Cinnamon Rolls

One of my favorite breakfast foods is cinnamon rolls. Luckily for me, these are super simple to make, take a few hours, and are delicious! Here are the steps:

First, put in a batch of dough. This is our family's favorite cinnamon roll dough recipe:

For 12 Rolls

1 Egg plus enough water to equal 1 1/2 cups of water
1 tsp lemon juice
4 1/2 cups of bread flour
1 1/2 tsp salt
1/2 cup of sugar
1/3 cup of oil
2 tsp of active dry yeast

Featured Friday: Neuschwanstein Castle

If you are looking for fairytale castle, none can beat Germany's Neuschwanstein Castle. This is the castle that inspired Walt Disney to create his Cinderella castle. You can't find a castle more "fairytale" than that!

Quick Facts:

Where: Fussen, Bavaria, Germany

Website: www.neuschwanstein.de

What Is It: This castle is a fairytale surrounded by mystical forests in the alpine region of Bavaria. It is steeped in legend, as the castle is only half finished, due to the fact that Mad King Ludwig died before it could be completed. The rooms that are finished, however, are amazing. The throne room is elegant, fanciful, and exactly what you would imagine a king to posses. This is one of my favorite places in Europe. If you have ever wanted to step into a fairytale, this is the castle to visit.

Time Tip: Go to the castles early in the morning. Ticket lines can get unbearably long and tours often sell out early in the afternoon. You can only enter the castle by tour. After your tour walk to Mary's Bridge (Marienbrücke) for a spectacular view of the castle.

Click here to view these pictures larger

Interesting Father's Day Gift

The other day I was trying to figure out what to get my dad for Father's Dad. I always like to find interesting ways to give him his Father's Day gifts. This year, a good friend of mine suggested this funny idea: give him his favorite candy(Swedish Fish) in a can! So, this is what the final product look like:

A can of Peaches full of Swedish Fish! :) 

The trick here is that you still want the "pop top" of the can to be unopened. 

This is how I made it: 

First, I took the bottom off a can of peaches. Then I cleaned out the can. 

Second, I took a piece of tinfoil and covered the inside of the can. 

Then, I filled it up with Swedish Fish. 

Next, I placed another piece of tinfoil over the top. 

Finally, I put the bottom of the can back on, and hot glued it to create a seal. 

And there you have it! A can full of goodies. Needless to say, my dad was very surprised to get a can of peaches for Father's Day. He was even more surprised at the fact that it contained Swedish Fish! 

So, if you are looking for something unusual for the dad who has everything, give him a can of fruit or vegetables with his favorite candy inside. 

Happy (late) Father's Day! :) 

The Importance of Writing Letters

In our technologically advanced culture, sitting down and writing letters has become almost as extinct as the dinosaurs and just about as appealing. But to our Compassion children, our letters are one of their most important possessions.

 Sadly, many sponsors don't realize the importance of writing to our children. Think about it: would you only speak to your flesh and blood child once or twice every few years? Most people talk to their children every day or at least a few times a year. Sending letters is our way of communicating with our children. And believe me, those children cherish our letters. I am just as guilty of not writing as the next sponsor.

However, our letters can change our children's lives. To me, that is worth the effort of writing a letter and the cost of stamps. One way that I manage to remember to write Bedina is I joined the Virtual Letter Writing night on Our Compassion. In that group, every month you will be given a different topic to write about. That way, you don't even have to come up with something to write! Writing to your sponsored children can build a beautiful relationship with them. And, it is the chance to show the Savior's love to a child thousands of miles away. What an awesome opportunity!

Today, I sat down to write my letter. I went to Target, and found these wonderful coloring books put out by Crayola in the Target dollar section! So, in this letter I included the book and this lovely summer themed card. I love finding goodies and fun stuff to send her!

You don't have to do anything fancy. Just write! Your child will treasure your letters, for it is their link to you. For more information, check out this blog post on the Compassion International Blog: The Impact of Letter Writing

Featured Friday: The Matterhorn

Who knew a mountain could be so amazing? :) And yes, it looks just like Disneyland!

Quick Facts:
Where? Zermatt, Switzerland is the town below the Matterhorn mountain. It is the major jumping off point for all Matterhorn climbers, sightseers, hikers, etc.

Website: www.zermatt.ch

What is it: The Matterhorn mountain itself is an amazing testament to God and His creative glory. Majestically overlooking the quaint town of Zermatt, the Matterhorn is a craggy, snowy, adventure waiting to be conquered. While only the most serious mountain climbers tackle its peak, even those us who prefer not to hike can enjoy this mountain. Simply jump on one of the many lifts and let it whisk you to the top of many surrounding mountains. The Matterhorn is one incredible mountain. I hope everyone gets the opportunity to see this mountain in person.

