So my precious daughter (The Miss) and I were talking, and she told me about this friend of hers- he has issues with walking and uses a wheelchair to get around. Anyways, there's some kids at her school who are just brats and they have been giving this lovely kid trouble.
Now the poor kid being picked on (please don't get me wrong- I'm not saying he's a poor kid because he's in a wheelchair- I say it because he's being bullied and picked on- the fact he's in a wheelchair just doesn't compute) isn't saying anything because he doesn't want more trouble from these kids I assume.
It is a sad world when people bully others- particularly others who can't really defend themselves as adeptly as they can- and I told my daughter this in no uncertain terms. This kind of behaviour is left to go on and on, and it only gets worse.
I'll keep encouraging The Miss to get her friends to stand up to these two bullies- because bullying is NOT okay under any circumstances. Their stunt could have hurt The Miss' friend badly if they'd miscalculated their stupidity, or damaged his wheelchair elsewise- just who would pay for it if they had broken something?
Violence is unnecessary, and should be discouraged in our youth- teach them how to channel it to useful endeavours- not the destruction of people, property and in some cases themselves. It is those who are most insecure who need to victimize others in order to make themselves feel superior- and in some ways I feel sorry for those people- but you know what? We all make choices, and sometimes they're good- and sometimes they're bad...but we have free will- and I'm sure these kids understand the differences between right and wrong.
I just hope that they get help before it escalates into something that cannot be forgiven.
I encourage anyone with issues regarding bullying to talk to a teacher, a friend, a parent- anyone who can listen and help you. It is not funny, its dangerous and can end very badly- you must keep yourself, and your friends safe. If you love them- you must speak out!
Monday, June 6, 2011
Tuesday, January 25, 2011
Cinnamon Scrolling
So today I decided I'd have a go at making some adjustments to my old Cinnamon Scroll recipe- with outstanding results! I'm known for my baking/cooking skills, so I take pride in my food- and these scrolls had me beaming!
They are delicious, they look fantastic and they were reasonably easy to make! Gotta love easy to make delicious food! It takes a little preparation (as you need the dough to proof, and then to rise again once filled- an hour and a half or so all told) so you can get the kids to help you after school to make the dough- then let it sit while they do homework or chores to proof- then after an hour (or when the dough has doubled in size) you roll it out, fill it and let it sit while dinner for the family is being organised. Once they're risen for about half an hour- you can throw them in the oven before you sit down for your meal, they're done as the dishes are being brought into the kitchen, let them cool (and those full tummies settle) and the whack on the frosting! Voila!
I will do a tutorial- without pictures unfortunately this time- I'm sure you don't need to see me rolling out dough and the like, but I will do a more detailed tutorial later with pictures. Nice, easy steps- in plain english. And if I go too fast, or I need to explain something- feel free to drop me a note and let me know!
The recipe is as follows:
Dough:
4 Cups Plain (All Purpose) Flour
1 Cup Warm Milk
1 Package Dry Yeast
1/3 Cup Butter, Melted
1 teaspoon Salt
2 eggs
1/2 Cup Sugar
Place the yeast into the milk (a little tip: Put half a teaspoon of sugar in your milk- it will give the yeast a boost!) and leave on a bench while you prepare the rest of the dough ingredients. Mix together the butter, eggs and sugar- sift in the flour, and then stir in your bubbling yeasty milk with a wooden spoon.When your milk is bubbling- its ready to go!
Pop your dough onto a lightly floured surface, and gently knead till it comes together. You don't want to work it too hard, or it will go tough. Once its come together- it should still be a little bit sticky- pop it back into the bowl, and place in a warm place to proof (rise) for about an hour.
Once its almost doubled in size- take it out- punch it down on a lightly floured surface. Roll it till it is a 1/4 of n inch thick, and about 20/21 inches long, 16/17 inches wide.
Prepare the filling:
1 Cup Brown Sugar, Firm packed
1/3 Cup Butter, Soft
2 1/2 Tablespoons Cinnamon
You can now either brush the butter onto the dough at this point, then sprinkle with the mixed cinnamon & brown sugar, or do as I do- and melt the butter- and mix with the sugar and cinnamon to make a paste, and using a palette knife or spatula spread it onto the rolled dough. This is also the place where you can add nuts to the mix to funk it up a bit!
