Good morning Smiletonians! I have embarked on a new dietary adventure, and seven days in, I'm 7lbs down. The amazing thing is, I'm still eating cinnamon buns, chocolate birthday cake, chocolate chip cookies, and candy bars!
Obviously, everything is homemade and modified to fit the diet, which is low carb and calorie conscious.
I'm going to start sharing some of these recipes and lifestyle tips here as I discover them. We can't get through life gritting our teeth and whitening our knuckles. At least, I can't!
My first offering is CINNAMON BUNS. My tip here is: make them smaller, and use your calorie app to tell you the calorie cost. This recipe makes 8, but I made 13, so I count 200 calories for one roll, including the frosting.
Dough:
1.5 cups shredded mozza cheese
2 oz cream cheese
1 egg
2 tbsp Swerve brown sugar replacement
1.25 cups almond flour
2 tbsp ground flaxseed
1 tbsp vanilla extract
0.5 tsp baking soda
pinch salt
Microwave the cheeses in a medium bowl, and mix as thoroughly as possible. It's a bit tricky, but keep at it. When the cheese is not too hot, add the egg and continue mixing. When it's pretty consistent, add the remaining ingredients. Fold and work this all together with your hands. You can kneed it like a bread dough. It's quite sticky, so you might try greasing your hands as you work.
When it is like a dough, place it between two greased parchment papers and roll it into a rectangle.
Caramel Sauce:
0.25 cups butter
6 tbsp Swerve granulated sugar replacement
2 tbsp Swerve brown sugar replacement
0.5 cups whipping cream
0.25 tsp xanthan gum
1 tbsp vanilla extract
0.25 tsp salt
2 tbsp water
Boil the butter and sugar for a few minutes. Turn the heat off, and add the whipping cream, and then add the remaining ingredients. Return to the boil for another minute, and then put to the side.
Filling:
cinnamon
Swerve brown sugar replacement
nuts
caramel sauce
Preheat the oven to 400°F. Remove the top parchment from the dough, and top with the filling. Use your judgment. You will have lots of caramel sauce left over to drizzle over things for the next week. Store the remaining sauce in the fridge.
Once your dough is ready, begin to roll it, using the bottom parchment to manipulate it into a tight roll. Start by folding a small amount at the edge, and press down. Keep turning the dough, keeping it firmly pressed as you go, until it is one long cylinder. At this point, if you want smaller buns, you can gently keep rolling against the counter (while still wrapped in parchment) to create a longer cylinder.
Cut into 8-13 buns. Place on a cookie sheet (cut side down) and bake for 20-25 minutes. The dough will be brown - but watch carefully, because it can go from brown to "whoops!" very quickly.
Cool on a cooling rack, and then serve with frosting. These freeze well.
Frosting:
2 oz cream cheese
3 tbsp butter (melted)
1.2 cups Swerve confectioners sugar replacement (powdered)
1 tsp vanilla extract
Work the ingredients together slowly, and then whip vigorously to get a creamy consistency.
That's it! These rolls are perfect for breakfast, a snack, or dessert. I'm so glad I tried to make it, as the recipe seems crazy at first! But it works, and it satisfied the cinnamon bun craving.
What should I write about next? (Poll below.)
Miss Elizabeth here with the update you didn't know you needed. Thank you for all your support over the years, and we look forward to... something in the future.
I stitched these together to give you 5-in-1. These videos have been getting up to 2000 views, which is crazy for a small account with only 61 subscribers. We are watching our stats like HAWKS this January to see if our advertising plus TikTok plus a few other targeted efforts will have a noticeable impact on audience.
We also finally fixed our hosting situation, which has been a 3-month long disaster. Our first new hosting option decided to shut down just after we joined them! We are now at Zencastr, and I built a pretty sparkly website to go with it. So things are coming together.
I think we are overdue for a livestream, too. Let’s book one soon!
How has your January been? Let us know about your projects!
We are excited to announce that some big changes are afoot for our Smileton podcast! Jason and I consulted with an expert and came up with an action plan to move the enterprise forward.
We are working on a new show title and podcast graphics, and will start publishing the show on a new podcast feed as well. The Smileton universe will continue as usual, and the show format will continue with slight changes. (You've probably notice a few format experiments in the last couple of weeks!)
