Bantha Milk Popsicles (Blue Milk) | #FoodnFlix

As a child of the 80's, I have an affinity for the "original three" Star Wars movies. And Ewoks. All of the kids on the street had Star Wars action figures, and since we all had a lot of the same ones, we had an easy way of knowing whose was whose...we each chose a specific nailpolish color, and painted to bottom of each of our figures feet with that color. It was simple, but genius (looking back). It allowed us to spread out and conquer the galaxy together, no matter whose porch we were playing on. And then we could simply check the bottoms of the feet to be sure we packed up our Darth Vader or C3PO cases with our own toys.

Pig 'N A Poke | Supernatural

"Rise and shine Sammy!"

So, you know what's funny? Not funny ha-ha, but funny curious? I've shared tons and tons of recipes, talked about almost as many books, movies, and tv shows, and mentioned bits and pieces of my everyday life here on the blog over the past 7+ years, and yet, I've never featured many of the most constant parts of my life.

One example—the recipe for the one pasta dish that will please every single member of my family, every single time I make it. I know it's because I usually wind up making it later in the day once all of the natural light has faded, therefore I don't wind up taking any photos. I always think "next time" to myself.

Matcha Buttermilk Pie

I've been a bad, bad pie baker. I think this may actually be my first pie of 2017 (okay, I know it is)! That's pretty sad for a self-proclaimed pie lover. But hey, what better day to start making up for the recent lack of pies than Pi{e} Day?

Blueberry Buttermilk Popsicles (Paletas de Suero de Leche de Arándano) | #PaletaWeek

As this first week of summer continues, so do the popsicles! Today I'm sharing a variation on one of my go-to summertime freezer-fillers and my submission for Lola's Cocina's Paleta Week, Blueberry Buttermilk Popsicles. I know it's not a new discovery, especially to those in the American south, but drinking buttermilk is amazing way to help you beat the heat.

The first time I shared a buttermilk ice pop variation was in 2010, and it used cranberries and bananas (and also a kiwi and pineapple version). I've also shared a mixed berry version (that were made in a ZOKU) and my favorite of them all is cherry buttermilk. But this blueberry variety is disappearing fast, as well.

Buttermilk Pan Rolls

When I plan my Thanksgiving menu, I like to have at least two or three different types of rolls, biscuits, or bread in the bread basket. Of those, at least one must (MUST) be a soft white dinner roll of some sort. And as far as most of my family is concerned, these rolls must make up the majority of said bread basket.

With that in mind, and a half gallon of buttermilk in the fridge, I decided to start testing buttermilk roll and biscuit recipes to see if I could find a winner for this year's table. Although every one I've tried so far is good, this one is so incredibly soft and fluffy that it takes the cake. Oh, and a big ol' bonus—it's SO EASY to make.

It's a yeast bread, but I used my bread machine to mix and knead. Once it goes through this cycle, it only needs a 15 minute rise in a bowl before the dough is dumped into a greased pan and pushed to the edges with your fingers. From there, you score it and let it rise again for a short time before sending it into a hot oven.

These tall rolls are excellent when pulled warm from the "loaf", but we found that they were still great at room temperature. Nothing beats the ease of making these—even in big batches if you have a few 9-inch square pans lying around. I've mentioned before what a lifesaver my bread machine is during busy holiday baking days. It frees up counter space and makes clean-up a breeze.

These buttermilk pan rolls WILL be the majority of the bread in this year's Thankgiving bread basket! Be sure to scroll down below the recipe for more suggestions on how to fill your own Thanksgiving basket from the #TwelveLoaves bakers.

Buttermilk Pan Rolls

These buttermilk dinner rolls are soft and fluffy; the perfect accompaniment to any meal.

by Heather Schmitt-Gonzalez

Prep Time: 90 minutes

Cook Time: 15-20 minutes

Keywords: bake bread vegetarian soy-free nut-free buttermilk Thanksgiving Easter American

Ingredients (1 dozen)

• 1 cup buttermilk, at room temperature
• 1/4 cup water
• 1/4 cup oil
• 2 tablespoons honey
• 1 tsp fine sea salt
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 400 grams (~3 cups + 1 tablespoon) bread flour + more for work surface
• 2 1/4 teaspoons (1 pkt) instant yeast

Instructions

Place ingredients in order listed in the pan of a bread machine. Select "dough" cycle and press start; let it mix and knead until you have a smooth, tacky dough ball. If it seems to sticky, sprinkle in a teaspoon more flour at a time until it is just lightly tacky.

While the dough is kneading, turn your oven on to the lowest setting and let it heat up for 1 minute. Turn off the heat.

Once the meachine stops kneading - BEFORE it rises - turn it out into a lightly oiled bowl. Cover, place in warm oven (remember, it's turned off), and allow to rise for 15 minutes.

Lightly oil a 9-inch square pan (with 2-inch sides). Turn the dough out and use your fingers to press it evenly in the pan. Lightly dust the top of the dough with flour. Use a metal bench scraper or a sharp knife to divide the dough into 12 even rolls, cutting almost all the way to the bottom of the pan. Cover with plastic wrap and allow to rise until puffy and just about doubled in size, ~30 minutes (not in the oven this time).

