Easter Memories and the Best Rolls in the Whole World

What's your favorite Easter memory or treat? C'mon, admit it: You probably still shop for YOUR favorites to fill your children or grandchildren's Easter baskets, whether you've stopped to realize it or not! Take a few minutes and reminisce about those years when you believed (or at least pretended to believe) in the Easter Bunny. What would you like to go back and capture for your children or grandchildren to enJOY?

The things I remember most were the Easter Egg Hunts (at school and at church), time spent with family, and my mama's Easter meal (especially her homemade rolls). Although I lost my belief in the Easter Bunny many years ago, and the tradition has lost most of it's childhood magic, I can still recall all of the happiness and love that Easter Sunday brought. Now that I'm an adult and now that my mama and daddy are in Heaven, Easter holds a totally different meaning for me and has become even more special.

For many people, Easter is all about a magical bunny that visits in the night, leaving candy and colorful eggs in his wake. But for Christians, Easter is so much more. Easter Sunday is the day that we celebrate the resurrection of Christ after the crucifixion. It's the day that we celebrate Christ overcoming death and sin for us. As we celebrate new life, we can look forward to Heaven and all the BLESSINGS it will bring someday.

Easter is the most important religious holiday for Christians. It is full of HOPE and much JOY. Christians believe that Jesus was resurrected from the dead on the "third day" and celebrate this resurrection on Easter Sunday, just after Good Friday. The date of Easter varies between 22 March and 25 April in Western tradition, and between 4 April and 8 May in Eastern Christianity. (For more details, see: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Easter . Also, listen to this song: http://www.bing.com/videos/watch/video/in-christ-alone-by-newsboys/fa0a6cd15df76c89ba79fa0a6cd15df76c89ba79-553490121531?q=In+Christ+Alone,+Youtube&FORM=VIRE1 ) This year, we will celebrate Easter on April 24. How are you preparing for the celebration?

With Spring officially here and with Easter just around the corner, what better way to prepare for the season of rebirth and renewal than with some scrumptious homemade rolls? I’m happy to help kick your taste buds into high gear and prepare you for this wonderful holiday of HOPE and JOY. So sit back, relax with a nice cup of coffee or tea, and imagine serving your friends and family these fluffy, buttery rolls as you gather around your table on Easter Sunday. You might create some memories for someone to treasure!

THE BEST ROLLS IN THE WHOLE WORLD

First, let's gather the ingredients and we'll get started:

(NOTE: The recipe is on page 84 of "A Pinch of This... A Smidgen of That," but you can also find the complete recipe below, after the tutorial. You can copy and paste it to your word processor and print or save your own copy, if you don't have the cookbook.)

Gather these INGREDIENTS:  2 - cups warm water; 2/3 - cup nonfat dry milk; 2 - tablespoons dry yeast (2 tablespoons =2 packages); 1/4 - cup sugar; 2 - tsp salt; 1/2 - cup butter; 1 - egg; 5 to 5 1/2 - cups all purpose flour; 1 stick butter, for slathering hot rolls fresh from the oven

In a LARGE glass or stone bowl, combine water and dry milk. (I set my bowl in a sink partially filled with very warm tap water to keep the bowl warm.) Stir until dissolved.

Add sugar, salt, butter, egg, yeast, and 2 cups flour.

Whisk well until ingredients are wet, then for a minute or two extra, just to be sure you get out all the lumps and it's really smooth.

Add 2 more cups of flour, and mix with a large spatula (it's too much for your whisk) until ingredients are wet and continue mixing one or two additional minutes after that to incorporate all the flour and get it smooth and pasty.  Add remaining 1 1/2 c. flour and again work it in well, as before.

Once combined, don't worry if it's still a bit sticky. Just clean the sides of the bowl, clean your spatula onto the lump of dough, and pour about a tablespoon of Crisco oil over the dough, using your fingertips to spread it around over the top to cover. Grasp dough with oiled hands and turn it over to oil the bowl. Turn over once so dough is covered with oil.

Cover with a lint-free tea towel, and let rise in a warm place (as I said, I leave it sitting in a sink full of warm water) until double in size.

