Commitment

Slowly, the sun seems more committed to spring. She is a wonderful example, a reminder that our lives have seasons, too. I have decided to become more committed myself as life slowly moves into a new phase. At 48, I am redirecting as my whole family prepares to transition. My daughters are becoming more independent as they come into their own individually. They are truly lovely and finding their own paths. My husband is moving beyond tenure as a professor and seeking to focus his work more on his passions.

And, I am building a five year plan of my own. I hope to reach further, to stretch myself out into a dual career of sorts. I hope to move from being solely the homefront coordinator (a.k.a. mother and wife to a very full family life) to also adopting a lifelong pursuit that nurtures my creative side and uses all my skills and abilities honed over the years as a professional educator. I am working with a life coach to set a plan in place and uncover the essence of my plan. All of this is quite exciting and scary at the same time. I will let you know where I find a firm grasp on this journey.

I am also more committed to follow food where it takes me. As I have been struggling with baking bread, I realized that I have a knack for yeasted rolls. Rather than continue to push myself down a road of frustration and marginal results, I have decided to go down a more positive avenue that excites me and produces food my family and I enjoy. I hope to share a variety of yeasted roll recipes over the next few weeks that suit my skill set (and yours!), embody my values around food, and produce delicious results. Let's get started.

Pull Apart Rolls

1 tablespoon active dry yeast

1½ cups whole milk warmed to 110˚F

2 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened

2 tablespoons granulated sugar

1 teaspoon sea salt

2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour

1½ cups whole wheat pastry flour

1. In the large mixing bowl of a standing mixer, dissolve yeast in milk. Allow to proof for 5 to 10 minutes.
2. Stir in butter, sugar, and salt. Add all-purpose flour and 1 cup of wheat flour.
3. Begin to knead with the dough hook of the standing mixer, gradually working in remaining wheat flour (a bit more or less) until dough is springy but not sticky. You should see the dough just cohesively pull away from the side of the bowl. If you add more flour after this point, the dinner rolls will be tough. Knead for a total of about 10 minutes on the medium low setting of the standing mixer.
4. Place in a large, greased bowl. Cover and let rise in a warm, draft-free location until double in size, about 40 minutes.
5. Punch down and let rise an additional 30 minutes as directed above.
6. Punch down a second time and shape into 16 small balls, using a cupped hand to roll each ball against the counter or the palm of your second hand. Place side-by-side into a lightly buttered 8-inch square baking pan.
7. Cover and let rise a third time as directed above for a final 40 minutes. Rolls will rise, pressing against one another to fill pan.
8. Bake at 400˚F for about 20 minutes until lightly browned. Butter tops, if desired, and remove from pan. Pull apart rolls and serve immediately while still hot or cool completely prior to eating.

Yield: 16 rolls

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Lastly, I have to share this ingenious poem that should reignite our love for the English language and all its idiomatic expressions.

Sweater Weather: A Love Song to Language 
Sharon Bryan

Never better, mad as a hatter,
right as rain, might and main,
hanky-panky, hot toddy,

hoity-toity, cold shoulder,
bowled over, rolling in clover,
low blow, no soap, hope

against hope, pay the piper,
liar liar pants on fire,
high and dry, shoo-fly pie,

fiddle-faddle, fit as a fiddle,
sultan of swat, muskrat
ramble, fat and sassy,

fllimflam, happy as a clam,
cat’s pajamas, bee’s knees,
peas in a pod, pleased as punch,

pretty as a picture, nothing much,
lift the latch, double dutch,
helter-skelter, hurdy-gurdy,

early bird, feathered friend,
dumb cluck, buck up,
shilly-shally, willy-nilly,

roly-poly, holy moly,
loose lips sink ships,
spitting image, nip in the air,

hale and hearty, part and parcel,
upsy-daisy, lazy days,
maybe baby, up to snuff,

flibbertigibbet, honky-tonk,
spic and span, handyman
cool as a cucumber, blue moon,

high as a kite, night and noon,
love me or leave me, seventh heaven,
up and about, over and out.