The Blessing of Baking and Cooking

I was lucky enough growing up to have learned the trade of baking and cooking - from my Mom, my neighbors, etc. Although my hectic schedule does not always allow me the luxury to cook the way I want to, I do indulge myself on occasion because I just think it is good for the soul.

This week offered me two opportunities to use my skill sets:
(1) One of the guys that I work with has become the proud father of two Weimeraner puppies. He was picking them up today. Of course, he needed some candy-dipped and pink-sprinkled Milk Bones to welcome Minni and Bell.

(2) I was on the contributor list for the potluck breakfast for our Leadership Meeting. I decided my contribution of choice was going to be a homemade Cinnamon Roll. From scratch. You see - I think there is something very real about working the magic of a dough - a real dough. The kind where you dissolve the yeast and add the flour and hope it rises - and then hope it rises again - you know what I mean. I broke all cardinal rules about cooking for others - I tried a recipe for the first time and was planning to serve it. I knew I had a safety net, though - I could always stop at Shipley's on the way to work. One picture to the left is them before they went in the oven - the other is them after baking. They were so pretty - and they were very good!

And the best part is - these little activities fed puppies, our team of leaders, and Joanne's soul. Talk about a return on investment! Take that, Wall Street.