We have a winner...and some really great dinner rolls

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 And the cookbook giveaway winner is...(drum roll please...) Melly (Melissa) Congrats Melly!! I hope you enjoy A World of Cake as much as I did.

 And now on to the most delicious dinner rolls ever. They are soft, buttery, little pillows of bread. I feel a bit Homer Simpson like when I think about these rolls. "Mmmm rolls...mmmm... What can't they do?"
If you want a great roll to go along with your Christmas dinner, these are the ones. Don't let the yeast scare away from making these rolls they are quite easy to make. And really, is there anything better than freshly baked bread items? I think not!

Buttery Dinner Rolls
(printable recipe)

Ingredients:
1 envelope active dry yeast
1/4 cup very warm water
1/3 cup sugar
1/4 cup butter
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup scalding hot milk
1 egg, lightly beaten
4 1/4 cups of sifted all purpose flour
2 Tbs of melted butter for brushing rolls

Method:
Sprinkle the yeast over very warm water in a large bowl. (warm water should feel comfortably warm when dropped on wrist) Stir until yeast dissolves.
Bring the milk to a boil. Add sugar, the 1/4 cup butter, and salt to hot milk and stir until the sugar dissolves and butter is melted. Cool mixture to 105 to 115 degrees.
Add milk mixture to yeast, then mix in egg. Mix in 4 1/4 cups of flour, one cup at a time to form soft dough. (I put mine in my kitchen aid with the dough hook and mixed it together and let it knead for a couple of minutes.) If you make them without a Kitchen-aid mixer than flour your surface with about 1/4 of flour and knead the dough lightly for 5 minutes, working in the flour
Place dough in a warm buttered bowl; roll the dough around the bowl so it gets butter all over. Cover and let rise in a warm place until doubled in bulk, about 1 1/2 hrs.
Punch dough down and knead for a couple minutes on a lightly floured surface. Dough will be a little sticky, but use as little flour as possible otherwise the rolls will not be as feathery light as they should be.
Pinch off large golf ball sized pieces of dough and shape into round rolls. Place in neat rows, not quite touching, in a well-buttered 13x9x2 pan. Cover rolls and let rise in warm place until doubled, 30-45min.
Brush tops of rolls generously with melted butter, then bake in a 375′ oven for 18-20minutes or until nicely browned. Serve warm with plenty of butter.

Spinach and Sausage Frittata Bites

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These little frittata bites are the perfect addition to your party menu. They are easy to make, can be made in advance, and best of all there's no bread or cracker involved! I don't know about you but when I'm planning to have a party where only hors d oeuvres are served, it seems like almost everything is on a roll or served with a cracker or a chip. That's why I loved this recipe. It's a tasty little morsel and no chip/cracker/bread needed. The other thing I love about this recipe is its so versatile. You can add just about anything you want. The original recipe called for swiss chard in place of the spinach but when I went shopping there was no chard available so I substituted spinach. You could change the type of cheese or meat as well. It makes a great addition to your party menu but would also be great for your Christmas breakfast or brunch. Simply cut the frittata into larger pieces and it can be your a main course.

Spinach and Sausage Frittata Bites

 (print recipe)

Bon Appétit  | June 2010

by Tori Ritchie (slightly adapted)

Ingredients:

Nonstick vegetable oil spray
1 12-ounce bag baby spinach
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 cup chopped onion
8 ounces mild Italian sausages, casings removed, sausage broken into 1-inch pieces
8 large eggs
1/4 cup heavy whipping cream
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 cup crumbled feta cheese (about 4 1/2 ounces)

Method:
Preheat oven to 325°F. Spray 8 x 8 x 2-inch glass baking dish with nonstick spray. Bring large pot of salted water to boil. Add spinach and cook just until wilted. Drain the spinach and chop, then place in kitchen towel and squeeze dry. Set aside.

Heat oil in large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add onion to skillet and sauté until soft, 4 to 5 minutes. Add sausage and sauté until brown and cooked through, breaking up with fork, 5 to 7 minutes. Remove from heat and cool.

