More Rolls and Another Kitchen Tip for Thanksgiving

I don't normally try a new recipe for Thanksgiving.  I'm a traditionalist and like looking forward to certain foods at Thanksgiving.

I thought this Outback Bread recipe would be an excellent roll recipe.

It was a hit, especially with the kids, when I told them it was "chocolate" bread.

It's actually wheat bread.  With a little chocolate thrown in.  Let's keep that between ourselves, why don't we?

This bread looks great intermingled with the other traditional Dinner Roll, doesn't it?

O.k.  Just one last minute tip for all of you who are scrambling to put your Thanksgiving dinners together.

Make your favorite mashed potatoes early, and keep 'em warm in your crockpot.

Come on, I know you have one.

Or your mom does.

Dust it off and put it to work so you don't have to ~

Sit back, relax, and enjoy your friends and family on Thanksgiving.


Enjoy!

Herbed Roasted Turkey Breast: Step by Step

Last year, I did a post on Ina Garten's Herbed Roasted Turkey Breast.  Her recipe is SO good, I've made it several times.  Each time, I get the "oohs" and "mmmms" from the guests which tell me it is a definite winner!


This is such an easy, simple recipe.  You will not be disappointed!

The recipe starts with cloves of garlic.

I keep these double bagged in my freezer.

The frozen garlic is so easy to peel and I absolutely love my garlic press.

I like a finely minced garlic and this lovely tool does the job for me.

Add dry mustard.


I bought dry mustard ONLY for this recipe.


I'm sure I'll find other uses ~

The recipe calls for fresh rosemary leaves.

If you don't have any, don't worry.


Just find some dried rosemary and use half.

The recipe calls for chopped fresh sage leaves. 


Sage is going to be my next plant in my herb garden next year.

Use half of what the recipe calls for when using the powdered stuff ~

Thyme. 

I have fresh thyme that is in the freezer.

I didn't have time to get it out...



Next time....

Ina uses Kosher salt in her recipe.

I'm not sure what that is...


I'm from Utah, and I like the Real Sea salt...


this has a sweeter, less bitter taste than table salt.

Fresh ground pepper.


Finally, a fresh ingredient...

Good olive oil. 

Extra virgin is what I used.


I'm sure you can use whatever oil you want to use.


Olive oil has a flavor all its own.

Fresh squeezed lemon juice....


Not really...it was the bottled stuff.


Next time, I will invest in real lemons ~


Stir it all together.

Take a deep whiff.....  You will love the aroma!

Here is my 8 pound turkey breast.

Plenty of white meat to go around!

*sigh*

I have this aversion to handling raw meat.

And meat with bones.

Wash, pat it dry, and put it in a roasting pan.

Ina likes to stick her hands under the skin to put the seasonings in. 

I have found a small dinner spoon to do just the trick.


You want to separate the skin from the, uh, meat.


Leave the skin intact near the bottom of the turkey...

you don't want the seasonings to drip out~

After you have separated the skin, spoon half of the seasoning mixture between the two sides of the breast.






It's worth it, it's worth it, I keep telling myself...

Let me introduce you to another favorite tool of mine.

The silicone pastry brush.

He gets to spread the other half of the seasoning on the outside of the turkey.


I love you, Mr. Silicone brush...

If you have an oven probe, use it~  it takes all the guesswork out of cooking the turkey.

Every turkey breast has a different weight and you do NOT want to overcook it.

If you don't have a probe, invest in an instant read thermometer.  You can get one for around $14.  Worth every penny!

Here's the last ingredient.

Dry white wine.

A local store near me has Fre, which is an alcohol free wine. 

It's all about flavor.

And not drying out the poor thing...

You can always use chicken broth.

 Pop that turkey in the oven at 325 degrees and set your probe temp to 165, if you have one.

At 2 hours, the turkey was beginning to brown, so I put aluminum foil over it.

At 2 1/2 hours, it was done!


