For Your Holiday Dinner: Pan Rolls

Would Christmas dinner be complete without homemade rolls? I don't think so. This recipe for pan rolls is great for any time of year, but I especially like it for holiday dinners, like Thanksgiving and Christmas. Including mixing, kneading, rising, shaping, and baking, this recipe takes almost 3 hours, so you'll want to make sure you start it nice and early, so that your rolls will be done in time for dinner.

Pan Rolls
Makes 27 rolls.
2-1/4 tsp. yeast (1 package)
1/3 c. plus 1 tsp. sugar, divided
1-1/2 c. warm water (110-115 degrees), divided
1/2 c. butter or margarine, melted
2 eggs
1/4 c. instant dry milk powder
1-1/4 tsp. salt
5-1/2 to 6 c. all-purpose flour

In a mixing bowl, dissolve yeast and 1 tsp. sugar in 1/2 c. water. Add butter, eggs, milk powder, salt, 3 c. flour, and remaining water and sugar. Beat on medium speed for 3 minutes, until dough is smooth. Stir in enough flour to get a soft dough that leaves the sides of the bowl. Turn onto a floured surface and knead dough until it is smooth and elastic, about 6-8 minutes. Place in a lightly greased bowl, turning once to grease the top. Cover and let rise in a warm place until double, about 1 to 1-1/2 hours. Punch dough down. Divide into 1-1/2 to 2 inch balls (about 27) and shape into rolls. Place about 1/2 inch apart on greased baking pan (any pan with a 2-inch height will work well, though you may need to use two pans). Cover and let rise again until doubled, about 45 minutes. Bake at 375 for 17-20 minutes, until golden brown. Cool on wire racks, and enjoy!

Christmas Wassail

This is an old family favorite. I got this wassail recipe from my grandma, and it's the best one I've ever seen. The spices need to steep for an hour or more, and they make the entire house smell divine. Oh it's good! I like to keep a little pot of spices simmering even when I'm not making wassail just because it smells so good. The fact that it uses whole spices is nice too, because it means you don't wind up with yucky-tasting dregs at the bottom of your cup.

Cutchen's Christmas Wassail
1 qt. water
2-1/4 c. sugar
10 whole cloves
8 allspice berries
2 sticks cinnamon
2 qts. apple cider
1 qt. orange juice
2 c. lemon juice

Mix water and sugar in a small pot. Boil for 5 minutes. Remove from heat; add cloves, allspice berries, and cinnamon. Let stand for 1 hour or more. Remove spices and transfer sugar-spice water to a large 1-1/2-2 gallon stock pot. Stir in cider, orange juice, and lemon juice. Serve warm.

Cooking with Cranberries

Today's post is by special request, just in time for Thanksgiving. Up until last year, I'd always had canned cranberry sauce for Thanksgiving dinner. I thought there was some huge secret to making cranberry sauce from scratch, because my mom never made any. The truth is, it's very simple to make, and the only reason Mom never made it is that we rarely ate turkey for Thanksgiving. So today, along with my recipe for cranberry sauce, I'll share a couple of other fun recipes for cranberries that'll be great for this holiday season.

Cranberry Sauce:
1 c. sugar
1 c. water
1 pkg. (12 oz.) fresh cranberries

Combine water and sugar in a medium saucepan. Bring to a boil, and add cranberries. Reduce heat and boil gently for about 10 minutes, stirring frequently and gently smashing the berries as they become ready to pop. Cover and cool completely at room temperature. Refrigerate until serving time. This sauce is great when made a day-ahead!

Cranberry Nut Bars:
2 eggs
1 c. sugar
1 c. flour
1/3 c. butter or margarine, melted
1 1/4 c. cranberries (fresh or frozen)
1/2 c. chopped walnuts

Heat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease an 8" baking pan. Beat eggs in medium mixing bowl until thick and frothy. Gradually add sugar, beating until thoroughly blended. Add flour and melted butter; blend well. Using a wooden spoon, fold in cranberries and nuts just until combined. Spread evenly in pan. Bake for 40-45 minutes, or until golden brown. Cool and cut into bars. Serves 16.

Cranberry Apple Bread:
from the Ocean Spray Homepage
2 cups peeled, chopped apple
3/4 cup sugar
2 tablespoons oil
1 egg
1 1/2 cups flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 cup Ocean Spray® Fresh or Frozen Cranberries
1/2 cup chopped walnuts

Preheat oven to 350ºF. Grease an 8 1/2 x 4 1/2 x 2 1/2-inch loaf pan.

Combine apples, sugar and oil in a medium mixing bowl. Add egg, mixing well. Combine dry ingredients in a separate mixing bowl. Add to apple mixture, mixing just until the dry ingredients are moist. Stir in cranberries and walnuts.

Spread batter evenly in loaf pan. Bake for 1 hour or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the bread comes out clean. Makes 1 loaf.