Today's Quote

“No matter how hard the past, you can always begin again.”

~Buddha

Today's Quote

"You will find the key to success under the alarm clock."

—Benjamin Franklin: Founding Father of the United States

Today's Quote

Rise and shine- it’s time to wake up and taste your freshly brewed thoughts, put on your most authentic skin and walk out the door ready to thrive.

-Unknown

Today's Quote

"If I were asked to give what I consider the single most useful bit of advice for all humanity, it would be this: Expect trouble as an inevitable part of life and when it comes, hold your head high, look it squarely in the eye, and say, 'I will be bigger than you. You cannot defeat me.'"

Ann Landers
Syndicated Columnist

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"Your time is limited, so don't waste it living someone else's life."

Steve Jobs
1955-2011, Entrepreneur, Inventor, and Co-Founder of Apple Inc.

Today's Quote

"We lift ourselves by our thought. We climb upon our vision of ourselves. If you want to enlarge your life, you must first enlarge your thought of it and of yourself. Hold the ideal of yourself as you long to be, always everywhere."

Orison Swett Marden
1850-1924, Inspirational Write

Today's Quote

So we have come to know and to believe the love that God has for us. God is love, and whoever abides in love abides in God, and God abides in him.

- 1 John 4:16 (ESV)

Today's Quote

“Let’s remember, Jesus was a Jewish man of color, born homeless to an unwed teenager, who spent his formative years as an illegal immigrant before returning to his home country to hang out with twelve men, prostitutes, and socially untouchable tax collectors while he taught a radical social doctrine of equality, love, and forgiveness that included paying taxes, free healthcare, and the sharing of resources within a community.” 

-- Allie Kay

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"The contemplative mind is really just the mind that emerges when you pray first instead of think first. Praying opens the field and moves beyond fear and judgment and agenda and analysis, and just lets the moment be what it is—as it is."

The contemplative desires above all else to unify (not divide) Peace is found in unity.

Today's Quote

"The future you see is the future you get."

—Robert G. Allen

Crock Pot Tortellini

One of THE BEST Crock-pot meal I've tried!

Ingredients:

1 bag of frozen tortellini
1 small bag of fresh spinach
2 cans of Italian style diced tomatoes
1 box or 4 cups or vegetable broth
1 block of cream cheese

Directions:

Put all ingredients in crock-pot, chunking up the cream cheese.
Cook on low for 5-6 hrs

Copycat Cinnabon Stix

MAKES 24 Stix | ACTIVE TIME 30 Min | TOTAL TIME 2 Hours 30 Minutes

8 ounces (1 cup) warm milk (110° to 120°)
¼ cup granulated sugar
2¼ teaspoons active dry yeast (1 packet)
1 large egg
1½ teaspoons kosher salt
3 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, frozen

Toppings
1 stick (½ cup) unsalted butter, melted
1 tablespoons vanilla bean paste(or vanilla extract)
½ cup granulated sugar
1 tablespoon good cinnamon
Pinch kosher salt


Dipping Sauce
4 ounces cream cheese, softened
¼ cup unsalted butter, softened
1 cups powdered sugar
½ tablespoon fresh lemon juice
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
½ teaspoon kosher salt

In the bowl of a stand mixer* fitted with a dough hook add sugar and milk. Sprinkle yeast over top and swirl with spoon or fingers to combine. Allow mixture to sit for about 5-10 minutes while the yeast blooms and becomes aromatic.
While the yeast blooms; place a cheese grater on a cool plate (run it under cold water and dry it if it is warm) and shred butter on the side with the largest holes. Place shredded butter into refrigerator until needed.

With the stand mixer on low add egg, salt and 2 cups of flour. Once flour is mostly absorbed add 1 cup flour. Turn mixer to medium and knead for 2-3 minutes.

With stand mixer on medium begin adding the butter, a handful at a time as the mixer kneads it in. (be quick as you do not want the butter to melt, chunks of butter help with the flakey dough). Once you are done adding butter, remove dough hook and allow dough to rest. It will be a sticky heap of dough at this point.

Prepare a clean countertop with plenty of flour to prevent your dough from sticking. (Don’t worry, it will all get worked in). Place dough onto floured countertop and sprinkle flour over top. Flip dough and quickly form into a floured ball of dough. Try to touch the dough as little as possible to keep the butter from melting. Wrap dough in plastic wrap and place in the freezer for 1 hour (or refrigerator for 4 hours to overnight).

Place bread on a clean floured countertop and smack down a bit with your rolling pin. Roll dough out to a 3:1 rectangle. The length should be about 3 times the height. Throughout the preparation process, if the butter peeks through, lightly dust the spot and continue.

