Due to Tele falling ill this week, I was in charge of the Thanksgiving meal. I had no choice but to step up and accomplish the task. So, I did. I made the whole meal.
I forgot to take pre-eating pictures of the Thanksgiving table, but I did get you the after pics.
The left side of the table in clockwise order: mashed potatoes, Praline Yams, Whole Cranberry Sauce, Cranberry Relish, StoveTop Cornbread Stuffing, and HoneyBaked Ham.
The right side of the table starting from the back of the table and moving forward: Dutch Apple Pie with Never-Fail Pie Crust, Sweet Corn Muffins, Cranberry Salad, CornBread, Honey Maid Cinnamon Sticks and Bees for the fluff, Fluff with fresh strawberries, PineCone Spread with Original Triscuits.
Not pictured but included in the food lineup of the evening: Corn on the cob roasted under the broiler and Chatham Village Cranberry Herb Stuffing.
The only thing I didn't get to make was my grandma's Pumpkin Cookies. But the apple pie was so yummy it was okay that the cookies were missing.
All of us here at EU just want to wish you a Happy Thanksgiving!
I hope your kitchen is full of wonderful smells right about now. Mine smells of a made from scratch Apple Pie that I just pulled from the oven.
Rather than a turkey we have opted for a HoneyBaked Ham. That has left the oven free for me to do all sorts of baking today. Next on the agenda is cornbread. I have yet to decide if I am going to make sweet corn muffins or basic corn bread. I'll have to get that figured out shortly. Also, I am going to try to squeeze in a batch of my grandma's Pumpkin Cookies.
Happy Baking!
You must have rolls at Thanksgiving. Now you could get some Brown & Serve Rolls from your local market, but wouldn't they taste so much better if they were homemade? from scratch? Sure they would. What is that you say..."I have no time to make rolls. I have all these other dishes to make". Take a deep breath. Calm down. And follow my lead.
The solution is a yeast dough that you make the night before and put into the fridge. Yes, you heard right. The mixing of the dough is done the day before.
So are you with me now? You can do this. There is lots of time between now and Thanksgiving. Mix up a batch and give dinner an extra special touch this week. You deserve some fresh baked dinner rolls.
I am presenting two buttery roll options for you two choose from. Each dough can be made a day ahead. One can just be plopped into muffin tins and baked, the other needs a little shaping and then rise time.
Spoon Rolls
Southern Spoon Rolls are super easy to make. I always make them with salted butter (never margarine). The recipe link calls for self rising flour, but you need not go and purchase it. For each cup of self rising flour needed use: 1 cup of all purpose flour, 1 tsp baking powder and 1 /2 tsp salt. You can make this dough the day you are going to use it if you wish or you can make it ahead of time as the dough will last for up to one week in the fridge.
Buttery Rolls
- 1 package (1/4 ounce) active dry yeast
- 1 cup warm water (110 to 115 degrees)
- 1 cup butter, melted
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 3 eggs
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 4-4 1/2 cups all purpose flour
In a small bowl dissolve the yeast in warm water. In a mixing bowl, combine the butter and sugar. Add in the eggs, salt and yeast mixture. Stir in enough flour until the dough leaves the sides of the bowl and is soft (do not knead). Cover and refrigerate overnight.
Punch the dough down. Turn onto a floured surface and divide in half (follow shaping procedure for each half or refrigerate the 2nd half for later use).
For CloverLeaf Rolls (This is easy to do and they look so nice. This is my favorite shape for this recipe.):
Roll into a long rope about 1 1/2 inches thick. Fold into thirds and cut, leaving you w/three equal length ropes. Divide each rope into 12 equal size pieces (36 total pieces). Roll each piece into a ball. Drop 3 balls into each cup of a greased muffin tin.
For Crescent Rolls: Roll into a 12 inch circle. Cut into 12 wedges. Roll up the wedges from the wide and and place with the pointed end down on a greased baking sheet. Curve the ends to form crescents.
Cover and let rise in a warm place for about 1 1/2 hours or until doubled. Bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes or until golden brown.
Note: I have found that this recipe is best when used within 3 days of making the dough. On the forth day it is just not as flavorful. (example:If you make the dough on Monday, finish it up on Wednesday.)
I was going to make pancakes for breakfast this morning, but that plan was foiled. Then I remembered this muffin recipe I had seen in Family Fun Magazine for French Breakfast Muffins. (You know my tendency towards desserts and sweets!) They have this great section called “Let's Cook†where they give you recipes that are simple enough to cook with your kids. Tele is much more patient with LittleRoq than I when it comes to cooking in the kitchen, but this was one recipe I thought I could tackle with him. Sure enough LittleRoq and I survived the experience with him doing most of the mixing and then spooning into the muffin stone (Pampered Chef of course). These muffins have a mild sweetness to them so everyone including Tele (who doesn't have much of a sweet tooth) enjoyed them. In searching Google I found that there are many similar recipes available out there so you should be able to find one to suite your fancy.
I think this would be a great recipe to use as a mix from your pantry. Just decide how many batches you would like to have on hand. Mix up the dry ingredients according to the directions and place in a zip-top baggie. Voila! Your very own muffin mix with no preservatives.
