Cousin Christie's Lemon Poppy Seed Bread

As some of you may recall, my sweet little cousins, Elly and Cami, were the brainchildren behind a bake sale fundraiser that my Utah County family threw for me this summer.

Cousin Christie (aka: The Hardest Working Woman I Know) was called in at the 11th hour and asked if she could bake bread.

And bake bread, she did. Roughly five or six dozen loaves. In one day. (I told you. She's super-human!)

And, I'm here to tell you.. I've had multiple bake sale customers talk to me about her poppy seed bread.

By all accounts, the lemon poppy seed bread was joyous to the soul and desirable above all other breads. (Yeah, so I just threw a little scriptural reference in there. Because I believe in likening the scriptures in all things. ... And also because I really have heard AMAZING things about this bread. ... Oh, right. And because I crack myself right up when I talk like a Mormon.)

Anyhoo...

Like I said, the bread was, basically, "most sweet, above all that anyone had before tasted" and "the greatest of all the gifts..."

So I thought I'd post the recipe here. You know, for the folks who've asked who made that bread - and how. And also for my own self, because I can't seem to keep track of a single piece of paper around here. (But, somehow, I can pull a recipe up on my phone in a matter of seconds. ... God bless the labels section of ye olde blog, because it gives me almost immediate access to all kinds of gems. Yea, even those gems that are precious above all.)

That said... without further ado (and before I get myself struck with lightening), I give you...

Cousin Christie's Poppy Seed Bread

1 lemon or yellow boxed cake mix
1 (3 oz) pkg instant lemon pudding mix
4 eggs
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1 cup water
2 Tab poppy seeds
3 Tab flour

Throw it all in a bowl. Beat with mixer for 3 minutes. *Bake at 350 in 2 regular loaf pans or 1 bundt pan for 40-50 minutes, until toothpick comes out cleanly.

*Foot note: I'm assuming these are greased pans, because this is basically a cake. Her instructions didn't specify the greasing of the pan... but you know me. I'm never one to shy away from extra butter. Anywhere, or on anything. I'd butter those bad boys up before I poured the batter in!

And now that the recipe has been revealed, I suggest that ye hold fast to the ingredients as they have been handed down from the house of Ball. Listen not to those jeering from the great and spacious house of "clean eating". Be ye not afraid of processed foods, for the people of Duncan Hines and Betty Crocker and Jello are a blessing in our busy lives. And thus we see that, at times, we must depart from the ways of whole foods and partake of the boxed mixes, that we might find joy.

Now, go forth. Bake. Be joyous, and share the fruits of thine labors with those whom ye love.

Two of a kind

I made soup this weekend.

It was delish.

I mean, I would have rather had Ken and Myra still living around the corner, so My could chop up the veggies and actually make it for me (why does food always taste better when someone else makes it?), but, alas... The Johnsons live in a far off land and I am unable to mooch their food anymore. It's a tragedy. Oh, well. At least I have her recipe. And I will give it to you, because this soup is fabulous. The broth has the most incredible flavor, and the lentils soak up all the savory goodness. To me, this soup screams "IT'S FALL!". And I love foods that scream "FALL!" at me. ... Obviously.

But the reason for this particular post (in addition to sharing the recipe, because I freaking LOVE this soup and think everyone should have the deliciousness that is lentil soup at their disposal) is that my bag of lentils and I are (okay, were) twin souls.

Would you look at that? My little bag o' legumes had a hernia. Right smack in the middle of him.

Just. Like. Me.

Much like the skin around my bellybutton has thinned (so much so that I can hear AND feel the gurgles and pops as my stomach goes through the drama of digesting my late night snack), the plastic in the middle of the bag  had thinned to the point that there were a few little guys that looked like they were about to pop right through.

Like I said, twin souls. ... Poor little bag. I felt your pain, dude. ... Too bad the only cure for you was to tear you open and make soup out of you. (I can only hope my herniated midsection doesn't share that fate. #Gruesome.)

Here's My's recipe. It's fabulous. Also, it makes A TON of soup. (Says the woman who halved the recipe and still has three GIANT tupperwares full of leftovers in her fridge.)

Enjoy!

