Gumdrop Roses on Red Velvet Cupcakes

Little Woman had a Little Flowers meeting here today. 9:30. Now, that wouldn't have been a problem IF I had gotten to bed before 2:00AM and remembered to switch on the alarm (I set it, but forgot to turn it on). I woke up a 7:51AM in a panic. Breakfast to make...Children to feed and dress...Husband to wake (that can be the hardest on some days.)

Brioche Cinnamon Rolls

Good thing I put these in the fridge to rise overnight. I am not one for too much busy work. I used the last 3 lbs of dough to make 12 TEXAS sized cinnamon rolls. Yes, I know. Portion control ... NOT. I cut them in half to serve. I used a texas muffin pan, well greased. After rolling out the dough in 2 batches, I put 1/2 cup of brown sugar and 1/2 Tbsp cinnamon on each batch of dough. I rolled, sealed and cut each into 6 pieces. They slept in the fridge overnight.

I raced downstairs and I put on a pot of water to boil eggs and turned on the oven to 375 degrees and ran to get dressed. By the time I was dressed, the water was boiling and the oven hot. I put the eggs in to boil and slipped the pans into the oven for 20 minutes (a mite too long, based on the dark exterior).

Breakfast was served before 8:25. Now, not everyone was present and accounted for, but we got Husband out the door with 4 of the kids to other activities and the other Little Flowers started to arrive. This was the last of my brioche dough, by the way. Too rich for everyday. I will save it for special occasions. I just had to try it though. The next batch will be bagels.


Thank you Tegwin for the buckets. A loaf of bread will be coming your way.

Little Flowers Meeting

Our virtue was "Love of Neighbor", the color red and the flower was rose. Hence the special snack. The cake was a mix (sorry Grandma). The frosting was home made (leftovers were GREAT on the cinnamon rolls) and dairy free. The roses? Spice drops (six for the flower, two for the leaves) rolled flat with a rolling pin between wax paper. Roll one flattened drop into a tight roll. Add the rest around the outside, overlapping the petals. The girls could do it without a problem. You can too. Roll out the green for leaves and stretch the ends gently for a pointed leaf. They stick together without any help. Place on top of the frosted cupcakes and voila' - a beautiful snack (or birthday treat).

I'll keep you posted on how the bagels come out as I did change the recipe by using barley malt instead of sugar. Brugger's Bagels uses barley malt, and we LOVE their bagels at our house, but they are just too pricey (unless you go on Wednesdays or buy the leftover ones).