Fabulous Make Ahead Dinner Rolls

I'm a huge fan of the freezer. Anything I can do ahead of time and just pull out of the freezer is my go to. It's such an under-utilized tool in the kitchen, and ends up just being a storage space for most. I like to clean mine out and fill it with recipes like this.

Why I like this recipe: 

• It can be made a month ahead of time! I make these in the beginning of November and then pull them out 3 hours before Thanksgiving dinner. 
• The rolls turn out perfect every, single time! Some bread recipes can be fussy and not rise one time and then be a showstopper another. This one provides me with consistent results. 
• These rolls can be served with any type of meal: Thanksgiving, southern style, pasta, chicken etc. Very versatile in how many meals they can complement!

Ingredients:

• 3 Tbsp unsalted butter, plus more for greasing
• 1 1/2 cup milk (whole or half and half)
• 1/3 cup honey
• 4 Tbsp shortening (can use butter if you don't have)
• 5 - 5 1/2 cups of all-purpose flour
• 1 Tbsp yeast
• 2 tsp salt
• 1 egg, plus 1 egg beaten with 1 Tbsp water

To begin, place the oven rack in the middle and preheat the oven to 200 degrees. Once preheated, turn the oven off and try to minimize the amount of times you open the oven door. Using butter, grease a large bowl and a 9x13 pan lined with foil. 

Place milk, honey, butter, and shortening in a microwave proof bowl, and heat for 1 - 1 1/2 minutes, until the mixture reaches approximately 110 degrees. Do not overheat the milk as that will prevent the rolls from rising. Whisk together until all the butter and shortening is melted. 

In a mixer with a dough hook, add 4 1/2 cups of flour, salt, and yeast (make sure the salt and yeast are on separate sides of the bowl, like the picture below). Turn the mixer on low, and slowly add the milk mixture until combined, approximately 1 min. Increase the speed to medium and add the egg, allowing the dough to come together until it's smooth, about 2 minutes. Add another 1/2 cup of flour and mix for 6-7 minutes on medium. The dough should be smooth and have a shine; if it's sticky or wet, add up to 1/2 cup of flour more. 

On an un-floured surface, knead the dough by hand (1 -2 minutes). Once it's together in a ball and smooth, place in the greased bowl, cover with plastic wrap, and place in the oven. The dough will prove for 50 - 60 minutes, and should double in size. 

Once done proving, place the dough on a floured surface. Punch the dough down, and place on a scale. Divide the weight of the dough by 15, and you will have the weight of one roll. Measure each piece and roll into a ball, making sure the top is nice and smooth. Place each roll into the foil lined pan (the rolls should be lightly touching each other) and cover with plastic wrap. Place the pan in the oven, and allow the rolls to double in size (50 - 60 minutes). 

Once the rolls are done proving, take them out of the oven and preheat to 375 degrees. Take off the plastic wrap, and brush the egg mixture on top of each roll. Make sure to get the egg wash on the sides of the rolls that are visible at the top. Once the oven is ready, bake the rolls for 25 - 30 minutes until the tops are golden brown and the bottoms are cooked. I take the rolls out of the pan and gently pull down the foil to confirm the bottoms are cooked fully. 

Once the rolls are done, allow them to cool with the foil lining for 1 hour. After an hour, remove the foil and let the rolls cool for 2 hours. Once they are fully cool, they rolls should be wrapped in plastic wrap, then foil, before placing in the freezer. They can be kept in the freezer up to a month. 

The day of "roll consumption," take them out of the freezer and allow to thaw for 2 hours. Remove the plastic wrap and re-wrap them in the foil. Warm the rolls at 375 degrees for 30 minutes and serve warm.

Chicken Broth

If you are anything like me, about midway through the week, you find yourself stopping at the grocery store buying a rotisserie chicken...and you're not happy about it. You know you can make something better (you simply don't have the time), and you know about half of it will go to waste. Well, I can't help you get more time in the day, but I do have a solution for what to do with the leftovers!

