One of these days, when my time off work rolls around, I will pack my beach bag with a book, sunscreen lotion, a bamboo beach mat, and a beach towel. I’ll hang the bag on the handle-bar of my shiny, cherry-red Vespa, put on my fabulous Sophia Lauren sun-glasses, and zoom down Crown Valley Road to the Pacific Coast Highway.
I’ll weave around convertible BMWs and sleek Porsches, hair flying, inhaling the salty air that makes my face tingle. I’ll park the scooter, adjust my wide-brim straw hat, and sashay toward the beach allowing the Pacific breeze to play with my pareo, tied loosely about my neck. I’ll find the perfect spot and kick off my shoes, wiggling my toes in the sun-warmed sand. I’ll take my time rubbing the lotion into my skin, looking over the rim of my glasses at the beautiful California men running along the shore with their dogs or attacking the still frigid waves on their boards. I’ll tilt my head back and close my eyes, enjoying the sun as it caresses my arms, getting lost in the whooshing of the waves and the distant crow of the sea-gulls…
The Temptress
But today the only sound of water around me was coming from the kitchen sink. I promise myself a gift of solitude from time to time, but I know that it would be wasted on me. Omnia mea mecum porto* – if I do not have at least one little duckling following behind me, I feel guilty, which ruins any attempt at enjoyment. Of course, if I had a shiny, red Vespa waiting for me, the guilt would disappear behind the first curve. I am not a saint, and this beauty would be enough to lead me astray.
My day was not following the script for “La Dolce Vita”, which does not mean that it lacked a healthy dose of glamour. I opened the patio door and welcomed a bright and sunny California morning. A bluish-green finch walked across the tiles into the living room and fluttered hastily back outside. A hummingbird greedily fed on my lavender blossoms. The fuchsia petals of my new bougainvillea made great friends with small, yellow clusters of mimosa in the background, as the breeze brought their sweet smell inside.
Everybody was asleep the previous night when, prompted by an innocent Twitter exchange, I acted on impulse and fought my insomnia by preparing the next morning’s breakfast. Accompanied by a glass of fruity sangria, I made the soft yeast dough. While it was resting, I buttered the pans (a big one for tomorrow, a small one to freeze and make the kids happy on a school morning) and made the filling. As I was rolling the dough, it whispered to me, all soft and pliable, eagerly awaiting the rich blanket of butter, brown sugar, and cinnamon. Prettily arranged in their pans, the buns went to sleep in the refrigerator, and I finally felt my eyelids become heavier.
This morning the Beasties emerged from their cave rubbing their eyes still swollen from sleep, following the aroma of cinnamon and yeast beckoning from the kitchen. I felt pretty glamorous when I pulled the Pyrex dish filled with plump, golden, steaming cinnamon rolls out of the oven, which elicited a group sigh of gratitude.
I did not have to reach for my straw hat and pareo, even though I was seriously considering perching the oversized sunglasses on my nose and blinking over their rim at Husband slouching over his laptop. OK, he has a situp or two to do before he’ll be allowed on the beach and a surfboard would mean certain death. He has to work on becoming a Californian, and buying a dog is not going to be enough.
My family makes me feel glamorous and fabulous – not every day, but often enough that I forget all the grumbling and pity parties I throw for myself when they are all in bed. And since I started this blog, some of the people I met through it give me some incredibly warm and fuzzy moments. Recently, I have been a recipient of not one, but two Stylish Blogger Awards! Is there anyone else who doubts that shiny, red Vespa and I are a match made in some European heaven? I think not!
Thank you, Yummy Chunklet and Kathy at Bakeaway with Me for passing the award to me! We have got to know each other through French Fridays with Dorie group. What a great world of new blogs it has opened for me!
I am a newbie as far as the awards go, but I know how to read the rules:)
Now, seven things about me that you have always wanted to know, but were afraid to ask (thank you, Woody Allen for this one):
1. As embarrassed as it makes me feel, I have to admit a secret illicit love-affair with the Serbian version of Spam, called “mesni narezak”. I do not know, nor do I care what it is made of. Period.