Myra's Lentil Soup

equal amounts of carrots, celery, and onion chopped fine (I chop about the same amount equaling two large onions each)
1/4 c. - 1/2 c. olive oil
minced garlic (about 3-5 cloves)
Italian sausage (one per person minimum)
1 large can of tomatoes
Lentils (1-2 bags)
Broth cube (or two)
Salt and pepper to taste
Directions:

Saute carrots, celery, onion, and garlic in the olive oil in a pan.
Add sausage to mixture (removing skin and cut to small pieces) and cook through
Add the tomatoes to the mixture and simmer on medium-low for about 10 minutes.
Add lentils, broth cube, salt and pepper. I usually also add water near to the top (but that depends how soupish you want the soup).
Let it simmer for 45 minutes on low (I'm guessing here!)

Chocolate: It's what's for dinner.

I haven't been feeling well today (suuuuuuper tired, lightheaded/dizzy, fever), so I cancelled my usual Sunday schedule so I could stay home and rest. And rest, I did.

I took a two hour nap on my couch this morning, then moved to my bed and slept until 3:15 (I had a church meeting at 3:30, so I'd set an alarm... otherwise, who knows how long I could have slept?!) I got home from my meeting at 5:00 and crashed again.

Remember how I was saying, just the other day, that when I do too much - for too many days in a row - my body shuts me down? Well, I got shut down today. In a big way. But that's alright. I'm pretty sure I got more sleep today - in the day part of the day - than I've had at night in the last three nights. I'll take it!

Because I haven't been feeling awesome, and because I wanted to have room to sleep if/when/wherever I was, I texted Jo this afternoon to let her know I would not be making an appearance at Sunday dinner.

This translates into: I had to make my own dinner tonight. First, I boiled some whole wheat noodles (because I'm so healthy) and had a little stroganoff. Then, I made....

S'more (Crack) Dip

1 cup milk chocolate chips*

1 cup mini marshmallows

2 Tab milk

Melt in a saucepan, then pour into an ovensafe dish. Layer another cup (approx) mini marshmallows over the chocolate mixture and broil for 1 minute, or until marshmallows are toasted.

Serve with graham crackers for dipping.

Because this isn't the first time I've made S'more Dip for dinner (not even the first time I've done it this week), I'll share that *I think it's best with half milk and half semi-sweet chocolate chips. Also, you can cut the recipe down into half or a third and/or do the first step in the microwave. (It takes, maybe, 30 seconds to melt the chocolate chips and marshmallows, and then you can put the other 'mallows on top and throw it right into the oven to broil.)

And that, my friends, is how you make dinner (or dessert, if you're one of *those* people who feel like chocolate can't be a main course) in less than two minutes.

You're welcome.



I buy bananas just to let them rot on my counter.

True story.

Behold:

Rotten bananas.

Perfect for banana muffins, my new true food love!

Banana Muffins
3 bananas
1/3 cup butter, melted
1 egg
1 1/2 cup flour
3/4 cup sugar
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt

Bake at 350 for 20 minutes. Makes one dozen muffins.

*Add roughly chopped nuts and/or semi-sweet chocolate chips and it's a whole 'nother level of heaven.

You're welcome.

This cake tastes like Christmas!

*And by "Christmas", I mean: peppermint. (Clearly, I am on a peppermint-obsessed roll this year. But truly, I love it. And the good news for all of you, my dear readers, is that I have no qualms in admitting that and sharing the wealth with you in tips and tricks for how to make the holiday season even more delicious and calorie-laden than it would be without me!)

I give you The Cake That Tastes Like Christmas:



Yeah, I know. That cake looks like a giant cake donut covered in peppermint candy sprinkles. ... And it sort of tastes like that, too. (In my opinion, this is not a bad thing.)

And it's not just the crushed candy canes on the outside of the cake that give it a minty flair, people. Oh, no. This cake has a secret weapon inside of it.

Behold, peppermint pudding:



That was a sweet view of my claw-like hand and kitchen sink, right? (I'm putting it up anyway because I know it will make my mom happy to see the Noel on my fridge in the background. I'm funny like that.)

Here's a better pic of the box o' pudding, sans claw:



Yes, Jello is now making a peppermint pudding - and my mind is running amok with thoughts of all the things I could do with this pudding: trifle, parfaits, just a bowl o' pudding with broken candy canes on top. (I'm pretty sure I'm gonna have to go back to Safeway and buy every box on their shelf, as this is a seasonal item and I have no less than half a dozen things I'm wanting to do with it.)

Anyhoo... make this cake. (Make it even if you don't like peppermint - just use the chocolate pudding, or a white chocolate pudding, or a vanilla pudding, or do a lemon cake mix with a box of lemon pudding. Really, the possibilities with this recipe are endless.)

