The Season of Gratitude

from Coronado Magazine - November 2020

Autumn Alive

THE SEASON OF GRATITUDE BY DENISE LYON

RICH FOGS HIDE THE OCEANS OF NOVEMBER, AND AUTUMN TIME BRINGS COLOR AND WARMTH.

“I am thankful for the nights that turned into mornings, friends that turned into family and dreams that turned into reality.”

Gratitude helps us appreciate what we already have and reminds us of our remarkable ability to adapt and change as our circumstances are altered. The holidays are almost here and though we won’t be celebrating like we have in the past, we can still find so much to be thankful for. There still is beauty and goodness around us. Be creative. Share it with those around you.

Whatever the present moment contains, accept it as if you had chosen it.- Eckhart Tolle

Cinnamon Rolls

Serves 12.

Baking fresh cinnamon rolls is a wonderful way to begin your day. You can make them the night before and bake them in the morning. The whole kitchen will smell warm and inviting.

The Dough: 1 cup warm milk 2 1/2 teaspoons instant dry yeast 2 large eggs at room temperature 1/3 cup salted butter just barely melted 4 1/2 cups all-purpose flour 1 teaspoon salt 1/2 cup granulated sugar

The Filling: 1/2 cup salted butter, almost melted 1 cup packed brown sugar 2 tablespoons cinnamon

The Frosting: 1-2 tablespoons milk or cream 1/4 cup powdered sugar 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

Pour the warm milk in the bowl of a stand mixer and sprinkle the yeast over top. Add the eggs, butter, salt and sugar. Add in 4 cups flour (save the other 1/2 cup and add only if you need it) and mix using the beater blade just until the ingredients are barely combined. Allow the mixture to rest for 5 minutes so the flour has time to soak up the liquids.

Scrape the dough off the beater blade and remove it. Attach the dough hook. Beat the dough on medium speed, adding up to 1/2 cup more flour if needed to form a dough. Knead for 5-7 minutes or until the dough is elastic and smooth. The dough should be tacky and will still be sticking to the sides of the bowl. That’s ok! Don’t be tempted to add more flour at this point. We generally add about 4 1/2 cups, but start with 4 cups.

Remove the dough from the mixer bowl and place it in the greased large bowl. Cover the bowl with a towel or wax paper. Set the bowl in a warm place and allow the dough to rise until doubled. Option: Turn on the oven to the lowest setting for 1-2 minutes, turn off, place dough inside to rise. It normally takes about 30 minutes for the dough to rise.

Prepare the cinnamon filling. In a medium bowl, combine soft butter, brown sugar and cinnamon, mixing until well combined. Set aside.

Sprinkle a pastry mat generously with flour. Turn out the dough onto mat and sprinkle the top of the dough with additional flour. Flour a rolling pin and roll the dough to about a 24x15” rectangle. Use a rubber spatula to smooth the cinnamon filling over the whole dough rectangle. Starting on the long end, roll the dough up tightly jelly roll style. Cut into 12 slices and place in a greased 9x13 baking pan. Cover the pan, allow rolls to rise for 20 minutes or until nearly doubled.

Preheat the oven to 375º. Once rolls have risen, bake 20-22 minutes, until the rolls are lightly golden brown and the center rolls are cooked through. Cool.

Prepare the powdered sugar glaze. In a small bowl, combine powdered sugar and vanilla extract with a splash of cream or milk, to a spreadable consistency. Blend well. Spread the frosting over the cooled rolls.

Dinner Rolls

Makes 12.

Make your dinner rolls more interesting by tying them with string before you bake them and they will come out of the oven looking like little pumpkins. They are a showstopper and delicious too.

Ingredients: 1 cup warm milk 1 (.25 ounce) package or 2 1/2 teaspoons active dry yeast 1 tablespoon honey, or more to taste 4 tablespoons melted butter 1 teaspoon fine salt 3 cups all-purpose flour, or more as needed Kitchen string, 48 pieces 10 inches long Vegetable oil, or as needed 6 whole pecans cut vertically in half Egg wash (1 egg blended with a fork)

*You can use frozen bread dough or make your own.