Fold dough into 1/3’s like a letter. Fold left side over, then right side. You should have 3 layers of dough. We are creating the flaky layers of the pastry by repeating this step.
Dust the top of dough with flour and flip over.

Roll dough out into a 3:1 rectangle again. Fold dough into 1/3’s like a letter. Fold left side over, then right side. You should have 3 layers of dough again. Repeat again so you have done this 3 times total (note if you used the ‘by hand’ method in the cook’s notes, this will only be done 1 time after it comes out of the freezer).

Preheat oven to 400°F. Prepare 2 baking sheets with parchment paper.

Allow the dough to rest in the refrigerator while you prepare the topping ingredients.

In a small bowl combine cooled melted butter and vanilla. Whisk to combine well. Set aside. In another small bowl, combine cinnamon, sugar and salt. Set aside.

Remove dough from fridge and place on a lightly dusted countertop. Roll out to a 10”x12” rectangle. Lightly dust with flour and flip dough.

Brush ½ of butter mixture over the top of the dough, sprinkle ½ of the cinnamon sugar over the top of the dough. Spread cinnamon sugar over the tops using finger tips. Flip dough and brush the second side with remaining butter mixture and sprinkle the remaining cinnamon sugar over top. Using a pastry cutter, bench scraper or butter knife cut dough into strips.

Cut dough in half long ways to make two 5”x12” pieces, then cut each piece into twelve 1”x5” strips.

Place strips onto a baking sheet giving them 3 twists as you place them on the sheet. Chill in the refrigerator for 30 minutes for best results, but if you can’t wait… Pop them in the oven.

Bake for 15-20 minutes until the dough is flakey and golden brown.

In the meantime prepare frosting; add cream cheese and butter in a large mixing bowl. Beat with an electric mixer until light and fluffy. Add sugar, lemon juice, vanilla and salt. Beat until mixture is light and fluffy, about 5 minutes. Set aside.

Serve and enjoy!

*COOK’S NOTES:

SHORTCUT METHOD
If the wish to shortcut these for a quick treat, you can substitute puff pastry found in your grocer’s freezer. Simply dust your counter top with flour, place puff pastry on top. Continue with recipe.

BY HAND METHOD
If you do not have a stand mixer you can: Add sugar and milk to a large bowl. Sprinkle yeast over top and swirl with spoon or fingers to combine. Allow to sit for about 5-10 minutes while the yeast bloom and become aromatic.
While the yeast blooms; place a cheese grater on a plate and shred butter with the largest holes. Place shredded butter into refrigerator until needed.
Add whisked egg and salt to yeast mixture. Mix with a wooden spoon. Add flour 1 cup at a time until you are no longer able to mix with a spoon. Total of 3 cups will need to be added.

Roll dough out to a 3:1 rectangle. The length should be about 3 times the height. Sprinkle the shredded butter over dough, gently press butter into dough and fold dough into 1/3’s like a letter. Fold left side over, then right side. You should have 3 layers of dough.

Dust the top of dough with flour and flip over. Roll dough out into a 3:1 rectangle again. Fold dough into 1/3’s like a letter. Fold left side over, then right side. You should have 3 layers of dough again. Wrap in plastic wrap and allow dough to chill in the freezer for 1 hour. Continue with the remaining recipe.

Today's Quote

"Whatever you want to do, do it now. There are only so many tomorrows."

Michael Landon
1936-1991, Actor

Today's Quote

A crust eaten in peace is better than a banquet partaken in anxiety.

– Aesop

Today's Quote

I wanted a perfect ending. Now I've learned, the hard way, that some poems don't rhyme, and some stories don't have a clear beginning, middle, and end. Life is about not knowing, having to change, taking the moment and making the best of it, without knowing what's going to happen next. Delicious Ambiguity.

― Gilda Radner

Today's Quote

Trust yourself. You know more than you think you do.

– Benjamin Spock

Today's Quote

"I am determined to be cheerful and happy in whatever situation I may find myself. For I have learned that the greater part of our misery or unhappiness is determined not by our circumstance but by our disposition."

Martha Washington
1731-1802, First Lady of the United States

Today's Quote

"I am not a product of my circumstances. I am a product of my decisions."

Stephen Covey
1932-2012, Educator, Author, and Speaker

Today's Quote

“The problem is not that there are problems. The problem is expecting otherwise and thinking that having problems is a problem.”

~Theodore I. Rubin

Today's Quote

“When you become comfortable with uncertainty, infinite possibilities open up in your life.”

~Eckhart Tolle