Bun in the Oven

The blog posts around here have been kind of hit or miss lately, and I apologize. Things are getting pretty hectic around here. It's been a busy semester with work, and there's more news, too. We're expecting a baby! Yep, we've got a bun in the oven here at The Sweet Life! The Little Sweetie will be here in early June of this year...in just about 2 months! (If you're interested in reading more pregnancy news, click here.) I had plans to make these cinnamon rolls much earlier in my pregnancy and announce our big news with a picture of the rolls in the oven. Well...I just never got around to it until this weekend (at 31 weeks pregnant!), and then I forgot to take the "bun in the oven" picture! Sheesh. Butanyway, without further ado, I give you Ultimate Cinnamon Rolls, from Cook's Country: I think part of my not getting around to making these rolls had more than a little to do with my fear of yeast bread, but pregnancy cravings trumped my fear this weekend, and I put these delicious rolls together last Friday night after I got home from work. The recipe is pretty daunting when you just look at it, but really, it's very simple. I made the dough, let it rise, and assembled the rolls on Friday night. Then, I woke up Saturday morning, took the pan of rolls out of the fridge, turned on the oven, and went back to bed. About 2 hours later, we got up and I stuck the rolls in the oven. Then, about 40 minutes later, I had beautiful, decadent, homemade cinnamon rolls on the table. Oh, yum.

These rolls are so very good, but they're really an obnoxious size. They are HUGE! These are definitely special occasion treats...like for when you announce to the blog world that you're expecting a little one!

Ultimate Cinnamon Buns

Cook's Country

Dough 3/4 cup whole milk, heated to 110 degrees 2 1/2 tsp. instant or rapid-rise yeast 3 large eggs, room temperature 4 1/4 cups all-purpose flour 1/2 cup cornstarch 1/2 cup granulated sugar 1 1/2 tsp. salt 12 Tbs. unsalted butter, cut into 12 pieces and softened Filling 1 1/2 cups packed light brown sugar 1 1/2 Tbs. ground cinnamon 1/4 tsp. salt 4 Tbs. unsalted butter, softened Glaze 4 oz. cream cheese, softened 1 Tbs. whole milk 1 tsp. vanilla extract 1 1/2 cups confectioner's sugar

Instructions: 1. For the dough: Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 200 degrees. When the oven reaches 200 degrees, shut off. Line 13x9 inch baking pan with foil, allowing excess foil to hang over pan edges. Grease foil and a medium bowl. 2. Whisk milk and yeast in measuring cup until yeast dissolves, then whisk in eggs. In bowl of stand mixer fitted with dough hook, mix flour, cornstarch, sugar, and salt until combined. With mixer on low, add warm milk mixture in steady stream and mix until dough comes together, about 1 minute. Increase speed to medium, and add butter, one piece at a time, until incorporated. Continue to mix until dough is smooth and comes away from the sides of the bowl, about 10 minutes. Turn dough out onto clean surface and knead to form a smooth, round ball. Transfer dough to prepared bowl, cover with plastic wrap, and place in warm oven. Let rise until doubled in size, about 2 hours. 3. For the filling: Combine brown sugar, cinnamon, and salt in small bowl. Turn dough out onto lightly floured surface. Roll dough into 18-inch square, spread with butter, and sprinkle evenly with filling. Starting with the edge nearest you, roll dough into tight cylinder, pinch lightly to seal seam, and cut into 8 pieces. Transfer pieces, cut-side up, to prepared pan. Cover with plastic wrap and let rise in warm spot until doubled in size. 4. For the glaze, and to bake: Heat oven to 350 degrees. Whisk cream cheese, milk, vanilla, and confectioner's sugar in medium bowl until smooth. Discard plastic wrap and bake buns until deep golden brown and filling is melted 35 - 40 minutes. Transfer to wire rack and top buns with 1/2 cup glaze. Cool 30 minutes. Using foil overhang, lift buns from pan and top with remaining glaze. Serve. Make ahead: After transferring pieces to prepared pan in step 3, buns can be covered with plastic wrap and refrigerated for 24 hours. When ready to bake, let sit at room temperature for 1 hour. Remove plastic wrap and continue with step 4 as directed.

