Get baked!

I adore the sweet, domestic idea of baking. The smell, the nostalgia that we all have, the lovely treats that range from the complicated to the ridiculously easy and the concept that baking is meant to be shared. Even if you’re squeezing shamrock cookies out of a tube there’s still a sense that you should have a friend over to delve into their tasty mediocrity with a nice glass of milk.

I have managed to step on a little gold mine (not as painful as it sounds) by making treats, sharing them and getting paid to do so! I had heard from my boy about how his sister makes a nice chunk of change each holiday season by baking pumpkin rolls and selling them, word-of-mouth mind you, to friends and associates. I’d never had anything that sounds as mysterious as a pumpkin roll. Is it like a bun? Like a dinner roll? That doesn’t sound so hot. As per usual I was wrong.

GET YOUR FORK!!

I thought, “Hey, I know my way around an oven pretty well. If he’s gonna go on and on about how good they are then maybe I should give it a try.” Little did I know that the astounding pumpkin rolls were a locked up family secret. I managed to get a copy from a family member that will go unnamed under the pretext that it was actually going to Rock. I mean, he IS part of the family so it’s ok. One relative said to my source, “These are just going to family, right? Because it is a family secret recipe.” Now, I’m telling you this in good faith that you will not rat me out. It could have very serious consequences. I’m just hoping that no one that minds me having this recipe knows what a blog is…..

So, I made one for Thanksgiving one year and people raved. NO! I mean RAVED about it! I thought, maybe this is why it’s guarded so much. I also realized that I could be making some serious moolah if I got the word out. And so I did. More moolah is always appreciated.

Cooling pumpkin roll

That year I sold a few from making a sweet little flier and giving it to some friends of mine as well as at work. People ordered some for Christmas, some for Thanksgiving, some for gifts and some to eat at the table (or in secret with just a fork and the TV… don’t worry, I won’t tell them it was you). The next year, this would be last year, I had quite a number of orders! My therapist alone ordered 16!

The thing is that they are all made by hand. This means that the only machines that were involved were the oven and maybe the clock on the microwave so that I had timing right. I saved up and am hoping to get a

Oooo, filling!

refurbished KitchenAid to help with the batter and filling. What would I do with myself if I didn’t have to mix by hand? Make more rolls!!

So in case you have never had a pumpkin roll here’s your chance to see it in the making… although I really can’t tell you what’s in it. You never know what a family will do to protect it’s own secret recipes!

I’ll be testing out some other flavor options… carrot cake, chocolate, chocolate with peppermint… oh yeah. You might wanna get your order in now. I’m unstoppable!