Not In That Line

Perhaps surprisingly, this post title does not refer to a shopping line during the chaotic last minute shopping efforts many of us go through (myself included.) Instead, it's something we joke about in our family when it comes to talents and gifts that we came to earth with. Whenever we discover something we are not naturally good at, or did not inherit, we say, "See, I wasn't standing in that line in Heaven."

There are many things I have discovered I wasn't standing in line for before I came to earth. Some things I wish for more than others, some I feel I can live without, and others I am determined to learn that hard way - time and effort in the here and now.

One of those things is cooking. Baking really. My mom and mother-in-law are amazing with their homemade breads and rolls. There is nothing so wonderful as warm, fresh, homemade bread. To date, I have only semi successfully made homemade bread once - and I already posted about it. But to help with this desire, something I really really want to do to help my future family - Ryan and I purchased our Christmas gift early and put it to use.

A KitchenAid! We have both really wanted one for a long time, but those glorious machines are kind of expensive. Then, on whim one day about a month ago, I had a thought. I wonder if anyone would sell their KitchenAid on KSL... So I looked it up. To my surprise and delight, there were a handful of posts that were not very old (one being listed for only 20 minutes) and all being under $110. A new one costs $199 for a 4 quart. The latest and greatest are now 5 quart or stainless and they are $299. In fact, the original $199 one is getting harder and harder to find in stores. Most only carry the latest and greatest. We called the first few listings, but they either would not hold it for us long enough to drive to their location, or they had already sold it. I was definitely bummed, but at least hopeful knowing that we could get one for a decent price. Later that night I decided to text a seller that had had his KitchenAid posted for 4 days. It was a long shot considering the one listed for 20 minutes was snatched almost instantly. But amazingly, he hadn't sold it yet! This worried me at first wondering why no one had claimed it, but after we talked about it and the condition it was in, Ryan and I decided it sounded perfect. It is a few years old, but they have hardly used it at all. In fact, they decided they would rather have the money for Christmas presents for their kids than keep the machine. That's how often they used it. We took it home and immediately tried it out. It's in stellar condition and I couldn't be happier.

A few days later, we were assigned bread/rolls for Sunday dinner. Aiming to impress I decided we should whip up some homemade bread. "Whip up" meaning the whole 2-3 hour process, but I was excited. We decided on Spudnuts, a family favorite recipe (made with mashed potatoes.) We followed the recipe exactly, but it didn't rise nearly as much as we thought it should.


We pressed on anyway, determined that they would still turn out. We didn't roll them out and fold them the way my family does it, but instead just rolled them into little balls. We figured they should still taste the same. They came out of the oven looking like biscuits. Cracked, dry, and smelling strange. I took a bite and almost gagged. Ryan gave it a go with the same result. What on earth? We went over the recipe step by step, analyzing everything. Was it the yeast? The yeast was still good and we proofed it just as it said. We did use potato pearls instead of mashed potatoes, but my family often does that and it shouldn't have caused a problem. They did smell a little funny, but we opened that #10 can for that very purpose. The flour wasn't old. It was a total mystery. Depressed, we threw the whole batch out.

Ryan decided we should just bring a regular loaf of bread for dinner, but I was too embarrassed to do so, so I went back to the recipe book and found a recipe for cranberry orange bread in the quick bread section. No yeast. No potato pearls. Foul proof.

Or so I thought. The bread turned out just as bitter and gross as the Sputnuts had. I hoped it was all in my mind and we took the bread to dinner anyway (as well as a regular store bought loaf of bread just in case). I told my mother-in-law all about it, and she seemed just as perplexed as I did. But when she tried the bread, she decided it was the flour. It was the only common link. Though rare, flour can go bad without warning. I threw out the rest of the bread. What a sad way to waste 9 cups of flour/other ingredients and an entire afternoon.

Baking. I was certainly not in that line. But I am determined to learn. And now that I have my handy dandy early Christmas present, I tend to put it to good use... Even if it is more often than not for something sinfully delicious instead of nutritious...

Reese's Peanut Butter Cup Pie. This is the pie I made for Thanksgiving dinner. It was totally divine. I made one similar to it a few years ago and thought I got the recipe from Kraft, but when I looked it up on their website, this is the one that pulled up. It is not the same one, but similar, and easier. :) The end product doesn't necessarily look divine and it required many repeated answers to "What is this?" Maybe next time I would put a layer of chocolate or whip cream on it. Less likely to be questioned for edibility. But believe me - it is worth it.

8 oz cream cheese
1/2 cup sugar
2/3 cup peanut butter
3/4 bag mini Reese's Peanut Butter Cups
2 cups Cool Whip
1 graham cracker crust

Beat cream cheese, sugar and peanut butter. While mixture is mixing, put mini Reese's Peanut Butter Cups in food processor or chop up into bits and pieces. Fold the Cool Whip and Reese's Peanut Butter Cups bits and pieces into cream cheese mixture. Pour into crust. Freeze.

Delicious.

I have a feeling that my KitchenAid will get plenty of use in the dessert section, but I look forward to lots of baking as well. I just purchased new flour and hope to make bread again soon. And, there are so many awesome attachments for the KitchenAid, that it really makes me want to do more home cooking in general. We just have to save up to get a few of them.