Now, carefully roll up the dough. Cut the roll into slices approx an inch (2.5cm) thick- thicker if you want larger scrolls. Place them on a lightly greased tray, about an inch (2.5cm) apart. Place them in a warm place to proof again for about 30 minutes or so.
Turn on your oven to preheat 400 degrees F (200 degrees C). Once they're risen, cook them till they're golden brown- 15/20 minutes. While they're cooking, get out a bowl to make the icing!
Icing Recipe:
1 Cup Powdered Sugar (Icing Sugar)
3 Tablespoons Milk
Drop or two of Red Food Colour
You can ice when your buns are cool, or when they're warm. Just drizzle it over the buns and you're all good!
And Voila! Gorgeous Cinnamon Scrolls! Now, they will dry out a little the next day because they don't have any preservatives- but if you pop them in the microwave to warm them through, they're just as good the day after! I bet they won't last that long though!
They are delicious, they look fantastic and they were reasonably easy to make! Gotta love easy to make delicious food! It takes a little preparation (as you need the dough to proof, and then to rise again once filled- an hour and a half or so all told) so you can get the kids to help you after school to make the dough- then let it sit while they do homework or chores to proof- then after an hour (or when the dough has doubled in size) you roll it out, fill it and let it sit while dinner for the family is being organised. Once they're risen for about half an hour- you can throw them in the oven before you sit down for your meal, they're done as the dishes are being brought into the kitchen, let them cool (and those full tummies settle) and the whack on the frosting! Voila!
I will do a tutorial- without pictures unfortunately this time- I'm sure you don't need to see me rolling out dough and the like, but I will do a more detailed tutorial later with pictures. Nice, easy steps- in plain english. And if I go too fast, or I need to explain something- feel free to drop me a note and let me know!
The recipe is as follows:
Dough:
4 Cups Plain (All Purpose) Flour
1 Cup Warm Milk
1 Package Dry Yeast
1/3 Cup Butter, Melted
1 teaspoon Salt
2 eggs
1/2 Cup Sugar
Place the yeast into the milk (a little tip: Put half a teaspoon of sugar in your milk- it will give the yeast a boost!) and leave on a bench while you prepare the rest of the dough ingredients. Mix together the butter, eggs and sugar- sift in the flour, and then stir in your bubbling yeasty milk with a wooden spoon.When your milk is bubbling- its ready to go!
Pop your dough onto a lightly floured surface, and gently knead till it comes together. You don't want to work it too hard, or it will go tough. Once its come together- it should still be a little bit sticky- pop it back into the bowl, and place in a warm place to proof (rise) for about an hour.
Once its almost doubled in size- take it out- punch it down on a lightly floured surface. Roll it till it is a 1/4 of n inch thick, and about 20/21 inches long, 16/17 inches wide.
Prepare the filling:
1 Cup Brown Sugar, Firm packed
1/3 Cup Butter, Soft
2 1/2 Tablespoons Cinnamon
You can now either brush the butter onto the dough at this point, then sprinkle with the mixed cinnamon & brown sugar, or do as I do- and melt the butter- and mix with the sugar and cinnamon to make a paste, and using a palette knife or spatula spread it onto the rolled dough. This is also the place where you can add nuts to the mix to funk it up a bit!
Now, carefully roll up the dough. Cut the roll into slices approx an inch (2.5cm) thick- thicker if you want larger scrolls. Place them on a lightly greased tray, about an inch (2.5cm) apart. Place them in a warm place to proof again for about 30 minutes or so.
They will look a little like this:
Turn on your oven to preheat 400 degrees F (200 degrees C). Once they're risen, cook them till they're golden brown- 15/20 minutes. While they're cooking, get out a bowl to make the icing!
When they're cooked- they'll look (hopefully) lovely and brown like these!
Icing Recipe:
1 Cup Powdered Sugar (Icing Sugar)
3 Tablespoons Milk
Drop or two of Red Food Colour
You can ice when your buns are cool, or when they're warm. Just drizzle it over the buns and you're all good!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)