Always the bread girl, never the entree...

I think I have a pride issue.

Mom shared with me a Maxine cartoon before Thanksgiving that read "As the Thanksgiving season approaches, remember: All it takes is one undercooked turkey, and you'll be the 'dinner rolls' and 'soda' person for life."

This was in response to my report that for two events in two weeks, I was assigned the duty of providing bread. The job typically assigned to men who are known to have no domestic prowess whatsoever. "Ohhh Bobby wants to know what to bring? Tell him to bring rolls. You really can't mess that up." I mean, run into Publix, grab a bag, heat up, and viola, your job here is done.

Now in the instance of event number one, Thanksgiving at the in-laws, I am one hundred percent certain my mother-in-law meant no malice by this assignment. The kind-hearted woman, knowing we were only a couple weeks married, probably assigned this to me to alleviate any holiday stress. I appreciate that, mom. Really. And in event number two, dinner with my four best friends from college, I'm hoping the salad and bread thing was a luck of the draw and not the result of a hushed conversation... "What can we tell Natalie to bring? Remember all those bland overcooked chicken breasts she made in college? Let's give her bread and salad, just to be on the safe side."

But for whatever reason, I just can't help but listen to the little devil on my shoulder saying, "Rolls? They want rolls? Oh I'll give you rolls."

I've mentioned how much of a Publix fan that I am, and that simply walking into Publix and seeing my friend at the Simple Meals stand gives me a boost of confidence that I am capable of anything in the kitchen. Unstoppable. Sky's the limit. But I've found another thing in my life that puffs up my confidence like no other.

KitchenAid mixer. Ohhh yeah. The king of all kitchen appliances. Best wedding gift ever. That bad boy sits on my counter, just awaiting an opportunity to blend to perfection a culinary masterpiece. You could probably pour dirt and sludge into it's shiny bowl and come out with an award winning dish. Too far? Probably, but the thing is amazing.

So with the confidence of Publix and KitchenAid combined... I made rolls, from scratch, for Thanksgiving. And I have to say, they were darn good. And I may or may not have made a huge deal out of making sure everyone knew that I had made them from scratch... Pride - 1, Humility - 0.

Next up - I am making Garlic Bread with the help of my BFF KitchenAid for my dinner tomorrow night. Hopefully that will be a success... if not, Publix is just around the corner.