Once risen to double, or to the top of the bowl, scrape dough out of the bowl onto a floured surface. (You can lay out two strips of waxed paper side-by-side, overlapping a little, and cover it with flour to do this. Then, when you're through, just pick up your mess and toss in the trash.) Roll out dough to a rectangle that's about 1/2 inch thick, and brush with melted butter. (I usually melt about 1 stick of butter to cover the whole area of rolled dough.)

Using a pizza cutter, cut rolls into desired shape and size.

TIPS ON CUTTING: To cut my rolls after rolling them out in flour, I use my hand to measure the length and width of the strips. My thumb is the width, and from my thumb to the end of my index finger is the length (about 2 1/2 X 5 inches rectangle). I cut all one direction, then the other to make the small rectangles, then roll them up like crescent rolls, tucking the end under the roll when I place it on the pan. To space these, I leave a thumb's width (almost an inch) between them all around. They will use all the space you can give them to rise. Have your butter ready to slather them on top when they come out of the oven.

Place on a greased (with Crisco solid) or parchment paper lined baking pan.

 Cover with towel and let rise in warm place until rolls are doubled in size.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.

Bake at 375 degrees for 15-20 minutes or until golden brown. Brush with additional butter while hot.

Serve HOT with your favorite meal (or microwave and serve with ham inside for breakfast sandwiches).

Serving Suggestion: Meatloaf, boiled new potatoes, and seasoned green beans...

THE BEST ROLLS IN THE WHOLE WORLD

INGREDIENTS:
2 - cups warm water

2/3 - cup nonfat dry milk

2 - tablespoons dry yeast (2 tablespoons =2 packages)

1/4 - cup sugar

2 - tsp salt 1/2 - cup butter

1 - egg

5 to 5 1/2 - cups all purpose flour

1 stick butter, for slathering hot rolls fresh from the oven




DIRECTIONS:
In a LARGE glass or stone bowl, combine water and dry milk. (I set my bowl in a sink partially filled with very warm tap water to keep the bowl warm.) Stir until dissolved. Add sugar, salt, butter, egg, yeast, and 2 cups flour. Whisk well until ingredients are wet, then for an additional minute or two, just to be sure you get out all the lumps and it's really smooth. Add 2 more cups flour, and mix with a large spatula (it's too much for your whisk) until ingredients are wet and one or two minutes after that to incorporate all the flour and get it smooth and pasty. Add remaining 1 1/2 c. flour and again work it in well, as before. Once combined, don't worry if it's still a bit sticky. Just clean the sides of the bowl, clean your spatula onto the lump of dough, and pour about a tablespoon of Crisco oil over the dough, using your fingertips to spread it around over the top to cover. Grasp dough with oiled hands and turn it over to oil the bowl. Turn over once so dough is covered with oil. Cover with a lint-free tea towel, and let rise in a warm place (as I said, I leave it sitting in a sink full of warm water) until double in size.



Once risen to double, or to the top of the bowl, scrape dough out of bowl onto floured surface. (You can lay out two strips of waxed paper side-by-side, overlapping a little, and cover it with flour to do this. Then, when you're through, just pick up your mess and toss in the trash.) Roll out dough to a rectangle that's about 1/2 inch thick, and brush with melted butter. (I usually melt about 1 stick of butter to cover the whole area of rolled dough.) Using a pizza cutter, cut rolls into desired shape and size. Place on a greased (with Crisco solid) or parchment paper lined baking pan. Cover with towel and let rise in warm place until rolls are doubled in size. Bake at 375 degrees for 15 to 20 minutes or until browned. Brush with melted butter while hot.



TIPS ON CUTTING: To cut my rolls after rolling them out in flour, I use my hand to measure the length and width of the strips. My thumb is the width, and from my thumb to the end of my index finger is the length (about 2 1/2 X 5 inches rectangle). I cut all one direction, then the other to make the small rectangles, then roll them up like crescent rolls, tucking the end under the roll when I place it on the pan. To space these, I leave a thumb's width (almost an inch) between them all around. They will use all the space you can give them to rise. Have your butter ready to slather them on top when they come out of the oven.



