My husband's mixed berries and cinnamon rolls

This last Sunday my husband suffered from a severe case of baking spree. He dove into the kitchen in the morning and he only emerged later that day. He even cooked lunch, and he made the soup, which is usually my responsibility. But I was having a day off, after taking care of the dusting and the vacuuming and the beds. I was sitting down on the couch doing my nails and watching "Interview with the Vampire". I mean, you can't beat a vampiric Brad Pitt. Unless it's a vampiric Skaarsgard brother, of course. Alexander and Bill make the best vampires, if I do say so myself (re: I wouldn't mind coming across those vamps in a dark alley... at all!!)

My son usually overtakes the TV on Sundays. He has a lot of catching up to do with his favourite shows, you know. During weekdays he doesn't get to sit in front of the telly doing nothing but zombying his brain out, so on Sundays I do let him carry on a bit. But last Sunday he was playing around with something in his laptop, and I told him he could get his Christmas tree up if he wanted to. I was really craving a dose of vampire Brad, you know. Telling him he could put up his tree was the best way to assure some down time for me!!

Yep, my son got his own Christmas tree this year. It's a small one, and it was quite affordable, so I thought I could splurge on it, and a few baubles for him to decorate it with. He cleaned up and tidied his room so he could have his small blue table ready for a Christmas tree and a Christmas village much like mom's. And he drew and coloured some ornaments of his own for his tree, like stars and gingerbread men and candy cane, all stuff he wanted but couldn't find at the stores. I'm actually so glad he didn't, because the tree looks much prettier with stuff he made on his own. It looks really charming, and he decorated it by himself, never once asking for my input and my help.

So while I was siting on the couch, doing my nails ruby red and swooning over Mr. Pitt's vampiric traits, my husband was in the kitchen baking some cinnamon rolls for us. The scent filled the house from the word go, it was crazy!! The mix of cinnamon and sugar melting over the mix of red berries, the butter infusing the dough gently as it cooked, the warmth coming out of that oven... it was really too much, you know? I had to get up and go to the kitchen so I could check it out - and sniff around like a mad dog, too!! Once they were cooked, it was torture having to wait for these rolls to cool down enough for me to gobble some. But eventually I did, and boy. Oh boy. Were they good!

So if you'd like to gob on some of your own, here's how to go about it!!

• 500 gr flour
• 75 gr butter
• 1 cup mixed red berries - I used frozen
• 75 gr vanilla sugar + 2 tsp for the dough
• cinnamon
• 150 ml milk, warm
• 150 ml water, luke warm
• 15 gr fresh yeast
• pinch of salt

On a stand up mixer mix, using the hook implement, mix the flour with the grounded yeast, the pinch of salt, the two teaspoons vanilla sugar, the milk and the water and mix. The hook will knead it for you, so there's no heavy work involved. Once it's all looking smooth, turn off the stand up mixer and cover the bowl with a tea towel. Let the dough proof and rise until it has at least doubled in size. Onto a floured surface, pour your dough and roll into a large square shape. Brush the slightly melted butter onto the dough, sprinkle with the vanilla sugar and the cinnamon, and scatter the berries on top. Now roll your dough into a large cilinder and cut into smaller rolls. On a baking tray that has been covered with baking parchment spread your rolls with about a cm in between them. Let them proof until the space between the rolls is no longer there. Now brush the rolls with a mix of egg yolk and a few drops of cold water, so they will have that extra special glaze about them. Bake them in a pre heated oven at 175º for about 40 minutes, or until they look toasted and golden. Serve warm and enjoy!