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This year was a *last* Christmas of sorts...or at least our last Christmas in the moderately-sized Midwestern city in which I grew up. Officially my parents still live there in the home where I spent my formative years: a gorgeous brick home surrounded by giant trees and quiet streets. But in a few months that home will be empty and no longer ours, when my parents pack up and move south. While I haven't lived in that home for years, and neither have either of my siblings, to us Christmas morning "at home" means curling up by the fireplace in THAT house, wearing brand new pajamas and diving into a mug of thick cocoa and a plate warm, homemade cinnamon rolls. Next year it might feel strange to celebrate Christmas "at home" in a new house, in a new town and enjoying a very new climate. But I'm pretty sure once we tuck into a plate of these cinnamon rolls, together, on Christmas morning, we'll know that we are, in fact, still "home."

Christmas Morning Cinnamon Rolls
*begin preparing on Christmas Eve

Rolls:
2 pkg. active dry yeast
1/2 cup warm water
2 cups scalded milk, cooled to lukewarm
1/3 cup sugar
1/3 cup vegetable oil
3 tsp. baking powder
2 tsp. salt
1 egg
6 1/2-7 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

Filling:
6 T butter, softened
3/4 cup sugar
6 tsp. ground cinnamon

Icing*:
1 1/2 cups powdered sugar
1 T milk (or enough to make icing smooth)
1 tsp. real vanilla
*double recipe to ice both pans of rolls


Make Rolls:
Dissolve (well) yeast in warm water in large bowl. Stir in milk, 1/3 cup sugar, oil, baking powder, salt, egg and 3 cups flour. Beat until smooth. Mix in enough of the remaining flour to make dough easy to handle (not too sticky).
Turn dough onto floured surface and knead until smooth and elastic, 8-10 minutes.
Place in large greased bowl; turn over so greased side is up. Cover and let rise in a warm place until doubled, about 1 1/2 hrs. (Dough is ready if indentation remains when touched.)

Punch down dough; divide in half.
Roll 1 half into rectangle, 12x10 in. Mix remaining sugar and cinnamon together in small bowl. Spread rectangle with 3 T softened butter. Sprinkle with half the cinnamon-sugar mixture. Roll up, beginning with long side and pinch edge firmly to seal. Stretch roll to make even. Cut into 12 1-in slices and place slightly apart in greased 13x9x2 in. pan. Cover tightly with aluminum foil.
Repeat with remaining dough and filling ingredients.
Refrigerate at least 12 hrs. and no longer than 48 hrs.

To Bake:
Heat oven to 350˙. Remove foil from pans and bake until golden, 30-35 minutes.

Icing:
Mix powdered sugar, milk and vanilla until smooth, adding more milk if necessary. Drizzle over WARM rolls.

Yield: 2 dozen rolls

Latke-sauce*

I miss my family. I mean, I miss them much of the time but lately there have been a few issues demanding my emotional attention more acutely than usual. So the other day, in preparation for Hanukkah dinner with my husband's family (who live in town) I decided to make some homemade applesauce for the latkes-which I bought from Whole Paycheck, thank you kindly.
I miss my family.
But it is amazing how therapeutic it can be to stand over a sink and stare out a kitchen window at little squirrel families arguing over their winter worries, while carefully peeling every last tart, green bit off of 3 lbs. of apples. And then there's the smell...that whole mess of apples, spices and sugar slowly melting down into softness and warmth and pure appley love.
*A slow-cooker ROCKS for this recipe.

3 lbs. Granny Smith apples
1/2 lb. Rome apples
5 cups+1/2 cup water, divided
Juice from 1/2 lemon
1 T. cinnamon
1 tsp. ground cloves
1 tsp. grated lemon zest
6 T. sugar (or to taste)
1 T. candied ginger
pinch cloves to taste

Pour 5 cups water into a LARGE bowl. Stir in lemon juice, cinnamon and 1 tsp. cloves. Peel and chop the apples. Discard the peels. As you work, submerge each chopped apple into the lemon juice mixture to prevent browning and to soak in the flavors. Let sit in juice mixture 10 minutes. Drain apples and place in large slow cooker (or deep pot on the stove). Add the rest of the water, lemon zest, ginger and sugar. Stir gently and cook on low for 4-5 hours until apples are very soft. Stir gently until a thick sauce forms. Taste and add more sugar and a pinch of cloves, if desired. Cool and refrigerate in an airtight container. Serve warm or cold (with sour cream) on top of potato latkes!