where the secret ingredient is love
Week of December 14
Monday: crockpot minestrone soup
Tuesday: breakfast for dinner with my Bible study!
Wednesday: chicken tetrazzini [I haven’t had this in YEARS]
Thursday: kale frittata
Friday: work Christmas party
Saturday: black beans & rice
Sunday: out to eat
Soft, buttery yeast rolls made with saffron and golden raisins. St. Lucia Buns are a Christmas treat you do not want to miss!
I have wanted to celebrate St. Lucia’s Day for nearly 22 years, and last December, I finally did it. When I was eight years old, I received a Kirsten doll for my birthday. If you were a girl in the 80s and 90s [or have a little girl today!] you know how much of a Big Deal that was. I read every single one of Kirsten’s stories again and again, and all the other doll’s stories again.
This photo isn’t from Christmas, but it was the best digital photo I could find with Kirsten, except for some embarrassing college photos of my friend and I with our Kirsten dolls. 😉 Yes, we were the kind who brought our dolls to college for a birthday party… wild and crazy, huh? Ha! Since Kirsten is from Sweden, her family always celebrated the Christmas season with a visit from St. Lucia… only their first Christmas in America, according to the wonderful book, Kirsten’s Surprise, all the necessary supplies for the day were stuck in town! You can imagine the drama, if you haven’t already read the book. 🙂 And you can probably predict the outcome too–Kirsten saves the day [along with some help from dear ‘ole Dad] and the family celebrates St. Lucia Day as usual. It was glorious!
Traditionally, St. Lucia’s Day is celebrated on December 13th–this coming Sunday! Lucia, who died as a martyr for her faith, is the saint of light and as such, an important symbol throughout Scandinavia as a promise of light through the dark and wintry months. Typically, the eldest daughter in the family wakes the family with singing and the treat of these delicious buns. She wears a white gown with a red sash and a crown of berries, twigs, and candles. It always seemed like such a lovely tradition to me, but for some reason I never woke up earlier than my parents with a freshly baked batch of sweet, golden yeast buns! Funny! Ha.
These rolls, though a bit labor-intensive, are worth every bit of the time and effort. They’re absolutely SO soft and buttery, and a beautiful shade of golden yellow from the saffron. Saffron can be expensive [ugh] but it’s pretty reasonably priced at Trader Joe’s. I’ve also seen it at World Market in the past, and found mine in the Latin section of my local Publix… a tiny amount for a few dollars. I’m sure it’s not the best quality, but c’est la vie… These buns taste amazing straight from the oven with some fresh butter, but they’re also enjoyable for breakfasts with coffee and fruit over the next few days. #perfection Hope you can try these this weekend to celebrate St. Lucia!
one year ago: Art Smith’s Macaroni and Cheese
two years ago: Cranberry-Pistachio Citrus Butter Cookies
three years ago: Streuseled Cran-Apple Sweet Potato Casserole
four years ago: Cranberry Pineapple Sauce
five years ago: Cheddar Black Pepper Biscuits
from King Arthur Flour
Ingredients:
Directions:
Place milk and saffron in a small saucepan set over medium heat. Heat to just a simmer [so not long at all!] and remove from heat. Stir in butter, then set aside for the butter to melt and the mixture to cool to lukewarm. This will take about 35 minutes, but you can speed it up about 10 minutes by placing the entire saucepan in the refrigerator.
In a large bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer, whisk together the flour, yeast, potato flour, salt, and sugar. Crack the eggs into a small bowl, reserving the white for the topping later.
When the milk mixture has cooled sufficiently, pour over the dry ingredients. Add the eggs [2 whole eggs and 1 yolk] and vanilla. Mix to combine, then knead until the dough is smooth. In the mixer this should take about 7 minutes; by hand, 10 minutes.
Transfer the dough to a large greased bowl, then cover and let rise for an hour. The dough doesn’t have to be quite doubled, but should be puffy.
Gently tap to deflate the dough, then divide into 12 equal pieces. King Arthur Flour recommended a scale–each piece should weigh about 92 grams or 3.25 ounces. You can also do the ‘ole divide in half and half and half trick too.
Roll each piece into a short log, then cover and let rest for about 10 minutes.
