Rolls

I love rolls! I really love homemade, warm, delicious rolls. Specifically, I love my mother's rolls. I could eat them all day and never get sick of them. Sadly, I cannot make good rolls. Sometimes they are fantastic, but most of the time they are too dense and nasty to eat more than one.

I realize the problem is the rising part of the process. Why do rolls not rise? Why, I ask?

So today I was going to try my hand at them again. No worries, just my family to test the results. It was a perfect plan until Brian invited people over.

AAHHH! Now my rolls would be judged, eaten out of kindness, and endured for the sake of common courtesy! I should be willing to try anyway, but the thought of bad rolls gracing my table, knowing that they are sitting there mocking me, a display of absolute failure for all to see is just too much for me to endure.

So, my Rhodes rolls are sitting in the pan now, hopefully rising to their heart's content. But if they don't, it won't necessarily be my fault. And that will have to do for today.

What's in a name...

His name is Coco Crisp. COCO CRISP! That is his name. I realize parents want their kids to be unique, but this is ridiculous. Apple is a fruit, and Coco Crisp is a cereal. Period.

Knotts Berry Farm

Two weeks ago we went to Knotts Berry Farm with Allison, Brian's sister. Her company was having a work party, so she invited us to come along. The whole thing was free, which always makes everything better. Brian's other sister and kids came as well. We started on this ride....

They loved it, and we watched. We went on a few more, including this oversized skateboard. I happened to be on this ride, and it was promising to be good fun...

However, it felt like someone was doing the heimlich manuever on me. I was glad when it was over.
Brian and Samantha got tired of the little kid rides pretty fast, so they left to find bigger, faster fun. We stayed behind and went on more rides.

Just before we left to come home, I went on one big roller coaster with Allison and Samantha---the Ghost Rider! I love wooden roller coasters, and was excited to go on this one. Samantha kept saying how high the ride went and I laughed it off. As the car climbed higher, I wondered, "How high can it really go? She's only 7, after all. It probably just SEEMS higher to her." And then we were at the top...

I couldn't tell if I was screaming or laughing, mostly because the wind was sucking all the sound out of my mouth. I held on to Samantha with one arm and to my dear life with the other. Most of the ride was spent in that space between fun and terror. As the ride came to an end, I was laughing. It was FUN! Not the wasn't-that-great kind of fun, but the can-you-believe-we-made-it-out-alive kind of fun.

Thanks, Allison. We had a blast.

HELP!!

Typically, I do not like ground beef in a lot of things. I love a good burger and a good taco, but that about covers it for me. Because of that, I do not like shepherds pie. Yuck. The name of it makes my gag reflex start.
But Trader Joe's has one---a delicious one, in fact. However, it is not ground beef---it uses some shredded delicious beef. Here lies the problem. I want it. I want to eat it this week, but the little tiny package will feed 2 people!
So...does anyone have a great recipe that does not use ground beef?

Dave Matthews Band

This past week we went to the Dave Matthews Band concert at the Hollywood Bowl. Of course, it was awesome! For those who are unfamiliar with this band, now is your time to repent. They are the greatest band ever. And unlike so many pop stars of today, they sound better LIVE. Now that is rare indeed.

A roomate of mine introduced me to the band in college, and I've been a serious fan ever since. They are really talented musicians, and the concerts are so fun. This time, John Mayer came out and jammed a little with them. It just doesn't get better than that.

Now this little clip can hardly do them justice, but listen anyway. My camera died after about 4 seconds anyway. Enjoy.

Do you ever...?

Do you ever sit on your couch and do nothing instead of doing the 534 things you need to get done?
Do you ever resolve to eat better ever night, and every morning eat something chocolate by 10 am?
Do you ever swear you are NOT going to be the family that is always late to church, but still walk in during the opening hymn?
Do you ever envy other people's nice cars while you have beaters?
Do you ever eat english muffins for dinner?
Do you ever waste time blogging, and start to think you might have an addiction?
Do you ever want a big house, a big yard, and a big salary?

I do.