Whisk eggs, cream, salt, and pepper in large bowl to blend. Add the spinach and cooled sausage mixture, then feta; stir to blend. Transfer mixture to prepared baking dish.

Bake frittata until set in center, 40 to 50 minutes. Transfer baking dish to rack and cool frittata 15 to 20 minutes. Place platter atop dish with frittata. Using oven mitts, hold baking dish and platter firmly together and invert frittata onto platter; place another platter atop frittata and invert again so that frittata is right side up. Cut frittata into 20 pieces. 

Can be made 1 day ahead. Place frittata pieces on rimmed baking sheet. Cover and chill. Rewarm in 325°F oven until heated through, about 10 minutes.

Rum Cake and a giveaway!

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I recently made these mini rum cakes. The recipe came from "A World of Cake" written by Krystina Castella. This is one of the best rum cakes I've every eaten. It's moist and buttery with just the right rummy punch. I was given a copy of A World of Cake to review and GIVEAWAY!
Have I got you attention now??
Read on...

Rosemary Spiced Nuts.

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 These are the best spiced nuts I've ever made. I've made them for parties for a couple of years now and they are always devoured. I served them for a gathering I had at my house earlier this week, and one of my guests dubbed them crack nuts She swore she was addicted after one hit. Okay maybe they aren't quite that addictive but I dare you to stop with just one handful. These nuts are great for parties or to put them in cello bags tied with ribbons and give them as hostess gifts, either way your recipients will think you're amazing. (just reaffirming what you already know! ha ha) 

I had a hard time finding unsalted nuts the first time I made these so I used salted mixed nuts and left out the salt and they worked just fine. Any nuts will work in this recipe except Brazil nuts, they contain a lot of oil and the spice mixture can't stick to them. I just pick them out and use the regular mixed nuts.

Rosemary Spiced Mixed Nuts 
(printable recipe)

source: Fine Cooking

1 lb. (4 cups) mixed unsalted nuts (if using salted nuts omit adding salt in recipe)
1/2 tsp. ground coriander
1/2 tsp. ground cumin
2 Tbs. unsalted butter
2 Tbs. dark brown sugar
2 Tbs. chopped fresh rosemary
1/4 tsp. cayenne
1-1/2 tsp. kosher salt (omit if using salted nuts)

Position a rack in the center of the oven and heat the oven to 350°F. Scatter the nuts on a rimmed baking sheet and bake, shaking the sheet a couple of times during baking, until the nuts are nicely toasted, about 10 minutes.
Meanwhile, set a small heavy skillet over medium-high heat. Sprinkle in the coriander and cumin and toast until aromatic, about 30 seconds. Remove the pan from the heat and add the butter, brown sugar, rosemary, and cayenne. Return the skillet to low heat and stir until the butter melts and the sugar dissolves, 2 to 2-1/2 minutes. Keep warm.
Put the nuts into a large bowl, pour the warm spiced butter over the nuts, and add the salt (omit salt if using salted nuts. Stir until the nuts are well coated. Taste for seasoning and add more salt if necessary. Let the nuts cool completely.

Thanksgiving Recipe Round-up

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Looking for some last minute ideas for your Thanksgiving meal? Here's a round-up of a few of my Fall favorites from the past. Happy Thanksgiving!!!!

Carrot Soup with Rosemary  Apple Bread

Curried Pumpkin Soup

 

 

  Cranberry Chutney

Cranberry Rum Relish

Apple and Quince Pie

 Rustic Apple Tart

Salted Caramel Pots de Creme

 Pumpkin Butterscotch Fudge

 

Pumpkin Pecan Cranberry Cupcakes

Pumpkin Butterscotch Pie

Southern Bourbon Pecan Pie 

 Caramel Cake

Cranberry All-in-one Bundt Cake

Pumpkin Butterscotch Fudge

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Is that pumpkin fudge as good as it looks?  No. It's not. It's way way way better!! You may think you have will power of steel, but if you love pumpkin and cinnamon, you will find this fudge irresistible. I can't walk by the pan without cutting off a small piece. 