There are many benefits to the changes we are making, and we'd love to share these with you in a livestream coming up soon. But in the meantime, watch this progress video as I command an AI to create podcast cover art of a cute small town, in 3D cinematic hyper realistic detail, featuring bright sunshine. How cool is that?!
p.s. Nothing will change around here, except perhaps some graphic changes and maybe a name change, if that's possible. We think the show is going to be called...
Hello, Smileton!
You're sitting on top of that giant cork that you stuffed into the volcano of entertainment and that thing is about to blow and send you sky-high, propelled by the intense enjoyment delivered by this, the latest episode of HELLO, SMILETON.a
Jason and Miss Elizabeth host a most bizarre bazaar in a brand new SMALL TOWN, BIG MARKETPLACE wherein the good people of Smileton buy, sell or trade their off-kilter goods and services and we can do nothing but listen, amazed.
The new 2024-25 season of the Smileton Community Theatre is previewed and our plucky co-hosts make their picks. What should you see? Probably something on TV instead, but listen anyway and see if anything tickles your fancy.
Even though the best before date on this episode is, like, a century from now, you'd better listen right away. Your delightedment depends on it.
HELLO, SMILETON. Listening Is Just The Beginning.
Show Timestamps:
1:46 Small Town, Big Marketplace
18:00 Paid Advertisement – Smileton ...
Listening to this, the latest episode of HELLO, SMILETON, is like peeling an onion. The more layers you peel back, the more your eyes are watering – from ENJOYMENT.
Jason and Miss Elizabeth are your trusty co-hosts and whether Miss Elizabeth presenting the latest in the bizarre, off-kilter world of death metal in a brand new DEATH METAL UPDATE or Jason is spilling the contents of his id all over the place in a stunningly on-point ACCUSCOPE HOROSCOPE, you know these kids spell Entertainment with a capital E.
Enjoy the comedy and enjoy a song by Smileton's own THE SMILE SYNDICATE. Either way, you're the winner.
HELLO, SMILETON. If You LIved Here, You'd Be Home Already.
Show timestamps:
3:16 Death Metal Update
19:00 SONG – New Planetoid
22:16 Accuscope Horoscope
Blistering entertainment hotter than lava and tangier than steak sauce. Now that's a sandwich!
Jason and Miss Elizabeth are capering their hearts out as they present comedy and music from the world nerve centre of podcasting excellence: SMILETON.
In a vintage A YOGA MOMENT WITH ANGEL, we'll listen agog as Smileton's most intense, over-the-top, frenzied yoga master delivers his hard-hitting message with both fists.
A classic NEW YEAR'S RESOLUTION UPDATE sees our co-hosts get to the bottom of how each other's resolutions are going. Expect fireworks!
A couple of rockin' tracks by THE SMILE SYNDICATE add the musical turbo charge needed to send this episode into the stratosphere.
HELLO, SMILETON. Listening Is Just The Beginning.
Show Timestamps:
6:43 A Yoga Moment with Angel / Tube Message (from July 31, 2023)
21:48 SONG – I'm Gonna Hover
25:39 New Year's Resolution Update (from August 9, 2021)
37:14 SONG – Werenerd
It ain't street hockey, but it'll have to do.
Paul Fischer (D) on the Irish is an Edmonton prospect, and Brennan Ali(F) is a Red Wing prospect. The Irish have a few others for various NHL teams as well, hoping for a great season!
Go Irish! Beat the Nanooks!
Those lazy, hazy, crazy days of summer trundle on and if you want something better than lemonade to wash them down with then consider this, the latest episode of HELLO, SMILETON.
Jason and Miss Elizabeth present comedy and original music in a tidy podcast package that tempts one to ask "is it possible to be too entertaining?"
Whether we're listening to a classic SMILETON COMMUNITY MESSAGE BOARD or getting a vintage, though still chillingly prescient ACCUSCOPE HOROSCOPE, you will have all the evidence you need to decide that you have found your new favorite podcast.
A couple of songs by THE SMILE SYNDICATE complete the sweet, sweet recipe so what are you waiting for? Get listening!
HELLO, SMILETON. Listening Is Just The Beginning.
Show Timestamps
7:23 Smileton Community Message Board (from November 20, 2023)
23:46 SONG – Boogie Got A Groove Loose
27:03 Accuscope Horoscope (from The Smile Syndicate Music Hour, August 12, 2021)
41:01 SONG – So Far, No Good
