Thanksgiving

This is the sunrise we awoke to Thanksgiving morning. Wasn't it beautiful?

I made the dinner rolls...the recipe is at the bottom of the post...they were great! And my apple pie turned out pretty good. At least it was pretty...(heehee)!

We had the day with Michael's family.

Pumpkin Cloverleaf Rolls

“The herb flavoring is subtle, but the texture is rich. In fact, these pull-aparts are sweet and buttery enough to please even the most stubborn self-proclaimed vegetable hater – despite the fact that they’re made with (shhh) squash.” (Family Fun magazine, November 2008)

3¾ cups flour, plus more for sprinkling
1 package or 2¼ tsp instant or bread machine yeast
1 tsp salt
¼ cup milk
¼ cup honey
½ cup canned or frozen and thawed pureed pumpkin or squash
1 large egg
½ cup warm water
8 fresh sage leaves, slivered (or 1 1/3 tsp dried leaves)
½ cup (1 stick) butter

In a large bowl, mix together the flour, yeast, and salt and set it aside.

Pour the milk into a microwave-safe bowl or 4-cup glass measuring cup and microwave it on high for 30 seconds. Whisk in the honey, squash, egg, and water. (The liquid mixture should be less than 110°; anything hotter might kill the yeast.)

With a fork, blend the squash mixture into the flour mixture until you have soft dough. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 1 hour.

Two hours before baking, turn the dough out onto a floured surface and knead 6 sage leaves into the dough. Melt the butter and set it aside in a small bowl. Divide the dough in half, and then divide each half into 6 portions. Divide each portion into 3 pieces. With floured hands, roll each piece into a ball and dip it into the melted butter. Place 3 balls in a muffin cup. Continue until 12 muffin cups are filled.

Drizzle or brush each roll with ½ teaspoon of the leftover melted butter and then sprinkle them with the rest of the sage. Let the rolls rise in a warm spot (at least 70°) until they’re double in size, about 1 to 1 ½ hours. The 3 balls of dough will rise together to form a cloverleaf shape.

Heat the oven to 350°. Bake the rolls until golden, about 15 to 17 minutes. Makes 1 dozen.