Wednesday, November 21, 2018
Monday, November 12, 2018
Christmas 2018 Gift Tags
I'm one of those that likes to enjoy each holiday as it comes, thus, I have not begun Christmas decorating. I'm waiting to eat my turkey first! I'm getting antsy though, my daily browsing of Instagram feeds is so inspiring! Our tree will go up the day after Thanksgiving. However, that doesn't mean I'm not getting prepared for Christmas. I dislike shopping, especially when the stores are crowded, people are cranky, and I'm under a deadline. I finished my Christmas shopping mid-October. This past weekend I began to get them wrapped.
Each year I make gift tags for our Christmas presents. Once I've decided on a design or theme it's really mindless work cutting out the tags, stamping, embossing, and adding other decorations. I usually do this while football is on in the background. I love watching football and at least this way I'm being productive instead of just sitting on the couch!
A number of years ago a friend shared her gift wrapping trick with me, she only uses one paper each year. For about 20 years now I have been doing the same. It makes wrapping so much easier. I do like to get creative with the package decorating, though, using different types and colors of ribbons and embellishments. This year we have a definite farmhouse/rustic theme with the wrapping.
I'm about 75% done with the wrapping. As always, the hard part for me is finding boxes to fit the gifts! It is nice to have this chore off my to-do list, it gives me more time to really enjoy the holiday season, do more baking and spend time with family and friends.
Each year I make gift tags for our Christmas presents. Once I've decided on a design or theme it's really mindless work cutting out the tags, stamping, embossing, and adding other decorations. I usually do this while football is on in the background. I love watching football and at least this way I'm being productive instead of just sitting on the couch!
A number of years ago a friend shared her gift wrapping trick with me, she only uses one paper each year. For about 20 years now I have been doing the same. It makes wrapping so much easier. I do like to get creative with the package decorating, though, using different types and colors of ribbons and embellishments. This year we have a definite farmhouse/rustic theme with the wrapping.
I'm about 75% done with the wrapping. As always, the hard part for me is finding boxes to fit the gifts! It is nice to have this chore off my to-do list, it gives me more time to really enjoy the holiday season, do more baking and spend time with family and friends.
Monday, November 5, 2018
Cranberry-Walnut Rolls
Prior to the advent of the Internet with blogs, Pinterest, Instagram, even Facebook, I subscribed to many cooking magazines or bought cookbooks for new recipe inspiration. I would cut out recipes and articles that interested me and save them in folders, by category, such as main dishes, desserts, etc. Now it seems I "save" most of my recipes to my various Pinterest folders. A month or so ago, I grabbed out my old-fashioned paper folders and was browsing through them. I ran across this roll recipe from Bon Appetit magazine from November 2009. I'm not sure why it has taken me nine years to make them as they are amazing! They are the perfect roll for fall and Thanksgiving cooking.
These rolls were easy to make. Like all yeast breads, time is the major factor in making them. My bread baking is usually confined to Sundays, that seems to be the calmest day of the week for me! While the dough is rising I can do chores, craft, and watch football.
The original recipe calls for brushing the unbaked rolls with an egg wash and raw sugar. I had no raw sugar in the house. After making them I don't think I will add the sugar the next time. They were wonderful, as is!
Cranberry-Walnut Rolls
1 cup coarsely chopped walnuts
3 1/2 cups (or more) bread flour
1 tablespoon (packed) brown sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons quick-rising dry yeast
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1 1/2 cups whole milk
2 tablespoons vegetable oil plus additional for coating the bowl
1 large egg
1 cup sweetened dried cranberries
Nonstick vegetable oil spray
1 large egg, beaten to blend (for glaze)
Raw sugar (turbinado or demerara)
Stir nuts in dry skillet over medium heat until toasted, about 5 minutes. Cool.
Mix 3 1/2 cups bread flour, brown sugar, yeast and salt in the bowl of a heavy-duty stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Warm the milk in a small saucepan over low heat until instant-read thermometer inserted in milk registers 95 degrees Farenheit. Add oil; remove from heat. Add the milk mixture and the egg to the flour mixture. Mix on low speed until a wet coarse ball forms, about 1 minute. Add nuts and cranberries. Replace paddle attachment on mixer with the dough hook. Mix dough on low speed until smooth, elastic, and slightly tacky, adding more flour by tablespoonfuls if needed, about 4 minutes. Transfer dough to a lightly floured surface and knead two minutes
Lightly oil a large bowl. Shape dough into ball; place in prepared bowl, turning to coat with oil. Cover with plastic wrap; let dough rise at room temperature until almost doubled in volume, 1 3/4 to 2 hours.