Preheat oven to 400° F while the dough is rising.

Remove plastic wrap and slide the pan into the oven and bake until golden, 15-20 minutes. Turn out of pan and pull apart the rolls; serve warm or at room temperature.

-slightly adapted from Red Star Yeast

#TwelveLoaves is a monthly bread baking party created by Lora from Savoring Italy and runs smoothly with the help of Heather of All Roads Lead to the Kitchen, and the rest of our fabulous bakers.

This month we are baking Biscuits and Rolls that would fit in nicely at any Thanksgiving table. For more bread recipes, visit the #TwelveLoaves Pinterest board, or check out last month's inspiring selection of #TwelveLoaves Crackers, Crisps, and Flatbreads!

Barley Malt Pull-Apart Loaves from Savoring Italy
Buttermilk-Black Garlic Biscuits from Culinary Adventures with Camilla
Buttermilk Pan Rolls from All Roads Lead to the Kitchen
Crusty European-Style Hard Rolls from A Shaggy Dough Story
Herb-Topped Sweet Potato Biscuits from Hostess At Heart
Parker House Rolls from Karen's Kitchen Stories
Pumpkin Buttermilk Biscuits from The Redhead Baker
Simple Homemade Rolls from Basic N Delicious
Sweet Garlic Rolls from Kudos Kitchen by Renee

If you'd like to bake along with us this month, share your Thanksgiving Biscuits and Rolls using hashtag #TwelveLoaves!

Buttermilk Pie | #FridayPieDay

Buttermilk Pie may look like a Plain Jane, but looks can be deceiving. There's actually quite a bit of complexity in each bite—smooth vanilla-infused custard that's both sweet and tangy at the same time. Aside from the fact that it's delicious and fits in on the dessert table year-round, it's also ridiculously easy to make. If you can run a blender, you can make this pie. And while a homemade pie crust is something to be proud of, if that's not your thing, a storebought crust basically turns this into the easiest recipe ever.

I like it plain-jane-as-is, but try adding a fluffy dollop of whipped cream, dust it with powdered sugar, or serve it with seasonal fruit or a fruit compote if you want to dress it up a bit. I really don't think you can go wrong with this one.

Cherry Buttermilk Popsicles

Did you know that there is actually an "official" time period for the dog days of summer? I've always considered them to be the hottest, stickiest days of the season and for the most part, I was right. But according to infoplease:

"Dog Days is the name for the most sultry period of summer, from about July 3 to Aug. 11. Named in early times by observers in countries bordering the Mediterranean, the period was reckoned as extending from 20 days before to 20 days after the conjunction of Sirius (the dog star) and the sun."

Kinda cool, right? It also says that the days can vary a bit due to a difference in latitude since the movement of the equinoxes changes gradually over long periods of time. So, give or take. I always feel like they extend well into August in these parts.

Blueberry Buttermilk Breakfast Cake

Welcome to another edition of the Blogger C.L.U.E. Society, where we are (semi-) secretly assigned another member's blog to "investigate" and find a recipe that fits our theme for the month—all the while learning a little bit more about each other (more details at the bottom of this post, if you're interested). Our theme this month is Berries, and the blog I had the good fortune of spending time at Rebekah's blog, Making Miracles.

Making Miracles is a blog about food, family and making memories. Rebekah is a mom and a wife, and has also been the surrogate mom for 4 little girls—how amazing is that! You can learn more about Rebekah and her surrogacy experiences on her about page. But now, on to the food! Making Miracles is full of family-friendly recipes of all sorts, including a page of baby/toddler food recipes. But what I was on the hunt for was berries!

Can I just tell you that I love the process of searching and exploring a blog each month? I really do. I like searching a general term, then more specific terms, all the while clicking on recipes that catch my fancy. I usually wind up with about 10 tabs open, and then try to narrow things down to about 3 to choose from.

Buttermilk Cardamom Beignets inspired by Chef

Sometimes our Food 'n Flix picks aren't what most people would think of as a typical "foodie movie". They take us out of our comfort zone and make us put on our kitchen thinking cap. That is not the case this month. If you've seen Chef, you know it's a flick that keeps you hungry and induces different cravings from start to finish! It's about as much foodie flick as they get. You'd think this would make heading into the kitchen and cooking up something from it easier. I actually think it makes it harder. I could not decide what I wanted to make. But you know, I figured something out.

From the opening scene, Chef is a sensual experience. The sound of a knife slicing through vegetables, the sizzle of meat hitting a hot pan, the sheer focus on getting prep done for tonight's meal, the excitement of a whole pig being brought into the kitchen—it's scenes like these that make me miss working in a restaurant kitchen. But that's only the first few minutes.

The story of a successful restaurant chef who finds himself going in a direction he never imagined, both professionally and personally, Chef is a feast for the the senses. This isn't a review (though I obviously enjoyed the movie), so I don't really want to go into the story. You can find synopses of the movie all over the web if you look, I'm just here to talk about the food today.