Robb + Jessie Married & in the Badger State
Stocking Madness
It’s taken two years “planning” and one month of knitting to produce these:
I used this pattern. [I updated the original which was formatted in a manner that made it difficult to read].
It was my first time knitting with more than one color using the “stranding” technique (aka, knitting with two hands). Oh boy! How fun. You can see a difference between my first (on the right) and second (on the right) stockings. I have a tendency to knit tightly and discovered that this produces a very puckered looking stocking. The second is much looser. The same number of stitches was used in both stockings but the second is almost an inch wider! Robb is thrilled with his because his can hold more presents! Unfortunately, since I finished the second at 12:15 am on Christmas morning (!!) Santa didn’t fill either of our stockings this year. But maybe next year…
[The nifty stocking holders we picked up at St. Vinnny’s for $1 each!]
A Sweet Tradition
Nothing is better on a cold Christmas morning. Once a year, we treat ourselves to homemade cinnamon rolls. Well, really it’s twice a year. Since is is just the two of us, I save half of the unbaked rolls in the freezer to have on New Years morning. Maybe that will change once we have a family… or I will just make double the rolls!
I stumbled across Molly Wizenberg’s recipe for her cinnamon rolls while reading her blog in February 2008. I saved the recipe in my little folder anticipating our first Christmas morning last year. (Has it already been two years?!) We made those last year and boy, were they good! I thought I would share with you how we made them this year. Now, I haven’t altered it much, but I figure why keep directing you to other locations when you can just read it here (and now I can just read it off my site next year).
Cinnamon Rolls with Cream Cheese Glaze
by Molly Wizenberg
Dough:
Combine 1 cup milk and 3 tablespoons butter in glass measuring cup. Microwave on high until butter melts and mixture is just warmed (30 to 45 seconds). Pour into bowl of stand mixer fitted with paddle attachment. Add 1 cup all-purpose flour, 1/2 cup sugar, 1 large egg, 2 packets of rapid-rise yeast, and 1 tsp salt. Beat on low speed 3 minutes, stopping occasionally to scrape down sides of bowl. Add 2-1/2 cups flour. Beat on low until flour is absorbed and dough is sticky, scraping down sides of bowl. If dough is very sticky, add more flour by tablespoonfuls until dough begins to form ball and pulls away from sides of bowl. Affix the dough hook to the mixer and let it knead the dough for 8 minutes until it becomes smooth and elastic, adding more flour if sticky. Form into ball.
Lightly oil large bowl with nonstick spray. Transfer dough to bowl, turning to coat. Cover bowl with plastic wrap, then kitchen towel. Let dough rise in warm draft-free area until doubled in volume, about 2 (or 3 hours if your house is chilly) hours.
Filling:
Mix 3/4 cup of brown sugar and 2 tablespoons cinnamon in medium bowl.
Punch down dough. Transfer to floured work surface. Roll out to 15x11-inch rectangle.
Spread 1/4 cup (1/2 stick) room temperature butter over dough, leaving 1/2-inch border.
Sprinkle cinnamon sugar evenly over butter.
Starting at 1 long side, roll dough into log, pinching gently to keep it rolled up.
With seam side down, cut dough crosswise with thin sharp knife into 18 equal slices (each about 1/2 to 3/4 inch wide) OR you can use the method I learned in 4th grade where you use a piece of dental floss (unflavored) to “tie” a loop around the roll and pinch off pieces:
Line two baking dishes with parchment paper (I like to use spring-form pans). Divide rolls between baking dishes, arranging cut side up. Typically, I store half of the rolls in a zip-lock container which is pop into the fridge and transfer to the fridge in the morning on New Years Eve so that the following day we can have freshly baked cinnamon rolls (yum).
Assuming you are making these the day before you want to cook these suckers, cover with plastic wrap and pop the pan into the fridge. The next morning (typically I wake up a few hours before we want to eat and preheat the oven to 375ºF an set the pan on top of the oven — then I crawl back into bed).
Cover baking dish with plastic wrap, then kitchen towel. Let dough rise in warm draft-free area until almost doubled in volume, 40 to 45 minutes.
Position rack in center of oven and preheat to 375°F. Bake rolls until tops are golden, about 20 minutes. Remove from oven and invert immediately onto rack. Cool 10 minutes. Turn rolls right side up.
Glaze:
While the cinnamon rolls are baking, mix together 4 ounces cream cheese (room temperature), 1 cup sifted powdered sugar, 1/4 cup (1/2 stick) unsalted butter (room temperature), and 1 teaspoon vanilla extract in a medium bowl with an electric mixer. Beat until smooth. Spread onto cinnamon rolls and serve warm (or at room temperature, if you’re into that kind of thing).
I kind of went overboard this year… but they are so yummy.
What are your traditions?
Simply having a wonderful Christmastime.
Dear Friends and Family,
From the land of heavy snow and freezing temperatures (no, not the North Pole) we wish you a very warm and Merry Christmas! We had a wonderful year and hope that this letter finds you well.