Darn Good Chocolate Cake

1 pkg devil's food cake mix
1 pkg (3.9 oz.) chocolate instant pudding mix
4 large eggs
1 c sour cream
1/2 c warm water
1/2 c vegetable oil
1 c semi-sweet chocolate chips (I recommend the mini chips, as they weigh less and are less likely to settle at the bottom of the pan)

Mix it all up, pour it into a greased and floured bundt pan and bake at 350 for 45-50 minutes. Turn cake onto a wire rack to cool.

You can ice it, drizzle a glaze, or leave it plain. Serve it with ice cream, fresh fruit (raspberries, anyone?), glaze it (or, uh...make a ganache-like substance, like I did up there) and then press candy (candy canes, Reese's cups, Butterfinger... whatever floats your boat) into the frosting. Don't be afraid to mix it up with the chocolate chips, either. You can do white chocolate or peanut butter chips - mix and match and make this recipe yours. This cake is so ridiculously moist and delicious that you simply can't go wrong!

Happy holiday baking, my friends!

Justice and Revenge

From Burn Notice, season 4:

Jesse: Justice and revenge is chocolate and peanut butter as far as I am concerned.

Fiona: You're making me hungry.

Okay, so this post isn't really about justice and revenge (though you know I'm not above that sort of thing - The Count of Monte Cristo is, after all, pretty much my favorite book of all time).

Behold:

Devils Food cupcakes topped with PB Buttercream.

This could well be my best dessert idea. Ever.

Peanut Butter Buttercream

3/4 cup shortening
1/2 cup peanut butter
4 cups (approx 1/2 bag) powdered sugar
4-6 Tab water

Cream shortening and peanut butter. Add powdered sugar and water alternately until you get the consistency you're looking for. Taste. Swoon. Taste again. Be grateful for the goodness that is peanut butter frosting.

Go forth and bake, people. It's worth it!

Preparations for company...

My friend Mich is coming to visit Sunny Arizona (oh, and me) this weekend. So, I went shopping and bought us some good things. I'll show you a virtual shopping list, because I know that will make you happy. (Also, because I know it will make you a little bit jealous. And that's the kind of friend I am.)

I bought these things:







So we could make Blue Cheese Bites. Seriously... bread, butter and blue cheese. How could a girl go wrong with these three ingredients? My mouth is already watering.

And I bought these things:

So we could try this new recipe I just found for Bacon and Parmesan Pasta. ... Bacon, cream, cream cheese and parmesan cheese all rolled up into one fatty and delicious sauce, and then poured over pasta? Sign me up! (And then roll me out the door.) This looks soooo freaking good!

And I bought these things:

So we could make some lovely Nutella and Banana Won Tons for dessert. (Mich and me. We love some Nutella. And bananas. And fried foods that are dipped in sugar.)

It's gonna be a super fun (food filled) weekend for the two of us. (I also have three - count them, three - packages of blue cheese in the fridge. In case we feel the need to whip up a batch of Blue Cheese Mac and Cheese or ... just eat blue cheese and Wheat Thins with walnuts.O

Cheese. And butter. And cream. And another kind of cheese. And pasta. And Nutella.

Oh, and Michelle.

Bring on the good times!

Have I ever told you how much I love sweet potatoes?

I haven't? Well, shame on me for keeping my love for all things sweet potato hidden under a bushel.

I'm going to make that up to the sweet potato here and now by writing them a poem:

Sweet Potato

I love you so.
I love you made into french fries.
I love you baked.
It mattereth not to me whether you are salted and peppered or covered in brown sugar, as long as you are smothered in butter first.
I love you salty.
I love you sweet.
Basically, I just love you.
So much.


Now that you know my love of the fair sweet potato, you can imagine how much this made me drool. (Both figuratively, and - I'm sorry to say - literally.)

Be still, my beating heart. (And gushing taste buds.) I think I may have found the holy grail of all sweet potato recipes. (Can I get some back up on wanting to substitute cream for the milk? Anyone? ... Anyone?)

Uh, yeah. I'll be making these this weekend. (You know, when I'm not working 10 hour days and I have time to cook delicious food and enjoy life again. Until then, it's Cereal-For-All-Meals-R-Us here at Casa de la Laurie.)

The End.

This cake has a sweet spirit

I know, I know, it's not much to look at... but trust me, this cake has a sweet and delicious soul.

