Snow Day and Cinnamon Rolls

Yesterday was our first official snow day! Even though it was more of a dusting outside, the roads were too slick for buses to run and the temperatures were too cold for kids to stand outside waiting for buses. My kiddos don’t ride the bus, but we sure are glad it’s there in case we need it!

Burr! It was a freezing 8 degrees outside!

Even though school was canceled, we are still required to do school work. Our school district has implemented AMI days. AMI stands for Alternative Methods of Instruction. An AMI day is a day in which school is cancelled (e.g. in the case of inclement weather) but students do not have to make up the day because they will be provided the opportunity to complete “Weather Work” assignments over a specified period. I don't mind doing the AMI work at all. It keeps the kids busy, plus I get to see more of what they are learning in class. It teaches me too:)

Completing AMI school work

Over the weekend I knew we'd be stuck inside because I do not like the cold. I mean I really hate it. HATE it. Summer is my favorite. I'll admit, I'd probably hate summer if we didn't own a swimming pool. I LOVE our swimming pool and I have been known to spend all day in a swim suit, walking around like I'm on vacation at a fancy resort. Yea, Yea I'm spoiled, I don't you need to tell me that. ANYWAY, while we were inside, I thought I'd try out a few recipes from one of my favorite people Jenny Steffens Hobick of Everyday Occasions. And they are sooooo EASY! Thank you, Jenny!! First is her Cinnamon Pizza using store bought pizza dough. I just bought the Pillsbury pizza dough that you can ironically find by the cinnamon rolls. This recipe would be perfect for Christmas morning or for something quick to whip up when unexpected company arrives.

Cinnamon Pizza was sooooo easy to make!  

Cinnamon Pizza

Ingredients

1 store-bought pizza dough
2 tablespoons of butter, softened
brown sugar 
cinnamon

Butter Icing 

1 tablespoon of butter, melted
1 cup of powdered sugar
milk 

1 tsp vanilla

Preheat an oven to 425 degrees.

Directions

Stretch the dough out onto a greased baking sheet.  Spread with softened butter.  Sprinkle with brown sugar and cinnamon.  Bake for 10 minutes. 

For the butter icing, mix together melted butter and powdered sugar.  Add vanilla and small amounts of milk until it is to your desired thickness.

Remove from oven and let cool for 5 minutes then drizzle icing over the dough.

Enjoy!!

Second is Jenny's incredibly easy cinnamon rolls. This was almost a duh moment for me with this one: She uses frozen bread dough. Duh, right? So much less work and so much less mess! The whole family loved these and I will keep this one in my list of favorites for sure! Especially when my son, Matt, wants homemade cinnamon rolls and I don't have enough time to make them from scratch. 

Easy and Delicious!

"Homemade" Cinnamon Rolls

Ingredients

3 loaves of frozen bread dough, thawed (it comes 3 to a bag)
8 tablespoons of butter, softened
1 1/2 cup of brown sugar
4 tablespoons of cinnamon
butter icing glaze (below)

Directions

Thaw three loaves of frozen bread dough in the refrigerator or on the counter (there are directions for thawing on the bag).  Allow the thaw dough to rise for 1-2 hours in a warm area covered with a damp cloth.  Roll the dough out into a rectangle onto a floured surface.  Spread softened butter on the rolled out dough.  Sprinkle sugar, brown sugar and cinnamon over the dough.  Roll up the dough into a log.  Slice into 2-inch thick rolls.  Place into a buttered pan, or one lined with parchment paper.

Cover with a warm damp towel and allow to rise 1-2 hours in a warm area.  If you are preparing the night before and baking in the morning, keep them in the refrigerator and let them rise about 1 hour before baking.  When the rolls have doubled in size, bake them at 350 degrees for 15-18 minutes until they begin to brown.  Top with Butter Icing Glaze.

Butter Icing Glaze

for cinnamon rolls

2 tablespoons of butter

2 tablespoons of milk

powdered sugar

1 tsp vanilla

Melt butter with milk in the microwave for 30 seconds.  Add powdered sugar and vanilla until the glaze is the right consistency - it should pour, but not be runny.  The heat from the cinnamon rolls will help the glaze to melt over them easily.  

Can't you just smell the coffee and taste the cinnamon? I hope you and your loved ones enjoy these yummy recipes on your next cold day or lazy weekend just as we did! And if you get a chance, visit Jenny's pages on Instagram and her blog!

https://www.instagram.com/jennysteffenshobick/

http://jennysteffens.blogspot.com/