Happy Trails

We live about five to ten minutes away from the trail head of the Phoenix Mountain Preserve. Now, don't get the wrong idea...I live smack dab in the middle of suburbia. The reason it might take me a whole ten minutes to get to the trail is if I hit the traffic lights wrong. But tucked away right in the middle of all these houses is an awesome expanse of nature. We love it!

On this hike Brian was focused on finding two things: a Saguaro cactus that looks just like they do in the cartoonsand a heart-shaped rock...Success!

I was intent on finding examples of weathering and erosion, since that would make the trip educational and all...Success again!

As an added bonus, we saw some pretty cool fauna...

including this fine example of the extremely rare Furry Octogenarian.

We also saw an interesting assortment of prickly desert stuff like this cholla

and this ocotillo.

This is the bloom of an ocotillo.

I think this is a creosote bush. The dingle ball reminds me of Christmas!

Warning: poop alert!

Now this is true homeschooling...investigative journalism at its finest!

Who pooped in the desert?

We're not sure, but our best guess is a coyote.

PS: Geoff, when you come home we're totally doing this hike together! When we got to the top we could see Alltel Ice Den, Pinnacle Peak, the JW Marriott, Desert Ridge, the 51 and the 101, and Shadow Mountain HS...and the pyramid church, and Trader Joe's, and PV Mall...and...and...and...!

Yum Yum Cinnamon Rolls

I started with No Rise Dough that I had stashed in the fridge.

I let it sit on the counter to take the chill off, but I got bored waiting for it so I just went ahead and started working. This was truly a no rise bread. By the way, I love my Silpat, and have actually worn a hole through it. The crazy thing is that I bought it for my mom for Christmas a few years ago, but I just had to try it out first. You know, to make sure Mom would like it. Well, then I decided I didn't want to give it to her after all; I wanted it for myself! As it got closer to Christmas I 'fessed up, only to find out that she had bought one for me, but had to try it out first, and then decided to keep it for herself!

Here's the dough all rolled out.

Then I brushed some melted butter on it...

And sprinkled it with yummy goodness, I mean cinnamon sugar...

Rolled it up

And sewed it up! No not really...I used thread to slice the dough into rolls with out squishing them

Just like this

Then I crowded them in the pan, because I like them to be soft. If you want each roll to be a little firmer, just give them some room and space them out a little more. But, just so you know, soft rolls are to die for, so crowd those little babies in.
While they were baking at 350 for about 30 minutes, I made frosting. You can't go wrong with powdered sugar, butter, and vanilla. (You'll notice that what I'm doing here varies slightly from the recipe, which often happens because I don't check for ingredients before I get started!)

It was a little dry, so my frosting helper added some half and half until we had the right consistency. Somehow, it seems I never have trouble recruiting frosting volunteers.

And don't they look glorious, fresh out of the oven? Go ahead, scratch and sniff!

It would have been better if we could have let them cool a little bit before we frosted them, because the frosting sort of, well...deconstructed...but nobody seemed to mind.

And there were two left over for sleepy head Annika, who upon reviewing this post, said, "Oh my gosh! You made those?! I thought you bought them!" Take that, Pillsbury!

No Rise Dough
1 T. yeast
1/2 cup water
1/2 cup oil
2 cups buttermilk
1/2 cup plus 1 T. sugar
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 T. plus 2 t. baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
7 cups flour

Dissolve yeast and 1 T. sugar in warm water. Add everything else, mix, and knead. I can't be precise here, because I just throw it in the kitchenaid and knead it till it looks good! Divide it into 2 disks, put them in ziplocs, and store in the fridge. They will keep for 2 weeks, or I suppose you could freeze them too. My dough doesn't seem to last that long.

You can use this dough to make cinnamon rolls, dinner rolls, bread sticks, pizza dough, calzones, or whatever!
Thanks to Cindy who passed this recipe to Gwen who passed it to me. It's a keeper!

Frosting
1 stick of butter
2 oz. cream cheese
1 1/2 cups powdered sugar
1/2 -1 t. vanilla
Mix till it's fluffy. Try to let the rolls cool a bit before frosting, but it's still good all melty and runny.

Enjoy!

Tag, I'm It!

Well, it's happened. I got tagged. And being the newbie that I am, I wasn't even sure what that meant! My real life friend and blog friend Maria left me a comment that tagged me to play her game. Then I'm supposed to tag six other people to play. Aaah--I get it now...it's like...well, tag! So here's what I'm supposed to do: share 6 random facts about myself, then tag 6 other friends to play. Since I haven't got 6 friends (how pathetic am I?) I'll just share my randomness with you. Thanks, Maria, for inviting me to play!

Random Facts about Lori, in No Particular Order:
6. I'm left handed. My dad is left handed. And my grandpa was left handed. As was my great great grandpa.

5. I love researching genealogy, and I'm working on joining Daughters of the American Revolution.

4. I did not enjoy babysitting when I was younger, but I did enjoy the money.

3. One of my first jobs was cleaning toilets at a Christian camp in California, ROTC they called it...Royal Order of Toilet Cleaning. As a result, I know how to properly clean and sanitize a toilet, and I can do it fast!