Luke 1:37

I'm so very sad to report that little Luke passed away Saturday morning at around 12:10am. I am amazed at the number of people that Luke and his parents ministered to over the last few weeks. I think it's safe to say that Luke did more for God's kingdom in his 12 days than many of us will accomplish in a lifetime! I ask that you please remember Benson and Kristin during this difficult time.
Even though Luke's time here on earth was short, he will continue to be an influence on everyone who hears about him. His parents have established Luke 1:37 Ministries in order to keep on bringing glory to God through Luke's life. Please continue to visit their blog, The Sexton 3...Luke's story is only beginning!

Heavy Stuff

If you stop by very often, you've probably noticed that there haven't been very many posts around here lately. Well, we've been a little preoccupied over here at The Sweet Life. The last couple of weeks have been psychologically and emotionally stressful for a couple of reasons.
Let me introduce you to someone...his name is Luke Sexton:

Isn't he beautiful? This handsome little guy doesn't belong to me and David, but he is the newborn son of Benson and Kristin Sexton. (I went to Lindsey Wilson College with Benson and worked with him in Freshman Advising for a couple of years.) Luke was born last Tuesday evening, and he's a very sick little boy. He was born with Hypoplastic Left Heart Syndrome, and he needs your prayers. In the past week, he's had a heart catheterization and at least one surgery. Lately, he's really impressed his doctors with his progress, but this morning, we got a bad report. It seems that Luke isn't responding well to his medications anymore, and his doctors have told Benson and Kristin that Luke's only hope of survival is a miracle. I ask that you please pray for miraculous healing for Luke, for guidance and wisdom for his doctors and nurses, and for strength and peace for Benson and Kristin. They have set up a blog called The Sexton 3, and they update it regularly to share the story of Luke's miracle. Please visit their blog to get Luke's full story, and if you'd like, leave them a comment to let them know that you're thinking of them. This little guy's situation is very serious, and I know that the family covets your prayers.
David and I have not only been thinking a lot about little Luke, but we also learned that someone else that we love has been hurt. It's hard to think about much else when someone you love is hurting. So...David and I are a little preoccupied and I'm not sure I can promise many recipes or exciting posts in the near future. I've been thinking for a couple of weeks that maybe I should switch the focus of the blog from strictly cooking and food and include some other things. I might start working on that soon.
Anyway, just wanted to let you know that The Sweet Life hasn't disappeared, but I'd love for you to spend some time in prayer for Luke and his family today. Take care!

*Edit* One of the links to Luke's blog wasn't working, but I fixed it.

Greek Chicken Pitas and The Winner!

The Blogiverary Giveaway winner is all the way at the bottom of the post. I know you can't wait to see if you won...but stick around here first to see what we've had for dinner recently!
When I was younger and still living at home, I can remember Mom asking, "What do you want for dinner?" And pretty regularly, my response was, "Something fun to eat." And Mom would get exasperated and say, "What's fun to eat?!" And you know what, I didn't know. I didn't have any idea. Now, I think that by "fun," I meant "different." These Greek chicken pitas are very different from what David and I have on a normal evening, and by different, I mean fun! When David pulled the pitas out of the grocery bag Sunday afternoon, he said, "Oh! We've never had these before!" I think he was excited to try them.
I really enjoyed these sandwiches, but I wish I had stuffed my pita with more chicken and less lettuce. The lemon/garlic marinade on the chicken was really good, and it's something that I'll definitely use again...maybe just on chicken breasts to grill. The lemon flavor was pronounced, but not overwhelming.

I also served Greek rice with the pitas, and it was delicious! This stuff was so good...I liked it better than the chicken. For lunch the next day, I mixed some of the chicken and rice together, and that was a great lunch! The Greek rice also has lemon juice in it, which is a perfect complement to the herbs and onions. This one is a keeper, for sure!

Greek Chicken Pita Pockets

Heather's Website

1/2 cup lemon juice

4 Tbs. olive oil (you can probably get away with a little less)

1 1/2 Tbs. garlic, minced and divided

1 tsp. ground mustard

1 tsp. dried oregano

1 lb boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1/2 inch strips

shredded lettuce

1/2 small red onion, thinly sliced

black olives

pita pockets

Combine lemon juice, oil, 1 tsp. of the garlic, the mustard, and the oregano in a gallon zip top bag. Add chicken and seal bag. Turn bag and gently move chicken around to distribute marinade evenly. Refrigerate at least 1 hour.

Greek Yogurt Sauce

Heather's Website

1/2 cup cucumber, chopped

1/3 cup nonfat yogurt, plain

1/4 tsp. dillweed

In a small bowl, combine cucumber, yogurt, dill, and remaining garlic (from the pita recipe above). Cover and refrigerate until serving. (NOTE: Cucumbers have a lot of moisture in them, so if you want your sauce to be less runny, squeeze as much water from your cucumbers as possible.)

