HU - Well....look at that, I forgot all about this old thread. 8 years ago? Wow! So, you are happy for Thanksgiving....what are you looking forward to? So, do you have family somewhere that you are not going to be able to get together with? We will not be able to get together with our family. First time in our lives that will be the case. Not one Thanksgiving or Christmas that we haven't been able to get together for a holiday dinner. So I'd say that is something to be VERY thankful for. And I'm a lot older than you are. [g]. And I hadn't thought about it that way until just this minute. So you did me a favor to bring this thread up. We are going to be making dinner, which we enjoy doing. We will have dinner ourselves but we will be delivering Thanksgiving Dinner to a couple of our kids. A small, easy, traditional dinner. I just got through making a food order. I looked at a weather forecast and it may rain on Thanksgiving, which would make it difficult to even have a short visit outdoors with anyone, but the forecast is wrong a lot, especially when it's an early one. So, what are you looking forward to HU?

My favorite right now is Sol's Honey Rolls. The recipe does not call for kneading but I put it into my bread machine anyway, works like a charm: Sol's Honey Rolls 1 Cup milk 1/2 Cup honey 1/2 Cup butter [1 stick] 2 Tsp salt 1 -2 tablespoons granulated sugar* 2 pkges. dry yeast 1/2 Cup warm water [110ú-115úF] 2 large eggs lightly beaten 6- 6 1/2 cups All Purpose flour Heat the milk, add butter and salt. Set aside while butter melts. Stir in the honey. In another bowl, combine the warm water, yeast and sugar. Let it sit until yeast is completely dissolved, about 6-7 minutes. Combine milk mixture with yeast mixture. And stir in the beaten eggs. Beat in 4 cups flour. Add enough remaining flour to make a soft, but not sticky dough. Place dough in greased bowl, turning to coat both sides. Cover and allow dough to rise 1 hour. Punch dough down, and allow to rise another hour. Punch down again, and shape dough into rolls. Let it rise again 45 minutes to an hour or until doubled in volume. Preheat your oven to 375F and bake rolls for 25 minutes or until a deep golden brown. For a very soft crust, brush rolls with melted butter as soon as they come out of the oven. Note: You could omit the sugar from this recipe altogether. I sometimes use about a teaspoon of the honey called for in the recipe to feed the yeast instead of the sugar. As an alternative, I like these and I do them in the bread machine too: Butternut Squash Rolls 1 package (1/4 ounce) active dry yeast 1 cup warm milk (110ð to 115ð) 1/4 cup warm water (110ð to 115ð) 3 tablespoons butter, softened 2 teaspoons salt 1/2 cup sugar 1 cup mashed cooked butternut squash 5 to 5-1/2 cups all-purpose flour, divided In a large bowl, dissolve yeast in milk and water. Add the butter, salt, sugar, squash and 3 cups flour; beat until smooth. Add enough remaining flour to form a soft dough. Turn onto a floured surface; knead until smooth and elastic, about 6-8 minutes. Place in a greased bowl, turning once to grease top. Cover and let rise in a warm place until doubled, about 1 hour. Punch dough down. Form into rolls; place in two greased 10-in.cast-iron skillets or 9-in. round baking pans. Cover and let rise until doubled, about 30 minutes. Bake at 375ð for 20-25 minutes or until golden brown. Yield: 2 dozen. Annie

I'm experiencing the lull before the storm right now, so I thought I'd better take the opportunity to express my thanks for the recipe. I baked the rolls yesterday, and decided my husband and I could share one roll -- just a taste test. When he was done with his portion he told me he'd be happy to finish off the other 19 rolls all by himself and just keep their prior existence a secret from the rest of the family at Thanksgiving dinner. So I'd say they were a hit with him! I liked them too. And with some leftover mashed butternut squash and canned pumpkin, I can see me making a few more batches in the near future. Next time, however, I'll make sandwich rolls because I use those more than dinner rolls. I like having sandwich/hamburger buns in the freezer because they're so versatile. Thanks for the recipe, Annie.