I have been mortified when I flip over the box for chicken broth, and see all the "ingredients." Some I can't pronounce, others I feel don't need to be in chicken broth. I wanted to make my own, but the idea of adding another thing to make from scratch for a recipe seemed silly. However, I started toying with the idea of making it from leftover ingredients and storing it in my fridge for when the day comes I needed it.

I started with the leftover rotisserie chicken, but didn't want to stand over a boiling pot or have to think about it all day. So I threw the chicken in the slower cooker, roughly chopped one onion, smashed some leftover garlic, and covered all of these with 3 quarts of water. I set it for 10 hours (because I was going to bed and didn't want to deal with it until the morning); however, the cooking time can be adjusted to how much time you have. Nothing is cooking in the cooker, we are just wanting to heat everything up so it releases it juices and becomes chicken broth.

When I got up in the morning, the broth was ready to be strained, and put in jars. I took the leftover chicken and onions and squeezed the liquid out of them, as that was the best and most flavorful broth. Once I was done, the broth could be stored in the fridge for 2 weeks to a month.

Ingredients: 
One leftover rotisserie chicken
1 onion, chopped
3-6 garlic cloves, smashed
3 quarts of water

Take the chicken, onion, and garlic and place it in a slow cooker. Cover with 3 quarts of water, and cook on low for 8-10 hours or on high for 4-6 hours. Once done cooking, using a strainer remove the broth into jars. Make sure you squeeze the chicken and onions to remove more broth and juice. Once you are done, it can be stored in your fridge for 2 weeks to a month.

Pumpkin Cheesecake: The Pie Alternative!

I’m going to be honest, I had to prepare myself to do the write up of this recipe. I struggle with classifying it as a “realistic meal” as it is time consuming and has multiple steps. But let me tell you, this one is worth it! If you feel like your Thanksgiving desserts are starting to get a little dry or same ole, same ole, this is the recipe for you. Even non-cheesecake lovers have loved this dessert, and maybe being able to make it the day before should help!

Crust: Preheat the oven to 325 with the rack to the lower-middle position. Grease the pan with the inside of the butter wrapper, making sure to get the sides. In the food processor pulse crackers, sugar, and spices until it has a fine, even consistency. I was taught to always do 2-3 second pulses to insure that the crackers are evenly processed.

Add the melted butter, and stir in the butter until fully mixed with the crackers. Put the crumbs into springform pan and, use your hand to spread crumbs into even layer on the bottom of the pan. Save yourself the cleaning of extra utensils like spoons or bottom of glasses, and use your hand to press down on the crumbs. Bake until fragrant and the crust has browned slightly, about 15 minutes. Allow the crust to cool completely before adding the filing, about 30 minutes.

Filling: Bring about 4 quarts of water to simmer in stockpot. I used to always read this and wonder why I needed hot water; sometimes skipping this step thinking it was a mistake. Don’t do that; you need it for the bath around the cheesecake while in the oven. Combine the sugar, spices, and salt in small bowl and set aside. In a standing mixer, mix the cream cheese until it has a soft, “whipped” consistency, about 1 minute. Add 1/3 of the sugar mixture, mix until fully combined, scrape the side of the bowl, and add another 1/3 of the sugar mixture. After that is fully combined again, scrape the side of the bowl, and add the remaining amount of sugar.

Add the pumpkin, vanilla, and lemon juice, and mix until combined, about 1 minute and scrape the side of the bowl. Add 3 eggs and mix for about 1 minute, scrape the side of the bowl, and add the remaining 2 eggs. Mix for another minute, and scrape the sides before adding the heavy cream. Mix the heavy cream on low until fully combined. Finally, stir the mixture by hand making sure to get the sides of the bowl.

Wrap foil around the bottom of the pan, making sure there are no places for water to seep in. I go a little crazy when wrapping foil around pan and do it at least twice because a soggy crust due to water leaking in, will be heart crushing after all your hard work. Pour the filling into the pan and tap the side of the pan once or twice, removing any air bubbles and smoothing the top. Set the cake in a large roasting pan, and surround the springform pan with boiling water, about hallway up. Bake for 1 ½ hours, until the center still jiggles slightly, and remove the cake from the oven. Mine tends to take a little longer than 1 ½ hours, so don’t panic if you don’t think it is quite ready to be removed from the oven. 

