Winter Whirlwind

Goodness, gracious. I have no idea where the past two weeks went. Despite what has otherwise seemed like a somewhat slow month, the last two weeks rushed by in a flurry of cold and fun. I dabbled in cooking a little during this time, making an old favorite to help keep warm, as well as some delicious cookies that I'm currently kicking myself for forgetting to photograph (fear not, I'm totally making them again asap...they were, roughly put, one of the most sinfully addictive things I've ever made). With no recipes to share via pictures from the last two weeks, it seems only fitting to share the highlights from the activities that keep me out of the kitchen and away from my blog (as told via instagram):

 First there was grilled cheese and it was good. A delectable treat courtesy of one of my favorite hangouts [Stoney's]

And then TF came to town and had some killer Asian cuisine [a la Meiwah]

And I finally got to experience the wonder that is Eatonville

Before we knew it, it was inauguration time

It was a chilly day, but not nearly as cold as last time....and my sleeping bag coat is the best thing ever invented 

I beat my record for cold weather running (now set at 16 degrees) and it got so cold it finally snowed

Bax greeted her first snow of the year with style and grace

And I capped for the whirlwind two weeks with a beer 1K. Best idea ever!

Getting back into the swing of things, I kicked off my return to cooking today by making some killer mac and cheese (to be featured tomorrow) and trying my hand at some homemade cinnamon rolls with a twist. 

As is often the case, I began this recipe with the best of intentions. I fully expected to emerge from the kitchen with Cinnabon level goodness. This did not happen. Worse, the one thing I did succeed at was finally overdoing it on my beloved cinnamon. Clearly I have a lot to learn before I perfect the art of cinnamon making. Because I believe it was me that failed, not the recipe, I do still want to share it with you. It's my goal to try it again (with more patience  as I admittedly grew antsy towards the end of the process and didn't let the dough rise as long as it was supposed to), hopefully it'll turn out better for you than it did for me, at least this time around. 

Cinnamon Rolls with a Twist

Adapted from The Picky Eater Blog

Ingredients

• 1 cup almond milk
• 1 Tbsp canola oil
• 1 Tbsp sugar
• 1 tsp table salt
• 1 Tbsp yeast, about 1 package
• 1 1/4 cups whole wheat flour, sifted, divided
• 1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour, sifted, divided
• 1/4 cup unpacked brown sugar
• 1/4 cup agave syrup
• 2 tsps ground cinnamon
• 1/4 tsp ground nutmeg

*Optional icing ingredients: 1/2 cup powdered sugar, 1/2 Tbsp low fat milk, 1/4 tsp vanilla extract

Preparation

1. Stir together milk, canola oil, sugar and salt in a small saucepan. Heat to lukewarm
2. Pour yeast over 2 tablespoons lukewarm water and let sit 5 minutes.Stir the yeast/water mixture into the milk mixture
3. Transfer milk mixture to a large mixing bowl and beat in half the flour by hand or with an electric mixer.
4. Mix in enough remaining flour to make a soft dough. Let rest 10 minutes; knead well on a floured board or with an electric mixer and dough hook; let rest 10 minutes
5. Spray a large, clean bowl with cooking spray, add dough, cover with plastic wrap and let rise in a warm place until doubled, about 1 hour
6. Lightly coat a 9-inch round baking pan with cooking spray
7. Turn the dough onto a floured surface and roll into a 12 x 10-inch rectangle. Spray the rolled out dough with cooking spray
8. Stir together brown sugar, agave nectar, cinnamon, and nutmeg; brush over dough
9. Roll up tightly, like a jelly roll, and cut into 12 pieces
10. Place buns cut-side up in baking pan
11. Cover with plastic and let rise until doubled, about 1 hour
12. Preheat oven to 350°F.
13. Bake buns until firm and nicely browned on top, 30 minutes. 
14. Remove from oven and top with icing (if desired)

Post cooking....not exactly what I was shooting for #cinnamonrollfail