My husband and I were sick last week, hence the lack of posts. It’s the first time we’ve been sick at the same time since the baby was born and boy was that a miserable experience. So we are still playing catch up but I wanted to get a blog in. I’m going to have to try to be short but I think this recipe needs a little background…

I know from the first part of this post’s title you may have been expecting some pumpkin pie or pumpkin flavored delight- don’t worry, those are coming. Those are not exclusive to Thanksgiving in my household, they are a staple all fall long. In the meantime, I’m moving back to some more savory staples…

The reason this prompted mouthwatering thoughts of Thanksgiving is that when i was scrolling through Pinterest for my next project, I found THIS recipe for parmesan rolls. I have only heard of parmesan rolls being made in the family of one of my dearest friends. His mom, who has also become a friend and a fabulous source of wisdom in my life, makes them for Thanksgiving which I celebrated with them one year and for other very special occasions. They are INSANELY delicious and I thought ok, if this recipe is 1/2 as good as Jill’s, I’m going to put in extra time working out this week because every calorie will be worth it.

I had more than enough cheese, though, since we buy that in bulk. I got to do a little math to get the correct amount!

These turned out to be a little different than I expected, but definitely worth the effort. It takes a little over an hour to make these, but much of that time involves waiting for dough to rise so you can plan to do other things (or dishes) during that time.

This recipe seemed to be a providential, because I had JUST enough flour, JUST enough unfrozen butter, and JUST enough parmesan to make it work! I love when that works out. This project also proved a pretty major moment in my baking projects as I’m now 1/3-1/2 way through my large block of yeast I bought. I’m bringing the half I froze out of the freezer now and storing it in the fridge. Just about on target considering we are a little less than 1/2 way through the year.

Something I would change for next time: the cheddar cheese in the middle was fun to pinch into the little dough pouch and felt a bit like hiding treasure, but I probably will not use that in the next recipe. The cheese reassumed its unmelted form after the rolls cooled and I wanted to taste parmesan more than cheddar. So I would either take it out or just make it a pat of cheese instead of a cube next time. Maybe I would fill the middle with butter instead for extra decadence.

Remember when I said I had just enough parmesan? Well I was using the little green canister parmesan like the kind you sprinkle over pizza. Next time I’m using fresh parmesan and shredding it for the buttery breadcrumb mixture that goes on top. I think that’s a key change!

I may need to try my hand at dinner rolls again and to try the tweaks I mentioned in this post. In the meantime, Jill’s parmesan rolls still reign supreme. And I’m guessing they will for years to come.

I am hoping to catch up on everything and be back to regular blog posting this week but you never know! In the meantime, I need to go learn some 12th night lines and send in program information for our next Pandanda show! Good thing I have carbs and coffee to keep me fueled!