Wednesday, November 23, 2011

One holiday late

I realize that tomorrow is Thanksgiving and I'm just now posting about Halloween. Maybe you'll see some turkey pix on Christmas. Wouldn't that be fun?

You know the Halloween drill: ward party (we snatched Liz on her way home from a soccer game), school parade, trick-or-treating. This year, we decided to hit the grandparents' neighborhood (same one where Stephen grew up) with all the local aunts, uncles and cousins. The kids collected some serious loot and thoroughly wore themselves out. Millie wouldn't even take a break to sit in the stroller we brought along for her, insisting on walking up to every house by herself. She really does think she's a big kid.






Tuesday, November 22, 2011

Am I the only one

 . . .  who didn't know you can make cinnamon rolls without using yeast?  Quite the revelation, thanks to America's Test Kitchen Healthy Family Cookbook, one of last year's Christmas gifts that I spent some time exploring last winter (and then set aside for the summer/world's longest cooking hiatus).  So far every recipe I've made from this book has been well-received by everyone at the table, including Senorita Pickypants herself.  If that's not recommendation enough, I don't know what it is.



After having success with their dinner recipes, I thought it was time to check out their treats.  I saw this one and wondered about rolls sans yeast.  Could it really work?  Skepticism lingered as I perused the ingredients and noticed a little whole-wheat flour and whole lot of buttermilk (in place of some of the butter).  I have been disappointed by whole-wheat flour in past baking experiments, and while I love me some good buttermilk in Grandma Myrtle's Chocolate Sheet Cake, I questioned how that tangy flavor would taste in cinnamon rolls. 

Curiosity eventually won out and I found myself buying buttermilk at the store.  Not that having all the ingredients in the house means I'll actually make what I bought them for, however.  Does anyone else do this?  Wait to be RE-inspired to cook/bake something you previously felt so excited to make?  It's ridiculous how often this happens to me.  It's even more ridiculous how often those purchased ingredients go to waste because re-inspiration never strikes.



Bennett had a "Break the Bread" activity with all the other second-graders today, which meant bringing some kind of bread to share.  This seemed the perfect opportunity to put that buttermilk to use.  The result surprised me, I'll admit it.  Moist, not-too-wheaty, not-too-tangy, delicious cinnamon rolls.  Who'd have thought it? 

If you're interested in trying them for yourself, go here for the recipe.