rolls |

So much to be thankful for. This week we were fortunate enough to host Toddler Thanksgiving at our house. This is the second annual Toddler Thanksgiving and seeing as Row has only been alive for 3 years I say we are doing pretty darn well as far as tradition and consistency goes Gobble Gobble.

I usually host our play groups Halloween party but this year between travel and birthday I just couldn’t handle it so I opted to take on Thanksgiving. Yay for Melissa for stepping up so our littles didn’t miss Halloween.

Our group has been together since our kiddos were born-9months up and I love having a group of women who show up, put up, stand up, and straighten up your kids. It is truly a blessing that has come to us at a time where many women feel isolated.

Our girls made it here through a tornado warning and heavy rain bringing their green bean casseroles and pumpkin treats. Hosting is always easy when we pot luck it!

The kiddos made hats-ok the moms made hats and we traced their hands but hey that’s a far stretch from last years events where they were rolling around on the floor and chasing each other.

They played and ate and had a merry good time. Oh and those Mamas cleaned up our trashed house. Bloomies you are truly a blessing.

Happy Happy Thanksgiving! I wish I had taken more pictures but I was eating! I contributed these amazing rolls!

Oh back to school…back to school…as Meg Ryan put it I would gladly send you a bouquet of newly sharpened pencils or was it Tom Hanks….oh You’ve Got Mail I love you. What I especially love is I’m not going back to school because as a Kindergarten teacher that’s what I did every year. Oh and yes we call it going to school not going to work. I love it even more now. Those kids go and we stay. I celebrated by going to the mall….close parking spot, no line. I went to two stores, got popcorn and did a return and was back in the car with Row in less than an hour-oh yes.

Okay so with Fall-I say this lightly because we are roasting in Texas, with Fall I dream of home cooked meals and rolls.Look I have a thing for rolls. I can’t let one go to waist.

I love baking….and my friend Jennifer does too so we have a deal. We bake and then I split and send it to her house. Sadly these did not make it to Jennifer’s house.

Pudding Rolls

Ingredients:

1 pack of instant vanilla pudding

1 1/2 cups milk

1 stick of butter softened

4 teaspoons or 2 packs of yeast

1/2 cup warm water

1 teaspoon salt

5 1/2 cups of all purpose flour

This will take about and hour and 20 minutes of prep-but it’s really not bad and 18 minutes of cooking. In a small bowl dissolve the yeast in the warm water-mix just a bit. Let sit for 5 minutes. Make sure the yeast is bubbly after so you know it’s active…if not dump and start with 2 new packs.

In a large-and I mean large-think of the flour-mixing bowl combine the pudding and milk. Next add the softened butter-not melted only softened. Now the yeast and water mixture gets added. Oh and the salt and now the flour mixing all gradually as you add. It will be a bit sticky. Mix and then need for a couple of minutes until everything is mixed.

Cover the dough in the bowl and set in a warm place-the counter will do- for 25-30 minutes. It should double in size. If not give it another 10 minutes. Punch it down and let it rise for another 25 minutes.

Split the dough into roughly 15 pieces-roll and place in a greased 9×12 pan. Cover and let rise for 20 minutes.

Bake at 350 for 18-20 minutes until done.

Oh my lord these were so amazingly good. Fluffy but dense, not too dense just amazing. Honestly these are now my most favorite homemade rolls of all time.

You know what else is great about these-using up that instant pudding you get while couponing! Score!

Happy back to school.