2. I hate to wear makeup, with a passion, but now I try to slap some on at least on Sundays, because I'm getting...(shhh, don't tell anybody)... old.

and, drumroll please
1. My favorite color is brown! I know I'm weird! But think about it...chocolate, coffee, skin tones, trees, earth, horses, dogs, bunnies, cinnamon...love it, I tell you!

The Big Guy

Let me introduce you to the big guy.

When he was little, I heard an old wives' tale that went something like this: measure your kid at age 2, double the number, and you'll find out how tall he'll be as an adult. What could be the harm? So I measured the little dude--3 foot 3 inches. What?! I figured that tale was a load of hoo-ey, and so I didn't bother measuring the rest of the kiddos when they turned 2.
Fast forward 19 years. Guess what? He's just a tad under 6'6" and claims he's still gonna bust out another inch before he's finished!

He's currently a senior at Biola University in California, a fine institution if I must say so myself. (It happens to be my alma mater, as well as my mom's, dad's, and brother's, so you can see we're just a tad biased.) He is majoring in political science, and if all goes as planned he will be spending the spring in DC and then graduating shortly thereafter. I'm sure ruling the Western hemisphere is on his to-do list, so stay tuned to future elections and be sure to vote for G-Man.

Here he is with his cousin Jaclyn (she doesn't want to rule the world; she's too busy going to hippie school)

and with little bro and little cuz .

Geoff's favorite quote when torturing younger siblings and cousins: "If you can talk, you can breathe." Translation: "I'm not getting up off of you just because you claim you're being squished." Hmmm...I hope this doesn't reflect his thoughts on foreign policy.

(Disclaimer: no children were harmed in the making of this photo; it only appears as if they are unable to breathe. Trust me--they were still yappin'.)

In November he'll be appearing in a production of Peter Pan. Yes, I know you're thinking he'd make a wonderful Captain Hook, what with his booming deep voice and all. The director, however, neglected to consult me, and cast him instead as . . . are you ready for this?

Nana.

The dog.

I guess size counts for something.

City Boy Treat

Let's start with the ingredients, shall we? They are quite complicated. You will need marshmallows (America's Favorite, I might add) and bamboo skewers. Oh, I should probably mention that this treat involves two of a boy's best friends: sharp sticks and fire. So, beware.


First, rip open the package of marshmallows. Since you are a boy, totally ignore the neatness factor. Make sure the bag is completely mangled when you are through with it. This shows your manly manliness.

Next, load the marshmallow on the stick. Don't forget to squish as many marshmallows in your palm as is humanly possible. This is actually called "economy of motion," a little time-saving management tool you learn from your father. You wouldn't want to waste time going back and forth into the bag.
Don't forget to play Chubby Bunny while you're at it. That's a game you learn in youth group, or from your goofy mom who was raised by a youth pastor. I know, she's scarred for life, but that's the subject of another post.


Keep loading marshmallows onto the stick. Remember, if two is good, three is better.


Now, fire up the stove, and start roasting. Ignore the drips on the burner cover. That's left over from the hot dog roast your sister just completed. Somebody should tell her to use a bamboo skewer instead of ruining all of Mom's good forks. Think to yourself, "This must be why I'm the favorite child."


Keep "roasting" until your 'mallows catch on fire. This gives you maximum exterior crunch with perfect interior gooeyness. Besides, it's fun to wave around flaming torches inside the house because it alarms your mother so.

Don't bother waiting for anything to cool down. This is no fun. You must eat this confection piping hot straight off the stick. It does require a bit of concentration so as not to burn/poke yourself.

mmmmmmmm....roll your eyes back in your head with satisfaction of the sheer sugary bliss.....


Walk your little brother through all the important steps, thus ushering him into self-sufficiency. Don't forget to warn him of the dangers of flaming sugar and long hair. He is your minion, after all. It would be tragic to lose him this early on. You will need him later when you achieve total world domination.

Ok, I Got Nothin'

Yep, a whole lotta nothin'. Kids are on fall break, and we're stuck here in town instead of on vacation like half of the Scottsdale school district. So, because the kids are home all day, they keep hogging the computer playing ridiculous games or downloading itunes or some such nonsense. Meanwhile, hubby is home for a whole week taking a class instead of trotting the globe and saving the world. While this does help with the crazy driving schedule I usually tackle alone, it presents a new problem: my internet addiction has been exposed. (Shhh--don't tell him I'm sneaking in a quick post while he's out picking up kids from youth group.)

Oh no, I think I just heard a car door slam...gotta run!

How Could I Forget?

Hey, I just realized that I never tortured you with another football post from last Saturday's game. Must be getting forgetful in my old age. Well, I wouldn't want you to feel deprived, so here ya go. Pirates 31, Raptors zippo.


Remember, we're here to watch #65.






And notice where #65 actually is in this here dogpile.




But I guess it could be worse...



And now my favorite picture from the game...

Now, if someone would please get me Photoshop for my birthday, I could really have some fun!