The turkey package said 3 1/2 hours...go figure. 

 After taking it out of the oven, put a large piece of foil over it and let it sit for at least 20 minutes to allow all the juices to redistribute throughout.

My guests arrived 45 minutes later, and the turkey was still hot.

Slice just before serving and enjoy the best piece of turkey you have ever had!

Kittchen Tip: Making Your Own Brown N Serve Rolls

If you want to make your dinner rolls up to seven days in advance for your Thanksgiving dinner, I would recommend this brown and serve method.

I have used this method for my Dinner Roll and Orange Roll recipes. You can use your favorite Cinnamon Roll recipe or my  Feather Wheat Roll recipe.  One year, I gave a dozen Orange brown and serve rolls  to each of my neighbors at Christmas time.  My neighbors loved popping these rolls into their ovens, drizzling sweet, orange icing on top for their Christmas morning!  If you plan to give this type of roll away, include the baking directions and a Ziploc baggie of icing.

The rolls will look pale and a little wrinkly on top.  Do not worry, they will puff up and brown beautifully when they are baked the second time prior to serving ~

Brown N Serve Directions
1.  Shape rolls as desired.
2.  Place on greased baking sheets, about 2" apart.
3.  Cover with plastic wrap and let rolls rise in warm place until doubled in bulk.
4.  Bake rolls at 275 degrees F for 20-25 minutes or until rolls just start to change color.
5.  Cool in pans/sheets for 20 minutes.  This will allow the centers to continue baking.
6.  Remove from pans/sheets and finish cooling on wire racks.  This will prevent rolls from becoming soggy.
7.  Wrap in plastic bags and refrigerate up to 1 week.

Baking Brown N Serve Rolls
1.  Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
2.  Place rolls on ungreased baking sheet.
3.  Place rolls in heated oven and bake for 10-12 minutes, or until golden brown.
4.  If desired, brush baked rolls with melted butter or margarine.

Enjoy!

Kitchen Tip: Make Ahead Dinner Rolls

You can prepare your dinner rolls the day before Thanksgiving and have them HOT and fresh out of your oven minutes before the meal.      

How great is that? 

I thought I would put it to the test.  I used my traditional Dinner Roll recipe and got to work.

   My mom used this roll shape frequently.  She would pinch off a piece of dough and begin tucking in the edges.  If you want your rolls to all be the same size, cut your dough into 24 equal pieces prior to shaping.  If you have a kitchen scale, you can use that.

Make sure bottom is pinched securely...

placing them in a well greased pan with room to grow.  Spray the tops of the rolls and cover with plastic wrap.  Make sure there is no room for air to get into the rolls and dry them out.

Your rolls are now ready for rising in the fridge.  You can use them anywhere from 2-24 hours.  Any longer than 24 hours and the rolls will begin to develop a fermented, sourdough like flavor.

Update:

If you are like me and don't have a lot of room in the fridge for all your lovely rolls, here are some ideas:  Divide the rolls out and have  friends, neighbors or relatives babysit them and bring them to the dinner.  If you live in a colder climate in the winter (like Utah), another idea is to store them in the garage if the temperature is between 35-40 degrees F.  Make sure they are in a safe place, and covered well ~

When you are ready to bake your rolls, take them out of the fridge and allow to get to room temperature.  This can take anywhere from 10-30 minutes, depending on how warm your kitchen is, size of rolls, etc.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Take the plastic off the rolls, and bake as the recipe directs.

Within minutes, you will have hot, buttery rolls, ready for your Thanksgiving or special dinner!

Want to make your rolls earlier than 24 hours and have them hot-n-ready for dinner?  Stay tuned for the brown~n~serve method...

Cost of Bread: Dinner Rolls

I have been teaching bread classes in my neighborhood a couple of times per month for the past little while.

