Holiday Cooking

Greetings!  Just a short post this week folks.  I'm working on getting stuff ready for Christmas, but with any luck I'll have some great photos to post and some mouth watering tales to tell next week!

Last Week's Menu

Our cookie exchange saw peanut butter cookies, not ginger bread.  Long story short my evening got away from me, and as the dough had been nibbled on during the week there wasn't enough to make a batch of cookies, and no time to make another dough batch (that two hour chill time in the fridge, or one hour in the freezer, was the deciding factor).  There weren't any complaints though, and only a couple managed to last the exchange.

Peanut Butter Cookies

The potluck was a lot of fun, and Matt made an amazing multi-layer dip.  He started with homemade black bean/pinto bean refried beans, added ground turkey (cooked with some of our home mixed Cajun mix), salsa, Sour Supreme (vegan sour cream), guacamole and shredded cheese.  It was amazing, and we even had some left for our D&D night.

Oh, the Holidays

Our department is having a potluck this week for Christmas; I'm making vegetarian gravy.  It's a very simple recipe from Cooking Light. It also turns out as some kind of ambrosia for potatoes or meat....or anything else you can put gravy on.

Christmas Eve we're contributing to the family meal.  We're bringing a main and rolls.  I'm looking forward to making everything.  The main is a turkey recipe from Barefoot Contessa Back to Basics; it'll be the first recipe from her book I'll be making, and I'm excited to try it.  The rolls are a whole wheat affair that I haven't made in ages; it's my recipe, compiled from multiple recipes and lots of experience.  I spent months baking breads, and this recipe was the result of everything I learned. They're hard on the outside and soft on the inside and perfect for dinners. They're time consuming (most yeast breads are) but it's worth it.

We're also going to making a roast for our Christmas dinner.  We're making pot roast, something I can put in the crock pot and come home to after visiting family all day.  Hopefully we'll have rolls to go with it!

I’ll post pictures of what we do, and I’ll try to get the roll recipe on here.  It’s hand written, so I can’t just copy and paste it.  I wish I could though.

Eat Happy during the Holidays!

**Edit: Roll recipe added!

Recipe:

Buttermilk Wheat Rolls

• 1/4 Cup warm water
• 1 yeast packet OR 3 tsp yeast
• 1/4 teaspoon sugar
• 1/2 Cup warm water
• 1 egg, lightly beaten
• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
• 2 tablespoons sugar
• 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
• 2 tablespoons wheat germ
• 1 scoop milled flax (it's something like 2 tablespoons, I used the milled flax from Costco that has it's own scoop)
• 1/4 cup wheat gluten
• 3 1/2 cups wheat flour (if using all purpose, leave out the wheat gluten)

~Add 1/4 C water, sugar and yeast; allow to proof until large and poofy, 5-10 minutes
~Mix buttermilk, water, egg, melted butter sugar and salt; whisk until incorporated
~Pour into stand mixer bowl with the dough hook attachment; turn on to setting 2
~Add wheat germ,flax and wheat gluten (if using); scrape bowl.
~Add flour gradually and knead until it is all incorporated.  If the dough is too dry add water a tablespoon at a time; if it's too wet, add flour slowly.  You want dough that is elastic but not sticky.  If doubling, do the final knead by hand.
~Rise in a covered bowl in a warm place for 1 hour, or until bulk doubles.
~Break into rolls (approximately 12), depending on size and let rise 1 hour
~Optional: brush tops with beaten egg or melted butter
~Bake for 15-20 minutes in an oven preheated to 350 degrees.  You can test with a toothpick, or if the outer edge is solid they're probably done.  If you are not sure, break one open.  If it's still doughy in the middle, return to the oven and bake another 5 minutes.
~Serve with butter, honey, and/or dinner