I never knew that pumpkin fudge even exited until a couple of years ago when it began popping up on baking blogs. I thought it sounded good, but fudge has always been one of those things that I could take or leave. Most of the recipes I've seen use white chocolate chips. I don't really like white chocolate so I've just always put off making pumpkin fudge. Pumpkin and butterscotch, however are the perfect combo. I made this pumpkin butterscotch pie a couple of years ago and fell in love with the flavors together. With Thanksgiving just around the corner, now is the perfect time to make this fudge!

Pumpkin Butterscotch Fudge

makes 3 1/4 pounds

(printable version)

Ingredients: 

3 cups sugar
3/4 cup butter

2/3 cup evaporated milk

1/2 cup canned pumpkin
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
12-ounces (2 cups) butterscotch-flavored pieces
7-ounce jar marshmallow creme
1 cup chopped pecans or walnuts
1 teaspoon vanilla

Method:
Butter a 13x9x2" baking pan.
In a heavy 2-quart saucepan, combine sugar, butter, evaporated milk, pumpkin, cinnamon, ginger and nutmeg.
Bring mixture to a boil, stirring constantly. (use care while stirring, the mixture is extremely hot and may sputter and bubble.) Reduce heat. Boil over medium heat till mixture reaches the soft-ball stage, 234 on a candy thermometer, stirring constantly (about 15 minutes).Remove from heat and stir in butterscotch pieces till melted. Add marshmallow creme, nuts and vanilla. Mix until combined.
Pour mixture into prepared pan, spreading evenly. Cool at room temperature. Cut into squares. Wrap tightly and store in refrigerator. 

Even if you've never made fudge before, this recipe is pretty simple. However, I recommend using a candy thermometer to make your fudge. A candy thermometer will help to ensure that you bring the fudge up to the right temp. It's important to get the fudge to the right temperature so you don't end up with a grainy texture.

Cranberry Chutney...

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...or is it relish?

Ever wonder what the difference between a relish and a chutney is? Me either until I started this post. As I got started to write this post I remembered that last year for Thanksgiving I made this cranberry rum relish. Which made me wonder why that would be considered a relish and not a chutney.  Just in case there are those out there like me that want an answer to this burning question, I thought I'd try to find out the difference. So the answer is...well it gets a little tricky because chutney and relish are often used interchangeably as condiment terms. The term chutney comes from the East Indian word chatni, meaning "strongly spiced," and is described as a condiment which usually consists of a mix of chopped fruits, vinegar, spices and sugar cooked into a chunky spread. In general, relishes are cooked less, use less sugar, if any, and are more crunchy to the bite. However, chutneys can be savory, and relishes can be sweet.
Still confused? Me too! I'm calling this a chutney because it has fruit mixed with vinegar, spices and sugar. Chutney or relish, it's a great accompaniment to your Thanksgiving meal!


Cranberry Chutney (printable recipe)

Ingredients:
2 tsp vegetable oil
1 tsp unsalted butter
1 medium onion, diced
1 medium apple, diced
2 tsp jalapeno, finely diced
4 cups cranberries, rinsed and picked over

1-1/4 cups sugar
Zest from 1 orange
1/2 cup fresh orange juice 
1/4 cup cider vinegar
1/8 tsp ground cloves
1/4 tsp ground allspice
1 teaspoon crystallized ginger, finely chopped
1/2 tsp salt
Freshly ground black pepper to taste

Method:
Heat a 3-quart nonreactive saucepan over medium heat. Add the butter and the oil and, when the foam subsides, add the onion. Cook for 6 to 8 minutes or until the onion is lightly browned.
Add all of the remaining ingredients and cook covered on medium for 8-10 minutes. Uncover the pan, stir, and lower heat to medium-low. Simmer uncovered, stirring occasionally, for another 10 minutes, or until the apple is cooked through, all of the berries have popped and the mixture is a uniform color.