CHRISTMAS MORNING TRADITIONS

CHRISTMAS CINNAMON

We slept until nine on Christmas day when the smell of baking cinnamon rolls wafted its way through every bedroom in the house.

The stockings were hung on the staircase with care. We made them ourselves out of old matelassé, linen napkins and vintage buttons we told ourselves Santa had dropped in the snow.

The presents were wrapped in paper the butcher might use tied with copper ribbon and spiced with lustrous loden green ornaments looking like moss on a forest floor.

The tree left the room infused with balsam with humble tiny white lights glinting off the pewter colored balls and globes both big and small. A string of silver pearls swaged from limb to limb on the tree like a necklace encircling a flapper's neck.

But the highlight was seeing the smile on Emmy's face and the joy of sharing a first Christmas with our new puppies: Joey and Phoebe. Peace to all.





RICK'S CINNAMON ROLLS RECIPE

Preheat oven to 400 degrees

Dough:
2 cups of flour
2 tbsp of baking powder
1 tsp salt
½ tsp of ground cinnamon
¼ cup sugar
6 tbsp of butter chilled
Enough milk or cream to form the dough

Pecan and brown sugar mixture:
1 stick of softened butter
1 cup of dark brown sugar
1 tsp of vanilla
1 tsp of cinnamon
1 cup of pecan halves


Frosting:
6 oz of whipped cream cheese
1 stick of softened butter
2 lbs of powdered sugar
1 tsp of vanilla

Prepare the pecan and brown sugar mixture while the oven is heating up
Put the butter, sugar, vanilla and cinnamon for the mixture in a food processor until thoroughly mixed
Add the pecans and pulsed until the nuts are chopped and then set aside

Put the dry ingredients for the dough in the bowl of a food processor and pulse five times
Add the butter and pulse until the butter until the pats of butter turn pea sized
Pour the mixture into a large mixing bowl and add the milk, enough to form the dough
Turn the dough out onto a floured surface
Pat the dough into a rectangle about a ¼" thick then fold into thirds
Wrap dough with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 20 minutes
Repeat the folding process three times
Then roll out the dough into a rectangle approximately 10" x 15"

Spread with the pecan and brown sugar mixture onto the rolled out dough
Roll the dough and mixture into a log
Using a serrated knife cut the log into 1" thick slices

Lay slices on a baking sheet, brush with butter and sprinkle with a little extra sugar
Place in a hot oven for approximately 20 minutes until golden brown
Let cool down to a warm temperature before icing

Mix the powdered sugar, softened butter, vanilla and whipped cream cheese in a bowl and blend with a hand mixer until smooth

Ice the rolls and serve with a big glass of milk for Christmas morning breakfast.
Hoping everyone had a safe and joyous holiday!