Happy New Year!

Happy New Year to you and best wishes for a great 2010!

(To be honest, I've had more enthusiastic New Years kisses.)

Bread of the Month: Grandma Roper Rolls

Okay, so November was a rather disappointing month as far as bread making goes.

But this month makes up for it, my friends.

Seriously.

I present to you... GRANDMA ROPER ROLLS!

As the name implies, these are the hot rolls my grandma is famous in my family for making.  I got Lance to marry me with these rolls.  True story; remind me to tell you about it some time.

Anywho, here's the recipe; as far as I know, it's no family secret.  But I have to say that, just like my spudnuts, it's not all in the recipe.  It's the technique as well.  It takes a lot of practice to make these rolls (and my spudnuts) so dang good.

And no, you still can't have my spudnut recipe.

Let's begin.

Just in case you're wondering, I decided to only make half a batch.  Because even extreme goodness like this has it's limits.  Especially on waistlines.

Instead of scalding my milk and butter on the stove, I just melt the butter in the microwave.

Then I add the milk.  If it's still a little cool, I put it back in the microwave for another 10 seconds or so.

How do I tell if it's the right temperature?

Oh, don't freak out.  My hands are clean.  You don't want it scalding hot; just almost too hot.  I dunno, I just know the right temperature by touch.  Thermometers are for sissies in this case.

Then you add in the sugar...

...and the yeast.

Yeast loves sugar.  In 5-10 minutes it'll look all full and bloated and happy.

Then you add the beaten eggs and salt.  Half of three is one and a half, and it's hard to find half an egg.  So I beat two eggs and then just guesstimated how much half an egg would be and left it out.

Why yes, that is a Cherry Coke Zero in the corner.  It's my new luv.  Hey, a girl has to have some faults.  This month mine comes in a can.

So then you add the liquid to the flour you've already put in the mixer.  And mix, baby, mix!

I got to use this awesome new attachment for the first time.

I got it for Christmas.  See those little rubber blades on the side?  That means you no longer have to stop the mixer and scrape the sides anymore.  Awesomeness.

Except my mixer was a little off balance.  So I had to get out the ol' mixer manual because I couldn't remember which way to turn the little screw-thingy.  Dang.

And here's my little baking helper.  Just in case you were wondering where he was.  Because I know you were.

Once you've correctly calibrated the mixer, mix up the dough well, but don't go crazy.  It's supposed to be sticky.

I used my scraper blade to make it into a little ball.

Then you cover it and stick it in a warm place to raise for an hour.  Now, what to do for that hour, what to do...

You could give your baby a clean kitchen brush to chew on. *nom*nom*nom*

Or finish off your beloved Cherry Coke Zero.  Mmmmm...

And then contemplate the possibility of the Cherry Coke Zero people sending you a free case or two because you sang the praises of their product on your blog.  (Hey, a girl can dream, right?)

Then you can start contemplating your garden for next summer because you just got the new Burpee catalog.  Oh, heavenly home grown tomatoes...

Do you think I could actually grow my own starts with this kit?  Something to contemplate.

Wait - back on task.  And that's waiting for the dough to rise.  And let's be honest: the above took all of three minutes.  And after that you had to break up a fight between kiddos.  And deal with potty training issues.  And answer the phone.  And break up another fight and declare that the Wii is now off limits for the rest of the day, you pesky children you!

And then you have to face the facts and get down to cleaning up the kitchen.  And this is how it looks after a good 20 minutes. Yikes.

Because your baker-in-crime keeps demanding to hold this cup...

but also keeps dropping it every 3.9 seconds.  And then freaking out until it's back in his little chubby hands.

And then other kids keep needing attention for one thing or another, and all of a sudden that long, long hour you had to fill is gone.  And your dough has beautifully risen!

My grandma always made her rolls parker house style.  But I have decided that my signature style with this recipe is crescent.  So first you roll out the dough; not too thick, not too thin.  (How's that for specific?  Sorry, I just know when it's the right thickness.)

Then you use your very favorite kitchen tool and cut the circle into 16ths.

And then you realize you forgot a very crucial step.  See, while you were rolling out the dough you had a jelly roll pan with 3-4 tablespoons of butter on it in a 375 degree oven.

**VERY IMPORTANT NOTE**

You MUST use real butter in this recipe.  Oh, margarine is cheaper and the rolls will turn out alright, but the taste.  The taste!  So, sooooo good with real butter.  Trust me on this.

**END VERY IMPORTANT NOTE**

Anywho, your butter has melted and you should take a pastry brush and brush the dough lightly with butter before you cut it.  But I didn't so I had to do it after - no biggie.