I decided to teach a roll making class today to prepare for Thanksgiving and it was SO much fun!  I really enjoy the hands-on teaching approach.  Each gal brings their mixer, spatula, rolling pin and baking pans to the class. I provide the ingredients in a "kit" which helps the class run smoothly. At the end of the class, the students take their rolls home and bake them.

Because I provide the kits, all I ask in return is a donation to cover the cost of ingredients.  Previously, I posted the cost analysis for making Homemade Bread (grinding own wheat) and Homemade Bread (using storebought wheat).  I thought it would be interesting to see how much my Dinner Roll recipe ingredients would cost.  I know that 36 rolls at Costco are around $4 and Lion House is selling their rolls for $5 per dozen. 

Feather Wheat Rolls

Are you ready?

Drumroll.....

For 2 dozen, homemade, light, buttery dinner rolls...

$1.12!

Yep, one dollar and twelve cents.

Now, I bought everything in bulk and went to Sam's Club.  Yes, this includes butter and eggs, which I thought would increase the price.  Yes, this included tax.

What it did NOT include was the energy of the oven, the time to make the rolls, the extra butter, plastic wrap and parchment paper.

Do you have 90 minutes to spare? (there are 60 min. roll recipes out there, but they usually have more yeast)

Do you have $1. 12?

Wanna have HOT, delicious, buttery rolls for Thanksgiving? 

Then jump on over to the Dinner Roll recipe and give it a try!

The Secret to Fluffy Rice

Ever wondered how to make light, fluffy rice?

Now you can.  All you need to do is rinse your rice in cool water.

Strain your rice through a colander or sieve.

Do this 2-3 times or until the water is fairly clear.  I watched several Japanese students do this and always thought, "But the rice isn't dirty..."

The rice ISN'T dirty.  It's full of starch.  Rinsing it removes the starch that causes the rice to be sticky.

Cool, huh?

Kitchen Tip: Storing Fresh Ginger Root

I had been using powdered ginger for years.

Then I discovered whole dried ginger. The dried ginger stored well and when finely grated, gave off a wonderful aroma.

Then I discovered fresh ginger root. There is nothing that can compete with the smell and taste of fresh ginger root. Unfortunately, it does not last long in the fridge.

If you go through fresh ginger root quickly, the best way to store it is in a paper bag in the vegetable crisper drawer in your fridge.


If you are like me, using ginger occasionally, the best way is to peel the ginger root and then freeze it.









When I want fresh ginger, I just pull it out of the freezer, use my microplane grater and grate away...

Try it. You'll never go back to the powdered stuff ~

Canning 101: Steam Juicing with Fruit

My last post gave you one way to make the best grape juice.

Here is another (EASY) way to make juice, using a steam juicer.
The juice is concentrated, you will use fewer bottles and use less space in your storage.

This is an aluminum one that my mom gave me.

There are newer, stainless steel models out there that are soooooo nice~
They can even be used as a steam cooker to cook veggies, meats, and anything your heart desires.

Well, almost anything.

This is juicing at it simplest form: the bottom pan holds boiling water, the middle section collects the juice, and the top is a steamer basket that holds the fruit.



When juicing, select ripe fruit.

No super squishy, over ripe fruit. Yuck.

Pictured here are my blue plums, washed and ready for juicing.

If the fruit is larger than pictured, you may cut them in half.

No need to pit the fruit.

Did you hear that? No need to pit the fruit.


Here are the last of my folk's Concord grapes, washed and stemmed.

I like to take the stems off, as they contribute a bitter taste to the juice.

Plus, if you stem them, your juicer will hold more fruit....


Here, you see a tube coming out of the juice collection pan.



This is really one of the 'set it and forget it' parts of canning.

Once the water is boiling, keep it boiling for up to an hour, as per juicer instructions.

Squeeze the clamp and the hot juice comes out~

Caution: This is highly concentrated stuff ~ If you want to drink it, you will want to add a cup or so of water to every 4 cups.



Here's a peek at my softened plums.