Then roll into a thin 15-18 inch rope. It’ll shrink when you stop rolling, but that’s okay. Shape each roll into an “S,” then place a golden raisin in each of the coils if you would like.
Line a couple baking sheets with parchment paper or a silpat, or grease lightly. Place buns about an inch apart on the baking sheets, then cover and let rise for 30 minutes or until puffy. They shouldn’t double in size. At this time, preheat oven to 375 degrees.
Add 1 tablespoon cold water to reserved egg white, then brush mixture on each bun. Sprinkle with coarse pearl sugar if desired.
Bake for 18-20 minutes, or until golden brown. Check on the rolls after 15 minutes for doneness–especially if your oven runs hot or if you used raisins, as you’ll want to tent with foil for the last few minutes to prevent burning.
Cool on a wire rack. Enjoy!
Light, airy cornbread with a hint of pumpkin and spice! Perfect for all your soup-dipping needs. 🙂
I always forget about making cornbread or any bread for dinner until it’s too late. The soup is already done, or we’re starving. I don’t know what it is–I always plan ahead for a salad or other veggie side, but when it comes to bread I just forget about it. Makes no sense because I love it! So whenever there’s a soup-based meal planned at work or with our friends, I love to volunteer to make the bread or cornbread for dipping. I made this pumpkin cornbread earlier this fall and it was absolutely FABULOUS! It didn’t have that dense texture that some cornbreads get, so it was light and airy, just like I like it. Plus it was a little sweet but not overly so… delicious with or without extra butter and honey. 🙂
Isa the kitten was very interested in it too, btw! Don’t worry–these photos were taken AFTER I served this cornbread to others. 🙂 My favorite part of this cornbread was how crispy the edges got. I’m not really an edge brownie girl [give me the fudgy middle piece any day!] but crisp edges of bread or cake are my jam. There’s just something about how everything caramelizes as it bakes that’s delightful. I know pumpkin season is nearly complete, but soup season is still a-happening so this pumpkin cornbread should happen in your kitchen too! Enjoy!
one year ago: Mini Apple Cupcakes with Cranberry Buttercream
two years ago: Dark Chocolate Ginger Squares
three years ago: Caramel Apple Dip
four years ago: Honey Yeast Dinner Rolls
five years ago: Pumpkin Pancakes
from Sweet Pea’s Kitchen
Ingredients:
Directions:
Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Grease an 8×8 baking dish with cooking spray.
In a medium bowl, stir together flour, baking powder, pumpkin pie spice, brown sugar, and cornmeal. In a small bowl, whisk together eggs, pumpkin, oil, and molasses. Pour wet ingredients into the dry, then gently stir to incorporate. Mixture may be a little lumpy. Transfer to prepared baking dish, then bake for 25-30 minutes until the top is golden brown and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
Serve warm! Cool completely before covering, then keep at room temperature for up to 3 days before freezing any leftovers. Leftovers can be cut into individual pieces and wrapped in plastic or foil to enjoy later.
What’s Been Happening
Oh gosh. It’s been so long for October I kind of forget. I do know it’s been a great fall though! 🙂 In October we went back to Bloomington for the Ohio State/Indiana football game. IU lost so I was sad but OSU won so Ben was happy. We got to eat at all our favorite spots and see a few good friends [but not enough friends] so that was fun! You can’t go wrong with the giant almond sweet rolls at the farmer’s market in Bloomington! At first I thought this shop didn’t sell there anymore, but I was glad to be proved wrong! 🙂
https://www.instagram.com/p/8YPcT7sCKO/?taken-by=thepajamachef
Other than that trip, we honestly spent a lot of time outside or at home.
My favorites ❤
https://www.instagram.com/p/89DZMrMCAz/?taken-by=thepajamachef
On Halloween [first Halloween in our new house…first trick or treaters on a rainy night… we loved it!] I ran half of a half marathon with a friend [it was a relay]… and we WON! Woohoo, so fun! 🙂 That night Ben and I got Pizza Hut for dinner. I hadn’t had it in forever and it was wayyyy too good. But maybe it was all that running I did.
https://www.instagram.com/p/9gomDnsCHC/?taken-by=thepajamachef
One nice thing we’ve discovered about Nashville is that the fall leaf season lasts much longer down here. This was a couple weeks into November! Lovely leaves!
