Is It Strange To Finish A 4-Ounce Jar Of Yeast In 2 Months?

First:  HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO MY LOVELY MOM (who does not read this blog)!!!!!!! 

So one of my loose definitely-not-a-resolution 2011 goals is to try at least one new recipe every week.  If I do 2 on one week, it does indeed count toward the next.  Just FYI.

This week was the beef tagine with butternut squash from 1/11 Cooking Light.  Mine was a bit too liquidy, so maybe next time I'd drain the tomatoes a little bit or use less broth.  It's still tasty though, and I'm looking forward to enjoying it for lunch this week.  For those wondering (as I was), tagine is a Moroccan dish and a dish.  As in, a meal named after the pot it's typically cooked in.  Last week I made up a black bean/red pepper soup with Israeli couscous that made us super happy. I'm looking forward to some Greek chicken burgers and stuffed cabbage (Jewish St. Patty's day?) in the next few weeks.

Ah yes, the title of this post.  Well, you all know I've been out of control with the crispy no-knead bread.  I recently went so far as to make J's lunch rolls out of the dough.  And every couple months I feel the need to knead with some homemade challah.  But my latest teaspoons doled out of the stuff went into Eat, Run, Read's overnight cinnamon rolls (adapted from Alton Brown).  Mollie makes a lot of cakes, and although I'm not really againstcakes, they aren't my favorite and also lack the practicality I crave.  I prefer cookies and muffins that can be made in small batches or large, and that don't lose their appeal once half of them are eaten--aka I can arrange them on a plate with some fruit and say yes, I did just make these for you guys! I totally didn't take them out of my freezer, where they have been for several weeks!  So the individual nature of the cinn rolls, the use of yeast, and my recent indulgence at MAD made these a no-brainer.

I had no time (ahem, patience) for the 30 minutes in the cold oven with the boiling water part.  Spin class-->outlet shopping and just a quick hour and a half in between to shower and eat.  I let the rolls sit out for an hour on the counter then stuck them in the cold oven before programming it to 350.  I put a small loaf pan with water underneath to provide some steam, and figured they could rise a little more while the oven warmed up.  About 38 minutes later I took them out, let them cool, and then smear/drizzled the frosting.  Eventually I stuck three in the freezer to surprise us at a later date.  Damn are these things good.  We used pecans in the filling.  I talked about adding small chopped apple and J asked me (in a very serious tone) why I always want to put fruit in everything.  Um, because it's delicious.

And although they don't involve yeast, you should make some hammies for Purim sometime soon.  It's this weekend.  Remember my tips that resulted from last year's trial and error, and you'll be golden.  Also, consider adding some grated fresh ginger to your dough.  Because like fruit, I think ginger makes everything better.

[Eat the messed up ones ASAP to spare yourself the embarrassment should any guests see them.]