Fabulous Dinner Rolls

Are you looking for an out-of-this-world roll recipe to add to your Thanksgiving menu?  Look no further.

This yeast roll recipe comes courtesy of Meg from Little Bit of Life blog.  She got it from her great-grandmother Lola. 

And I ask you, does anyone make rolls better than a great grandma?

I think not.

I've gotta tell you, I am a staunch believer in my own garlic cheese rolls, a family favorite for a number of years.  Every roll I bake is measured against the venerable GCR.  Very few make the cut.

These?  Well just look at them.  I think, rather than Yeast Rolls, they should be renamed Mile High Rolls.  One roll stretches from chin to eyebrow.  Eating one is like eating buttery air.

This year, for Thanksgiving?  I will make two kinds of rolls.  My garlic cheese rolls (because we want no serious pouty-faces around here).  And these.

They are that good.

Five-Minute Christmas Food Gift

Got my scented candle burning,

my Big Band Christmas CD blasting (this one is outstanding, btw),

the dough for my rolls percolating in the trusty bread machine -- it's a great homemaking day here at the castle.

It seemed like the perfect day to power up my brand new super-duper whizmo blender that Kahuna got me for my birthday.

I think he may have gotten a tad tired of the BANG BANG THWAP of me pulverizing coffee ice cubes with a meat tenderizer for my mocha frappuccinos. 

Which leads me to:  strawberry butter.  Yes indeedy, a five-minute food gift idea that is truly stellar.  So what if you didn't make any homemade jams and jellies this summer?  All you need for this is frozen strawberries, butter, and powdered sugar.  Get a cute little ramekin and add a wooden spreader, and you've got a wonderful, quick Christmas or hostess gift.

STRAWBERRY BUTTER

10-oz. package frozen strawberries

1 c. butter, softened

1 c. powdered sugar

Let strawberries thaw and take butter out of fridge to soften.  Put all ingredients in blender and blend away until mixture is smooth.  Pack in cute little containers.  Makes 2 1/2 c.

Note:  I cut this recipe in half and it blended perfectly.  I also cut the butter into about 10 or 15 pieces before plopping it in the blender.  Recipe came from Better Homes and Gardens Gifts from Your Kitchen.

Have you ever made any special flavored butters?  I would love to hear about it.

Winter's coming

We are in winter preparation mode around here.  Step one:  Get these very green Roma tomatoes picked before they freeze on the vine; wrap them in newspaper, as shown here, so they'll ripen up.

Step two: Start pulling out tired gift bags emblazoned with random store logos and see if you can spruce them up with scrapbook supplies languishing under the bed because you last worked on your scrapbook in 2002.

Step three:  Get so inspired by your own creativity that you start splattering paint on brown paper lunch  bags.

Follow that with a raid on your grandma's button box.

Proceed with an episode of glitter.

Or two.

At which point you realize you have perhaps gone a little too far in winter preparation mode while completely neglecting to make any actual food for dinner.

Green tomatoes, anyone?

NOTE:  For more great ideas, go check out Works for Me Wednesdays at We Are THAT Family blog.

Whole Wheat-Molasses Bread

In my quest to find a recipe delicious enough to give away for Christmas food gifts, I came across this:  a dark, slightly sweet, very tasty yeast bread that's studded with caraway seeds.

Yum.  I do believe we have a winner.

The original recipe gave directions by hand, and yielded two loaves.  I cut it in half so I could use my handy dandy little bread machine.

Aren't bread machines wonderful?

WHOLE WHEAT-MOLASSES BREAD
7/8 c. water
1/4 c. molasses
1 T. shortening
1 1/2 c. whole wheat flour
1 c. white flour (and maybe a little more)
1/8 c. packed brown sugar
1 T. caraway seed
1 1/2 t. salt
2 1/4 t. yeast (or one package)

Pop all the ingredients into machine in order listed, press the "dough" setting, and start.
Check on the dough as it starts to knead; you want to make sure it is stiff.  If it looks too wet, add more flour until it's the right consistency.
When the machine beeps, shape dough into a slightly flattened 6-inch ball and place on a greased baking sheet.  Cover and let rise until doubled (maybe an hour?).  Bake at 375 for 30 - 35 minutes, until browned and sounding kind of hollow when you tap  it.  (I took mine out at 28 minutes).  Yields one loaf.