To Assemble the Pita Pockets:

Saute the chicken for 7-8 minutes or until the juices run clear. Fill pocket with lettuce, black olives, onion, and chicken. Top with cucumber sauce.

Greek Rice

Taste of Home Message Board (Redraspberrygirl)

2 cups water

2 Tbs. lemon juice

1 cup brown rice

1/2 tsp each: thyme, oregano, and rosemary, crumbled

2 tsp. olive oil

1/2 tsp. salt

1 clove garlic, minced

1/2 cup thinly sliced red onion

1 Tbs. chopped kalamata olives

Combine water, rice, oil, salt, and garlic in a medium saucepan. Bring to a boil; reduce heat, cover, and simmer until rice is tender and liquid is absorbed. Stir in remaining ingredients. Cover and let stand for 5 minutes before serving. Serves 6.

Now, for the winner of The Sweet Life's Blogiversary Giveaway! Suburban Prep was the reader chosen by the random number generator. Please send me an email (no later than Wednesday, April 7th) with your name and mailing address. You can email me at erinssweetlife[at]hotmail[dot]com.

Thanks so much to all who entered! I love reading your comments and getting to know you all! I appreciate all your encouragement!

Blogiversary Giveaway

It's my blogiversary! One year ago today, I started my little food blog with two Tuesdays with Dorie posts. I read my very first post last night, and it seemed so long ago! My food photography skills have come a long way, but they still leave quite a bit to be desired. I've made lots of foods I normally would have never tried, and I've had some failures. But overall, it's been a lot of fun. There were some days when I wanted to just chuck the whole thing, but there were always a few people who have encouraged me to keep it up. So, to thank you all, my dear readers, I decided that I'd have my very first giveaway!
Here's the "Sweet Life Prize Pack": two cookbooks (Brittles, Barks, & Bonbons: Delicious Recipes for Quick and Easy Candy and Cookies: 200 Inspirational Cookie Recipes), a Harry & David Moose Munch chocolate bar, and a package of Late July Vanilla Bean and Green Tea cookies. I found the cookbooks the other day while I was browsing the cookbook section, and I wanted them for myself. But the last thing I need is another cookbook, so I decided that I wanted to give them away! There are so many yummy recipes in these books.

Like Mocha-Hazelnut Truffles, from the Brittles, Barks, & Bonbons book. Oooh...I want a couple of these right now!

Or how about some "Melt-in-the-Middles" or "Really Large Coconut Macaroons"? I don't even like to bake cookies, but some of these look like they'd be worth the trouble!

So there you have it. A nice little prize pack to celebrate my blogiversary. And really, you don't have to do much to get it. Just leave me a comment! I'd love to know if you have a favorite recipe that you've tried after seeing it on my site. Or how about some suggestions of things I can make in the coming year? I'm making a list, and I plan to share it with you in the next few days, but I'd love to hear what you've got in mind. The giveaway will close at 10pm Eastern time on Saturday (March 3rd), so leave your comment, and the winner will be drawn randomly! I'll post the winner's name on Monday, March 5th. Thanks for stopping by, and come back soon!

Moving Day!

Well, we're finally moving into our new house! We don't have the TV or Internet hooked up yet, so it might be a little while before I can post something delicious on The Sweet Life. But stay tuned, I'll be back soon! Take care, and happy baking!

Dream Kitchen 2010

Tonight was one of the most exciting nights I've experienced in quite some time. You see, David and I are building a house, and tonight, my dream kitchen is pretty much complete. I am so very happy with how it turned out. I am blessed beyond measure, and I can't wait to get in that kitchen and BAKE! Let's take a tour!

Here's one side of the kitchen. To the left of the sink is the double oven, but it kind of got cut out.
Here's the other side of the kitchen. I'm really pleased with how the cabinets, wall color, and countertops look together. I was intimidated by picking everything out, but it works great!

There's the double wall oven. I've been wanting a double wall oven for so long! I can't begin to tell you how many times I've wished I could have two things in the oven at different temperature. The dream is about to come true!

Here's what the inside of the ovens look like. I don't know why they're blue, but they're pretty! And get this...that gray thing on top of the instructions in the oven? That's a built-in probe thermometer. I can't wait!

