My favorite fall pleasure is....

Baking!!

I enjoy baking so much in the fall. I don't know what it is. I even enjoy cooking more. Many of my posts over the next few months will probably be food related, just because that is what I find myself doing this time of year. A few of you asked for my Cinnamon Roll recipe from my Traditions post, so here is is:

Sweet Dough

2 C. Hot Milk
1 Cube margarine
1/2 C. sugar
2 1. salt

Combine and let the margarine cool.

Add:
2 T. yeast
4 eggs
7 C. of flour and NO MORE!!! (dough will be sticky, add more flour when you roll them out, as needed)

Let it rise until double in size then roll them out. If I am making them for just my family, I split the dough in half. I make one half cinnamon rolls, and the other half yeast rolls. They are delicious both ways. For the cinnamon rolls:

Roll the dough out in a square shape about 1/2 inch thick. Spread with melted butter, and then sprinkle sugar and cinnamon on top. Then roll it up from the long side. Once you have it all rolled up nicely, then I use a piece of string to cut them. Slide the string under the roll about an
1 1/4 inches in then cross the string and pull it down. It cuts the dough so nicely. Lay down on a greased cookie sheet, and let them rise until double in size. Bake at 350 for 14-18 minutes, until starting to brown on the edges.

Glaze: You want this to be runny.
milk, butter, powdered sugar, and vanilla. Mix together to the consistency of a runny glaze. Spread on the rolls as soon as they come out of the oven.

For the Yeast Rolls:

I roll the dough out in to a big circle about 1/4 of an inch thick. Then spread with melted butter. Cut the dough like a pizza, into 16 slices. Roll the dough up from the biggest. side. They will look like crescent rolls. Lay down on a greased cookie sheet, and let them rise until double in size. Bake at 350 for 12-15 minutes.

A whole batch of Cinnamon rolls will make about 24.
A whole batch of rolls will make about 30.
Half and half will be 12 cinnamon rolls, and 16 yeast rolls.

ENJOY!!

This is my other fall favorite:

The summer that we moved home from Saba, we stayed with Jonathan's parents for about a month. Jonathan's mom had made homemade granola, and I couldn't wait to get up in the morning and eat it. Since that time, she taught me how, and I make my own.

I love to make it in the fall. It seems like such a fall food. The smell of it baking is such a pleasure to the senses. I enjoy eating this plain, just like a bowl of cereal. It is also great on yogurt, or on your favorite cereal to give it a little crunch. I want to share this favorite with you.

Nutty Berry Granola
4 C. regular rolled oats
2 Cups puffed brown rice
3/4 C. Bran Flakes
3/4 C. wheat germ
3 Tbs. raw sunflower seeds
3 Tbs. chopped nuts
1/4 C. dry milk
Combine this together in a big bowl, and stir well.
Heat:
3/4 C. honey
1/3 C. olive oil
together and stir until well-blended. Do not boil; stir in:
1/2 tsp. Almond extract
1 tsp. vanilla

Spread onto a large non-stick baking sheet. Bake 1 hour @ 225. Stir every 20 minutes.
Add: 1/2 C. dried cranberries
1/2 C. dried blueberries the last 10 minutes, and toss gently.I double this recipe, and then store it the #10 cans that food storage comes in. It is so delicious. I hope you enjoy it too.