Cinnamon Rolls

When I lived in New York, Brooklyn actually, I would treat myself every now and then with cinnamon rolls. I can't remember the name of the brand I used to get, but they were pretty big and the had this large slathering of icing, (Homer-like drooling here) I would stick one in the microwave and have it for breakfast. It would melt the icing a little bit and soften the pastry part, turning it into the right about of moistness.

It's amazing what small things would give you a small yet warm feeling of childish happyness. Yes, I wrote happyness, cause I can, muhahaha ha ha. I'm not saying you should turn to food to find happyness, but enjoy food and relish in the beautiful delight created by the hands of a fellow human being. Doesn't your mom's pumpkin soup encircles you with fond memories, and even though she made it to eat, the fact that she made it and knows you enjoy it gives her an added boon.

The other day I cooked (gasp) something other than pasta (double gasp) and you know what it felt frickin' good. Cutting the food, stir frying, etc. Oh, the joy! Why haven't I really cooked before? Cause I work hard and by the time I come home, I'm too tired to cook anything elaborate, or I would cook to much (who really want to eat sweet and sour chicken day after day) or I get distracted by other work. So it is my intention to cook more, so what if my fridge is filled with leftovers at least I will have food for a couple days.

Okay this entry is called cinnamon rolls, so here is the recipe I'm going to attempt:

Prep Time: 2 hours, 00 minutes
Cook Time: 20 minutes
Ingredients:

* 1-1/2 packages (about 3-1/4 teaspoons) dry yeast
* 1/4 cup warm water
* 1/2 cup shortening
* 1/3 cup sugar
* 1-1/2 teaspoon salt
* 1 cup milk
* 1 egg
* 4 to 5 cups sifted flour
* melted butter
* brown sugar
* cinnamon
* raisins (optional)
* ---
* Vanilla Frosting
* 2 cups powdered sugar
* 1 tablespoon butter, melted
* 1 teaspoon vanilla
* milk or cream (2 to 4 tablespoons)

Preparation:
Add the warm water to the yeast and soak 10 minutes.

Scald milk; pour over the shortening. Add sugar and salt and cool to tepid. Add the dissolved yeast and beaten egg. Add 4 cups flour adding one at a time beating after each addition.

Dough should be soft yet firm enough to handle. Knead on floured board until elastic and smooth. Avoid too much flour. Turn dough into well oiled bowl. Let rise for 1-1/2 hours.

Press dough down and divide into workable size. Roll dough out into a rectangle. Cover with melted butter. Layer with a generous thick layer* of brown sugar. Sprinkle on cinnamon* as desired. If you like raisins, layer on a layer of raisins. Roll up jellyroll fashion.

Using a scissors or a piece of string, cut off slices about 1 to 1-1/2 inches thick. Place slices in an 8 or 9 inch round greased cake pan. Place one slice in the middle and other slices around it. Press rolls down to even out and fill pan. Let rise until rolls fill the pan generously...about another hour.

Bake in a 350 degree F oven about 15 - 20 minutes. If rolls get too brown, cover with a piece of tine foil until the end of baking. Do not over bake rolls.

Remove immediately from pan by inverting onto a plate and then tip over onto another plate to right the rolls.

For the Frosting:
In a medium bowl, place sugar, butter and vanilla. Then stir in enough milk or cream to reach a thick, hardly-able to stir consistency.

Spread over warm rolls as soon as they are placed on a plate to let the frosting melt and run into the rolls.