Welcome N. N. Light to The After Work Cook. N. N. Light is the award-winning husband-wife writing team. I will be having them as my guest monthly. I can't wait to see all their recipes, talk about a yummy recipe!
The
holidays are fast approaching and where is Mrs. N? Why, in the kitchen baking
up a storm, of course. Growing up, I would race over to my grandmother’s house
after school to help her with the holiday baking. She’d make over a dozen
different varieties of cookies for her cookie plate. But the one item everyone
clamored for was her famous cinnamon rolls. From the time I was eight, I
learned how to make them. When I got married, I carried on her tradition and
make them every year for our family.
Nothing
says the holidays like waking up Christmas morning like diving into a gooey
cinnamon roll along with your hot beverage of choice. It’s a tradition we have
in our household and we’d like to share the recipe with you. Enjoy!
N.
N. Light Cinnamon Rolls:
Ingredients:
2
¾ cups all-purpose flour
2
tablespoons granulated sugar (though I use brown sugar for extra richness)
1
teaspoon salt
1
package instant yeast (2 ¼ teaspoons)
½
cup warm water
¼
milk (I use 2%)
2
½ tablespoons butter (don’t use margarine)
3
tablespoons butter, softened
1
tablespoon ground cinnamon
¼
cup brown sugar
Glaze
–
1
cup powdered/icing sugar
1
teaspoon vanilla
2-3
tablespoons cream/milk/coffee
Directions:
Set
aside ½ cup flour. In a large bowl combine flour, sugar, salt and yeast. Set
aside.
Warm
the water, milk and butter together until the butter is melted (temperature
should be between 115 and 120 degrees F). This is very important. Any less and
the yeast will not activate and any more and it will kill the yeast. Stir the
butter mixture into the flour. Add the egg and only enough of the reserved
flour to make a soft dough. I end up using it all. Dough will be ready when it
pulls away from the side of the bowl and has an elastic feel.
On
a lightly floured surface, knead the dough for five minutes. Place in a lightly
greased bowl and let rest for an hour.
Note:
If you have a bread maker, do like me and throw all the ingredients in and run
the dough cycle.
When
it has risen to twice its size, punch down the dough and roll into a large
rectangular. Spread the softened butter to cover the dough, leaving a half inch
edge. Spread the sugar over the butter and then sprinkle with the cinnamon.
Don’t worry about the measurements for the filling. I go all out and use
generous amounts. Starting at the far right end, roll the dough tightly to make
a thick log. Using a sharp chef’s knife, cut the dough into 12 even rounds and
place in a 9x13 cake pan. If you’re unsure about them holding their shape, use
a muffin tray.
Loosely
cover with parchment paper and allow to rise for 45 minutes to an hour. When
the rolls have doubled in size, preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Bake for 20-25
minutes, depending on your oven.
For
the glaze, mix the sugar, vanilla and 2 tablespoons liquid. If it’s too thick,
add a tiny bit more liquid. If it’s too thin, add a little more icing sugar.
Right
before serving, top your rolls with the glaze. My Christmas hack: forget the
glaze and use one can of your favorite cream cheese frosting. I prefer the one
that has the initials B. C. but you choose which one works best for you.
Enjoy!
Our
small-town clean romance goes great with a cinnamon roll. We hope you enjoy the
excerpt.
Title: Planting the Seeds of Love: A Novella
Author: N. N. Light
Genre: Contemporary Romance, New Adult, New Adult Romance
The day her
grandfather died, Sally’s life changed forever.
Twenty-Two-year-old
Sally Rayton returns to the family farm she deserted four years ago to bury her
grandfather. Her plan: to settle her grandfather’s estate and return to her
life in the city with her boyfriend, Trevor Mattson.
Her childhood
friend, Jack Smith, has other ideas.
Jack convinces
Sally to transform the farm into a brewery and fulfill her grandfather’s dream
while keeping the Rayton Farm in the family. Sally works side-by-side with Jack
while Trevor is hundreds of miles away in the city. The more time she spends
with Jack, the stronger her feelings are for him. Sally’s torn between her new
feelings for her best friend, Jack and her boyfriend, Trevor.
When Trevor
shows up to propose to Sally right before Christmas and finds her in Jack’s
embrace, she’s unsure which man she loves. Will it be her best friend and
farmer, Jack, or will it be rich, successful Trevor? City or Country… only
Sally’s heart knows what’s right and true.
Excerpt:
Sally
woke up the next morning to the sound of a chainsaw, multiple chainsaws. What is going on? It's five-thirty in the morning! She
threw back the bedcovers and grabbed her robe off the back of the bedroom door.
Pulling it tight across her body, the floral soft cotton robe did nothing to
conceal the fact she was naked underneath. She ran down the stairs and stomped
out the door barefoot.
"So
help me, I'm going to kill whomever is making that racket," she roared to
no one in particular.
She
craned her neck to hear where the sound was coming from. Turning left, towards
the citrus grove, she saw Jack and two other men standing under the trees. All
of the frustration from the past week poured out of her and she ran as hard as
she could. When she came closer, she realized what they were about to do.
"Stop!
Don't cut these trees down!" She panted. She put her hands on her hips to
catch her breath.
Jack's
eyes roamed the length of her body and Sally could feel a slight warmth heat
her cheeks. She looked down at her disheveled robe and pulled her robe tighter.
What's he staring at? She lifted her
gaze and her stomach did a flip. Jack's shirt wasn't buttoned and she caught a
glimpse of his tanned ripped stomach muscles. Oh my!
"Jack,
what are you doing? Do you know it's five-thirty in the morning?"
He
shook his head, as if that was an answer. She tore her eyes away from his abs
to his face. She inhaled sharply. His hooded eyes looked ready to devour her. I must be seeing things. Maybe he's just
hungry.
The
two other men set down their chainsaws. "Listen Jack, we'll be over at
your farm eating some breakfast. Come get us when you're ready."
Jack
snapped his head around to the men. "Sure. I'll see you guys in few
minutes." He ran his fingers through his hair. "I have to clear
things up with Miss Rayton." Jack watched the men walk away and whipped
his head back to Sally.
Sally
rolled her eyes and said aloud, "Yeah, you just have to talk to the
womanfolk." She spoke in a sweet Southern drawl. "Remember to speak
nice and slow so she understands ya'll."
Author Bio: N. N. Light is the award-winning husband-wife writing team, commonly
known as Mr. N and Mrs. N. Mrs. N. has been creating stories ever since she was
little. Her grandfather remembers when she was two years old, she would stand
at the top of the stairs and tell him a story filled with emotion (and in a
language foreign to him) with her hands on her hips. Let’s just say she was a
born storyteller.
They’re blissfully happy and love all things
chocolate, books, music, movies, art, sports, trains, history, cooking and
baking. Their mantra is to spread the Light.
Most of the time you can find them on Twitter or
getting new ideas on how to spread the Light on Pinterest. They’re a proud
member of ASMSG and Independent Author Network.
Subscribe
to their author newsletter and you'll be eligible to win $5 Amazon gift card
monthly: http://ow.ly/jWec308TabL
In addition to being authors, they’re also book
promoters/reviewers, social media marketers/influencers and the owners of N. N.
Light Author Promotions. They both love books, have ever since they were young.
Matching up books and readers is something that gives them great pleasure.
They’d love to connect with you either via email or
via these various social media sites:
Remove the foil and pour the cream over it evenly. Return to oven and continue baking uncovered for approximately 20 minutes. Serve warm. 
