Pumpkin Rolls a Fall Favorite

 Pumpkin rolls are a fall treat that captures the essence of autumn. Fran makes these sweet, spiced pumpkin rolls every year for Thanksgiving. This is one treat that everybody in the family waits for every year.

Fran's pumpkin rolls and pumpkin squares are in the photo. These two treats grace our Thanksgiving table every year.

You can probably find pumpkin rolls in your local grocery store bakery, but I can assure you there is nothing better than making them homemade. Pumpkin rolls are made in two parts, the cake, and the sweet creamy filling.

Ingredients for the Cake:

• 3 large eggs
• 1 cup white sugar
• 2/3 cup of pumpkin puree
• 1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
• 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
• 3/4 cup of all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 2 teaspoons cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• Powdered sugar for dusting

For the Filling:

• 8 oz. Cream Cheese, softened
• 1 cup powdered sugar
• 4 tablespoons butter, softened
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Instructions:

1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Grease a 15x10-inch cookie sheet. We use Baker's Joy to grease our cookie sheet.
2. In a separate bowl, beat the eggs, sugar, and lemon juice until it becomes thick. Then mix in the pumpkin puree.
3. Gradually fold in the dry ingredients until all are combined.
4. Spread the batter evenly on the prepared cookie sheet. Bake for 15 minutes.
5. Layout a clean kitchen towel and dust with powdered sugar.
6. While the cake is still warm, carefully turn on the towel. Roll the towel with the cake, set aside, and let it cool completely. We place ours in the refrigerator.
7. Make the Filling, Beat the cream cheese, powdered sugar, butter, and vanilla until it's smooth.
8. Assemble the Roll, Carefully unroll the cooled cake. Spread the filling evenly over the surface. Re-roll the cake without the towel. Wrap the roll tightly with plastic wrap. Chill for at least one hour before serving. Dust with more powdered sugar before slicing.

This is our cake right out of the oven before it's turned onto the kitchen towel. Since we make our pumpkin rolls a few days ahead of Thanksgiving we place them in the freezer after wrapping them in tin foil, and then plastic wrap.

Whether you are a seasoned baker or trying your hand at pumpkin roll for the first time, this dessert is sure to impress your family and friends. 

Hickory Smoked Turkey Breast

 You don't have to wait for Thanksgiving dinner to enjoy turkey. This hickory smoked turkey breast is tender, juicy, and full of flavor. This bone-in smoked turkey breast makes a perfect Sunday dinner your family and friends will enjoy.

I started with a 6.5 lbs. bone-in turkey breast, you can use boneless but I prefer bone-in. This made a perfect meal for six people with just a little left over. 

I only used two ingredients to season my turkey breast. Tony Chachere's Injectable Butter, and Cuisinart Roasted Chipotle Garlic Seasoning.

When you buy this butter it comes with an injector so you don't have to worry about going out to buy one. I injected the butter in two places on both sides of the turkey breast.

Then, I rubbed the seasoning all over and under the skin of the turkey breast. It is best to do this the night before, but if you can't, do it at least two hours before you are going to smoke it.

I prepared my fire box on my Char-Griller Smokin Champ using charcoal and hickory wood splits and brought the temperature to 250 degrees.

I smoked my turkey breast between 225 and 250 degrees for four hours until the internal temperature was 165 degrees.

When I took it off of the smoker I covered it with tin foil and let rest for about 30 minutes before slicing it.

This was a perfect Sunday family dinner, everyone loved this smoked turkey breast. It was so tender, juicy, and full of flavor. I will definitely use the injectable butter again on turkey or chicken. You can certainly make this in your oven but you won't get that hickory smoked flavor.

As always thanks for stopping by and I hope you enjoy it.

ThermoPro TP20 500FT Wireless Meat Thermometer with Dual Meat Probe, Digital Cooking Food Meat Thermometer Wireless for Smoker BBQ Grill Thermometer

Holiday Cranberry Sauce

This freshly made cranberry sauce has become a staple at our Thanksgiving dinner. I was never a big fan of cranberry sauce until I tried this one.

Every Thanksgiving my dad had to have his cranberry sauce. The only problem was that he always bought the cranberry sauce in a can. I think this is why I never cared for it because to me it tasted like the can.

For fifteen years now my daughter has been making this delicious cranberry sauce from a recipe she found in a Williams-Sonoma Thanksgiving Guide.

I'm sure my dad would have loved this cranberry sauce, much better than out of a can, I know I do.

Holiday Cranberry Sauce Recipe:

• 2 cups of unfiltered apple cider
• 2 cups of sugar
• 1/4 cup of water
• 1 cinnamon stick
• 2 - 12oz. bags of fresh cranberries

Here is how you make it:

1. In a medium to a large non-aluminum saucepan, combine the apple cider, sugar water, and cinnamon stick
2. Place over medium heat and bring to a simmer a light boil, stirring to dissolve the sugar
3. Add the 2 bags of cranberries; bring to a simmer, and cook, stirring occasionally, until most of the cranberries have burst (about 10 minutes)
4. Remove the pan from the heat and let it cool to room temperature, transfer to a bowl, cover and refrigerate for a least 24 hours
5. Remove the cinnamon stick and let the sauce come to room temperature before serving
6. The sauce must be prepared at least 24 hours in advance and can be prepared up to 3 days in advance.

As always Thanks for stopping by and hope you enjoy it.

The Best of Thanksgiving (Williams-Sonoma)