Our new friend Nikki Heat

The storing of Nikki Heat

I had to peek...

My first batch wasn't very pretty, but they tasted great.

Hayden came back for more.

Say hello to our new friend, 'Nikki Heat'. Our friend has a twin that lives in Lubbock. My mother-in-law posted about it on her blog. Nikki Heat is the name she has given to her sourdough starter. This sourdough stater was given to her by a friend. It has been in their family for 25 years! When she suggested that she might share it, I felt a little unsure if I wanted to accept her gift. The tending, feeding, stirring...it sounded worse than having a new puppy to me. Um,... no thanks! I'll just get my stale old bread at my little grocery store.

Don't get me wrong, I love to cook, but cooking is way different than baking. When I was a kid and my dad would work late, I would go to the pantry and throw a can of this, a can of that, a pound of this and a little of that together, and voila, my brother and sister thought I was the best chef ever. I loved being creative in the kitchen and still do. Baking is a whole different ball game and I don't know the rules. If you get too creative with your baking, things could go terribly "a-rye".

After going to Lubbock and spending the weekend learning all about the care and keeping of Nikki Heat, I soon began to like her. I felt like maybe I too could make luscious cinnamon rolls and tasty breads. What once seemed to elude me felt attainable. I could bake and it could be good and my family would eat it. Okay, give me some! I'll do it.

And so, I return home with my little bucket of Nikki Heat. (She travels well if packaged properly.) Eager to see if I too could make some delicious baked goods, I set out to feed her and then mix together a batch of....cinnamon rolls. There, I said it, "I am going to make cinnamon rolls". That is something I had never done before, ever. Sunday afternoon, I carefully followed the recipe. I measured everything just like my MIL taught me. I covered the dough and prayed that it would rise. Just before bed Sunday night, I took a peek under the towel covered bowl. Much to my surprise, it was a fluffy ball of risen dough! Step one, check! Next, I had to roll it out, turn it into a cinnamon roll and say another little prayer for it to rise a second time. This time in cute little stone pans ready for the baking. I got up early Monday morning to check on my precious dough. Yes! It did it again, and I didn't even have to do anything. Like magic, the cinnamon rolls were double their size, slightly touching each other as if not to crowd, ready to go for a little baking. Step two, check! Fifteen minutes seemed like an eternity that Monday morning. I waited, and waited... Oh, I almost forgot step three, the frosting. I hurried to make the frosting while they finished baking and by the time I was done, my first ever batch of homemade cinnamon rolls came out of the oven. While they were still warm, I frosted them. They glistened like a new pair of sparkly Toms! By this time, my children were eagerly awaiting their yummy breakfast treats. With oohs and ahhhs, they delighted themselves by eating fresh hot cinnamon rolls for breakfast that day.

Well, my friend, if baking has eluded you, fear not. You too can make delicious baked goods right in your own home. All you need is a little Nikki Heat and some coaxing and instruction from your mother in law and you too can achieve baking success.