Buttermilk Rolls

Ingredients:
2 cups buttermilk, warmed (or 2 cups milk + 2 T lemon juice)
1 pkg. yeast
1/4 tsp. baking soda
2 tsp. salt
1/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup butter (1/2 cube)
5 cups flour

Directions:
Add yeast & sugar to warmed buttermilk (if the milk is too hot, it will kill the yeast, so just get it really warm).  Using a dough hook in a large mixer, add soda, salt, butter & flour (gradually).  Beat with dough hook until a soft dough forms that does not stick to the sides of the bowl.  You may need to add more flour - up to a cup more.  Turn dough out onto floured surface and knead a few times until you've formed a nice ball.  Coat a large bowl with 2 T oil and turn your dough ball in it a few times to prevent from sticking while raising.  Cover dough and allow to rise in a warm place for about 1 1/2 hours. 

Turn dough out onto your work surface.  Do NOT use flour at this point as the little bit of oil in the dough will be your friend while shaping.  Using a sharp knife, cut dough into 16 equal sections and shape into balls.  Allow to rise for 30-40 more minutes in a warm place.  Bake for 15-18 minutes @ 425.


(Easy Shaping Method: Place two dough balls in front of you at a time on the countertop.  Put your hands over them, palm down, and begin to roll the balls quickly.  Your fingers should be arched with your tips touching the countertop, your right hand will move counterclockwise, your left hand clockwise.  The dough should catch on the outer edges of your palms as you slide it back towards you on the countertops.  The catching and rolling motion will make smooth doughballs.)

Sourdough Stuffing

Ya ya, this picture is not the greatest - it's from Thanksgiving 2005 if you want the tragic details.  I'll have to take some better ones this year.  And while I was looking for a picture of my stuffing to post, I realized I have absolutely no Thanksgiving pictures from 2007.  That is the real tragedy!  Very hard to believe too since we're such the picture taking family.

Anyway, here is my stuffing recipe.  It is TAAASTY!  And if you don't like sausage...me either!  But I LOVE it in this recipe.  I've never met a person that didn't like my stuffing, so don't be the first.  This recipe makes enough to stuff your turkey, plus fill an oversized casserole dish.

Ingredients:

1 loaf sourdough bread, cubed & dried or toasted in the oven

1 8x8 pan of cornbread, cubed & dried or toasted in the oven

1 box of Mrs. Cubbison's Seasoned Dressing

1/2 bunch celery, chopped

1 large onion, small diced

1 lb. sage sausage, pick a good one, no cheapies (a bad sausage can ruin your stuffing)

2-3 apples, peeled & diced (optional)

1 cup Craisins (optional)

2 cubes butter

2 cans chicken broth

1 tsp. dried sage

Directions:

I often make my cornbread a day or two before Thanksgiving and allow it to harden, but you can also use the oven toasted method.  The best sourdough I've used is a round loaf made by the Coeur d'Alene French Baking Co., but you can get it at Walmart - it's usually on the bottom or top shelf.  The two things that make this recipe great are the sourdough bread and the sage sausage, so don't use alternatives!

Place the cubed & dried sourdough, cornbread, Mrs. Cubbison's boxed stuffing mix & Craisins into a large mixing bowl - or two if need be. 

Cook sausage & extra sage seasoning in a large skillet over medium high heat until heated through.  Remove sausage from the pan and allow to drain on paper towels.  Add butter to the pan, followed by the onions, celery & apples.  Allow to cook for a few minutes or until slightly tender, but not mushy.   Stir cooked produce & sausage into the bread mixture.  Add chicken broth until moistened and stir again to distribute.  You may need more or less broth depending on how much bread you've used.  (You want the bread to be soft and a little wet, but not soggy or mushy.)  Now you're ready to stuff your turkey!

Place leftover stuffing into a casserole dish and bake covered @ 350 for 30 minutes.  Remove covering and bake for an additional 10 minutes or until crisp on top.

Note: You can prepare this the night before.  Just refrigerate the sausage/produce mixture and add to the bread & broth in the morning prior to stuffing your turkey.

Apple Spice Muffins

I had lots of yummy apples to use this year (thanks to my dear sister-in-law!) so I had to come up with some more ways to use them.  This recipe turned out really well, and it's healthy!  The best thing about muffins (other than eating them hot) is they freeze really well.  So just eat what you'd like, freeze the rest, and then use them for breakfast on a morning when you're short on time or ideas.  My kids LOVE muffins for breakfast and think they're getting a cupcake - easy trickery!

Ingredients:
1 1/2 cups whole wheat flour
1/2 cup whole oats
2 1/2 tsp baking powder
1 1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp ground cloves
1/2 tsp salt
2 eggs
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup oil
1/2 cup milk
1/2 cup applesauce
1 cup apples, diced & peeled
1 T lemon juice
Topping:
1/2 tsp cinnamon mixed with 3 T sugar

Directions:
Grease or line muffin tins with paper cups.  Combine flour, oats, baking powder, cinnamon, cloves & salt in medium bowl.  In another bowl, whisk together eggs, sugar, oil, milk, applesauce, apples & lemon juice.  Add flour mixture to liquid ingredients and stir just until flour disappears.  Spoon into muffin cups.  Sprinkle tops with cinnamon sugar mixture and bake for 18-20 minutes @ 375 degrees.  Makes 12