Here's the ginormous refrigerator! It looks especially big right now, because it's not pushed all the way back to the wall. I love the French doors. You wouldn't believe how much stuff you can fit in there. Seriously...a full sheet cake would fit in there. And the freezer is in the bottom, which will eliminate the avalanche I currently deal with every time I open the freezer door.

And here's me...lovin' on my new dishwasher. Oh, how I have missed having a dishwasher. Since David and I got married (a little over three years ago), we've been dishwasherless. And believe me, I'm sick of handwashing every.single.thing I use in the kitchen. TWD assignments will be so much more fun now!

Here's the microwave and the cooktop.

And a closer look. It's got 5 burners. The front left one is expandable and can fit three different sizes of pans. The two middle ones can be joined together long-ways to accomodate a griddle (look out, pancakes!) or one of those long skinny sauce pans like Rachael Ray uses.

There you go. You've had a tour of Erin's Dream Kitchen 2010! We still need to get the door handles and pulls on there, but it's pretty much complete. I'm so excited about baking and cooking in there. What should I make first?

Happy New Year: A Recap

Well, 2009 has come and gone, and what a year it's been! There've been lots of changes in my life this year...I started a wonderful new job, built a beautiful new house, and started a little cooking blog! Over the last two days, as I've been making my blog rounds, I've noticed that lots of other food bloggers have compiled a list of their most popular posts/recipes of the year. Most of them (if not all) have used Google Analytics to do so, but I'm not Internet-savvy enough to figure that out. I'm doing it a decidedly unscientific way. I've been kind of keeping a tally of the times people search for recipes on my website (via Feedjit), and it's really been quite simple to identify the top six recipes searched for on my blog. (Why six? Because after those six recipes, there's not really anything else that stands out as a number 7, 8, 9, or 10.) Here we go!

The Sweet Life's Top Six Recipes of 2009

1. Homemade Boursin Cheese

There was absolutely no contest with this one. It's far and away the recipe that brings folks to my blog. Seriously, it brings about 4 people to The Sweet Life per week. Apparently, I'm not the only one who wants to pay out the nose for a cheese spread I can easily recreate at home! This is certainly one to keep in your recipe arsenal. And, on another note, the Boursin Cheese pictured above is my favorite food photo I've ever taken in the 8 months I've been photographing my food!

2. Upside Down German Chocolate Cake
While it's not necessarily a close second to the Homemade Boursin Cheese, it's the closest of the bunch. Searches for this recipe come up on my Feedjit Traffic Tracker about once a week. It's no wonder! This cake is delicious! This cake comes from Sue, one of my mom's very good friends. It's her signature dessert, and she's pretty much expected to bring it to her work potlucks, where everyone asks for the recipe. Everyone loves this cake...even folks who say they don't like coconut. Make it for your next social event, but be sure that you have copies of the recipe to hand out!

3. Chocolate Reese Pieces Cookies

These were the cookies that almost weren't made...which is a shame, because it seems that lots of people are looking for them! I made these on a whim on Halloween, just in case our "niece" Hannah stopped by for trick or treating. As it turns out, she didn't come, so David and I had to eat 4 dozen of these delicious chocolatey, peanut buttery cookies ourselves! We didn't quite make it through all four dozen, so we gave them away at work and church. They were so easy to put together, and they were a success for me, because these were pretty much the first cookies I made that stayed chewy. Yum! The original recipe came from The Sisters' Cafe, and they always have tons of delicious recipes...everything I've made from their site has been wonderful! 4. Pumpkin Pie Dip

I was really kind of surprised to find that this recipe is often searched for, and as a result, often brings people to The Sweet Life. It's so simple to put together, and it's a definite crowd pleaser at fall parties. It's pretty much Pumpkin Pie in dip form. I love it with gingersnaps, but it's also very good with apple slices. I'd love to make some pumpkin whoopie pies sometime and use this as the filling, but I didn't quite get around to it this fall. We'll see if it happens in Fall 2010!

5. Potato, Ham, and Spinach Soup

This delightful soup is probably the biggest shocker of traffic-generating recipes to The Sweet Life. It was very good, but I never would have thought that there were people looking for a recipe like this. I sure wasn't looking for it when I found it! Actually, I just stumbled across it while reading the food section of The Louisville Courier-Journal over a year ago! The recipe originally called for the use of kale and sausage, but I just made it with what I had on hand, and it was a winner! Make it this winter! 6. Pioneer Woman's Flank Steak Marinade

David and I have discovered that we love flank steak, and I've tried several flank steak marinades over the course of my (very short) blogging career. This one is hands down our favorite, and it comes as no surprise that it's courtesy of Ree Drummond, aka The Pioneer Woman. It's incredibly flavorful, and makes for a very tender flank steak. It's food for real people. If you're cooking flank steak, please use this recipe.