Warning: Zermatt (and the rest of Switzerland, for that matter) is extremely expensive. Riding the lifts will set you back a few hundred dollars. However, it is worth it! The experience of those mountains is amazing, so don't let the price deter you. It is worth every penny.

Now, for the pictures!

The train that takes us to Zermatt

No vehicles are allowed in Zermatt, so everyone travels by horses or small motorized golf carts and mopeds. 

The interior of The Matterhorn Museum 

The Matterhorn 

The Rothorn gondola that takes you up the mountain. 

These are the way up to the perfect Matterhorn viewpoint for those of us who don't want to hike! :) 

A really neat sign at the top of the view point. 

There is a goat parade in Zermatt twice a day as the goats are moved from upper pastures to lower pastures and then back again.

Enjoy Buying Textbooks and Avoid Jellyfish!

Buying textbooks is almost as bad(and as painful!) as being stung by a jellyfish. Having been stung by a jellyfish, I know the pain. And yes, it hurts as much as your wallet does by buying college textbooks. However, there is this awesome thing called The Amazon Marketplace. I just bought a $180 textbook for $20! Another one of my textbooks is $80 at the bookstore, and I am getting it for 19 cents. Yes, 19 CENTS! What is even better is you can then sell your books back to Amazon, and often make money on them. I can buy a book for a few dollars and then sell it again for more than it costs. Now, you are no longer losing money with textbooks, but making money! Seriously, make sure to check it out. And never buy a textbook from the bookstore ever again!  :)

Correspondence Kit Giveaway

Jill, over at Compassion Family, is doing a giveaway! She is giving away a beautiful correspondence kit, customized to you and your Compassion child. Head on over to Compassion Family to check it out. Thanks Jill!

Wordless Wednesday

Isaiah 9:2

Free Kindle Books

I have a Kindle and I love it. But one of my favorite things about Kindle is the FREE KINDLE BOOKS! :)
This weeks good Kindle picks are:
Circle of Friends Cookbook-25 Dip and Spread Recipes 
Journey to the Well: A Novel 
The Holy Bible English Standard Version 

UPDATED: 
The Light of Eioden 
This is one of my favorite free Kindle books ever. It is a beautiful fantasy story about a young boy who is a prince of the land, but then sold into a slavery. This story mirrors our relationship with Christ. It is a wonderful tale, and I highly encourage everyone to read it. And right now, it is FREE on Kindle! Can't get a better price than that! :) 

Making Bagels

The other day I decided I wanted to try my hand at making bagels. They turned out amazingly delicious, and everyone loved them! Here are the steps to making bagels:
First put in a batch of bagel dough into your bread machine or make up a batch and set it to rise. I just used the bagel recipe out of the book that came with our machine.
This is the recipe I used:
1 cup of water
1 tsp of lemon juice
1 tsp of salt
1 1/2 tbl of sugar
3 cups of bread flour
2 1/4 tsp of yeast
This recipe makes 6 bagels. I doubled it for about 12 bagels. Put the ingredients in the bread pan as listed. If you don't have a machine, mix the ingredients together and set it aside to rise.
Once the bread looks like this, you are ready to create your bagels.

Now, turn the oven to 400 degrees F. Then, split the dough into balls. For a single recipe, you should have 6 balls of dough, for the double, 12 balls of dough.

In the center of each ball, create a hole 1-2 inches wide. Flatten them down, and place on a greased cookie sheet. Cover with a towel, and let them rise for about 10-15 minutes, or until your bagels are nice and fluffy. Put a 3 quart pot of water on the stove, and bring to a boil.
Bagels before Rising:

Bagels after rising:

Now, a couple of bagels at a time, drop them into the pot of boiling water. Let boil for 3 minutes, turning them once, so each side boils for about a 1 1/2 minutes. Then, remove from water and place on greased cookie sheet. Do this with all the bagels. Once out of the water, brush the bagels with one beaten egg so that they are shiny. If you are going to add a topping, such as cinnamon sugar, chocolate chips, onions, etc, place the topping on the bagels after brushing with the egg.
My chocolate chip bagels are egg brushed and ready to go:
 Place bagels into the oven for 20-25 minutes, or until golden brown.
These bagels are perfect!
Let cool, then either eat them or save them for another day. These bagels didn't last long in my house! :) Enjoy!
Feel free to print this page for the recipe. If you decide to make your own bagels, let me know how it works!