RIP Ms. Nicholas

The late Helen Nicholas of Petaluma, Calif. taught Home Economics for decades. Her obit concludes: "In lieu of flowers, please bake and enjoy Mrs. Foody's Petaluma Junior High Cinnamon Rolls with your friends and family..." and then proceeds to print the entire recipe! Fantastic! 
A good obit can be a treasure. "The Economist" magazine used to specialize in interesting, graceful obits of ordinary people who did extraordinary things (I still remember one about a watchmaker that made him sound like the Rembrandt of gears and springs). The fact that Ms. Nicholas's family marked her passing with a cinnamon roll recipe tells me more about her than another thousand words could have.


Mrs. Foody's Petaluma Junior High Cinnamon RollsPreheat oven to 425Bake time 10-15 minutes
Rolls2 C flour1 T baking powder1 t salt¼ C shortening¾ C milk1T melted butter
Cinnamon and sugar mixtureFrosting1 t melted butter1 C powdered sugar1 T water1 t vanilla
InstructionsStir flour, baking powder and salt together in a bowl. Cut shortening into the bowl and mix until crumbly. Stir in milk with a fork. Roll out dough, spread melted butter over the dough. Sprinkle cinnamon and sugar all over. Roll up and cut into 1 inch slices and place in a cupcake pan.Frosting: mix all ingredients together and drizzle over warm cinnamon rolls.
I have no idea if these rolls are actually good. If anybody tries the recipe, please report back!