So there you have it. Those are the recipes that have brought new readers to The Sweet Life over the course of the past eight months I've been blogging. This blogging thing started on a whim, but I've come to enjoy it. Of course, there are days that I wonder why I spend time doing this, but I keep coming back to it. I'm thinking that in 2010, I might expand the scope of my blog some, instead of focusing strictly on cooking. I think cooking will be the bulk of the posts, but after moving into the new house, I know David and I will have lots of home projects to work on, so I might include those. You'll just have to keep reading to find out! I wish you all a very happy 2010! Thanks for reading, and please keep on coming back!

A Whirlwind

Whew! Between this...
And this...

my little food blog has been woefully neglected lately! Our house is so close to being finished! We won't make it in by Christmas, but we won't miss it by much. We'll take a little photo tour here in a few minutes. But what about that good looking group of grads? Those are the very first graduates from the Lindsey Wilson College School of Professional Counseling extended campus in Louisville! They're the group of students I've been working with since I started my new job in April. Last Tuesday evening, we held their pinning ceremony at The Bunbury Theatre at The Henry Clay. It took a lot of work to put together, but it was worth it! If you'd like to see more pictures, visit LWC's Flickr page.

Now, this house! It's kicking my butt, and I'm not really doing anything but picking things out...how can it possibly consume so much time?! We went over tonight and got a wonderful surprise, which you'll see at the very end. I just can't believe how much I love it. Standing in that house makes me realize how fortunate I am. Let's take a tour!

These are the steps leading up the stairs to the upstairs bedrooms. Please pardon the dusty floors...we're still under construction!

This is the view of the living room and the fireplace from the catwalk upstairs. The mantle isn't finished, but you get the idea...

Here's a view of the living room and fireplace from the breakfast room. Again, pardon the dust and garbage!

This was my surprise tonight! I'm so daggum excited about getting into this kitchen that I can't stand it! When I saw these cabinets tonight, I just fell in love with the kitchen. I've had my doubts about it, but tonight, I could tell that it would all come together beautifully!

There are still more cabinets to install, but you get the idea. The fridge goes right there in the center. The cooktop and microwave go in the space on the right. The sink will be on the left, and my double wall oven will be where those two ladders are. I can't wait!

Another view of the kitchen. I just can't wait! Now, even with all this excitement going on, I assure you, I've been in my tiny little kitchen baking up a storm. I've got loads of Christmas goodies to show you, and I'll do my best to get those up in the next few days. I've got several days off work coming up soon, but I'll be sure to post in between packing up all of our stuff!

Best Foodie Foto Contest

Well, I entered again, and this week, I know I haven't got a chance. There are too many delicious pictures to choose from in the Best Foodie Foto Contest this week. Anway, here was my lone entry this week:

This was the Tomato Spinach Pasta Toss that I made the other night to satisfy a huge comfort food craving. If you're interested in voting for me in this week's contest, you'll need to visit "Hey, What's for Dinner, Mom?" Take a look at all the photos, then at the very bottom of the entry, leave a comment with the number of the picture you want to vote for. I'm number 12 this week. But again, there are so many yummy things listed, that I won't blame you for not voting for me...this week. I won't make any promises about next week!

Vote for Me!

Remember these?

They're the Brownie Bite Sundaes I made on Tuesday for...Tuesdays with Dorie. They were delicious! Anyway, I was petty pleased with how my pictures turned out, so I entered them into a contest! The Best Foodie Foto Contest is hosted by Laura from "Hey! What's for Dinner, Mom?"

Each week, she invites food bloggers to send her their best food photos from the week, then she compiles them all into one delicious post. To vote, you need to head on over to her site, check out the pictures, find mine, and leave a comment on my photo as your vote.

If you're a regular visitor to The Sweet Life, or if you've just stumbled upon it, I'd appreciate your vote! All you have to do is click on the linke to Laura's site, which is "Hey! What's for Dinner, Mom?" You'll go right to her site, where you can cast your vote.

Just So Ya Know...

Well...tonight is the first night of Vacation Bible School in the metropolis of Sulphur, Kentucky. Therefore, The Sweet Life will probably be on hiatus for the majority of the week. I promise I'll be back soon though...hopefully by the weekend! Don't forget about me!