Martinborough Part 2-Sunday Brunch

We have a tradition for conference weekend in our family that mom makes cinnamon rolls on Sat. morning for brunch. This year we made them in the cottage in Martinborough New Zealand. Here they are all rolled up and ready to be cut- I always cut them with dental floss because it is by far the easiest and cleanest method-this years flavor is Mint :)

I really enjoyed making them this year. It was cold in the cottage early in the morning so we had a fire in the living room (no central heat) and the dough got to rise in the living room on the mantle because it was the warmest place.

The other reason this time was my favorite is because it was the first time I have done it with all three kids surrounding me and looking on. They were so excited to watch me make them and peppered me with questions. It felt so "Little House On The Prairie" and it was a sweet mother-children bonding experience.

Ethne was actually pretty good. She tried touching them a few times, but mostly she was really good. She was really excited even though she didn't have a clue what they were.

This picture was so cute. She looks like she is in awe but really she was coughing on the cinnamon rolls :)

Here is the fruit platter we had with them: mango, fijoa and tamarillos-yummy! On the side is the pate I made and brought with us.

Here is the finished product, and I would have to say I really out did myself this time. These were perhaps the best yet. I used a different recipe for the dough and they were very different-less like a breadish/roll dough and more eggie/cakey kind of dough. Another thing I did differently this time was to add lemon zest to the cream cheese frosting and let it all sit together for 24 hours before using it-SO GOOD! The last time I made cinnamon rolls at my mom's in UT I made a chocolate cream cheese frosting and that was to die for as well. Not sure what was better.

I kept thinking of my father-in-law Darryl and wishing he was there to enjoy these. He loves my cinnamon rolls. When we were sitting down eating them Garrett said "I just wish my dad was here to try these. I think he would love them". I told him I had been thinking the same thing.

Ethne wasn't too wild about them so she nibbled a little and then mostly ate bread with pate, and fruit.

Ezra doesn't do too well with sweet things so he couldn't finish the whole thing but he sure loved it. See the bruise on Ezra's cheek. That is from Enoch's knee. They were wrestling on the floor and Enoch jumped on Ezra and hit him with his knee. It REALLY hurt him-poor guy.

Here is the crusty oven heated ciabatta bread with my homemade pate. It was a Jamie recipe and it was really good. Look for the details on the Jamie Oliver blog.

Enoch ate all of his food without any problem and loved it all. He is growing up to be such a great kid. Getting so big and responsible. He is learning at such a young age about trust and living up to the trust of his parents. Smart boy-

This moment cooking with my kids was one of the big highlights of this weekend. I sure love you little stinkers even when you are naughty and on my blacklist :)