For those who looketh upon the outside of a cake and judgeth it shall not receive the untold blessings of sweet and tart lemony goodness which lie therein.

Thus saith The Prophet Laur

This cake? It's so good. I've been trying several lemon cake recipes lately (have I told ya'll how glad I am that I can eat again?), and at the end of the day, I had to come back to the lemon jello cake I grew up with. This sucker? It's the best thing EVER. (And one of the things I love most about this cake is that it's a little different than your standard jello cake. The box of jello gets dumped into the mix and baked in the cake. It's a springy, delightful little cake because of that.)

So, if you like lemon at all... Make. This. Cake. Today (or tomorrow). You won't regret it.

Lemon Jello Cake

1 package yellow cake mix
1 small box lemon jello
4 eggs
3/4 cup water
3/4 cup oil

Glaze
2 lemons (juice and rind)
2 cups powdered sugar

Mix cake mix, jello, eggs, water and oil for 5 minutes. Pour into greased/floured 9x13. Bake at 350 for 35 minutes. When cake comes out of the oven, prick cake with fork and then pour glaze in a thin drizzle over the cake. You can use a knife or spatula to spread the glaze so it gets into all the nooks and crannies. (This may cause some of the top of the cake to lift, don't worry about that. Remember what The Prophet Laur said about the outward appearance of the cake - it mattereth not.)

Note: If you only own one 9x13 cake pan and it's at your friend Jo's house (as mine was), you can definitely bake this cake in a sheetcake pan - just remember to shorten the baking time to 20 minutes. Also, I'd recommend upping both the lemon and sugar count in the glaze. You want to have plenty of tart and sweet goodness seeping into your cake, so go with 3 lemons and 3 cups of powdered sugar. You won't regret it.

Further note: When pricking the cake with said fork, try not to let your fork go all the way down to the bottom of the pan. It's okay if you hit the bottom of the pan a few times, here and there, but you don't want all the fork holes to go all the way down, or the glaze will all go through your cake and it will make the bottom all soggy. (And who likes soggy cake bottoms? Not me, that's who.)

Now, go forth and bake.

It has been commanded.

Desperate times call for desperate measures

My mama made me a prune cake.

It was surprisingly delicious.

(If you want to try it, click here for the recipe.)

My mom thinks it's too sweet. I think it's perfect. Well... when I'm eating it, I think it's perfect. I'll admit that I ate a piece yesterday before my night walk, and about halfway home I thought I was gonna choke on the sugary aftertaste (lesson learned: brush teeth immediately following eating a big piece of prune cake, lest you feel a sugar attack coming on at the most inopportune time), but while I was eating it, the cake - and the carmelish icing - was perfect, I thought.

Here's hoping the prunes aren't too diluted by sugar & flour to combat the effects of prescription pain meds - because this cake tastes a whale of a lot better than prune juice mixed with grape juice (shudder)...

Oh. My. Goodness. Gracious.

I made this today.

It was as delicious as it looks. (Of course it was, because the chicken itself was pretty darn good, what with that honey mustard marinade. Pile bacon and cheese on top of that and you have a sure-fire winner.)

I've been helping my friend Jo this week with her childrens, and when I realized yesterday that she had about 17 lbs of frozen chicken breasts and dijon mustard in her house, I was super excited. Guinea Pigs. (Insert evil laugh here.)

The good news? The chicken was well received. Both the 11 and 9 yr olds were going for seconds before the adults had time to finish our first servings. Success!

And I'm telling you... easy peasy to make. It's a little time consuming, what with the cooking of the chicken and the bacon separately, but I did the bacon at breakfast time and then refrigerated it until I needed it for dinner, and that worked out well.

Seriously. If there's any part of your soul that hungers for bacon and/or cheese - make this. You won't be sorry. (And if you do make it, and you are sorry, and you live around the block from me.... for Pete's sake, call me and I'll come and get the leftovers from you. That's what kind of friend I am.)

Because it's Cousin Julie's birthday

Behold, the recipe for the Chocolate Raspberry Bundt Cake I came up with a couple weeks ago.

(Before I go on, I must apologize for the poor quality of the photo above. The lighting was bad, as was the angle. I know this cake looks a little like meatloaf. But I promise it's just a bad pic. The cake itself was super delish - and not meatloaf-ish on any level.)

