Do you really need an airtight reason for everything you do? Sometimes something just piques your interest.

I like the idea of having a couple "go-to" recipes in my back pocket for any situation where food needs to be provided. Like a church potluck, or Super Bowl party, or even just a casual game night with friends. Food that people like to eat and I enjoy making. Food that is flexible and can work in a myriad of social settings. Like a one-size-fits-all of food. My established reputation of providing the family size 1.8-pound bag of Sour Patch Kids and a 12-pack of the seasonal Mtn Dew flavor is alive, well, and unshakeable. But having one or two real food (sorry Sour Patch Kids) that I could consistently provide sounds appealing.

Also, the concept of baking is a good change in pace from my usual habits and routines but is still up my alley. As a software engineer spending much of my day typing on a keyboard and clicking a mouse, baking provides an opportunity to be active with my hands and limbs. It's a mental break from some of the puzzle solving or abstract concepts in software engineering, and it's fun to do something with physical and interactive elements. However, baking is also precise. Ingredients are added in specific amounts in a specific order to achieve a specific result. The accuracy and precision necessary in baking is similar to writing stable, effective, and efficient code. Lastly, programming involves writing a series of instructions for a computer to do. A program will only follow the code that you have written. This is eerily similar to a recipe - a list of steps that are followed by the cook. Although in this recipe analogy, I then become the computer executing the instructions, not the engineer. That's a weird reversal in roles that I'd prefer to not explore anymore.

Third, not every Olson can write pizza reviews.

Let me list out some reasons for why I'm currently focusing on cinnamon rolls.

1. Cinnamon rolls are delicious.
   I feel like this is a universal truth that we accept as a society in America and doesn't need a thorough examination to accept as fact.

2. Cinnamon rolls are always welcome.
   Cinnamon rolls can be used in any social setting. Planning some breakfast for yourself for the week? Cinnamon rolls. Hosting late night board games with the boys? Snack on cinnamon rolls to stay awake. Church bake sale? Cinnamon rolls. Want a side item to go along with soup on a chilly winter day? Cinnamon rolls. Want a small afternoon snack? Warm up a cinnamon roll. Breakfast, lunch, dinner, snack, appetizer, main dish, side dish, dessert. I cannot think of an instance where cinnamon rolls wouldn't work. Compare that to something like cupcakes? You can't invite friends over to breakfast and serve them a plate of cupcakes. You could, and I'd be lying if I said I hadn't had a cupcake for breakfast before, but it's not the smartest decision.

3. Cinnamon rolls take time to make, but not too much time.
   Making cinnamon rolls from scratch will take time and there's no way around it. Ingredients need to mix. Dough needs to be kneaded. Yeast needs to activate to make the dough rise. The dough needs to be rolled flat, rolled into a spiral, and cut. And it needs to bake. These steps take time, but also not a crazy amount of time. Making cinnamon rolls doesn't consume an entire day. There are also times when you are freed up to do other things, like waiting while the dough rises or the rolls bake. So you're not committing to hours and hours of time to a single endeavor. However, you are spending enough time where you are invested in the end result, and you want to do your best to make sure it turns out well. You're also spending enough time where it can be a good change in pace from another busy day. You must slow down for a brief period. Listen to some music or a podcast or two, read your Bible or another book. Unwind a little.

4. Cinnamon rolls require simple ingredients.
   Each recipe will have its own twists and adaptations, but the base ingredients a simple. Flour, milk, eggs, sugar, brown sugar, cinnamon, yeast. All common ingredients to have in your kitchen. I write that like I've always kept those ingredients on hand when in actuality I only recently began storing many of those. But these ingredients are very helpful to have around for other non-cinnamon roll-related recipes. So, I won't need to keep re-stocking a bunch of supplies just for cinnamon rolls.

5. Cinnamon rolls are easy to share.
   They're easy to transport around town. You just grab some Tupperware and you're all good to go. You don't even need Tupperware and can just use a bake pan or plates. You don't need to worry about keeping them cold, and they can be easily reheated whenever you arrive at your destination. Additionally, cinnamon rolls are also a communal food. Sure, I could make a batch and chow down on them throughout the week, but they're best eaten fresh and therefore needs several people to do their part to eat the batch. It's not a food I will make for just myself, like for a miscellaneous dinner during the week. It's a food that is best served with others in mind.

My approach to this journey is fairly simple. Try different cinnamon roll recipes. Evaluate the recipes to find the ones I like and eliminate the ones I don't like. Over time, find ways to experiment with recipes by mix and matching the best elements.

Making a good cinnamon roll boils down to two components - the roll and the frosting or icing. A good cinnamon roll should be soft, gooey, but able to hold its own weight. The exterior needs to be firm, but not burnt or crunchy. The frosting or icing needs to complement the cinnamon. It shouldn't overpower your tastebuds so you don't taste the roll itself but should have enough flavor to be noticeable.

I hope to slowly improve my ability to make the roll and several frosting or icing combinations as I continue down this odyssey, 

Notice that I didn't say the words "best" or "greatest" anywhere. I'm not looking to make some revolutionary cinnamon rolls that will change the scene of breakfast foods as we know it. My goal is to make cinnamon rolls that are better than the basic Pillsbury pre-made rolls that you can buy at a grocery store. That's my bar. Be above average.