randomness!

First off, reader named Andy, send me an email at molly.joie@gmail.com. You won! Your help and recipes were wonderful, and I submitted a delicious pie to the state fair thanks to you! (And a special thanks to everyone who offered baking advice. You’re incredible!)

I’ll find out the results on Thursday… so hold tight. Clearly we’re all on the edge of our seats, or so I like to delude myself.

I’ve got a busy week with lesson planning, so this post is short… and it’s about two things: a song I love that reminds me of Washington and West Elm, a store with great housewares for when you’re ready to graduate beyond Ikea. Granted, there’s nothing wrong with Ikea, but sometimes the quality is questionable, and you’re ready for something a little nicer and less, you know, Ikea-ish.

Without further adieu, I leave you with a song by Sera Cahoone, housewares, and the promise that I’ll write tomorrow about pie. Again.

Have you heard of West Elm? Where do you like to get things for your home, apartment, hut, etc.?

lv, molly

cinnamon rolls for a lazy sunday.

Do you ever wake up and crave cinnamon rolls, but the last thing you want to do is knead and wait? Me too.

The folks over at Apartment Therapy’s The Kitchn have found a wonderful solution. For purposes of efficiency, they recommend using Trader Joe’s pizza dough. Initially I scoffed at the suggestion because I try to steer clear of anything Sandra Lee-esque. (Side note: did you know she’s dating New York politico Andrew Cuomo? Weird on many levels.)

Then I realized that pizza dough is essentially a blank template just waiting to be flavored with cinnamon and sweetened with frosting. A lightbulb went off: “This idea is GENIUS!”

I altered their version slightly so that the frosting uses ingredients you probably already have on hand. (Basically, I made the recipe even more suitable to having a lazy Sunday morning. Read: no trips to the store.)

And I recommend listening to the song below while whipping up these quick little rolls. I love Sera Cahoone and was excited to run into her yesterday at my co-op near the donut peaches. See? All the best people like donut peaches. Have a wonderful weekend! lv, molly

Rolls
1 package Trader Joe’s plain pizza dough
3 tablespoons butter, melted
1/3 cup granulated sugar
1 tablespoon ground cinnamon

Icing
2 tablespoons milk (or 1 tablespoon buttermilk + 1 tablespoon whipped cream cheese)
3/4 cup confectioners’ sugar, sifted

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Combine cinnamon and sugar. On a lightly-floured surface, roll pizza dough into a 9″ square. Brush with melted butter, and sprinkle with cinnamon sugar. Leave 1/2 inch border of plain dough around edges.
Roll dough to form a tight log, pinching to seal the seam shut. With the seam side down, cut evenly into six pieces. Place in buttered pan, and brush tops with any remaining butter.
Bake until golden brown, 20 to 25 minutes. Cool for a few minutes before icing.
For Icing: Pour milk into bowl. Sift in confectioners’ sugar; whisk until smooth glaze forms, about 30 seconds.
Drizzle glaze over buns with a spoon. Serve warm to your happy guests.

Photo via Design*Sponge.

friday favorites.

Seattle musician Sera Cahoone

Happy Friday! What are you up to this weekend? I’m going to a barbeque tonight and sleeping in tomorrow, something I rarely ever do. I think it’s going to be good.

Janna and I had an excellent friend getaway on Whidbey Island, and I’ll be posting some photos and recipes soon. Highlights from our little sojourn include:

* Avocado enchiladas, made from scratch. As delicious as they sound. Expect that recipe soon.

* Decorating J.’s wedding invitations with glitter. We looked like drag queens by the end of this crafts project.

* Bald eagle sighting! Such a majestic bird. And no, I’m not going all Bill O’Reilly on you, I promise.

* Exercise T.V.’s class “Booty Poppin’.” I’ll spare you the sordid details, but upon our discovery, we had to participate, didn’t we?

* Young Victoria. We inevitably cried when Prince Albert dies. (Such a good man! Let’s ignore the fact that films inevitably romanticize historical figures, okay?)

Wishing you a wonderful weekend! Here are a few of my favorite recent discoveries… lv, molly

This quinoa recipe. Apples, walnuts, scallions = yum. I made it again yesterday…

Thai-Basil Sangria. J. and I replaced the basil with mint, and that was delicious too. Possibly the most delicious sangria I’ve ever had, which may explain why I had a lot of it.

These shoes. They look comfy and perfect for summer.

Sera Cahoone. Local barista, signed to Sub Pop records, beautiful voice, fellow lover of the fiddle. This video reminds me of Washington. And here’s her performing on NPR’s Tiny Desk concert series.