Then you roll them up and place them on the butter-puddled pan.  Put them in a warm place to rise for 15-20 minutes.

Once they have risen, bake them at 375 for 10-12 minutes.  You want them just barely golden on top, like this.

Oh mercy.

**SECOND VERY IMPORTANT NOTE**

Eat a roll right off of the hot pan when it comes out of the oven.  Oh, it'll be hot, but ohhh sooo worth it.  Trust me on this.  If you die a few minutes later, it won't matter because your life will have been fulfilled.

**END SECOND VERY IMPORTANT NOTE**

Oh man.  NOM NOM NOM.

Munch munch munch.

Oh, heavenly rolls, how I love your crispy, buttery bottoms.

That's a little piece of heaven right there.

Now, go forth.  Use this recipe only for good.  Your waistline won't appreciate it, but your family most certainly will!

November Bread of the Month: Meh.

Okay, yeah, I know.  It's waaaaaaaay past November.  But in all honesty, I did make this bread in November; I just never got around to posting it.

Why?

It was... meh.  After October's dissapointing results, I thought I'd give my beloved pumpkin one more try in the yeast bread world with Pumpkin Cinnamon Rolls with Caramel Frosting.  I found the recipe on Taste of Home, which rarely lets me down, so I figured these would be good. I mean, c'mon, caramel frosting.  Yummers.

But they weren't.  They were meh.  Kinda dry and didn't even taste pumpkin-ey.  In fact, the caramel frosting was the best part, which doesn't seem right.  I dunno. 

I was very sad.  Which also doesn't seem right, considering it was just some cinnamon rolls.

So here's the three second pictorial version of how to make these rolls:

And here are a few shots of the bakers of these rolls, who are both, I think, much more deliscious than the rolls.

With or without caramel frosting.

Severe Cuteness

Cole turned seven months old yesterday.  At seven months Cole likes to:

model most excellent winter hats...

have look-alike contests in most excellent winter hats with his big brother, Josh...

sit up by himself...

play with and try to eat his feet...

refuse to play with and eat his feet while mom has the camera out...

look like a drunken Canadian, eh...

and just be generally, genuinely, and severely cute.  (Those cheeks!  I must eat them up!)

15 Minutes to Get Dressed - 5 Minutes of Actual Playing

Spencer actually played outside for 20 minutes. 

But Josh? 43.8 seconds.

Utah Trip (*Read this one, Stacey, even though it has pictures!*)

I know it's been a week since I got home, but I've been a bit busy with a little thing called Christmas.  Oh, and Josh deciding he's never going to poop in the potty.  Ever.

But I digress.

I learned two things during my most recent trip: 1) Cole doesn't sleep on airplanes.  No matter what time it is.  And 2) There's no better babysitters than a set of grandparents.

My flight out left at 6:30am.  Which meant I had to leave home just after 4am.  I was up at 3am.  Josh woke up just as we passed through flight security, bright and refreshed.  While the flights weren't miserable, they would have been so much better had he slept!  (Okay, so he slept for about 20 minutes.  I don't think that really counts.)

But we finally got into SLC, tired, but happy to be there.  Once we got to Dad and Susie's house I checked in on my little brother, Kevin, who had gotten home from the hospital the day before.  See, Kevin apparently has the bones of an 89 year old woman; he had slipped on the ice the Sunday before and fractured his femur.  Okay, his health's not that bad.  I guess he fell on the curb at just the right angle for the fracture, poor guy.  One surgery and a couple of titanium screws later and he was fit as a fiddle. 

And by fit as a fiddle I mean crippled, drug addled, and pretty much helpless.  The perfect target for a six month old baby.

What, you didn't know?  Neither did Kevin.  Moms know that babies sense weakness and totally use it to their advantage.  Whenever Cole was with Kevin he'd poke and grab any sore spot on his body, like the incision in his leg or the sores in his mouth.  See that picture above?  Kevin's only smiling because Cole threatened him if he didn't.  Nice one, Cole.

That evening my grandma Roper came over to visit and meet her most recent great-grandchild.  Cole took to her right away and was cute and cuddly as a good bubby should be.

I know the second picture isn't that great.  I just think it's funny that Cole has the exact same face in it as the first one.  (Sort of a 'deer in headlights' look.)

That day we discovered that Cole really liked being underneath their tree.  He doesn't like my tree at home, but he loved theirs!  (But maybe that's a good thing...)  Whatever.  He sure was cute under there!

On Friday afternoon I went to have lunch with my old roommates Heather and Stacey.  Oh, and Stacey's fiance (husband-the-next-day) Bob.  But I'll admit I was mostly there to see the ladies.  (Sorry, Bob.)  It was great to be able to catch up and chat.