TIPS ON FREEZING: After shaping the rolls place them 2 inches apart on a waxed paper-lined baking sheet. Place the rolls in the freezer and freeze until firm. When the rolls are firm, transfer to a large zip lock freezer bag. Date and freeze for up to 4 weeks. Great to do this when getting ready for the Holidays or when taking meals to needy families. TIPS ON USING FROZEN ROLLS: Arrange frozen rolls 2 inches apart on baking sheets coated with nonstick cooking spray or covered with parchment paper. Cover rolls with plastic wrap coated with baking spray. Place in a warm place and let the rolls rise until doubled in size. Bake at 375 degrees for 15-20 minutes or until golden brown. Brush with additional butter while hot.



Savoring the Best of Winter and Spring

Spring officially arrives March 20, and we've already begun to see and feel the effects with daffodils and forsythia blooming in the yards and increased pollen dusting our vehicles and homes. It's one of the most beautiful times of the year and one of the most difficult to predict when it comes to weather. One week, we'll have snow and temps in the 20s, and the next, our highs will be in the 80s along with tornado warnings. Allergies usually get going once again, and it's difficult to plan a meal outdoors, despite the pretty weather. This is a good time of year to cook something that's easily rewarmed and served quickly from the microwave, or made into sandwiches from leftovers. That way, you can have the meal with the family gathered at the kitchen table or served from a picnic table in the park. (You might even pack it into a lunchbox and take it to work!)

Meatloaf fits the bill completely. This recipe combines the best of winter with the best of spring. It can be a comforting main dish for a family meal, or its leftovers can be sliced and made into sandwiches for folks on the go or for a family outing.

However you decide to serve it, I hope it creates an occasion for family and friends to enJOY a meal together!

Blessings and Happy Spring!
Patricia

(p.s.You can check out the complete recipe at the end of this post. Be sure to copy and paste it to your browser so you can print it or save it to your recipe file on your computer.)

Pat's Meatloaf

Let's get started by gathering our ingredients:

Now, don't panic! I know this looks like a lot of stuff, but really, it isn't so much! Grab the onion and start peeling.

Chop the onion fine (as fine as you prefer... and I like mine almost minced like in the pix below:)

Pull bread into crumbs (about 1 cup). Add to minced onions.

Use a fork to lightly combine meat with bread/onion mixture.

Beat egg until foamy,

then combine with salt, pepper, Worcestershire sauce, 1 T. dry mustard, and one-half can tomato sauce.

 After combining sauce with seasonings, add to meat mixture.

Mix lightly to combine.

Pack meat mixture lightly in a large loaf pan or casserole dish.

Mix remaining tomato sauce, water, vinegar, dry mustard, and brown sugar together.

Pour over top of meat.

Bake uncovered for 1 1/2 hours. (NOTE: I like to put my dish on a baking sheet to catch the spatters!) 

Remove from oven and allow to sit for 15 or 20 minutes before transferring to a platter to slice and serve.

PAT'S MEATLOAF

INGREDIENTS:

1 medium onion, chopped fine

3 lbs. lean ground beef

3 slices loaf bread, pulled into small pieces

1 Tablespoon dry mustard

2 eggs

1 1/2 tsp. salt

1/4 tsp. black pepper

2 Tablespoons Worcestershire sauce1 - 15 oz. can tomato sauce

1/2 C. water

2 Tablespoons white vinegar

1 Tablespoon dry mustard

2 Tablespoons brown sugar

DIRECTIONS:

Preheat oven to 350 F.

Chop onion fine. Pull bread into crumbs (about 1 cup). Add to ground meat.

Beat egg until foamy, then combine with salt, pepper, Worcestershire sauce, 1 T. dry mustard, and one-half can tomato sauce. Add to meat mixture. Mix lightly to combine. Pack meat mixture lightly in a large loaf pan or casserole dish. Mix remaining tomato sauce, water, vinegar, dry mustard, and brown sugar together and pour over top of meat. Place baking dish on a cookie sheet to reduce spatters in oven. Bake uncovered for 1 1/2 hours. Remove and allow to rest for 15 or 20 minutes before transferring to a platter to slice and serve.