Allow the cake to continue cooking in the water for approximately 45 minutes. Remove the springform from the water, and cool for an additional 3 hours before placing into the refrigerator. I also always forget about the “cool for 3 hours” part when making this recipe as well. Make sure you are starting this early enough in the day that you don’t want to go to bed right after making this cake. A friend had her husband get up in the middle of the night to put the cake in the fridge. I don’t know about you, but would rather not have to make this ask the night before company is coming over! The cake should be refrigerated for at least 4 hours and up to 24 hours. When serving, take a paring knife and run it around the sides of the pan. Release the springform pan, carefully remove the side, and serve!

Dry Pumpkin: Spread the pumpkin out of the can onto a baking sheet lined with paper towels, two to three layers. Cover pumpkin with another layer of paper towels and press firmly until paper towels are no longer absorbing liquid. Remove the top layer of towels and fold pumpkin in half; peeling back the towels on the bottom. Add another layer of paper towels to the top, and repeat. Continue to flip the pumpkin, pressing down to absorb as much liquid as possible.

Crust:

9 graham crackers broken into 1” pieces, one packet

3 tbsp sugar

½ tsp ground ginger

½ tsp cinnamon

¼ tsp ground cloves

6 tbsp unsalted butter, melted

Filing:

1 1/3 cups sugar

1 tsp cinnamon

½ tsp ground ginger

¼ tsp ground nutmeg

¼ tsp ground cloves

¼ tsp allspice

½ tsp salt

1 can (15 oz) pumpkin

1.5 lbs cream cheese, room temperature

1 tbsp vanilla extract

1 tbsp lemon

5 large eggs

1 cup heavy cream

Crust: Preheat the oven to 325 with the rack to the lower-middle position. Grease the pan with the inside of the butter wrapper, making sure to get the sides. In the food processor pulse crackers, sugar, and spices until it has a fine, even consistency. Add the melted butter, and stir in the butter until fully mixed with the crackers. Put the crumbs into springform pan and, use your hand to spread crumbs into even layer on the bottom of the pan. Bake until fragrant and the crust has browned slightly, about 15 minutes. Allow the crust to cool completely before adding the filing, about 30 minutes.

Filling: Bring about 4 quarts of water to simmer in stockpot. Combine the sugar, spices, and salt in small bowl and set aside. In a standing mixer, mix the cream cheese until it has a soft, “whipped” consistency, about 1 minute. Add 1/3 of the sugar mixture, mix until fully combined, scrape the side of the bowl, and add another 1/3 of the sugar mixture. After that is fully combined again, scrape the side of the bowl, and add the remaining amount of sugar.

Add the pumpkin, vanilla, and lemon juice, and mix until combined, about 1 minute and scrape the side of the bowl. Add 3 eggs and mix for about 1 minute, scrape the side of the bowl, and add the remaining 2 eggs. Mix for another minute, and scrape the sides before adding the heavy cream. Mix the heavy cream on low until fully combined. Finally, stir the mixture by hand making sure to get the sides of the bowl.

Wrap foil around the bottom of the pan, making sure there are no places for water to seep in. Pour the filling into the pan and tap the side of the pan once or twice, removing any air bubbles and smoothing the top. Set the cake in a large roasting pan, and surround the springform pan with boiling water, about hallway up. Bake for 1 ½ hours, until the center still jiggles slightly, and remove the cake from the oven.

Allow the cake to continue cooking in the water for approximately 45 minutes. Remove the springform from the water, and cool for an additional 3 hours before placing into the refrigerator. The cake should be refrigerated for at least 4 hours and up to 24 hours. When serving, take a paring knife and run it around the sides of the pan. Release the springform pan, carefully remove the side, and serve!

Dry Pumpkin: Spread the pumpkin out of the can onto a baking sheet lined with paper towels, two to three layers. Cover pumpkin with another layer of paper towel, s and press firmly until paper towels are no longer absorbing liquid. Remove the top layer of towels and fold pumpkin in half; peeling back the towels on the bottom. Add another layer of paper towels to the top, and repeat. Continue to flip the pumpkin, pressing down to absorb as much liquid as possible.