I've written about her before but to reiterate, my Aunt Julie is one of the most amazing cooks on the planet. Many of our favorite recipes are hers and the times I spent at her house as a child she always took time to teach me how to cook. What I really liked was that she gave me all of the tools and knowledge to complete my recipe and then she left me alone. She let me make messes, I mean, I had to clean them up, but that was all part of the learning process.
I made these cinnamon rolls for Molly's first day of school and quite a few people asked for the recipe. I am not great at making breads and rolls but this one was so easy! The dough was so easy to deal with and pretty that I was a little sad to cook it.
I giggle a little when I read this recipe because dear Aunt Julie obviously thinks that everybody knows how to make cinnamon rolls without real directions. I will share it the way it is written and then add my extra instructions.
Leanne's Bread or Cinnamon Rolls
Rolls:
2 1/2 teaspoons yeast
2 1/2 cup warm water
2/3 cup lard or shortening
3/4 cup sugar
2 eggs
2 1/2 teaspoons salt
8 cups flour
Dissolve the yeast in water. Stir in shortening, sugar, eggs, salt and flour. Knead. Let the dough rise, then shape into dinner rolls or cinnamon rolls.
Topping for cinnamon rolls
1 cup ice cream
1 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup butter or margarine
Melt ingredients together, boil for approximately 1 minute.
Literally. That is the end.
I love that she thinks people just know what to do with that. Here is the same recipe with my additions in color.
Leanne's Bread or Cinnamon Rolls
Rolls:
2 1/2 teaspoons yeast
2 1/2 cup warm water
2/3 cup lard or shortening
3/4 cup sugar
2 eggs
2 1/2 teaspoons salt
8 cups flour
Dissolve
the yeast in water. Stir in shortening, sugar, eggs, salt and flour.
Knead. Let the dough rise, then shape into dinner rolls or cinnamon
rolls. To make the cinnamon rolls, roll dough out to a large rectangle about 1/2 inch thick. Sprinkle with cinnamon and brown sugar, I used about 1 tablespoon cinnamon and 1/3 cup sugar. Then, starting with the long side, roll up into a spiral. Cut into 20-24 1 inch slices.
Topping for cinnamon rolls
1 cup ice cream
1 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup butter or margarine
Melt ingredients together, boil for approximately 1 minute.
Pour mixture in the bottom of 2 9x13 pans and level out. Layer the slices of rolls evenly in the pan and cover to rise. Once they are doubled in size, bake about 20-25 minutes at 350 degrees. Remove from oven when they look done in center. Let cool on counter for about 5 minutes and then invert on a baking sheet to let the caramel drip over them.
This recipe is fantastic for dinner rolls as well. My Mom and I are of the opinion that holidays don't really need anything except these rolls.
Tuesday, August 16, 2016
Monday, February 15, 2016
Working it!
A while back, I read an article that really stuck with me. So much so that I have no idea who wrote it, who posted it or how to find it. Ha! But the message stuck with me much better than that. It was about working out. I have been working out fairly regularly for a couple years and I love the way it makes me feel. Endorphin's are pretty dang awesome! There are so many fantastic benefits to a fitness routine like sleeping better, stronger body(especially for a weak back!) smaller clothes, albeit marginally in my case, and energy.
You hear about all of these benefits constantly on tv, online, from that super annoying friend who works out constantly and yet their hair is never messed up (like seriously, what they hey?!) and of course, crossfitters. Gotta love their crazy enthusiasm even if I don't understand the strange lingo they speak.
There is another benefit that specifically hit home with me. I have people watching me. Little people, with really big eyes. Little minds that are still forming and learning who they want to be. They watch every move we make and those moves define how they will view life and themselves one day. As Christians, it has always been our main focus to to teach our kids to live for God by doing so ourselves and that principle is exactly the same in this instance.
Girls of all shapes and sizes struggle with their appearances. We are raising daughters. I have bounced from feeling too skinny-too fat-too tall-too flat chested-to busty and back again a few times...well I haven't bounced back to too skinny. I don't hate my body and in fact, after having kids, I actually like it more, after all, I made people! But that doesn't mean I don't understand the danger of low self esteem. Jared is great about treating me like a lady and giving the girls an example of what love should be and how a man should love a woman but I have not always lived up to my end of the bargain. I hide my attempts to improve myself. I prefer to only show the parts of my life that I feel good about. I usually work out after the kids are in bed.
This week I made a change and started working out in the living room with a large and often interactive audience. I don't necessarily love it, especially when I can't quite do something. They love it. Emily excels at burpees and jumping jacks, Molly can do push ups and planks like a pro and Caleb learned how to do somersaults, on accident, while attempting a burpee. Ha! Tonight, we did yoga, they don't do it well but then, neither do I. Caleb stopped me mid vinyasa to grab me by the ears and kiss me violently.
Is it working? Am I instilling a good work ethic and teaching them to love their bodies? I don't know. But it is worth a try. And even if it garners us nothing more than some laughs and good family time, well, we get to have some laughs and good family time.
You hear about all of these benefits constantly on tv, online, from that super annoying friend who works out constantly and yet their hair is never messed up (like seriously, what they hey?!) and of course, crossfitters. Gotta love their crazy enthusiasm even if I don't understand the strange lingo they speak.
There is another benefit that specifically hit home with me. I have people watching me. Little people, with really big eyes. Little minds that are still forming and learning who they want to be. They watch every move we make and those moves define how they will view life and themselves one day. As Christians, it has always been our main focus to to teach our kids to live for God by doing so ourselves and that principle is exactly the same in this instance.
