Dear Little Rolls

Growing up I would always go to my Grandparents' home for Thanksgiving dinner. Relatives from as far as Colorado would come every year to "The Hill" (aka Grandma & Grandpa's house) which was situated in the foothills of Northern California. All the cousins would chase each other around the acreage all morning long and then warm up near Grandpa's warm fire. Some years we has as many as 30 family members there for the feast. I remember it as a special time full of delicious fun.

It has been probably over 10 years since my last Thanksgiving feast at my Grandparents' home on The Hill and, with my own little family, traditions have changed for me.

The first Thanksgiving Brian and I were married I had just been hired on at a new job working at a hospital and they would only let me have Thanksgiving Day off; which meant we couldn't drive 10 hours each way to the Carini's home in Connecticut. Brian and I had a relaxing Thanksgiving in Pittsburgh. Our feast was at Boston Market and we went to the dollar theater in town for a double showing. I don't remember the movies we saw but it was fun to see two in a row. (What a splurge!!!)

The last four years have been Brian's traditional Thanksgiving. We have been able to go to the Carini's for Thanksgiving dinner. But it is, obviously, quite different from my traditional Thanksgiving. One of the many things I love about the Carini's (Marilyn in particular) is that they have wonderful dinners almost every night. Meats, grains, vegetables, etc. fill their table for a nightly feast. I absolutely love it and I enjoy listening to their varied discussions and banters. But with wonderful feasting occurring on a regular basis Thanksgiving then becomes (at least for me) just another delicious night at the Carini's with crystal glasses filled with grape juice. On one hand, the magic is gone; but on the other I'm so grateful for such a wonderful, loving family that I married into.

A couple of times I've tried to contribute a bit to the feast by making rolls. My sister found this recipe a while ago on epicurious.com now I make it for Thanksgiving. Although I cooked them a little long this year and so they weren't such a hit, as usual; blackened bottoms left all over the table.

I cut 8 rolls per circle but I think it should be 12-16. I don't brush with butter the last time but it would probably make them shiny. And the raising time can be quite long (more than an hour, for sure!) so allow plenty of time for these rolls.

Here's the recipe:

Combine and cool:
1 cup milk, scalded
1/2 cup margarine
1/2 cup sugar
1 teaspoon salt

Add:
1 package dry yeast
3 beaten eggs

Add the above ingredients to 4 1/2 cups flour. Mix until ingredients form a smooth, soft dough. Knead lightly on floured surface for several minutes. Place dough in greased bowl. Cover. Let rise until at least double in bulk.

Divide dough in thirds; roll each third out on floured surface to 9-inch circle. Brush with melted butter. Cut each circle in 12 to 16 wedges. Roll each wedge starting with wide end. Arrange on greased baking sheet and brush with melted butter. Cover and let rise until almost double in size.

Bake at 400°F for 10 to 15 minutes. Remove rolls from pan and brush with butter and cool on racks.