A Peace Offering

Last week, I submitted my resignation for my current position to take a step up in my career. While professionally, it's exciting and an opportunity that I can't pass up, personally, it's very sad. I have been in my current position for 3 years and have made some great friends out of my coworkers. Amina W.,  Grace K., (note: shout-out by name request fulfilled) and I all came to this department within a few short months and figured out what the heck we were supposed to be doing together. While this job isn't always easy (who's is?!), we've been able to keep it light and not take anything too seriously. We've developed a friendship that took us to eastern Europe, geological patterns that kept us there against our will, and will take us through many more years and countless cute baby pictures. So when I gave A and G the news that I am leaving, they replied with "we feel like we've been dumped."

Even though we all made nice and celebrated the holidays together at the division Christmas party on Saturday night, I still felt like I should bring them a treat to maybe win them over with food. Amina had fallen into the "I need anything and everything that uses pumpkin" cult this year (YES!! A new recruit!) and had passed along a recipe for Pumpkin Biscuits in her recipe search frenzy. I figured I'd try to win their love back with these delicious-sounding pillows of pumpkin-buttery goodness.

Purdy sure they still feel like they've been dumped. Only now they've already made it through the ice cream, vodka, and entire box of butterscotch krimpets and are stuck with the just-ok biscuits in the back of the cabinet. 

I threw the "I don't bake" conviction in the trash with the price tag that came on my new rolling pin and realized that baking isn't so bad after all, and there's always a stomach waiting to eat the sweet treats when the calories are staring me in the face. Unfortunately, I didn't purchase a pastry or biscuit cutter (aka: circle cookie cutter) to go with my new rolling pin. So I set to work making the coarse-meal-looking first step of the dough with my handy-dandy-hands before adding the pumpkin.

 Surprisingly, it all came together quite easily. Better than my first homemade pie crust attempt that had large chunks of butter scattered throughout.

So I got to this point and said "self, how are you going to cut these so they all bake evenly??" Since my head naturally turns to the wine/liquor cabinet in times of thought/confusion/wonder/24/7, I had a brilliant thought. When you're out of liquor, whats the purpose of having a cocktail shaker?? Biscuit cutting!

So I sampled a biscuit (because I learned in a very intense Iron Chef-like competition, that not tasting a dish can cause a loss due to undersaltiness) warm from the oven with a drizzle of honey on it.

Yes, I know it's sideways.

I enjoyed the pinch of cayenne pepper that my Thanksgiving sweet potato recipe called for. I did not, however enjoy the 1/2 tsp of cayenne pepper that the pumpkin biscuit recipe called for. It's overpowering and just odd. I don't like a fluffy biscuit that is spicy. I'll decrease that to a pinch of cayenne next time, and oh yes. There will be a next time. Viva la pumpkin!!