Cinnamon Rolls

I live in a world of excess.  My children don't believe me.  They think that they need more. Of everything.  Or anything.  It doesn't matter.  Just more.  "There's nothing for lunch." "I don't have a phone." Or a DS, or my own YouTube channel.  I need a new pair of jeans, tennis shoes, a flash drive, a belt, shoes. I need, I need, I need...  And I think, "Really?  You need all this?"  And some of it they do.  Maybe.  I get tired of all this excess, this unwillingness to make do.  Most of the things my kids want, I could get for them.  But I don't and here's why.  I want my children to grow up appreciating the things they have.  I want them to recognize the privilege which with they live.  A privilege that requires they give back.  I want them to develop gratitude.  I want them to work for some of the things that they need and feel a sense of responsibility for what they're given.  I want them to be generous people.

I try and model this kind of behavior.  It comes as a sad realization when I recognize that I am not doing as well as I should.  I was recently given an opportunity to help stock an apartment for some missionaries for my church.  A list was emailed out about all the things they needed.  I was at the store and saw that a few of the things they required were in the clearance section at the store.  Easy, I thought as I paid my $5 for a water pitcher and a few drinking glasses.   I was slow to respond to the email, and learned later that someone else had already picked those items up.  So on another trip to the store, I bought some fancy measuring cups.  And then I decided that I would keep those new shiny measuring cups for myself and give the missionaries my old ones.  I don't know when it dawned on me that I was not being generous.  I had congratulated myself for my service, but I wasn't willing to give up anything to serve. 

In the end, I gave them the pitcher, glasses and new measuring cups.  I figured a few extra glasses are always welcome.  And then I had my son, Ramen, make cinnamon rolls to take around to a few families at church who had just had babies and one who was ill.  At least it made me feel better and hopefully it taught him a lesson about service.  He said that he felt great.  And that it was fun.  And that he wants to be a secret service person (not the federal agent kind) who leaves things on doorsteps and rings the bell and runs away.  Which reminded me of when my family growing up "turkeyed" families at Thanksgiving.  My Dad would get frozen turkeys and we would deliver them to families that were in need, leave them on the doorstep, ring the bell and then run.  It is a great memory made by some pretty great parents, who have always been models of  Christlike service to me.  

And in the end all we really want is more love, more kindness, and more compassion.  And maybe a really great cinnamon roll.

Vegetable Pot Pie made by Peaches

This has been the summer of children cooking and baking.  It's helped to keep them out of trouble.  Not that my children would ever get into any trouble, mind you, but being in charge of dinner or making dessert has given structure to a few days of endless boredom.  Plus I find that my kids are more willing to eat their dinner if they've had a hand in making it.  Especially if they've chosen the recipe.

I take seriously the weight of being a mother.  All the things I'm suppose to impart to my children.  All the things they need to learn to take care of themselves, be good people, to choose the right, to make a difference.  I don't think this weight is a bad thing.  It motivates me (usually), gives me some direction in what we do around here, but sometimes it can be overwhelming when I don't know how to explain my daughter's math homework or answer questions about how airplanes work.  But I do know how to cook and I do know how to bake and I read cookbooks like they are the greatest novels ever written.  So I am loaded with information that can be passed on to the next generation.  At least in this department.  And besides if my children can feed their families and feed their friends with food that satisfies the soul, they will be surrounded by love and that's what I want the most for them anyway.

Peaches picked out an Ina Garten recipe from Barefoot Contessa Parties.  This is the book. She decided to make Vegetable Pot Pie. The recipe is found here. She made a few changes to fit our family.  She did not use the Pernod as I don't think a 13 year old needs to be working with alcohol and we don't keep any in the house.
She also changed up some of the vegetables to be more appealing to her brothers.  No butternut squash this time.  No black pepper on the crust.  Nothing to make them question that first bite.  But I do heartily recommend the yellow onions and fennel at the beginning of the recipe. Cooked down they become creamy and dreamy and add a distinctive back note to the dish.

We managed to serve about 8 by using smaller bowls which were still overflowingly abundant.  Garten doesn't specify a bowl size but ours held about a cup and a half.  There was plenty of filling for all the bowls.  The bonus is that our bowls didn't take as long to bake which was great since everyone was starving. Or at least pretending like they were starving if food wasn't produced at the exact second they demanded it.  Or they were going to die.  You know how that goes.