Friday Favorites

I must say, this weekend, conference weekend, has to be one of my most favorite weekends of the year. Not only do we get to listen to the words and counsel of prophets and apostles but we get to do it in our pajamas!! WooHoo!

Seriously though, conference weekend is such a great ReSTaRt for me. The inspiring counsel given just gives me the lift that I need to renew my efforts, put the past behind me (as Pumba would say) and keep going. Plus, this year Kenny will get to take Jackson to Priesthood session! (I guess we're getting old!)

At our house we have a little conference morning tradition...although I think it's become less and less of a conference "morning" tradition now and turned into more of a conference "lunch time" tradition. We do conference breakfast (well now it's more like brunch) and get together with any family that's around or friends that want somewhere to go. Kenny becomes the chef for the morning...and he pulls out all the stops: bacon, eggs, hashbrowns, pancakes, orange juice. (I normally make sweet rolls...so no, I'm not totally lazy!) We're so full by the time breakfast/brunch is over that we don't bother eating again until dinner (a late dinner that is!) It's a lot of fun. The kids are always up for something other than cereal for breakfast (that's what they get every other morning) and it's fun to get together with our family and friends to listen to conference.

I'll leave you with a recipe that I found on allrecipes.com (again.) Normally I just make the Rhodes cinnamon rolls for conference, but I found this recipe and really like it, so in an effort to be save money but still have something yummy I think I'll make these this year! (I've already tried it out on Kenny and the kids and they loved them, so I won't ruin conference morning by making these.) Also, this recipe was designed to use with the bread machine (hate mixing my own dough) but I'm sure it would turn out great doing it the old fashioned way too.

Soft, Moist and Gooey Cinnamon Buns
By: FionasMom

Ingredients:
1 cup milk
1 egg, beaten
4 tablespoons melted butter
4 tablespoons water
1/2 (3.5 oz) package instant vnilla pudding mix
4 cups bread flour
1 tablespoon white sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 1/4 teaspoons yeast
1/2 cup butter, softned
1 cup packed brown sugar
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1/4 cup chopped walnuts (opt.)
1/4 cup raisins (0pt.)
1 teaspoon milk
1 1/2 cups confectioners' sugar
4 tablespoons butter, softened
1 teaspoon vanilla

Directions:
1. In a bread machine pan, place the milk, beaten egg, melted butter, water, vanilla pudding mix, bread flour, sugar, salt, and yeast in the order recommended by the manufacturer. Selectthe Dough cycle.
2. When cycle is finished, remove the dough, and knead for3 to 5 minutes. Roll out to a large rectangle.
3. Mix together the softened buter, brown sugar and cinnamon. Spread over dough. Sprinkle with chopped walnuts and raisins, if desired. Starting with the widest end, roll the dough into a log. Pinch to seal seams. Cut into 1/2 inch to 1 inch slices, and place in a greased 9x13 inch pan. Place in a draft-free space, and allow to rise until doubled.
4. Preheat the oven to 35 degrees F (175 degrees C). Bake for 15 - 20 minutes. To make frosting, mix the milk, confectioners sugar, softened butter and vanilla in a small bowl. Spread over warm cinnamon rolls.

*Just a note by me: To speed up the rising time of the cinnamon rolls, try preheating the oven to 200 degrees F...then TURN THE OVEN OFF...and put the sweet rolls in (covered by a light dish towel). This won't be warm enough to bake the rolls...just warm enough to help them rise faster!! (and enjoy sooner!)