A frightful October I must say...

So much happened during the month of October this year!  

I was really enjoying entering blog entries on a regular basis.  Little did I realize that was a luxury at the time.  

 We've also moved  in this last year.  

Usually, life, academically speaking, stays on an even keel during our moves.  We're in the high school stage, however. Higher level courses present challenges that take high doses of energy to coordinate.  Lots of academic changes were made and now everyone is happier and thriving.

So..... changes absorbed much of October.  I still enjoyed the month, however.  Remember, I LOVE October.  We've had intermittent days of cool crisp weather.  The windows can be opened regularly here and that has been thoroughly enjoyed.

I have been doing a bit of baking.  I found this cinnamon roll recipe that I am in love with!  Here is the photo of my very first batch.  I was so pleased with how they looked but I was super pleased with the taste.  The house was bursting with a buttery, cinnamony, yeasty aroma that is just sublime.  I made them again a few weeks ago.  Patrick made a light powdered sugar/butter glaze to drizzle on top.  That was tasty too as an option to the cream cheese frosting I put on the first batch.  I'm going to make another batch this morning.  We have a dinner tonight with our realtor and a few other couples she helped move last year.  I am going to surprise her with a tray of cinnamon rolls!  I am definitely hooked on baking.  I think they make the most sumptuous gifts.  Here is the recipe below that I used for the cinnamon rolls:

Ingredients

• 3/4 cup milk
• 1/4 cup margarine, softened
• 3 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 (.25 ounce) package instant yeast
• 1/4 cup white sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 cup water
• 1 egg
• 1 cup brown sugar, packed
• 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
• 1/2 cup margarine, softened
• 1/2 cup raisins (optional)

Directions

1. Heat the milk in a small saucepan until it bubbles, then remove from heat. Mix in margarine; stir until melted. Let cool until lukewarm.
2. In a large mixing bowl, combine 2 1/4 cup flour, yeast, sugar and salt; mix well. Add water, egg and the milk mixture; beat well. Add the remaining flour, 1/2 cup at a time, stirring well after each addition. When the dough has just pulled together, turn it out onto a lightly floured surface and knead until smooth, about 5 minutes.
3. Cover the dough with a damp cloth and let rest for 10 minutes. Meanwhile, in a small bowl, mix together brown sugar, cinnamon, softened margarine.
4. Roll out dough into a 12x9 inch rectangle. Spread dough with margarine/sugar mixture. Sprinkle with raisins if desired. Roll up dough and pinch seam to seal. Cut into 12 equal size rolls and place cut side up in 12 lightly greased muffin cups. Cover and let rise until doubled, about 30 minutes. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C).
5. Bake in the preheated oven for 20 minutes, or until browned. Remove from muffin cups to cool. Serve warm