It's Like My Fair Lady, But With Cinnamon Rolls . . .

Remember in the movie My Fair Lady where Eliza Dolittle comes home from the ball after convincing every one there that she is some sort of royalty? Professor Higgins and the other old guy whose name escapes me dance around and sing about how they "Can't Believe They Did It". I remember the first time I saw that movie as a young girl. I was very nervous for Eliza to go to the ball. I thought she would be found out for the fraud she was and it would be so embarrassing for her! But it really became a turning point for her - a moment where she began to assert herself and take control.

I had my little Eliza Dolittle moment on Christmas Eve. First a quick bit of background: For thirteen years I have been a part of the Lee Family. I love, adore and admire the Lee Family. For thirteen years I have been one of the generous recipients of my mother-in-law Mona's WORLD FAMOUS cinnamon rolls. These cinnamon rolls are pretty much to die for. They are (in my opinion) so much better than a Cinnabon (too sweet, too gooey). The Hubby loves his mom's cinnamon rolls even more than I do. Everybody loves these cinnamon rolls. It's definitely Mona's "thing" and we all love it. Hopefully you're feeling the love by now.

I've tried in vain a few times to make the cinnamon rolls. I have sat at the feet of Mona and watched her every move - how she adds the dry ingredients, how she touches the dough, how she gently pinches, tucks and lifts it as she rolls it. It has not mattered though - I could never reproduce anything nearly as good as hers. I'm lucky enough to have a great Bosch mixer - the actually mixer Mona uses - but it has not saved me in my efforts. In fact, I have become increasing unsure of myself and my skills as a baker. I fear the rolls!

This past Thanksgiving when Mona was here, she played with the recipe a little to account for the humidity here in Virginia and came out with perfect rolls - of course. I determined that I was going to conquer this crazy fear of the rolls, and so on Christmas Eve, using the extra cup and a half of flour Mona suggested, I made the rolls. The Hubby took a test bite and jumped up with a big grin on his face exclaiming, "You Did It! You Really Did It!"

I felt like Eliza at the ball! Somehow I'd faked my way through making the cinnamon rolls and they were really, really good! The best feeling to come from this was twofold - first, I'm not afraid to make them anymore and second, my husband got to have his mom's cinnamon rolls on Christmas morning - a tradition I've wanted to carry over from his childhood for years.