Flaky Cinnamon Rolls

I tried this recipe when a good friend came to tea, and loved it. It is originally from my dear mom, with some minor changes.

2 cups flour
4 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. cream of tartar
1/2 cup butter (may use margarine)
2/3 cup milk

Combine dry ingredients, cut in butter with pastry knife. Add milk, mix with fork. Roll out to large rectangle.

Filling:
2-4 T. butter, melted
1/2 cup brown sugar
2 T. ground cinnamon ( I double this sometimes)
1/4 tsp. nutmeg
2 tsp. orange peel (opt.)

Spread evenly onto dough, leaving 1-2' space at bottom of rectangle. Roll up, tucking corners in. Slice into 16 sections. Place in pan or greased muffin tins. Bake at 425 degrees for 15 min.

Frosting:
1 cup powdered sugar
2 T. cream cheese, softened
1 T. butter, softened
dash vanilla (the real stuff if possible)
1-2 tablespoons milk

I have borrowed the cream cheese frosting recipe from the blog of my lovely sister-in-law, Amy of the Secret Garden. She also has a wonderful recipe for yeast cinnamon rolls, if you so prefer.

Enjoy!

Quote of the Day:

"Love has nothing to do with what you are expecting to get-only what you are expecting to give-which is everything." ~Katherine Hepburn

The Window Nook

A short explanation:

In a corner of our apartment, I have a comfy, overstuffed chair, a silver lamp, and a stack of often precariously balanced books. This stack usually includes my Bible, journal, Book of Common Prayer, quote book, and the several books I am reading for fun or for my book group. At the moment I have just finished At the End of the Spear, which I highly recommend.
This reading corner is where I start each day, with my English Breakfast tea cradled in my warming hands. Over the months, I have often retreated to this nook to finish an engrossing book, to journal and categorize my thoughts, or simply to bask in the late afternoon light. This nook is my place of inspiration, my quiet place to prepare lessons for my students or ponder a perplexing issue. Similarly, a blog can be a journal of daily occurrences, a celebration of the small joys and the great adventures. Just as I watch the changing of the afternoon light from my reading nook, and enjoy this simple beauty, I want this blog to be a record of the small blessings that God often showers upon us. To often we do not appreciate them because we do not recognize them.