Thankful

Not even a week has gone by since Thanksgiving Day, and already I feel drowned in the Christmas Holiday. Thanksgiving gets no respect, don't you agree? I have to admit that I participated in Black Friday (got a super cheap Pyrex storage set [$15], a new set of sheets [$15] & a yummy grey pea coat [$25]!), which is the main reason we are transported from Thanksgiving to Christmas in a milli-second. I guess I'm being hypocritical here... Forget what I said about Thanksgiving... Merry Christmas!

No, wait. It's still November, so in honor of the best FALL holiday, I'd like to share a few things I'm thankful for. If you can make it to the end I'll share my secret Pumpkin Roll recipe (on request- you know it's good).  And sorry Christmas, you're just going to have to wait one more day...

I am thankful for...

 The amazing man God has blessed me with to be my partner. Michael is hilarious, loving, calm, hard-working, & the joy of my life.

My parents, sister, aunts & uncles, grandma & cousins. The Klausmeyer Clan may be small, we may have our edgy moments, but we are a family. Also grateful for the much larger Hollar family I have come to know and love over the last 5 years.

My bright & beautiful small group. Tuesday nights have never brought me more peace, love & warmth than my time with these people. Dinner, study & prayer have been so good for body & soul.

My puppy Grizzly. I adore him & he is so precious to me! I can't imagine what I will be like once we have a real child!

Coffee. Oh what a beautiful thing it is to hold a warm cup in the mornings.

Hot showers. I have pipes that run up my wall and cover me with hot water so I can go into a temporary blissful trance. Who isn't thankful for that?

Country music. I feel good listening to it. I just turned on some Carrie Underwood right now. =]

Having a job where I can sit. I try every day to not take that for granted. Standing all day is tiring.

My family raised me to love books. Knowing how to read is a gift. Getting lost in a novel is a beautiful thing. Changing your life from an inspirational writer is a treasure.

Having things to be thankful for. The world is often a dark place, & I know I have much more to be thankful for than most of the world.

Food.  I love food. I love baking, cooking, & most importantly, eating. Speaking of, thanks for making it to the end! As promised, here's the recipe for a super delicious Pumpkin Roll!

Pumpkin Roll

Ingredients:

Cake: 

     ~3 eggs                                ~1/2 tsp baking soda

     ~1 cup sugar                        ~1/2 tsp cinnamon

     ~2/3 cup pumpkin               ~1/2 tsp ground cloves

     ~3/4 cup flour                     ~1/4 tsp salt

     ~1/2 tsp baking powder

Filling:

     ~1 package (8 oz) cream cheese at room temp
     ~1 cup powdered sugar
     ~6 Tbsp butter, softened
     ~1 tsp vanilla
     ~Extra powdered sugar to prevent sticking
  

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 15x10 jelly roll pan. (I've used a similar sized cake pan or even a baking sheet with higher sides. It ends up being a very thin cake.) Line with wax paper, or coat with shortening & flour. Just be sure this cake is not going to stick. Sprinkle a thin, cotton kitchen towel with LOTS of powdered sugar. Again, you don't want anything to stick, so go crazy here!
2. Combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, cloves & salt in a small bowl.
3. Beat eggs & granulated sugar until thick. Beat in pumpkin. Stir in flour mixture. Spread evenly into prepared pan.
4. Bake for 13-15 minutes or until top of cake springs back when touched. immediately loosen & turn cake onto prepared towel (you've got lots of powdered sugar covering that towel, right??). Carefully peel off wax paper if used. Roll up the cake & towel together, starting with the shorter end. Sprinkle more powdered sugar on the cake as you go. Cool towel/cake combo on wire rack.

Filling:

1. Beat cream cheese, 1 cup powdered sugar, butter & vanilla in mixer bowl until smooth. Carefully unroll cake; remove towel. Spread cream cheese mixture over cake. Reroll cake. Wrap in plastic wrap & refrigerate at least 1 hour. Sprinkle with powdered sugar before serving.

ENJOY!