Okay, so here's the recipe for the cake:

1 Devils Food cake mix
4 eggs
1 cup sour cream
1/2 cup oil
1 pkg frozen raspberries, thawed and mashed, with just enough sugar to take the bite off

Mix the cake mix, eggs, sour cream, oil and the bag of raspberries (less 1/2 to 3/4 cup of the sugared raspberries - those you'll put on top of the cake at the end). I just dumped it all in, then whipped the tar out of it with my Kitchen Aid because I a) like the sound of a mixer and b) was greasing my pan in another area in the kitchen and couldn't be troubled to walk over and stop the mixer prematurely. (Also, I've found that whipping cake batter makes for more fluffy batter, which makes me think it'll be a fluffier cake. I know, I'm so scientific.) This is a bundt cake (obviously, with the sour cream and with that many eggs), so make sure you grease/flour the heck outta the pan so it doesn't stick. Bake at 350 for 45 minutes or so. ("Or so", I know. I'm as bad as my mom, telling people to "stir pie filling until you think your arm's gonna fall off". But really, at about 45 minutes, check it with a toothpick. If you need more time, go in 5 minute intervals. But I think you'll be good at 45 min, I really do.)

After the cake has cooled, make a chocolate ganache and pour over the top of the cake while warm - followed by the reserved raspberries.

Chocolate Ganache has two basic ingredients:

Cream
Chocolate

Two of my favorite things, right? I used 2 squares of semi sweet baker's chocolate and about 1/3 cup cream. I melted it together in a double boiler and then poured/swirled it over the cake while warm. The berries were kind of cool, so they stuck to/in the chocolate at the top of the cake - which turned out to be a pretty fabulous thing, all things taken into consideration.

This isn't a really sweet cake. Adding some milk chocolate chips to the batter, or using light chocolate instead of dark for the ganache (oh, or more sugar into the berries) would fix that, if that's something that needs to be "fixed" in the world you live in. As for me and my house, we like things on the tart side. Try it, let me know what you think. :-)

Celebrating National Pie Day

So, yesterday (1/23) was National Pie Day.

Isn't it a shame that I didn't post that yesterday morning so all you Razzzberry reading folk out there could be aware and celebrate properly? I'm sorry. But it was a 12 hour work day and I didn't find out until the evening, and ... well, just mark it down on your calendars so you'll know next year, okay? (That's what I'm doing.)

Anyway, yesterday was National Pie Day. And since, as you may recall, I'd made a crust I wasn't able to use a couple weeks ago (a crust I'd wrapped in saran wrap and thrown in the freezer because I had to leave town the next day and knew I wouldn't be using it any time soon), I made a pie.

Okay, I'm kidding. I mean, not about the frozen crust. I really did do that. But the real reason I made the pie was for the Julie and Julia party at My's that had to be cancelled the same weekend I'd originally made the pie. Which translates into: I finally made that stupid Bavarian Cream that's been haunting me ever so, since I very first saw the movie in the theater many moons ago. And let me just tell you this - that pie was good. (Or, at least, the filling was. The crust? Not so much. It tasted like my freezer smells - which is not a treat. But my friends are good folk and they still ate it. Bless them.)

But back to the pie. Holy Mother of All Things Delicious, this is a good recipe. If you like berry pie and/or cream pie, you've got to check this out.

2 cups fruit/berries

1/2 cup sugar

2 Tab lemon juice

1 packet unflavored gelatin in 3 Tab water

2 cups heavy cream, whipped

I used the frozen berry mix, light on the strawberries. (There were a few, but for the most part I used the more tart berries - because I love them so.) I let the berries thaw, then crushed them up with a potato masher (so some of the berries were still intact) and poured the sugar over them - and the lemon juice. Let that sit for 30 minutes. While it's sitting, I dissolved 1 Tab (or 1 packet) unflavored gelatin in 3 Tab hot water (I boiled it, because I love to use my teapot and don't have much occasion to do that, as I am not a tea drinker and keep forgetting to buy hot chocolate mix). I whipped my cream during that half hour as well. After the fruit and sugar has gotten all good and sweet and gooey (and delicious - you know I licked the spoon, and then replaced it, of course) - add the gelatin to the fruit*. As soon as it starts to set (kind of like really runny jello), fold the berries into the cream and pour it into a baked pie shell. Let it set up - and voila.... you have a fabulous, creamy and delicious fruit and milk concoction. (And I'm thinking if you put it in a graham cracker crust, it would be equally delightful.)