That evening the family crammed into Dad's car (even injured Kevin) and drove out to Tooele to visit my Grandpa John and Grandma Nancy. (My mom's dad and stepmom.)  We were able to visit for a bit and get a few pictures of Grandpa with his third great-grandchild.

Doesn't Susie look like she's sneaking behind us, ready to jump out and yell "Surprise!"? :)

Saturday was the wedding.  Stacey was sealed in the Oquirrh Mountain temple, and I have to say it was probably the best sealing I've ever been to.  I learned a lot and it was just such a happy occasion!  Here's the happy couple a bit after. 

They were happy because they had been inside the warm temple, not standing out in the freezing cold waiting for them for 20 minutes.  Which brings me to a very important question: Stacey, why in the world did you choose to get married in the middle of December?  What's wrong with October or May? I'm just sayin'... :)

And where they heck is your coat, young lady?  Oh well, I guess Stace was just too in luuuuv to need a coat.  Heather and I, on the other hand, would have needed coats whether or not our husbands were there.  It. Was. Cold.

That evening was Stacey's reception.  (Oh, and Bob's too, I guess.  Hi Bob!)  I got to visit with Heather and her cute little family for a while, when we were greeted with a wonderful surprise: another old roommate and friend, Mindi!  She and her family had been driving from Colorado to Washington, and had decided to 'crash' the reception since it was kinda on the way.  It was soooo fun to catch up and meet all of her four kiddos.  Mindi has a darling baby girl, Ruby, who is only a month or so older than Cole.  I got to hold and coo over her darling girlness for a while, and by the end of the evening Cole and Ruby's marriage had been arranged. :)  (Now to just get them to agree to it, right?)  It was a fun evening; too fun to remember to take pictures, in fact.  Just before leaving I remembered to snap just one.  (Hence me in the coat.  Classy.)

Now where was Cole during all this fun?  Livin' it up with Grandpa ElRay and Grandma Susie, of course.  He got showered with love and affection and more attention than he probably gets in an entire week.  (Poor picked on third child.)  Seriously, that kid has whined non-stop since we got home because he thinks he needs to be entertained All. The. Time.  Way to spoil, Grandpa and Grandma.  Here are a couple of highlights from Cole's day:

Getting drunk.

Okay, maybe that's just cream soda in a fancy bottle.  And he only got the last few drops.  But boy, was he in heaven!

He also got to go swimming:

Okay, bathtime.  But bathtime in Grandpa and Grandma's big pink tub is just as good as swimming!  (Just ask Spencer and Josh.)

Sunday was nice because I didn't have to worry about Primary at all.  And while I love my calling, it's nice to have a break from it every once in a while. :)

That evening we had a pre-Christmas meal, since all of my dad's kids were home.  (I forgot to mention that after Grandpa John's house we picked by other brother, Kyle, up from the airport.)  It was fun and yummy.  But the best part was that Dad and Susie gave me an early Christmas gift: Catherine Parr!  Now my collection is complete!  Awesome.

The next day we took a few pictures before Cole and I headed off to the airport.  Here are some of the best:

The three Roper children (Kyle, Maren, Kevin-the-injured)

Cole and I with my Dad.

Cole and his Uncle Kyle.  Probably the best picture of the trip!

Cole and his Grandma Susie.

Cole and his Uncle Kevin. (Cole: "Smile.  Or else."  Kevin: "Okay, okay!  Just don't hurt me again!")

Our flight was scheduled to leave at 5:00pm.  Thirty minutes and one de-iced plane later, and we finally took off.  I thought that since the flight was late Cole would sleep more.  Wrong.  And i also thought that we'd for sure miss our connecting flight in Denver since we only had a 32 minute layover.  Wrong again.  Because the flight in Denver was delayed for over and hour as we waited for 17 passengers to arrive from San Francisco.  (Apparently Frontier decided us waiting on the plane for an extra hour was cheaper than paying for new flights for those late people.)

I will say this: Cole was not bad.  He never screamed or cried uncontrollably.  But he also never slept. Ever.  He wriggled and whined and laughed and played.  But no sleep.  We landed in Indy at 12:30am.  He was wide awake as we waited for our suitcase.  Once I got it, I bundled him up, put on his hat, and covered the car seat with a blanket.  He was asleep by the time I got outside, 30 seconds later.  (Literally.)

I got home at 3am that morning.  I was really glad to be home, but also really glad I had gone.  Big thanks to Dad and Susie for letting me stay with them and for watching Cole so much.  And even bigger thanks to Lance, who took time off from work and stayed home with Spencer and Josh and had super 'fun' adventures of their own. (But that's a story for another time...)