Line a large rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper. Transfer dough to an unfloured surface; divide into 12 equal pieces. Using cupped hand, roll and rotate 1 dough piece into a smooth round ball. Repeat with remaining dough pieces.
Transfer rolls to prepared baking sheet, spacing apart. Spray rolls with nonstick spray. Cover loosely with plastic wrap; let rise at room temperature until 1 1/2 times original size, about 1 1/2 hours. Brush rolls with egg glaze; sprinkle with raw sugar. Let rise 15 minutes longer.
Meanwhile, position rack in center of oven and preheat to 425 degrees.
Place rolls in oven; reduce oven temperature to 400 degrees and bake 7 minutes. Rotate baking sheet; bake rolls until golden and slightly firm to touch, about 8 minutes longer. Cool completely on rack.
DO AHEAD: Wrap baked rolls in foil, then enclose in resealable freezer plastic bag and freeze for up to 2 weeks. Thaw rolls at room temperature. If desired, rewarm rolls wrapped in foil in 350 degree oven for about 10 minutes.
These rolls were easy to make. Like all yeast breads, time is the major factor in making them. My bread baking is usually confined to Sundays, that seems to be the calmest day of the week for me! While the dough is rising I can do chores, craft, and watch football.
The original recipe calls for brushing the unbaked rolls with an egg wash and raw sugar. I had no raw sugar in the house. After making them I don't think I will add the sugar the next time. They were wonderful, as is!
Cranberry-Walnut Rolls
1 cup coarsely chopped walnuts
3 1/2 cups (or more) bread flour
1 tablespoon (packed) brown sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons quick-rising dry yeast
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1 1/2 cups whole milk
2 tablespoons vegetable oil plus additional for coating the bowl
1 large egg
1 cup sweetened dried cranberries
Nonstick vegetable oil spray
1 large egg, beaten to blend (for glaze)
Raw sugar (turbinado or demerara)
Stir nuts in dry skillet over medium heat until toasted, about 5 minutes. Cool.
Mix 3 1/2 cups bread flour, brown sugar, yeast and salt in the bowl of a heavy-duty stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Warm the milk in a small saucepan over low heat until instant-read thermometer inserted in milk registers 95 degrees Farenheit. Add oil; remove from heat. Add the milk mixture and the egg to the flour mixture. Mix on low speed until a wet coarse ball forms, about 1 minute. Add nuts and cranberries. Replace paddle attachment on mixer with the dough hook. Mix dough on low speed until smooth, elastic, and slightly tacky, adding more flour by tablespoonfuls if needed, about 4 minutes. Transfer dough to a lightly floured surface and knead two minutes
Lightly oil a large bowl. Shape dough into ball; place in prepared bowl, turning to coat with oil. Cover with plastic wrap; let dough rise at room temperature until almost doubled in volume, 1 3/4 to 2 hours.
Line a large rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper. Transfer dough to an unfloured surface; divide into 12 equal pieces. Using cupped hand, roll and rotate 1 dough piece into a smooth round ball. Repeat with remaining dough pieces.
Transfer rolls to prepared baking sheet, spacing apart. Spray rolls with nonstick spray. Cover loosely with plastic wrap; let rise at room temperature until 1 1/2 times original size, about 1 1/2 hours. Brush rolls with egg glaze; sprinkle with raw sugar. Let rise 15 minutes longer.
Meanwhile, position rack in center of oven and preheat to 425 degrees.
Place rolls in oven; reduce oven temperature to 400 degrees and bake 7 minutes. Rotate baking sheet; bake rolls until golden and slightly firm to touch, about 8 minutes longer. Cool completely on rack.
DO AHEAD: Wrap baked rolls in foil, then enclose in resealable freezer plastic bag and freeze for up to 2 weeks. Thaw rolls at room temperature. If desired, rewarm rolls wrapped in foil in 350 degree oven for about 10 minutes.
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