*I will tell you, here and now, to make sure your fruit is at room temperature before you go pouring the gelatin into it. If you use frozen berries and they are still even the least bit chilled, the gelatin will glomp into solid bits of goo before you can start to stir it in. (Yes, I know this from experience.) If you have that happen (and I did, so I know this'll fix it), just pour the whole mess into a saucepan and keep it on a medium/low heat (because you don't want to cook the berries), until it heats through and the gelatin goes back to a liquid form. Then let it set up (sorta) and mix it in with the berries and you're as good as gold.

And that sentence ("good as gold") just made me want to watch Swing Kids. (Does anyone else love-love-love Robert Sean Leonard in that movie? I know I do!) Too bad I need to pack for my little mini-trip to California and don't have time to watch it. Blast!

In fact, I don't even have time to be blogging (yeah, I need to pack that badly - I stayed at My's entirely waaayyyyy too late last night). So, I'll stop now. But if you love berries and if you love cream like I do (or even sort of half as much as I do, because really, who loves either of those things as much as I do?) - make this pie. You will love it. I promise.

The End.

My big plans for today...

I'm gonna use this.

(Thank you, Santa.)

To make this.

(Thank you, PW, for the beautiful recipes you put on your website.)

I was cruising through The Pioneer Woman Cooks yesterday, and when I saw she had used her beautiful blue cast iron casserole to make braised short ribs... Well, I thought to myself "It's a sign! I just got a new blue cast iron casserole! ... I wonder, if I make this, if I'll find myself a Marlboro Man carbon copy", and I thought it was worth a shot.

I'll let you know how it all turns out. (Both the recipe, and the MM finding.)

Now you, too, can make FABULOUS dinner rolls!

By popular demand (and a little because I want you all to think of me, should you ever choose to make these rolls and taste their buttery goodness), here is the recipe.

Sweet Dinner Rolls
1/2 cup warm water
1/2 cup warm milk
1/3 cup white sugar
1 pgk (or just less than 1 Tab) yeast
1 egg
1/3 cup softened butter
1 tsp salt
3 3/4 cups flour
1/4 cup softened butter (yes, more butter)

Mix the water and milk together and nuke them in the microwave for 75 seconds. When liquid is "warmed", place it in your Kitchen Aide and stir in the sugar until it dissolves. Then add the yeast and let it foam (takes about 10 minutes, give or take). Once the yeast is foamy, add the egg, the salt and the 1/3 butter. Begin adding flour in approx 1/2 cup intervals until it's all in there. I leave my mixer on level 1 for somewhere between 7-10 minutes to "knead". Cover the dough (I just leave it in the stand with a towel on top) and let it rise for 45-60 minutes. When dough has almost doubled in size, punch it down. Remove dough from bowl and split it into halves. Roll each half out (on either a floured surface or on a non-stick sprayed surface... I've done it both ways and it's always good) into two 12 inch circles. Split the 1/4 cup softened butter between the two circles and spread out on the dough. Slice each circle into 8 sections, and then roll (firmly, but not too tightly, from the big side in) into crescents. Place on an ungreased baking sheet, tip down. (Or they'll unroll. And believe me when I say that they're ugly little suckers when they've unrolled - I learned the hard way.)

Bake at 400 for 10-12 minutes. Yeild - 16 DELISH rolls.

Note: I've sprinkled garlic salt on top of the butter before rolling them up, and that was good. I've also sprinkled parmesan cheese over the butter, which was pretty great. Tonight I felt the need for a cinnamon roll, so I made cinnamon rolls with half the dough, which were FABULOUS. Pretty much, I think this is the best bread recipe of all time. I'm in love with it, truly.

Oh, and I've read reviews online that told me that you could make "traditional rolls" by just pinching off pieces instead of doing the crescent style. Of course, I'd sooner die than do that. (Because, hi - how do you get the butter inside a regular roll? ... That's the beauty of the crescent!) But you all can let your conscience be your guide and do whatever you want. I won't judge you, either way. (I'm sure I'll think my way is better... but I won't judge.)

P.S. And my oven bakes hot, so I actually set the temp at 375 instead of 400 and it's perfect. (See... look at me, NOT lying and/or leaving anything out. Are you people proud that you outed me on my recipe alterations and now I have to tell the whole truth, every time?)

Yeah, I've always been a baker...

When I was home for Thanksgiving, my mom and I were going through some old boxes (read: "boxes full of stuff that's 30 years old") and we found this little prize. Apparently, I was dictating recipes to Mom one day, and she decided to write them down. How hilarious is that? ... Apparently, I thought you used a lot of water in pie. Ha!