Some people take the first cup or two of hot juice and pour it right back into the fruit to get more juice.

If you want clear juice, leave the fruit alone.


If you don't care about more pulp entering your juice, go ahead and give it a good stir.

Or a good mash with a potato masher.


As for me, I'm saving my juice to make jelly later in the dead of winter, when all this Fall canning is done.

Just pour the HOT juice into clean, HOT bottles, clean the rims and put a heated lid on it. Screw a ring on top and FLIP it upside down.

Leave it alone for 12 hours to cool and it will seal. I promise.

Canning 101: Concord Grape Juice

I grew up on my mom's grape juice.

Did you know that grape juice is good for your heart?

It has many of the same good properties that studies have found in wine: powerful, disease fighting antioxidants.

It's even better when you make it yourself.

One time, I had a glass of the frozen concentrate. It was so sweet and syrup-y that I couldn't stand it.



This is the stuff I go for.

This is a 2 quart bottle that yields approximately 6 c. of juice.

Why 2 quart bottles? I get more juice...

If you decide to use 2 quart bottles, make sure you have a canner that is deep enough to have water reach the tops. Also, you will need a wire rack that will accommodate the larger jars.

This will be next on my canning purchase list. A stainless steel canning rack that will hold any size jar...



I just open it up and strain it.



The pruney left over grapes are thrown away.



Wanna learn how to bottle your own grapes?

O.k., let's get started.



Make sure your bottles are clean.

Always check for chips in the rim.


I keep them in my dishwasher until ready to use.



Fill a large bowl with Concord grapes.

Fill with water.

Swish the grapes around.

Drain off water. Repeat two more times.




You want to use clean grapes.


My mom's grapes are organic.

Nice~





Stem the grapes until you have a very full 2 c. measure.

(if you are bottling quarts, halve this recipe)

Check occasionally for any stems left on the grape.

Do not stem any pruney, shriveled up, or cracked grapes.






Pour the grapes into a clean jar.


Repeat until all jars are filled.




For each 2 quart jar, I put 3/4 c. sugar into a 2 c. measure and fill with boiling water.


You can adjust the sugar. For quarts, anywhere between 1/3-1/2 c. is good for extra sweet, ripe grapes.




I stir it until it is completely dissolved.

Pour this mixture into the jar.

Repeat for all the jars.

(Remember to halve the recipe for quart jars)


O.k. I don't have a pic for the next step.

Fill each jar with boiling water until you reach 1/2" headspace.

That means 1/2" from the top of the jar.




Have lids ready on simmer.







Clean the rim of each jar with a clean paper towel dipped in boiling water.

Place a lid and ring on each jar and tighten until snug.


Place each jar in hot, not boiling water.



Bring to boiling and boil for 30 minutes. This is for 4,500 feet of altitude. Check your canning guide to adjust for your altitude.

For quart jars, 20 minutes.

Take out and let cool, undisturbed for at least 12 hours.




Store bottled grapes in a cool, dark, dry place for at least 6 weeks to extract the maximum amount of juice.

My mom had a bottle that didn't seal and put it in the fridge, hoping to heat it up and re-can it. Three days later, she decided to taste it. It was soooooo good~ Decided to drink it instead of re-bottling it.


Open a jar and discover for yourself how good grape juice can really be.

Kitchen Tip: Frozen Raspberries

We did not have a bumper crop of raspberries this year.

But we did have plenty of blackberries~

I like to wash the berries,










Make sure they're well drained...







and place them on a cookie sheet lined with plastic wrap. I've tried parchment paper, which doesn't work.

Then put them in your freezer for about an hour.
Don't forget them!

Then put the frozen berries in a freezer bag (don't use your Food saver...it'll just crush them), label and date.

Now, you'll have fresh raspberries any time...for a dessert, smoothie, or when you're ready to do some winter jam canning~

If you have any great kitchen tips, please share....