Girls of all shapes and sizes struggle with their appearances. We are raising daughters. I have bounced from feeling too skinny-too fat-too tall-too flat chested-to busty and back again a few times...well I haven't bounced back to too skinny. I don't hate my body and in fact, after having kids, I actually like it more, after all, I made people! But that doesn't mean I don't understand the danger of low self esteem. Jared is great about treating me like a lady and giving the girls an example of what love should be and how a man should love a woman but I have not always lived up to my end of the bargain. I hide my attempts to improve myself. I prefer to only show the parts of my life that I feel good about. I usually work out after the kids are in bed.
This week I made a change and started working out in the living room with a large and often interactive audience. I don't necessarily love it, especially when I can't quite do something. They love it. Emily excels at burpees and jumping jacks, Molly can do push ups and planks like a pro and Caleb learned how to do somersaults, on accident, while attempting a burpee. Ha! Tonight, we did yoga, they don't do it well but then, neither do I. Caleb stopped me mid vinyasa to grab me by the ears and kiss me violently.
Is it working? Am I instilling a good work ethic and teaching them to love their bodies? I don't know. But it is worth a try. And even if it garners us nothing more than some laughs and good family time, well, we get to have some laughs and good family time.
Monday, January 25, 2016
Playing with Dolls-The boring grown up way.
It is January, which in the Hemberger household means that we are tidying, cleaning and purging. Last week I tackled clothes and this week I am working on toys. My Mom sent me a video recently of a way to clean and repair American Girl doll hair. I knew I wanted to try it but put it off. Today, Emily asked for a tea party with her dolls and I noticed just how nasty the poor doll heads had gotten!
I mean seriously, look at those poor things! So I got out the supplies and went to work.
That is a shampoo/conditioner 2 in 1 that I banned my husband from using on our daughters heads ever again, a spray bottle with just water, a plain old straightener(like, seriously old. Pretty sure I have had it for 13 years) and a wig brush. You can get a wig brush at Sally Beauty for under $5 but you may also find one at Walmart.
I started by getting their hair soaking wet. On the Dollie and Me brand doll, this was a cinch but on the Target brand dolls, their hair did not absorb water at all. I would hazard a guess that they had some sort of water proof coating. It took quite a bit of warm water to actually saturate the hair. Next, I washed it with the shampoo and rinsed it well.
Next, I brushed the nasty mess. This is a Target brand doll and it wasn't too bad. The Dollie and Me brand was tough. She came with semi curly hair that tangled very badly. It was also not sewn in well so she lost some hair. You can't tell by looking at her though so I didn't care.
This is the Dollie and Me doll. Her hair straightened very well, much better than the others. She was tougher to do because her body was not stiff enough to stand or sit so I had to straighten her hair laying down. I straightened their hair with a standard iron. She said the key was to keep it very wet so that is what I did. Basically it steamed it straight. The hair was still quite wet when I was done.
If you are wondering what my kids were doing for the 1.5 hours that this project took, they were being angels. Emily was engrossed in her PBS cooking shows and Caleb dismantled the house.
I am very happy with the way they turned out. Both Target dolls were a little more work to straighten but the end result was nice. I did need to trim one dolls hair because some ends were just destroyed. This was quite a project but I am really happy. There is a tutorial on the video to curl their hair too but I think it will be easier for the girls to manage their hair if it straight. The girls don't own an AG doll but I have one from my childhood and after experimenting on their dolls, I look forward to rejuvenating her next.
Here is the video, the girl in it must be 12 but she has some great tips!
American Girl Doll Re-Hab
That is a shampoo/conditioner 2 in 1 that I banned my husband from using on our daughters heads ever again, a spray bottle with just water, a plain old straightener(like, seriously old. Pretty sure I have had it for 13 years) and a wig brush. You can get a wig brush at Sally Beauty for under $5 but you may also find one at Walmart.
I started by getting their hair soaking wet. On the Dollie and Me brand doll, this was a cinch but on the Target brand dolls, their hair did not absorb water at all. I would hazard a guess that they had some sort of water proof coating. It took quite a bit of warm water to actually saturate the hair. Next, I washed it with the shampoo and rinsed it well.
Next, I brushed the nasty mess. This is a Target brand doll and it wasn't too bad. The Dollie and Me brand was tough. She came with semi curly hair that tangled very badly. It was also not sewn in well so she lost some hair. You can't tell by looking at her though so I didn't care.
This is the Dollie and Me doll. Her hair straightened very well, much better than the others. She was tougher to do because her body was not stiff enough to stand or sit so I had to straighten her hair laying down. I straightened their hair with a standard iron. She said the key was to keep it very wet so that is what I did. Basically it steamed it straight. The hair was still quite wet when I was done.
If you are wondering what my kids were doing for the 1.5 hours that this project took, they were being angels. Emily was engrossed in her PBS cooking shows and Caleb dismantled the house.
I am very happy with the way they turned out. Both Target dolls were a little more work to straighten but the end result was nice. I did need to trim one dolls hair because some ends were just destroyed. This was quite a project but I am really happy. There is a tutorial on the video to curl their hair too but I think it will be easier for the girls to manage their hair if it straight. The girls don't own an AG doll but I have one from my childhood and after experimenting on their dolls, I look forward to rejuvenating her next.
Here is the video, the girl in it must be 12 but she has some great tips!
American Girl Doll Re-Hab
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