One thing she does have time for is puff pastry because she can buy it frozen, thaw it and then use it for so many things that end up fabulous. Whether it's Ina Garten's Ham and Cheese in Puff Pastry for a cocktail party or Claire Robinson's French Onion Tart that she can make on a Sunday afternoon and enjoy with soup or a salad for many meals throughout the week, or even cinnamon-sugar twists to eat with her morning coffee, Girlawhirl's determined to tackle puff pastry.

How hard can it be to roll into the shape she needs and bake? As a child Girlawhirl rolled dough plenty of times, and she even has an old rolling pin in the back of her cupboard, behind her pots and pans. But these days, when it comes to rolling, Girlawhirl's tiny apartment is a detriment. Yes, there's one piece of countertop that's big enough to roll her pastry on, but she'd never just sprinkle on some flour and go. In her over-100-year-old building, there's a good chance the counter's older than she is, and quite frankly, clean up would be a nightmare.

Undeterred, Girlawhirl found the solution in a rolling mat. Made of silicone so dough won't stick to it, and big enough so that there's plenty of room for a generous sprinkle of flour to settle in around the dough, Girlawhirl can practice with all kinds of shapes and sizes of puff pastry. Inches marked out on the edges keep her on track when she's making squares and rectangles, and when she's ready to graduate to pie or pizza dough there are circular templates sketched out on the mat. And clean up is easy as can be – she just shakes off the excess flour into the sink, washes the mat and she's done.

Girlawhirl found her Non-stick Rolling Mat online at KingArthurFlour.com. There's also one that comes in a set with a Rolling Pin.