-Think whole foods..... It helps for both vegetarians and gluten-free food options - and everyone else, too. There are so many "hidden" ingredients you can easily miss when using commercial products. Wheat and wheat by-products are put in so many things. There is wheat in Twizzlers, as an example of an unexpected source. There is wheat in Pringles, but not in Lays, potato chips in the tube cans. -Our Wal-Mart is carrying a good selection of gluten-free items (baking mixes, cereals - hot and cold, baking ingredients, all-purpose flour and G-F Bisquick, snack foods, dressing/stuffing mix, etc., so that could help simplify some of the gluten-free items without having to purchase a lot of individual ingredients you may not need again. They also carry xanthan gum in small envelopes (like yeast come in), so you don't need to purchase a large, and expensive, amount. -This is a really versatile recipe for cornbread that everyone can enjoy. You could use any number of egg substitutes if your vegetarians don't eat eggs. Flax-Goop (flaxseed and water mixture) is a good choice. The recipe makes a very thin pan of cornbread, when made according to the recipe. Cut it into 2- to 3-inch square slices, split the slice with a long serrated bread knife, and you can use it for grilled sandwiches. This recipe can also be cut into small triangles and used as bases for dips and spreads. I always keep some in the freezer to use for cornbread with a meal or as a sliced bread replacement. It can be used crumbled for dressing/stuffing. I cut small rectangles and grill them until they are crispy with garlic butter on them, to serve with a G-F pasta-based meals. Cut into cubes, seasoned with Italian seasonings and baked until toasted and you've got croutons. CRUNCHY CORNBREAD SQUARES (source: The No-Gluten Cookbook) Makes 15-20 squares 1 c. cornmeal 1 c. corn flour (I use Masa flour) 2 t. baking soda 1 t. cream of tartar 1 t. salt, or to taste 4 T. white or brown sugar (I use palm sugar) 1 c. GF sour cream 1/4 c. buttermilk 2 beaten eggs 4 T. butter, melted 1. Prepare a 9x13" baking pan with GF non-stick spray and preheat oven to 425-degrees F. Mix all the dry ingredients together in a bowl. Stir in sour cream, buttermilk, and eggs. (You can add various herbs and spices to change the flavors, such as oregano and garlic powder for Italian flavor, or chili and cumin for a Mexican taste.) 2. Pour into the prepared baking pan and bake for 20-minutes or until lightly browned. Grilled Cheese on Toasted Cornbread Squares (Makes 32 small squares) 1 recipe Crunchy Cornbread Squares (recipe above) 1/2 c. soft butter 1 c. cubed Monterey jack cheese 1/2 c. grated parmesan cheese 1/2 c. roasted red peppers, jarred is fine 1/2 c. chopped sweet red onion 1. Arrange the cornbread squares on a baking sheet that you have prepared with GF nonstick spray. Preheat the oven to 350-degrees F. 2. Whirr the rest of the ingredients in the food processor until mixed. Don't worry about making the cheese mixture smooth. Using a teaspoon, place a small mound of cheese/butter mixture on each cornbread square. 3. Bake until the cheese melts, about 10-minutes. You can vary this recipe by adding different herbs, chopped garlic, or any of your favorite flavors. -The best commercial G-F breads that we've tried are Udi's, Rudi's and Kinnikinnick and you will find them in the freezer case. Rice bread is awful and has been since my mother used it (she had celiac disease). I think they are best toasted or grilled, if using them for a sandwich. You might check with your guests to see if they have a brand preference. We are wheat-free, but I also avoid a lot of the high-glycemic ingredients found in these commercial breads and prefer making my own breads with coconut flour, almond flour, flaxmeal.... -When using G-F breads for French toast, allow the bread to dry-out a little, or even lightly toast the bread, to help keep it from falling apart during frying. I stick mine in the toaster oven on "warm" for 20-30 minutes, which dries the surface, but doesn't toast it. -Corn tortillas are your friend..... Use them for sandwich-style roll-ups, quesadillas..... Another useful corn flour product is P.A.N. Flour which is a pre-cooked white maize meal used to make Arepas. Arepas are a dense corncake type bread that can be used for nearly any meal - a cross between a pita and an English Muffin, and you can find recipes and videos on-line for how to make and serve them. -Mexican entrees are easy to make gluten-free and vegetarian-friendly with all the beans and rice choices, and there are many great Italian dishes that work for both (use gluten-free pasta). It's interesting how many of the new cookbooks are including vegetarian sections and many are now including gluten-free sections. -Grainlady