Painter's Delight

Memorial Weekend is upon us and while many people are off to travel, I am off to paint instead.  The last time we all painted together, there were yummy bakery donuts and fast food deli meat and store bought salads, and it just plain made me feel bad!  I could have done SOMETHING so that they didn't have to feed everyone so expensively.  So this time, I am righting the wrong.  Maybe I'm the only one that will care, but at least I'll feel better!  It's what my mom would do and that to me is as good as gospel!

First I started with cinnamon rolls. This recipe comes from my sister, who like me learned to cook from our mother.  You CANNOT have a better teacher when it comes to cooking.  It seems, however, that we each learned different things from our mother or at least we adapted what we are good at and made it better.  My sister is artistic and learned decorating cakes and cookies and the art of presentation and precision.  You cannot cook with my mom and sister without measuring everything, and I mean, everything, very carefully.  Sometimes you even have to get out THE KNIFE.  Many of you, I'm sure, know the "proper" way to measure something is to level it off with THE KNIFE.  Seriously, they don't like to cook with me.  Not only do I not use a knife, but much of the time I don't use measuring utensils.  A little extra of something never hurt anyone, I think.  Anyway, we all are careful when cooking together-I try to wait until their backs are turned and I don't measure-they wait until my back is turned to use THE KNIFE for precision.  It all works out quite well, actually!

Anyway, back to my sister's recipe for the best cinnamon roll goop ever.  And, yes, I just called it goop...do you have a better word?

Patty's Cinnamon Roll Goop

2 sticks butter

2 cups brown sugar

2 TBSP milk

2 TSP flour

Melt the butter and then mix it all together and split between two 9 x 13 pans.

This recipe is already doubled and if you promise not to tell on me, I'll let you in on a little secret.  Sometimes I triple it even-those rolls are so gooey and yummy and I'm sure do wonders for any diet that you might be on at the time.

Next I have a roast in the crock pot.  When it's cooked, I will shred it and add a package of dry Italian seasoning to it and put it back in the crock pot.  If I were truly listening to my mother, I would also tell you that I made homemade hamburger buns to put the meat on, but alas, I did not.  I am a firm believer that too much of one thing can be bad for you and five years ago, I made all of the hamburger buns for my sister-in-law's wedding reception.  Trust me, that was too much of a good thing.  I don't think I've made them since!

Probably somewhere in here, I'll figure out some sort of salad to add to this, but I just haven't decided what yet.  You can't take a meal like this without a salad, you know.  Thanks, mom, for always subconsciously reminding me of what's appropriate!

Have a great Memorial Weekend everyone-be safe and happy travels.  As for me, I'll paint happily!