As per usual, 2009 marked many transitions. We found a new church home this year and have made many wonderful new friends. We also said goodbye to many of our friends who moved away from Madison. This past January we escaped the bitter cold Madison weather for some much needed thawing in San Diego. During spring we spent most of our time hard at work: Jessie learned almost everything about statistics while Robb spent his time grading assignments and teaching undergrads genetics. In June, Robb took his written prelim which he passed with flying colours! In July, Jessie travelled to Montréal, Quebec where she presented her research on cheese to an audience of dairy scientists. In August, we returned home to Seattle where we spent much needed time with our friends and families. Jessie went backpacking in Olympic National Forest with her dear friend and Robb took part in a good friend’s wedding. We also moved to a larger apartment in August. We are thrilled with our roomier home (Jessie is particularly happy with her full size oven). We do hope you can visit us some day!
Last weekend we went to the “slopes” where Jessie learned to ski on one of Wisconsin’s plethora of bunny hills. And in just a few short weeks, we will be celebrating our 2nd anniversary. We cannot believe it’s already been two years. Here is to many more!
As the snow continues to fall and the glow of our Christmas tree keeps us warm, may your and your loved ones have a blessed Christmas season and joyful New Years.
Much love,
Come, Thou Fount
Photo by Kristin Boyett from our wedding January 5, 2008
Our friend BoB Rudis has been on a quest this advent season to enlighten his readers by pulling away the veil and get back to the true meanings of many of our treasured Christmastime hymns. Today, as a special request, he taught us about one of my favourite hymns, Come, Thou Fount, which some of you might remember, we sang at our wedding. It was written by Robert Robinson, a Methodist pastor, in the 1700s. I encourage you to read BoB’s post. While it is a timeless song, its words are ever meaningful during the Advent season.
If you are not familiar with this tune, you can listen to Elysium’s version here:
“
You can follow along with the lyrics below:
Come, Thou Fount of every blessing,
Tune my heart to sing Thy grace;
Streams of mercy, never ceasing,
Call for songs of loudest praise.
Teach me some melodious sonnet,
Sung by flaming tongues above.
Praise his Name, I’m fixed upon it,
Name of Thy redeeming love.Sorrowing I shall be in spirit,
Till released from flesh and sin,
Yet from what I do inherit,
Here Thy praises I’ll begin;
Here I raise my Ebenezer;
Here by Thy great help I’ve come;
And I hope, by Thy good pleasure,
Safely to arrive at home.Jesus sought me when a stranger,
Wandering from the fold of God;
He, to rescue me from danger,
Interposed His precious blood;
How His kindness yet pursues me
Mortal tongue can never tell,
Clothed in flesh, till death shall loose me
I cannot proclaim it well.O to grace how great a debtor
Daily I’m constrained to be!
Let Thy goodness, like a fetter,
Bind my wandering heart to Thee.
Prone to wander, Lord, I feel it,
Prone to leave the God I love;
Here’s my heart, O take and seal it,
Seal it for Thy courts above.O that day when freed from sinning,
I shall see Thy lovely face;
Clothed then in blood washed linen
How I’ll sing Thy sovereign grace;
Come, my Lord, no longer tarry,
Take my ransomed soul away;
Send thine angels now to carry
Me to realms of endless day.
Our First Christmas
This was Robb’s and my first Christmas away from our families. I am surprised by how much we enjoyed it. We were a bit homesick, but we were able to talk to both of our families using video chat. It made the separation a bit easier to handle.
We began our morning with some delicious cinnamon rolls by the lovely Molly Wizenberg of Orangette. While these baked, we opened our gifts. Robb surprised me with the most beautiful pie dish from William & Sonoma (Emile Henry):
(I had been eyeing this pie dish since we registered for our wedding –- over a year ago! And with the help of Ruthie, Robb bought me exactly what I needed/wanted!)
I won Robb’s heart by giving him a video game for Wii. I will admit, Super Smash Bros. Brawl is actually an entertaining game.
Our parents were also very generous and we are very grateful for their wonderful gifts.
Perhaps what I missed most was waking up in my parents’ house on Christmas morning. My dad is always the first one up thus able to capture the stillness and beauty of Christmas morning:
We decided that the 1ºF weather was not ideal for playing outside in the snow, so we opted to watch both Home Alone movies. We couldn’t help but think fondly of our good friends Jamie and Nick who love these films so much. Here are a few memorable quotes:
Harry: Where did he go?
Marv: Maybe he committed suicide.
Kevin McCallister: I’m over here you big horse’s ass, come and get me before I call the police.
Harry: Why the hell did you take your shoes off?
Marv: Why the hell are you dressed like a chicken?
Ah, but I almost forgot to tell how how wonderful our dinner was. Robb made the most delicious and tenderest Cornish Game Hens I have ever tasted (and chicken for that matter!). Robb used the brining method and let them soak for about 48 hours before we cooked them. We also enjoyed steamed carrots with asparagus, mashed sweet potatoes with orange, cranberry sauce and Trader Joe’s Vintage Ale.
One of the best things about this Christmas (besides not worrying about flying to Seattle) was that Robb and I were able to forge traditions that we will carry on for years to come. One of the simplest, yet meaningful, traditions is a birthday card to Jesus. After all, we are celebrating our Saviors’ birthday this cold day in December. We bought a simple card with a lion on the front and signed our names. One day, when we have children, we can add their names to the card, too.
And one of the elders said to me, “Weep no more; behold, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, has conquered, so that he can open the scroll and its seven seals.” Revelation 5:5