Author: Dackel Princess

Buttered Rosemary Rolls

My cousin Janet made these rolls for me and they quickly became a favorite! Best of all you use, basic frozen dinner rolls! You can find them in the frozen bread section in the grocery store.

Now here is what you do. Generously coat a heavy cast iron skillet with some olive oil…or some cooking spray. Trust me, the olive oil is best all by itself!

Now place the frozen rolls in the pan, leaving plenty of rising room around each one.

 

I wouldn’t want it any more crowded than this since the rolls will probably double in size by the time they’re finished rising. Of course the larger the skillet the more you can add. Now cover them with plastic wrap or a dish towel.

And put them in a non-drafty spot in your kitchen. Walk away for a good three hours (check the directions on the package) and allow them to rise.

After the rolls have risen, using fresh rosemary, strip off the leaves and chop the rosemary. Throw a little butter (regular, salted) into a microwave-safe bowl…And melt it in the microwave.

Brush  butter over the tops of the rolls. They’re light and fluffy and risen, so don’t do this too forcefully.

Sprinkle rosemary all over the top. It’s very, very flavorful, so you don’t have to do too much.

Now, very gently brush a little more butter over the top, just to coat the rosemary.

If you have any good, coarse sea salt, grab it.  And sprinkle a tiny bit of sea salt over the tops of the rolls. It does make the first bite a little salty, but there’s enough plain bread underneath the crusty top to balance it…and it really brings out the flavor of the rosemary. Now just pop the skillet into the oven a bake. I did 400 degrees for about 16 or 18 minutes, I think.

 

 

Note: Definitely bake them for an adequate amount of time; let the top get really golden brown. You want the bottom of the rolls to be done too. For this reason, it’s best to keep the skillet no higher than the middle rack of the oven.

Note #2: Don’t be alarmed if you look in the oven and the rolls have risen way over the top of the pan. They’ll settle down slightly when you take them out.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Chestnut Stuffing

1 Big bag of Pepperidge Farm Stuffing
1 cup chopped onion 1 Tbs. Sage
1 cup chopped celery 1 Tbs. Savory
1 Tbs. minced garlic 2 Tsp. salt
1/2 cup minced carrot 1/2 tsp pepper
1/ cup chopped green pepper 1 stick butter
chicken stock 1 Tbs. Parsley

24 chestnuts,
Roasted, shelled, broken up and soaked in 1/2 cup of rum. I soak them for a day or two. I also use the rum in the making of the stuffing.
Melt butter, saute onions, celery, garlic, carrot, green pepper, sage, savory, salt, pepper, and parsley until vegetables are cooked. Add in bread crumbs, and chestnuts. Moisten with chicken stock until you have a nice moist, yet fluffy stuffing.
Play with it. Add the seasonings that you like. Most of all, enjoy!

I decided that this Thanksgiving, I want to make a Cranberry-nut quick bread to have at the dinner table. Now here is my problem. I don’t have a good recipe for a real Cape Cod Cranberry-nut quick bread!

I’ve been looking over all sorts of recipes, but none of them sound anything like what my Mama used to make.

Growing up on Cape Cod I’ve tried my share of Cranberry Breads. I love the ones that are nice and moist, have a little bit of orange zest in it, and of course wonderful walnuts!

Any ideas?