Pumpkin Pie

When I was a kid and lived in Tucson, we always celebrated my July birthday with my grandma, whose birthday is just a few days before mine.

One year when I was probably 9, my grandma called and said, "Your mom is making me a cake. Is there a special dessert that isn't cake that you want for your birthday?"

I told her I wanted pumpkin pie. Some adults would have told the 9-year-old that you don't eat pumpkin pie in July, and to pick something else. I'm lucky the adults in my family all thought it was a great idea. I still have pumpkin pie for my birthday every year.

Yeast Dough Trick

Do you ever let your yeast dough rise, punch it down, and then find the dough too sticky to work with? The temptation is to reach for the flour. Work in enough flour, and you can sculpt it anyway you want. However, if you add a lot more flour, your rolls can become tough and dry! That's why I wanted to share with you some of my tricks for working with yeast dough.