Family Meal Plan: Deliciously Fluffy Cinnamon Roll Dutch Baby in a Mug+Coco Loco Drizzle+Cinn-a-Yummy Cocoa

Deliciously Simple Fluffy Cinnamon Roll Dutch Baby in a Mug a la Mode + Coco Loco Drizzle

Happy & Healthy Cooking,

Fun-Da-Mentals Kitchen Skills

• dip :

  to briefly put a solid food, such as chips, fries, battered fried fish, hot sandwich (French dip), or veggie slices, into a liquid, like beef broth or a thicker sauce, like ketchup, dressing, or a dip to impart moisture and extra flavor to the solid food.

• juice :

  to extract or squeeze out the juice of a fruit or vegetable, like a lemon, orange, or carrot, often cutting open or peeling the fruit or veggie first to access its flesh.

• measure :

  to calculate the specific amount of an ingredient required using a measuring tool (like measuring cups or spoons).

• melt :

  to heat a solid food so it becomes liquid, like butter or chocolate.

• microwave :

  to heat or cook food or liquid quickly in a microwave oven, which uses high-frequency electromagnetic waves to generate heat in the food's water molecules.

• mix :

  to thoroughly combine two or more ingredients until uniform in texture.

• pour :

  to cause liquid, granules, or powder to stream from one container into another.

• slice :

  to cut into thin pieces using a sawing motion with your knife.

• tear :

  to pull or rip apart a food, like basil leaves, into pieces instead of cutting with a knife; cutting breaks cell walls more, so herbs can discolor faster.

History of Dutch Baby Pancakes and Cinnamon Rolls!

• Despite its name, a Dutch Baby pancake is actually an American invention, possibly based on German apple pancakes, or "Apfelpfannkuchen." 
• The story goes that these delicious pancakes were first served sometime before 1940 at Manca's café in Seattle, Washington and that their name was coined by one of the cafe owner's daughters. It is speculated that "Dutch" in "Dutch Baby" was a derivative of the German word for German, which is "Deutsch."
• A traditional Dutch baby is a pancake baked in a hot oven that puffs up from steam and then collapses in the middle so that the sides are puffed up, like a popover!
• Dutch babies typically contain no leavener like baking powder and, instead, rise because of added egg and steam. Dutch Babies are almost always served sweet and often simple, with just a squeeze of lemon and a dusting of powdered sugar.
• Cinnamon rolls, aka cinnamon bun, cinnamon swirl, cinnamon Danish, and cinnamon snail, are thought to have originated in Sweden! 
• Swedish cinnamon rolls are less sweet than American ones and typically contain a hint of the spice cardamom. Roman spice traders introduced cinnamon and cardamom to Europe, where cooks and bakers started to incorporate these and other spices into their recipes.
• October 4 is National Cinnamon Roll Day in Sweden! 
• Swedes often enjoy cinnamon rolls during "fika," which is what they call a relaxed coffee break with friends.

Let's Learn About Sweden!

• Sweden is a constitutional monarchy, and its official name is the Kingdom of Sweden.
• Stockholm, the capital of Sweden, encompasses 14 islands and more than 50 bridges. Half of Sweden is covered with forests, and it contains around 100,000 lakes and 24,000 islands. 
• Sweden has one of the highest life expectancies in the world!
• Sweden has remained neutral in all wars since 1814, including World Wars I and II.
• Though Sweden is a member of the European Union, they use their own currency, the Swedish krona, rather than the euro.
• Sweden publishes every adult's yearly tax returns. This demonstrates the Swedish tradition of "jantelagen," or the "law of Jante," which is the belief that "no one is better than anyone else." Followed in Sweden and Norway, it is praised as a reason for harmony in society.
• Swedish blood donors get a thank you note when they donate blood and a text message when patients receive their blood!
• Ice hockey and football (soccer) are Sweden’s major sports.
• There are so many moose roaming around in forests in Sweden that they could form a very large city if they all gathered together!  
• Sweden has one of the most sophisticated recycling systems in the world. They even import waste from Norway to recycle it.   
• IKEA is a Swedish-founded company and has been the world’s largest furniture retailer since 2008.
• A common Swedish tradition is "fika" (fee-kuh), where Swedes enjoy a relaxed coffee break with friends. "Fika" is the word for the noun "coffee" and the verb "have coffee." The emphasis in the custom, though, is spending time with friends.
• Besides Kladdkaka, a popular Swedish chocolate cake, another well-known Swedish dish is Swedish meatballs, which is served with gravy, boiled potatoes, and lingonberry jam.
• Sweden is one of the biggest consumers of Mexican food in Europe!
• Swedish for, "It was delicious," is “Det var utsökt!” (DET-Var-OOT-Sik).

What's It Like to Be a Kid in Sweden?

• Swedish kids go to daycare (dagis), which feed into schools, so they often make at least one or two friends they will keep for the rest of their lives. 
• At the end of February, schools have a week-long holiday across the country. It's called "sportlov" or "sports law," designed to engage families in sports during the winter.
• Kids get a second yearly celebration in addition to their birthdays. What do they celebrate? It's called "Namnsdag" or "Name Day." A Name Day calendar lists one or two names on almost every date, and a child might get cake and a present or money to celebrate their name day.
• Swedish kids love books by Astrid Lindgren, a Swedish author. You might have read some of them, too, since she wrote the Pippi Longstocking books.
• On most Fridays, families stay home together to watch TV or movies and eat food that's easy to prepare, like tacos, pizza, chips, and other snack foods. Swedes call this "fredagsmys," which means "Friday coziness."