Super Fantastic Cinnamon Sugar Crisps

We are having another tight budget week and are low in the snack food department. I had kids just getting home from school and demanded asked politely for something to eat since they were DYING OF STARVATION very hungry. (Haha...) So what was I to do? I grabbed the tortillas, some sugar and cinnamon, a little bit of oil, a brown paper bag, and my frying pan.

How is it possible that something so simple could be so good??

The "recipe"- Cinnamon Crisps (a.k.a. Bunuelos)

I cut up about 5 flour tortillas into wedges and set them aside. Next, I heated about 1/4 cup oil in the frying pan. Then, I mixed up about 1 cup of sugar and about 1 Tbsp of cinnamon and put it in the bottom of a giant brown lunch sack.. After that, I put about 5 wedges in the hot oil at a time and fried them until they were a light golden brown on each side. This only takes about 15-20 seconds per side. Then I removed them with tongs, drained off the oil by tapping them on a paper towel, and then threw I them in the bag. Once I had fried all of them, I closed up the bag and shook them well until the tortilla wedges were coated with the cinnamon sugar blend. Then I served them to my "fainting-from-hunger" children and niece. They loved me again and perked up enough to go back to playing their video games. (It is Friday after all...)

Bread Machine Cinnamon Rolls

I got my "husband" the coolest gift for Christmas. A bread machine. Yes, an appliance of such greatness that it isnpired some experiments. I figured he wouldn't mind if I "borrowed" it for a little bit. After all, he'd get to enjoy the trials. So I got to work searching for a workable cinnamon roll recipe. MAN!!! I have found a winner in this recipe!! I am so excited to share it with you. I guarantee you will not be disappointed. My family loved them and a few of my friends gave them a thumbs up as well. So, if you have a bread machine with a dough only cycle and a couple of hours to kill, I suggest you get on this yummy bandwagon. Here is the recipe:

Right out of the oven before the glaze is added.

Bread Machine Cinnamon Rolls

1 cup water
2 Tbsp softened butter
1 whole egg
3 1/3 cup bread flour (must be bread flour, not all purpose)
1/4 cup sugar
1 tsp salt
3 tsp active dry yeast

filling:
1/3 cup sugar
2 tsp. cinnamon
2 Tbsp softened butter

glaze:
1 cup powdered sugar
1/2 tsp vanilla
1-2 Tbsp milk

Place all the dough ingredients in the bread pan in the order listed (or in the order according to your bread machine.) Set the machine to dough only cycle. Press start.

Spray a baking sheet or 9x13 pan lightly with cooking spray. Mix the cinnamon and sugar filling ingredients together and set aside.

Remove dough when the cycle is complete, and roll into a rectangle about 18" long and about 9" wide. Spread with 2 Tbsp softened butter. Sprinkle with the filling mixture. Roll gently into a tube, starting from the long edge and rolling up. Pinch the ends lightly to seal.

Slice the roll into 1 inch slices. Lay them in the prepared pan. Cover and allow to rise for about an hour or until doubled in size.

Heat the oven to 375 degrees and bake them until they are golden brown, about 23-25 minutes. Remove from oven and spoon the glaze over the top.

Enjoy!!

Mini Pallet Art Quote Gift

Yikes! I haven't posted anything in so long! I have 12 minutes until a new year begins so I think I will squeak in my latest project. So, I have yet to meet up with a couple of special friends to exchange our Christmas gifts. We are doing coffee tomorrow and so you have to keep this one a secret until then. Haha. I am pretty sure tomorrow when she opens her package from me, she would act surprised anyway. She is just that kind of friend. Ok, this is the result of my last minute craft rush.
It is similar to all the other pallet and subway art that I have been working on lately. I just took two planks and glued them together. Cut her favorite quote out of vinyl and set it aside. I did a base coat of the lighter color (it's blue, even though you can't tell very easily.) Then after it dried, I applied the vinyl words to the wood boards. Then I carefully painted the darker brown coat over the whole project and allowed it to dry. Then I removed the vinyl stickers and lightly sanded the whole surface. Lastly, I applied a finishing wax and buffed it to finish it off. I think it is pretty nice. I am getting better at these puppies. Much faster than the couple of days of work that the first few took, at least. Hooray for accomplishments! :)

Custom Christmas Pallet Decoration

My craft "differently abled" friend (hahaha...) asked me if I was available to make something for her based on a photo that she shared with me. My first thought was WOW that was a big project! I decided to give it a try anyway. I am pretty happy with the results! Took me a while but I think it is a good take on the inspiration piece. Hope she finds a good spot for it. It reads "Oh come let us adore Him." I have had that song stuck in my head all day as a consequence of making this thing. Luckily I am into Christmas songs.

Anyway, I may need to schedule visitation. I am kinda in love with it and wish I had made a second one. Seems I have that feeling quite a lot these days. Sigh...

So, how I made it: I got the "o" at Joann, painted it in an off white color and did ombre style with 7 different brown paints for the boards. Then I used my Silhouette to design the words with different fonts, and cut them out of vinyl. I used the vinyl (the cheap kind,) as stencils and traced around them with a pencil. Then I removed the letters and hand painted the words with a white wash paint. Then I floated some milk chocolate paint around the edges to age it. Then I washed the whole project in diluted muddy colored paint and then wiped it off. It is 20" wide x 24.5" high and has two braces in the back to hold  it together. That's about it! Not sure I would make another one or not. I guess it would depend on how much coffee they bribe me with...

Stocking Decorative Christmas Woodcraft

I don't know what is wrong with me! I keep meaning to put all the stuff I have been making on my blog, but life gets in the way. And that is ok since real life is more important than making sure you all admire my projects. ;-)

Anyway, I should let you know that I opened up an Etsy store!! Yay! Finally! However... it only has 3 items in it right now. Why? Well, you know. It's that life thing again. It isn't that I haven't been finishing things, I have! But I have just been giving them away or selling them for special orders. I am SERIOUSLY enjoying my life these days! I can call myself a professional crafter again. I love it!

I may just have to post pictures though instead of blogging all these words and things.
Seems weird to spend my time doing all the "business" stuff when I actually want to be creating. That is why I am handing it over to my husband now. (Finally got smart...)
So, no tutorial or anything. I created the design myself. I am selling these in my Etsy store. Aaaaaand, that's about it! Have a great week!