The Pioneer Woman Doesn't Disappoint

Are you familiar with The Pioneer Woman? I love her recipes and have tried many of them in the past couple of years or more. I've never tried one that wasn't a hit.

On Sunday we celebrated four birthdays here: for a 4-year-old, a 41-year-old, a 43-year-old, and a (a-hem) 64-year-old.

I'd found a recipe from The Pioneer Woman weeks ago and decided it looked quick, easy, and tasty. These are my three requirements when I'm preparing a meal for guests. There's nothing I dislike more than being trapped in the kitchen while everyone else is relaxing and having fun in the livingroom.

Early in the morning I prepared the sauce for the Spaghetti with Artichoke Hearts and Tomatoes, so that saved me even more time when the guests arrived.

I decided, however, to go back to The Pioneer Woman's website one more time, after the sauce was made, to make sure she hadn't included a vital tip in her narration that she had left out of the recipe itself. I should know by now she wouldn't do such a thing, but anyway....

When I went back to her site, what should greet me but another irresistable-sounding recipe: Buttery Rosemany Rolls. Before I could say, "The guests will be here in less than two hours," my bread machine was set up on the kitchen counter, cranking away at the dough for the rosemary rolls.

What intrigued me about the rolls is that they're baked in a cast iron skillet. I happen to LOVE my cast iron skillet (and my cast iron Dutch oven), so any excuse to use it is enticement enough.

I knew the meal was a hit when Miss V, the 4-year-old, said as she ate her Spaghetti with Artichoke Hearts and Tomatoes, "This is yummy."

A four-year-old liking something other than macaroni and cheese? Amazing.