Approaching Easter and thinking about Cinnamon Rolls . . .

Traditionally, Lent has seemed to be a time of 'give ups' which is an admirable thing to do. We find outselves scooting quickly past the candy counters to avoid temptation as we gave up candy and cookies for Lent. As a mother, however, I'm trying to use my Lent to make an effort to be more creative, nutritious, and fun in the meals I prepare for the family. I'm also hoping that the six weeks of dedicated effort will last beyond Lent and help me be a better homemaker the rest of the year.

Thinking about that, reminded me about a favorite recipe. It's been a long time since I took the time to make it but it surely scents the house with love, especially on an Easter Sunday morning.

Quick and Easy Yeast Rolls
2 tablespoons dry yeast
½ cup warm water, barely warm as hot water kills the yeast.
1 ¼ cup buttermilk**
2 eggs
5 ½ cups all-purpose flour - approximately
½ cup butter or margarine, softened
½ cup sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon salt
Finely grated lemon and orange zest.

Dissolve yeast in warm water in large mixer bowl. Add buttermilk, eggs, 2 ½ cups flour, the butter, sugar, baking powder, vanilla, zest, and salt. Blend 30 seconds with mixer on low speed, scraping sides and bottom of bowl. Beat two minutes on medium speed

Stir in remaining 3 cups flour. (Dough should remain soft and slightly sticky.) Knead five minutes, or about 200 turns on a lightly floured board. With a Kitchenaid, you should be able to do the entire thing with the dough hook.

Shape into coffee breads or rolls as desired. Place on greased baking sheet and refrigerate over night. In the morning, preheat the oven to 375 degrees and bake. Frost while still warm.

*You can't used cold, tap water in this recipe. Sweet dough require the slightly warm temperature to prevent the dough from souring.
**Instead of going out and buying buttermilk, just add a couple of tablespoons of vinegar or lemon juice to milk and let stand a moment. This works just as well and is cheaper!

Filling: (For cinnamon rolls)
½ cup melted butter
¾ cup sugar
2 teaspoons cinnamon
dash of cloves
dash of nutmeg
½ cup finely chopped nuts, optional

Roll out a portion of dough, brush with melted butter, sprinkle with cinnamon and nuts. Roll the dough up and then cut slices (1/2 inches) and place on baking sheet and go on as indicated.

Frosting
Powdered sugar, about two cups
Grated lemon rind
Juice of lemon
Teaspoon of vanilla extract

Combine ingredients and mix into a thick paste. Use more water if you can't get the consistency you want.

Or:

Brown half a stick of butter in a pan. Mix in about two cups powered sugar and vanilla extract. Again, add small amounts of water to get proper consistency for spreading on rolls.