The doorbell rings.
On the step stands Brenda, holding out frosted cinnamon rolls with the sweet aroma of home-baked bread wafting toward you. They’re gigantic – and still warm! Mmmmm!
A woman of amazing generosity
Like a special angel, Brenda often appears to someone who is in need with just what brightens a day. Her generosity extends far beyond a once-in-awhile effort. And, her home-made cinnamon rolls, meals, flowers, babysitting time and transportation offers are usually right on-target. She even offers a spare bedroom to teens needing a place to stay.
A typical two-week span for Brenda might find her:
• taking a meal to a new mom
• getting supplies for a homebound senior
• sitting with someone at the hospital
• talking to a teenage girl all evening
• being an emergency babysitter
• surprising a widow with birthday flowers
• baking cookies for a church event
• inviting church missionaries for dinner
• making cinnamon rolls for a family with a funeral
More than random acts of kindness
While many of us may struggle with exactly how to help someone going through a rough time, Brenda is quick to kick into action. She almost has a sixth sense of how to comfort a friend or stranger – what to do, when to go, what to say, what not to say. How does she do that?!
“It’s just the way I was raised and what my family did,” said Brenda, who doesn’t consider her acts of kindness anything extraordinary. “When I was really young, I do remember my mom buying Christmas presents for a family who didn’t have much. I helped her wrap them and we quietly left a bundle on their porch. We did little things like that.”
Brenda fondly recalls her mom’s acts of kindness, particularly for her parents, neighbors and church community. “My mom used to tell me, ‘We’ve all been blessed with different gifts and talents. Some you can develop, and some you won’t ever have. But any one of us can be kind…’ and I guess that left a big impression on me,” said Brenda.
It only takes a moment to “take a moment”
Dozens of cookies and rolls later, Brenda has come to realize how generosity returns the favor. “Everyday when I pray, I try to ask God to show me who needs my help that day. Maybe that is just a visit to talk,” Brenda reflected. “It just takes a little of my time – and why wouldn’t I give that up to make someone feel better?”
Often, the recipients become good friends. Brenda related one charming story about a young woman (who may be mimicking Brenda’s acts of kindness) and a purple felt heart she brought – “a little love to let you know I’m thinking about you when you feel it in your pocket,” said the grateful young friend. Touched, Brenda keeps the small token with her as a reminder that others also bring comfort to her. “What a nice surprise that keeps on giving,” Brenda remarked. “I love it.”
It sounds like something Brenda would gift – a simple felt heart was heart-felt. Sometimes it’s the little things that count.
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Always more than generous, Brenda agreed to share her famous Cinnamon Roll recipe (below) with all of us! Woo hoo! Brenda is one of the best cooks we know – and these rolls are just wonderful. Let us know if you make the recipe, and who you share them with!
Brenda's Famous Cinnamon Rolls
The best cinnamon rolls
Ingredients
- 3/4 c Water
- 4-1/2 tsp Yeast
- 2 c Warm Milk
- 1 c Sugar
- 1 c Mashed Potatoes Instant
- 1 tsp Salt
- 2 Eggs
- 1/2 c Crisco
- 6-7 c Flour
Filling
- Butter To spread on top of bread before sugar mixture
- 1/3 c Brown Sugar
- 1/3 c Granulated Sugar
- 5 tsp Cinnamon
Vanilla Butter Frosting
- 2/3 c Butter
- 5-6 c Powdered Sugar
- 3 tsp Vanilla
- 4 Tbs Milk
Instructions
For the Bread
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In a separate bowl, dissolve yeast in warm water. Sprinkle a spoonful of the sugar on top of the yeast.
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In a larger bowl, stir milk, sugar, yeast mixture, mashed potatoes, salt, eggs, Crisco and 3 cups of the flour. Add enough flour to make the dough easy to handle.
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Turn out dough onto a lightly floured surface and knead until smooth and elastic (about 5 minutes).
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Place the dough in a large bowl and cover. Let rise in a warm place until the dough has doubled in size (about 1 1/2 hours).
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Punch dough down. Divide dough in half, and roll each half into a rectangle.
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Spread each rectangle with butter.
For the Filling
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In a small bowl, combine the brown sugar, granulated sugar, and cinnamon. Sprinkle sugar mixture over to dough rectangles.
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Beginning at the wide side of the rectangle, roll up the dough. Pinch the edge of the dough into a roll to seal well.
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Cut each roll into individual rolls using thread of dental floss. (These will make a cleaner cut than a knife.)
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Place each cinnamon roll onto a greased baking pan and let rise until the rolls have doubled in size.
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Bake cinnamon rolls at 400 degrees F for approximately 10-12 minutes.
For the Vanilla Frosting
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Using an electric mixer, blend together butter and sugar. Stir in vanilla and milk and beat until frosting is smooth and of spreading consistency.
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Frost the cinnamon rolls while they are still warm.
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