Friends

A funny thing happened. I have a lovely group of friends who I meet with once a month. I see them in between times, and as lovely as that is, I love the times we hang out because there is lots of laughter and togetherness. Now we were supposed to meet in November, but the hosting friend was not feeling well, so we postponed our visit. As I met up with one or another of the little group, I would hear how they all heard from the one who cancelled--everyone except me. All this time it never once occurred to me that I was being slighted or that she didn't care about me. I just figured she knew I would hear from this one or that one and I knew she was ill.

Turns out that I did indeed hear from her. She left a message on my cell phone that I completely missed. I wasn't worried in the least and when I accidentally found the lost message, I laughed! It is so like me to miss a message. I have a cell phone, but I am not in the habit of checking it all the time. I also tend to think all the message are from the daughter and I call her back. This time I missed/accidentally deleted three messages. Two of those people should know me by now (including the friend) and one is from someone who only met me two weeks ago and is probably thinking I am a flake. I will call her back. On my todo list is to call my friend who is probably wondering why she hasn't heard back from me......

As I am writing this, I am munching on a roll that is leftover from dinner. I love these rolls. They are the best--soft inside with a touch of sweetness. The rolls are made from scratch. Now, people tend to think there is so much work in making your own rolls, but these are foolproof and so yummy. Yeast rolls only take time--and a bit of love. These don't even need to be kneaded.

Perfectly Easy Dinner Rolls

1 cup warm water (105* to 115*)
5 teaspoons or 2 packages of active dry yeast
1/2 cup (1 stick) of melted butter
1/2 cup of sugar
3 eggs
1 teaspoon of salt
4 to 4 1/2 cups flour

Makes 2 dozen rolls

Combine the warm water and yeast in a large bowl. Let the mixture stand until yeast is foamy, approximately 5 minutes. Stir in the butter, sugar, eggs and salt. One cup at a time, add the four until the dough is too stiff to mix. Cover and refrigerate for 2 hours (or up to 4 days). Grease a 13x9-inch pan. Divide dough in 4 equal pieces. Divide each piece into 6 pieces. Roll each piece into a smooth round ball; place the balls in even rows in the prepared pan. Cover and let dough rise until doubled in volume, approximately 1 hour. Preheat the oven to 375*F. Bake for 15-20 minutes until rolls are golden brown. May brush rolls with additional melted butter.

I confess that I have never let the dough sit for more than 2 hours and I have never brushed with more butter. Tonight they weren't rising as fast as they should have, but I baked them anyway and it turned out just fine. They are so yummy, but I am a bread person. I bake it, toast it, spread it with jelly or jam. I love sandwiches, french toast and dumplings. Bread is a staple in life. Bread, bread and more bread!

Happy thanksgiving to all! I love the holiday because it means being with family and eating. What could be better????