Food Follies

One of the fun things about being snowed in is that the whole experience feels like one big opportunity to eat baked goods. It's as if we need to run the oven and pack carbs to stay warm. The last few days there has been a rather excessive parade from my kitchen; cinnamon rolls, muffins, brownies, peanut butter cookies, and homemade bread.

It's as if every hour on the hour there is a small crowd milling around in the kitchen in search of snack foods. Goodness knows the melting of the snow will bring with it a strong need to lace up some walking shoes!

But it's fun to have kids in the kitchen to help prepare food when it feels like entertainment instead of a necessary chore. And when the kids are picking what to prepare, we're in no danger of overdosing on health foods.

I mentioned how excited I was to rediscover my bread machine. I found a yummy recipe for a buttermilk farm bread that we are addicted to. One batch I made started smelling a little odd...very hot. Then Max noticed wisps of smoke curling up from the vent in the top of the machine. Then the smell progressed from very odd to very bad. When I peeked in the window, I noticed the dough had risen all the way to the very top of the machine and was trying to push the lid open.

I've made this recipe several times and never had that happen before. It was like an ever expanding dough ball that threatened to engulf my entire bread machine and start conquering the whole kitchen.

That loaf turned out to have a huge muffin top! I double checked my recipe and knew I used all the right ingredients.

But when I washed my measuring cups, I noticed I had used my 1/3 cup instead of my 1/4 cup. Guess those measurements are meant to be followed rather precisely. :-) It might be time to invest in some bread making reading glasses.

Or maybe it's just time for the snow to melt and for us to drop our loaf-a-day habit!

But let's not rush too hastily into anything here. Tomorrow is the big game day, after all, and for those of us with no working knowledge of football (nor a remote interest in attaining one), it is also fondly referred to as Appetizer Day. I'll let the boys watch the tackles, flags, and first downs, while I settle for watching my dippies cozy on up to my chippies.

I'm making...

Buffalo Chicken Dip

Corn and Jalapeno Dip

Seven Layer Dip

Little Smokies

Sausage Rolls

and a great big Caesar Salad, to help assuage the guilt.

How 'bout you? What's the game day spread at your place???