The Holidays and Pumpkin Cinnamon Rolls.

A Christmas ornament that I bought when we lived in Germany.

The husband helping with pumpkin cinnamon rolls.

Last year, the husband and I spent the holidays apart because he was deployed for a year in Afghanistan. We don’t always get to spend birthdays, anniversaries, holidays, etc together so we try to make the most of them when we do. We decided to hole up at home this year to enjoy Christmas, since it will be our last in Colorado. It’s been both good and bad living in Colorado, but mostly I’m thankful because we probably wouldn’t have chosen to live here if the husband wasn’t stationed here.

Even if we don’t always choose (or get to) gather with friends and family, we don’t get upset about it and instead celebrate however we want. Inspired by a friend in Denver, I decided to prepare some pumpkin cinnamon rolls, with some help from the husband, on Christmas Eve. I can’t remember the last time I made cinnamon rolls, so this was a fun project. For dinner we decided on roasting a boneless leg of lamb to be served with chimichurri, fingerling potatoes, Brussels sprouts, and a bottle of Rioja.

I don’t normally take step-by-step photographs when I make something but decided, for fun, to do a little of that for this post. I used Smitten Kitchen’s recipe for these pumpkin cinnamon rolls, by the way. I added vanilla beans and a lot more buttermilk to the glaze. Cinnamon rolls are meant to be sweet, maybe that’s why I don’t make them often! The best part for me is how it makes our home smell long after they’re out of the oven.

A step stool is a must for an overhead ingredients shot.

The ever important yeast among other ingredients.

Pumpkin yeast dough after mixing and before rising.

Before rolling out the dough.

Butter brushed dough and before sprinkling on the sugar-cinnamon filling.

Cutting the dough.

Snowy rooftops, the foothills in the background.

On Christmas eve, we drank some warm eggnog with spiced rum and watched ‘A Christmas Story’. This morning we woke up to snow on the ground, it’s not much but it still looks pretty. I woke up early to take the pumpkin cinnamon rolls out of the fridge and an hour later, the husband got up to feed our cat Amelie and make coffee. I went outside for a little bit to step on the snow and it was so quiet around me. The pumpkin cinnamon rolls were delicious (I ate one and the husband ate two) and it’s the perfect sweet treat on a cold morning.

Xmas morning breakfast.

Xmas Dinner.

I hope you are all well and happy and are having a wonderful holiday season. All the best for 2013, let’s hope it’s filled with more love (I had to include a little sap!).

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