Combine warm milk, yeast, honey, and butter in a bowl; stir. Add salt and most of the flour, reserving the rest for dusting. Stir, using a wooden spoon until a sticky dough forms. Dust work surface with leftover flour. Knead dough until smooth, elastic, and no longer sticky, adding more flour as needed. Form dough into a ball that springs back lightly when pressed. Transfer dough to a lightly greased bowl, cover with greased foil, let rise in a warm place until doubled in size, about 1 1/2 hours.

Meanwhile, place the 10 inch strings into a bowl, toss with oil to coat; set aside.

Press risen dough down on a work surface. Cut dough in half and cut each half into 6 wedges. Roll each into a round ball by cupping your hand over the dough and pressing and rolling lightly in a circular motion for 10 to 15 seconds. Cover and let rest for 15 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 375º. Line two baking sheets with silicone liners or parchment paper. Place four pieces of string on your work surface. Crisscross strings over a center point into a star formation. Place a dough ball, smooth side-down, onto the center point. Firmly tie each string, spaced as evenly as possible, into a knot over the center of the roll. Snip off excess string using scissors. Place tied roll onto prepared baking sheet, knot-side down. Gently push finger into center until the sides push out of the string and it resembles a pumpkin shape. Repeat with remaining dough balls. Let rolls rise for about 30 minutes.

Brush egg wash on top of rolls. Bake in center of the preheated oven until lightly browned, 20 to 25 minutes. Remove from the oven, let cool about 15 minutes. Cut strings off of each roll at the tops and peel down carefully to remove. Cut a small hole in the tops of each roll and press the pecan “stems” into each hole. Makes 12 rolls.

Sugar Pumpkin Soup

Makes 4-6.

This time of year, the stores are full of beautiful squashes and pumpkins of all varieties. This year I roasted a whole pumpkin, peeled it and made a soup that I served in a scooped out and broiled squash. If you want to make something faster, you can buy canned pumpkin and make a quick and hearty soup.

To serve in small pumpkins or round squash, hollow out, brush the tops with butter and put under the broiler for a few minutes for that charred look. add olive oil, shallots, garlic and ginger. Cook for 2-3 minutes, or until slightly browned and translucent. Add remaining ingredients, including pumpkin, and bring to a simmer. Transfer soup mixture to blender or use an immersion blender to puree the soup. Pour

Sugar Pumpkin Soup 2 sugar pumpkins or pumpkin puree (2 pumpkins yield ~3 cups) 1 tablespoon olive oil 2 medium shallots or sweet onions, diced (about ¼ cup) 3 medium cloves garlic, minced 1 teaspoon minced fresh ginger 1 teaspoon dried thyme 3 cups vegetable or chicken broth 1 cup canned coconut milk (or substitute half and half or milk) 4 tablespoons maple syrup or agave nectar 1/2 teaspoon each sea salt, black pepper

Garlic Kale Sesame Topping (Optional) 1 cup roughly chopped kale 1 large clove garlic, minced 2 tablespoons raw sesame seeds 1 tablespoon olive oil 1 pinch salt

In a small skillet over medium heat, dry toast sesame seeds for 2-3 minutes, stirring frequently until slightly golden brown. Be careful as they can burn quickly. Remove from pan and set aside. To the still hot pan, add olive oil and garlic and sauté until golden brown, about 2 minutes. Add kale and toss, then add a pinch of salt. Cook for another few minutes until kale is slightly wilted and then add sesame seeds back in. Toss to coat and set

Preheat oven to 350º and line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Using a sharp knife, cut off the tops of the sugar pumpkins and then halve them. Use a sharp spoon to scrape out all seeds and strings. Brush pumpkin with oil and place face down on the baking sheet. Bake for 45-50 minutes or until a fork easily pierces skin. Remove from oven, let cool for 10 minutes, then peel away skin and set pumpkin aside.

To a large saucepan over medium heat aside for topping soup.

mixture back into pot. Continue cooking over medium-low heat 5-10 minutes and taste, adjusting seasonings. Serve with Kale-Sesame topping or sprinkle soup with toasted shelled pumpkin seeds and a sprinkle of parsley.