https://www.instagram.com/p/9q7wsnsCIB/?taken-by=thepajamachef
Since we are now in a new area of Nashville, we’ve been slowly trying all the local restaurants with pretty much weekly Friday night dinner dates. It’s nice to eat out after a long work week, huh? One Saturday afternoon I got to catch up with a friend at a local cafe. This maple latte was awesome!
https://www.instagram.com/p/9zQbUWsCDp/?taken-by=thepajamachef
Ben and I have also started a tradition of Sunday morning breakfasts. Mostly before church, but a few have been more like brunches after church. I’ve made cinnamon rolls [the fabulous recipe to come!], these yummy egg crescent rolls [see below], a breakfast pizza that was actually a flop, pancakes, and more. I think cranberry orange pancakes with cranberry maple syrup are on the agenda for this Sunday!
https://www.instagram.com/p/903zKBsCI1/?taken-by=thepajamachef
Thanksgiving with my family was obviously a highlight of the month too. We were in Midland, Michigan where my grandpa lives. It was so fun seeing my parents, sister, brother-in-law, cousin, and of course, my nephew! I’m trying to turn him into an IU fan. His Purdue parents aren’t thrilled about it, but I don’t care. 🙂 #auntieprivileges This photo alone made our horrible drive back to Nashville [13 1/2 hours instead of 9] worth it. 🙂
https://www.instagram.com/p/-ofKpoMCGr/?taken-by=thepajamachef
What I’m Reading
Over these two months I read/listened to twenty books. This brings me to 110 books in 2015…only 10 more to go for my reading goal! 🙂 And I’ve already read one in December [spoiler alert] so I’m at 111. I think I’ll get there. For sure! You can, as always, find my reviews on Goodreads. 🙂
My favorite book was The Lake House. If you like layered stories, WWII, historical/contemporary stories, or Kate Morton you will LOVE this one. My fave! A great audiobook was Secrets of a Charmed Life. Equally awesome for pretty much the same reasons. You can find short reviews of all my reads on Goodreads, but I also reviewed Called for Life and The Photograph on my blog!
Some great articles I’ve read online include:
What I’ve Been Cooking
Hmmm, what have I been cooking? I made a killer beef stroganoff to break in our new to us dining room table.
https://www.instagram.com/p/8zDcCqMCJu/?taken-by=thepajamachef
It’s fall, so countless batches of pumpkin chocolate chip mini muffins, pumpkin cranberry bread, and applesauce have been on tap too. I know sometimes bloggers say things like “countless batches” to make people think they make the same recipe over and over and over again, but for me it is totally true! We can’t get enough of these fall favorites. 🙂
What’s on the Blog
My most popular recipe in October was Coconut Oil Chocolate Chip Cookies.
For November, it was Simple Teriyaki Chicken. MMM!
Most popular recipes from the archive for October included: Cinnamon Sugar Apple Cake, Buffalo Pretzels, and Funfetti Cookies, as usual. 🙂 For November, it was the same except this wonderful Sausage, Apple, and Egg Casserole snuck in there ahead of those cookies. Yum!
What were you into in October/November?
Linking up with Leigh Kramer to share what I’ve been into lately.
Read on to learn more about Beverly Lewis’ The Photograph! A great read to cozy up with this fall/winter! 🙂
A description of the book from the publisher:
Eva Esch and her sisters are in a predicament. With the passing of their widowed mother, Eva’s older brother plans to move his growing family into the Eden Valley farmhouse where they all grew up, leaving little room for his three single sisters. Unless they marry within the year, the only apparent option is for two sisters to go to Indiana to live with an elderly great aunt. Eva hopes to be married, but she isn’t sure she wants to give up her sweet shop for the life of a farmer’s wife. And she can’t see how her prospects would be any better in Indiana.
When younger sister Lily disappears in the night, leaving only a brief note, Eva fears she has been wooed away from the People by an outsider. And when Jed Stutzman, a young Amish buggy maker from Ohio, shows up at Eva’s market stand in Lancaster with a photo of a Plain young woman, Eva’s world begins to tilt.
As usual, my five point review:
What are you reading lately?
Disclosure: I received a complimentary copy of this book from Bethany House Publishers. However, I was not required to write a positive review. The thoughts expressed above are entirely my own. Thanks to Bethany House for the chance to read this great book!
The Pajama Chef 