The recipe came from this book, which used to belong to my husband's grandma.  My own grandma is the one who gave me my first bread machine.  So it seems to me this loaf is truly a family effort. 

Happy holiday baking.  Any ideas for great Christmas food gifts coming out of your kitchen?

P.S.  The lovely blogger, Bitterroot Mama, posted this review yesterday of Queen of the Castle.  Thank you, Bitterroot Mama!

Pear & Ginger Upside Down Cake

This is a variation to the previous blog Pear upside down cake, the cinnamon is optional.
A delicious dessert with custard on the freezing snow filled Bulgarian nights, The villagers love it too!

3 pears, peeled, cored & sliced

175g butter
175g caster sugar
3 eggs
175g self-raising flour
1tsp cinnamon
1 - 2tsp Ginger
2dsp Golden Syrup or Honey
3 tbsp milk
Grease a 8” deep cake tin.

Toss the pears in the ginger & arrange the pears over the bottom of the prepared tin. Swirl over the syrup.
Using an electric beater or a wooden spoon, cream the butter and sugar together in a large bowl until the mixture is light and fluffy.
Beat in the eggs, adding them one at a time and mixing well after each one.
Add the flour & cinnaman to the bowl, gently fold it into the mixture, then stir in the milk.
Spoon the cake mixture evenly over the pears and smooth the surface.
Cook in a preheated oven at 160c fan or 180C for 45 minutes, until the surface is firm, and the cake comes slightly away from the sides of the dish.
Remove from the oven, let it cool, then turn onto plate.

Pear Upside Down Cake

It's pear season here in Bulgaria & my crop has been null & void, literally bare trees then i found a handful that had fallen from the top I have managed to get this one dish from them! The good old favorite upside down cake my favourite while growing up then like all the really good puds relegated to the "do you remember when"  & only dragged out every ten years! Well I can't think of anything better to do with a couple of pears
3 pears, peeled, cored & sliced
2 tbsp runny honey optional
175g Margarine
175g Sugar
3 eggs
175g self-raising flour, sifted
3 tbsp milk
Grease a cake tin. If using honey line with baking paper
Arrange the pear over the bottom of the prepared tin and set aside. If using honey spread this over bottom of tin first

Using a wooden spoon, cream the butter and sugar together in a large bowl until the mixture is light and fluffy.
Beat in the eggs, adding them one at a time and mixing well after each.
add the flour to the bowl, gently fold in, then stir in the milk.
spoon the cake mixture evenly over the pears.

cook in a preheated oven at 180C or fan 160c for 45 minutes, until the surface is firm and the cake comes away from the side of the dish.

remove from the oven, leave to cool , then turn onto plate.

Serve warm with custard, cream or icecream

Saucy Apple Peach & Plum No Onion Chutney

Chutney is my new favourite thing to make & eat & I enjoy the fact you can make your own recipes easily & they work! I always thought people who made chutneys were something special but that is rubbish, its so easy, its a shame I have wasted years not making them! Well now I have so much fresh produce to hand its great making all these lovely flavoursome jars of fruit & veg mixes. I just need the room now to store them!
This is a lovely fruity chutney its a bit runny but makes a beautiful sauce to have with meat or salads.  Especially nice with Banitza.
This recipe uses Garlic instead of onion as I am intolerant but you can use onions instead!

Peaches
Apples
Plums
Fruit to weigh total of 6lb
500ml Apple vinegar
1tbsp Ginger
2tsp Cinnamon
2tsp 5 Spice
1tsp Nutmeg
500gr Sugar
5 heads of Garlic,  if you are not intolerant use 1lb onions instead.
2tsp Salt
 Peel core & chop the apple, de stone the peaches & plums & chop these too. In a very large pan combine all the fruit spices garlic salt & vinegar, cook till fruit has softened, mashing the fruit on the sides of the pan so its smoother.

Add the sugar & stir till it has disolved bring to boil slowly then simmer till thickened & you can see the bottom of the pan when you run a spoon through it.

 Pour into sterilised bottles with plastic lids & seal for at least two months more if possible as chutneys get better with age. I always end up with a small jar of leftovers & have this if I cant wait for it to mature :-)