The Maker of Oatmeal Rolls

Easter weekend.

This weekend is bittersweet to me because I'm excited to celebrate Addison's second Easter, but it also means that my Spring Break is over. Boohoo.

(Bought my first little outfit for the little guy today...momentous occasion, worth sharing)

Addison, Easter 2010. It's amazing how much one year can change.

Tomorrow, in preparation for Easter, I will be making for the second time in two weeks, my creme chocolate cupcakes (yes, I promise I will post a recipe. I'm still perfecting it..my own concoction if you will) and oatmeal rolls which is my assignment for family Easter dinner.

A short sidenote about oatmeal rolls. The oatmeal rolls recipe is a recipe passed down to me from my mother. It is one of those recipes that is ridiculous easy to make but leaves you looking like a roll making goddess. The very first in-law family gathering that Aaron and I went to when we moved back to Vermont (3 years ago), I was assigned to bring rolls. No problem. I made, of course, oatmeal rolls.

The only problem is, they were so amazing and so delicious, I have rarely been asked to deviate from roll bringing for pretty much every family gatherings. Every time, "what should I bring?" is answered by "rolls, of course."

Now, I follow a lot of cooking blogs, and I love to experiment and try new things. And for THREE YEARS now, mostly all I have been trusted to make for family gatherings...is the rolls (and an occasional decorated cake or cupcake since it's a hobby...but that's beside the point)

So, my evil plan is to mess them up so badly this Easter, that the next gathering I might be asked to bring something else. I'm excited about the possibility of planning to make a mistake. How should I do it- too much salt? Forget the oatmeal? gasp. Then it would just be a roll roll. If I let them rise only once, then they'll be small and rather hard. hmmmm. If you have any suggestions for me, much appreciated. Anybody else always asked to bring the same thing to family gatherings?

(and yes, I know my mother-in-law reads this and that I will probably receive more than a few snarky comments...probably be uninvited for Sunday ("Just drop off Addison and leave" type of scenario)..but it felt good to get that out of my system. lol. Yes, I will gladly and sweetly bring the rolls on Sunday. (and yes, I realize this drops me from favorite daughter-in-law to only daughter-in-law. I get demoted frequently for bad behavior)

In conclusion, here's a sneak peek at part of Addison's ensemble for this Sunday:

Happy Easter weekend, everyone

-from the roll maker

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Oatmeal Roll Recipe

Ingredients:
2 cups boiling water
1 cup quick oats
2/3 c brown sugar
1 T white sugar
1 1/2 tsp salt
3 T margarine or butter
1/2 cup warm water
2 1/2 tsp yeast
5-6 cups flour

Directions:
Stir first 6 ingredients together. Let sit until cooled to warm. Dissolve yeast into warm water and then add to first mixture.
Mix, then knead-adding enough flour to make a soft dough.
Let rise, punch down. Let rest 10-15 minutes.
Make rolls and put onto greased pans. Let rise.
Bake at 375 for 12-15 minutes.
Brush with margarine or butter