oven with vanilla frosting. Warm, gooey and delicious! Enjoy the recipe! Betty Crocker I love you! www.bettycrocker.com

Cinnamon Rolls

Ingredients

3 1/2 to 4 cups Gold Medal® all-purpose flour
1/3 cup granulated sugar
1 teaspoon salt
2 packages regular or fast-acting dry yeast (4 1/2 teaspoons)
1 cup milk
1/4 cup butter or margarine (1/2 stick), room temperature
1 large egg
Cooking spray to grease bowl and pan
1/2 cup granulated sugar
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1/4 cup butter or margarine (1/2 stick), room temperature
1/2 cup raisins, if desired
1/4 cup finely chopped nuts, if desired
1 cup powdered sugar
1 tablespoon butter or margarine, room temperature
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1 to 2 tablespoons milk

Directions

In a large bowl, stir 2 cups of the flour, 1/3 cup granulated sugar, the salt and yeast with a wooden spoon until well mixed. In a 1-quart saucepan, heat the milk over medium heat until very warm and an instant-read thermometer reads 120°F to 130°F. Add the warm milk, 1/4 cup butter and egg to the flour mixture. Beat with an electric mixer on low speed 1 minute, stopping frequently to scrape batter from side and bottom of bowl with a rubber spatula, until flour mixture is moistened. Beat on medium speed 1 minute, stopping frequently to scrape bowl. With a wooden spoon, stir in enough of the remaining flour, about 1/2 cup at a time, until dough is soft, leaves side of bowl and is easy to handle (dough may be slightly sticky).
Sprinkle flour lightly on a countertop or large cutting board. Place dough on floured surface. Knead by folding dough toward you, then with the heels of your hands, pushing dough away from you with a short rocking motion. Move dough a quarter turn and repeat. Continue kneading about 5 minutes, sprinkling surface with more flour if dough starts to stick, until dough is smooth and springy. Spray a large bowl with the cooking spray. Place dough in bowl, turning dough to grease all sides. Cover bowl loosely with plastic wrap; let rise in a warm place about 1 hour 30 minutes or until dough has doubled in size. Dough is ready if an indentation remains when you press your fingertips about 1/2 inch into the dough.
In a small bowl, mix 1/2 sugar and the cinnamon; set aside. Spray the bottom and sides of a 13x9-inch pan with the cooking spray. Sprinkle flour lightly on a countertop or large cutting board. Gently push your fist into the dough to deflate it. Pull the dough away from the side of the bowl, and place it on the floured surface.
Using your hands or a rolling pin, flatten dough into a 15x10-inch rectangle. Spread 1/4 cup butter over dough to within 1/2 inch of edges. Sprinkle with sugar-cinnamon mixture, raisins and nuts. Beginning at a 15-inch side, roll dough up tightly. Pinch edge of dough into the roll to seal edge. Stretch and shape roll until even and is 15 inches long. Using a sharp serrated knife or length of dental floss, cut roll into 15 (1-inch) slices. Place slices slightly apart in the pan. Cover pan loosely with plastic wrap; let rise in a warm place about 30 minutes or until dough has doubled in size. Remove plastic wrap.
Move the oven rack to the middle position of the oven. Heat the oven to 350°F. Bake 30 to 35 minutes or until golden brown. Immediately remove rolls from pan; place right side up on a cooling rack. Cool 5 minutes.
In a small bowl, stir glaze ingredients until smooth, adding enough milk so glaze is thin enough to drizzle. Over the warm rolls, drizzle glaze from the tip of a tableware teaspoon, moving the spoon back and forth to make thin lines of glaze. Serve warm.


Wednesday 9 January 2013

Family

- Having a place to go - is a home. Having someone to love - is a family. Having both - is a blessing. ~Donna Hedges

- Call it a clan, call it a network, call it a tribe, call it a family. Whatever you call it, whoever you are, you need one. ~Jane Howard

- The family. We were a strange little band of characters trudging through life sharing diseases and toothpaste, coveting one another's desserts, hiding shampoo, borrowing money, locking each other out of our rooms, inflicting pain and kissing to heal it in the same instant, loving, laughing, defending, and trying to figure out the common thread that bound us all together. ~Erma Bombeck

- The thing about family disasters is that you never have to wait long before the next one puts the previous one into perspective. ~Robert Brault

- I don't care how poor a man is; if he has family, he's rich. ~Dan Wilcox and Thad Mumford, "Identity Crisis," M*A*S*H

Friday 4 January 2013

Heat Wave

It is so unbearably hot at the moment with catastrophic fire danger in South Australia. We are not alone in feeling this heat. All the animals we saw today that were not fairing the heat at all. One possum we found a young one dead in our yard and another severely dehydrated young male. We have scooped him up given him sugar dissolved in water through an eye dropper hoping he will recover. He seems to have perked up a little fingers crossed the little fellow makes it.

Thursday 3 January 2013

Contemplation!

I see hit looking out over a beautiful afternoon and think how lucky I am. I live in a beautiful place, I have an amazing family and an extraordinary life. I work hard for it of course but there are so many people less fortunate than I. I feel so grateful that I have what I have. There are people that only dream of a life that I have and I am forever not taking it for granted. It is really a gift of fate.

Tuesday 1 January 2013

Feathers Nightclub!

Completion! Oh My Goodness! It looks amazing. Chopper you are awesome!!! Can't wait to get chickens now! Next construction project is the Playboy Mansion! Loving Farm Life!