2. I love an Ice Café in the summer time: a tall glass of cold instant coffee, a scoop of vanilla ice cream, topped with fresh whipped cream – preferably enjoyed at an outside café, while watching beautiful people walk around.
3. The closest I came to death was driving with a crazy Italian in his Fiat Panda packed with friends up the serpentine road from the Adriatic coast to the town of Teramo, Abbruzzo.
4. I was offered three types of caviar at every meal while travelling through Russia in 1976 with my grandmother Njanja. At twelve, I thumbed my nose at it. Little did I know…
5. I love offal of any kind, except tripe, which I have not tried yet. Yes, I ate brains, liver, sweet breads, kidneys, lungs, and even bull testicles, and liked them en masse:) The idea of Haggis intrigues me.
6. I love to grow things, ever since I discovered making crystals from sugar and salt in fourth grade. A few things in life are more rewarding than waking up in the morning and running to your own garden to pick the ingredients for dinner.
7. I put an invisible “Mission: Accomplished” stamp in my life file every time my daughter calls from Berkeley asking for a recipe, or when the Beasties run to the kitchen to help me cook.
As the last step, I have to pass the award to 15 blogs that I consider valuable and stylish.
- Achtung, Baby
- Aglio, Olio and Peperoncino
- Briciole
- Caffeina
- The Cilantropist
- Cooketa
- Couscous and Consciousness
- Lawyer Loves Lunch
- Lemons and Anchovies
- Rustic Garden Bistro
- Sasasunakku
- Satisfied
- Shangri-la Food
- Toast
MAKE-AHEAD CINNAMON ROLLS
Ingredients:
Dough:
- 1 envelope of rapid-rise yeast
- 1 cup warm milk
- ¼ cup sugar
- 1 egg, slightly beaten (I did not have any eggs (!), so I substituted 2 defrosted eggwhites)
- 3-3 ½ cups all purpose flour (more for dusting)
- 3 Tbsp room-temperature butter, unsalted
- pinch of salt
Filling:
- ¼ cup (1/2 stick) unsalted butter at room temperature
- ¾ cup packed brown sugar
- 2 Tbsp ground cinnamon
- ½ cup chopped walnuts or raisins (I did not put any, because some members of my family frown on the changes in texture)
Glaze:
- 4oz softened cream cheese
- ½ cup powdered sugar
- 1 tsp vanilla extract or lemon juice
- ¼ cup softened butter
Directions:
Dough: In a small bowl dissolve yeast in milk and let it rest for 5 minutes, until bubbles appear. Combine sugar, egg, butter, salt and half of the flour. Add milk and yeast, and mix thoroughly. Pour in the rest of the flour and mix until a sticky dough is formed. Turn onto a floured surface and knead 5-10 minutes, until it becomes shiny and elastic. Put into a bowl, cover with plastic wrap and let it rest in warm spot for 1-2 hours until doubled.
Filling: Mix brown sugar and cinnamon and put aside.
Butter lightly a rectangular 15×9 inch oven-proof pan. Punch the dough and roll it into a rectangle 15×9 inches in size, with the longer side facing you. Spread the butter on top, leaving 1/2 inch border along the longer sides. Sprinkle with brown sugar, cinnamon, raisins and nuts (if using). Carefully roll away from yourself, and pinch the seams to close. Cut with a sharp knife into 16-18 pieces, and lay them cut side up into the prepared pan(s). If baking the same day let the buns rest for 45 minutes in a warm place. Otherwise, cover with the plastic wrap and put in the fridge overnight. In the morning bring the pan out 30 minutes ahead to get to room temperature.
Glaze: Mix all the ingredients until smooth.
Preheat the oven to 350F and bake the buns for 20-30 minutes, depending on your oven, until golden brown and puffy. Spread the glaze while still hot.
This post is perfect for Hearth and Soul blog event, hosted by Heather of Girlichef and several other fabulous bloggers.
