what's cookin'

every now and then i get a burst of energy that often leads me into the kitchen. cooking is so not my forte but i'm learning to like it. last month i signed up to bring homemade dinner rolls to the book club luncheon. yep, i sure did. didn't matter that i had never made rolls before. i was bound and determined to make the rolls. so, the day before the luncheon i start researching recipes. the morning of, i start making the dough. i swear i followed the recipe exactly and i knew there was a problem when my dough didn't rise but i continued on. yeah, not a good idea. i ended up with dense rolls that really needed to be followed by a laxative. see for yourself:

yes, i understand yeast can be tricky but i have successfully made pizza dough many times so i think churning out dinner rolls shouldn't be much of a problem. so, i continued on with my research and i finally decided to ditch the dinner rolls in exchange for cinnamon rolls. i found a recipe in my pioneer woman cookbook and decided to go for it. while i like the pioneer woman, i don't swear by her. half of her recipes i have made turned out delicious and half of them turned out so-so. i was on the fence but i do like that she photographs each step of the cooking process so that won me over. i'm glad it did. her cinnamon rolls are DIVINE! see for yourself:

the recipe makes like 50 rolls so i had to use several pans. when i saw it all laid out on the stove and i saw how beautiful the rolls turned out, i knew i had to start giving pans away. this project turned into a fun surprise and delight for neighbors and friends. it was a rainy, chilly morning so delivering fresh-from-the-oven rolls was just the perfect thing to do. pw claims five things will happen after you deliver rolls to your friends:
1. They’ll call you after they’ve taken the first bite and profess their eternal love for every ounce of your body, even your toe jam and love handles.
2. They’ll pass out after the first bite, hit their head on the kitchen counter, sustain a concussion, and sue you for damages, despite the fact that the one bite they tasted of your cinnamon roll was the single most profound culinary experience in their miserable little life.
3. They’ll call you and ask for the recipe, saying, "HOW did you make those?"
4. They’ll call you and propose marriage.
5. They’ll hug the cinnamon roll pan, get maple frosting all over their clothes, and send you the bill for the dry cleaning.
it's true, all true. well, i didn't receive a marriage proposal and i have yet to receive a dry cleaning bill, but my friends sent me a text proclaiming their love before i even pulled away from their house. one of my neighbors came over later in the afternoon and said her husband had a cinnamon roll when he was seven (seven!) years old and he never forgot how it tasted. she said he was reminded of that roll today. then she said i had (had!) to give her the recipe. if you're looking for a love partner or are thinking about popping the question but are afraid of being turned down, you should make these rolls. seriously. make them for your boss or human resources the next time you go in to ask for a raise. seriously. they are that good. now, the recipe called for a maple icing, which i made, but maple isn't my thing. i forgot all about it not being my thing once i had it in my mouth. she has an orange icing and a vanilla cream cheese icing, as well. i might try another one next time. actually, she has a a chocolate chip variety that sounds lip-smacking delicious. if i make these again, i know i will have to continue on with the tradition of surprising and delighting my friends because we can't have this stuff around here too often. 
* as a side note, the basic dough recipe can also be used for dinner rolls. good to know, good to know. i no longer fear conquering the dinner rolls for i have conquered the cinnamon rolls! 


so what else have i made that's worth sharing? brussels sprouts! we love brussels sprouts at my house and i recently saw a picture of brussels sprouts topped with bacon that had my mouth watering for weeks. i immediately added it to my christmas dinner menu. i don't remember where i found the recipe and it wasn't terrific but they were still good. next time, i'll call my friend back in time to get the recipe from the photo.

tonight, i made some yummy french dip sandwiches for dinner. i love a good french dip and this hit the spot. i especially liked that it was a crock pot meal which made it so easy and stress-free. i kind of hemmed and hawed over using canned broth and onion soup mix but i tried it anyway. the meat was quite flavorful and the au jus wasn't bad, either. i'm keeping this recipe for future use.

now, what this ultimately brings me to is a post i meant to write weeks ago about meal planning. i stink at meal planning but my friend over here is really good at it. in fact, she has inspired me to be more organized and to plan ahead so i'm not scrambling to make dinner at the last minute. i tried the system out for a couple of weeks and i have to tell you that shopping was a breeze and i whipped out the best dinners for my family. i didn't waste food and i didn't waste time. we even lost a few pounds around here because my meals were healthy. my goal for the new year is to continue on the path of meal planning. my husband, the professional cook,  has been quite impressed. he wonders aloud at night where i keep coming up with the meals i make. the power of the internet, baby. happy cooking.