Lucky 60 Minute Dinner Rolls

I'm sharing some of my favorite recipes over the next little while, recipes that might be kind of simple, but that add a little magic to our family traditions.  This one was given to me by my friend Lauren Miles. But like all good recipes, this one morphed into not just 60 minute dinner rolls, but LUCKY 60 minute dinner rolls! 

This happened about 7 years ago when we were doing a Christmas Traditions Around the World study at home.  It's a Serbian tradition to make Christmas bread which has a coin hidden in it.  The person who finds the coin is said to have good luck in the coming year. It's called Cesnica.

We used this recipe that year and all of the kids present (including my sister's children) were thrilled to find a quarter in their rolls.  (Watch out though, the coins stay hot for a little while!) I add enough coins for the little kids at least to find a quarter.  It just depends on the dynamic of the crowd.  We did this today after church, and my girls were thrilled to find quarters, poking their fingers in all of the rolls!  Unfortunately, they're going to have to make their own good fortune this year, because only the little kids found quarters.

Anyway, here's the recipe. I like to double it. If you use sifted flour the rolls rise even higher and you can make the rolls larger or smaller depending on your preference.  You can bake them in muffin tins or on a flat baking sheet.  In the photo above I baked close together so they can be pulled apart for our Christmas celebration.

60 Minute "Lucky" Dinner Rolls 

3.5-4.5 cups flour

3 Tbsp sugar

1 tsp salt

1 pkgs (4.5 tsp yeast)

1 cup milk

1/2 cup water

1/4 cup butter

Stir together 1.5 cups flour, salt, sugar, and yeast in a mixing bowl.

In a separate, microwavable bowl, combine milk, water, and butter and heat until liquids are 120-130 degrees.  (Butter does not necessarily need to melt.)

Transfer to Bosch mixing bowl and gradually add dry ingredients.

Beat 2 minutes at medium speed.

Add 1/2 cup flour, beat for 2 minutes on high.

Stir in enough flour to make a soft dough.

Turn on to lightly floured board and knead 5 minutes by hand OR knead 5 minutes in mixer.

Place in greased bowl, cover, and rise for 15 minutes.

Split dough in half, half again....form into 24 round dinner rolls.

*On special occasions like Christmas or New Year, I high a coin, usually a quarter, or two for my kids to find.  If you find a quarter in your roll you get "good luck"!

Place in greased muffin tins or a flat cookie sheet.

Rise 15 minutes.

Bake 10-12 minutes @425.

Makes 24 rolls.

For my family, I double this recipe.

Great with soup or makes yummy sliders with a slice of ham or turkey.

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Best Christmas Books About Serving Others

One of our favorite, long-standing Christmas traditions is reading Christmas books together.  I've posted many of our reading lists on this blog.  This year, I asked Guy (age 10) to choose our Christmas reading list based on the books we have in our family library.  He came out of my bedroom and announced that he was going to read us the first book.  

He chose "Always Room for One More" by Sorche Nic Leodhas.  He said, "I picked it, not because it's a Christmas book, but because the main character is always opening his home to help traveling strangers.  And because he did that, he was blessed with more.  The lesson is, 'trust the Lord.'"

My parents really started this tradition by reading "The Littlest Angel" to us every Christmas Eve.  It caused me to want to have that special reading time with my kids even more and has lead me over the years to search out the very best books.

We hope that you will enjoy this year's Christmas reading list.  As you can see the stories are mainly focused on serving and bringing joy to others, which is the one thing that really makes Christmas feel like Christmas.  Thanks to Guy for putting this together!  

Here is our 2015 Christmas Book List.  

As you read these books together, ask children to identify what the characters did to serve or give to others.  Click on the links to read more about our favorite books and see some of the crafts we've done over the years to accompany our reading...In addition to crafts (which are fun to give away), you could find some way to emulate some of the service you might read about in our book selections!

1.  "Always Room for One More" by Sorche Nic Leodhas

2.  "Why Christmas Trees Aren't Perfect" by Richard H. Schneider 

(See a craft idea here.)

3.  "The Best Christmas Pageant Ever" by Barbara Robinson

4.  "Christmas Oranges" (My favorite version of the story is here.)

5.  "A Christmas Dress for Ellen" by President Monson 

(See a craft idea here.)

6.  "Who is Coming to Our House?" by Joseph Slate 

(Craft idea here.)

7.  "The Puppy Who Wanted a Boy" by Jane Thayer 

(Craft idea here.)

8.  "The Last Chimney of Christmas Eve" by Linda Oatman High

(See our craft idea here.)

9.  "I Believe in Santa Claus" by Diane G. Adamson 

10.  "The Crippled Lamb" by Max Lucado

(See the craft we made here.)

11.  "This is the Stable" by Cynthia Cotten

(See craft here.)

12.  "Christmas is Here" Illustrated by Lauren Castillo

(You could make these snow babies or another nativity.)

13.  "Humphrey's 1st Christmas" by Carol Heyer

(Craft idea here.)

14.  "Christmas in the Trenches" by John McCutcheon

15.  "A Small Miracle" by Peter Collington (Read my review here.)  This book used to be out of print but returned to print in the last few years.

(Wiseman paper crowns)

16.  "Christmas Day in the Morning" by Pearl S. Buck (Read my review here.)

17.  "We Were There" by Eve Bunting

(Links to the craft here.)

18.  "Animals' Christmas Eve" a Golden Book

(Follow this tutorial to make this nativity.)

19.  "A Shepherd's Whisper" by Heyward Broun

20.  "I See Santa Everywhere" by Glenn McCoy

21.  "Helping Santa" by Bert Dodson (Here's one way we've taught our Children to help Santa!)

22.  "Santa Mouse" by Michael Brown

(Craft here.)

23.  "Twas the Night Before Christmas" a Golden Book

(Catch visions of sugar plums here.)

24.  "The Littlest Angel" by Charles Tazewell

(Craft here.)

or

(Angel wings from paper plates)

25.  "The Christmas Treasury for LDS Families" a selection of great stories, poems, songs, etc.

26.  "Morris' Disappearing Bag" by Rosemary Wells

***There are more great books about serving and loving others...so many more.  Just flip through our other lists to see them...Including "The Christmas Candle" and many more!  Have fun!

Here are some more Christmas tradition ideas:

CHRISTMAS TRADITIONS AROUND THE WORLD 2014

OUR CHRISTMAS BOOK LISTS:

2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2014

LETTING THE CHRIST-CHILD IN:

WHY I LIKE HANUKKAH

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Christmas Eve 2014

We had a wonderful Christmas with my parents and my sister and her family who came to visit.  Just had to share a few photos here to mark the great time we had...even though I lost my voice on Christmas Eve and it's still notably missing.

So before we receive one more family visit for New Year's Eve, I thought I'd share some of my favorite moments from Christmas Eve.

First was our annual pancake breakfast...the highlight being that I received a surprise visit from my distant cousin David (pictured on the left of this photo), whom I met while doing family history research 8 years ago.  I haven't seen him since, but I've sent Christmas cards.  So this year, he completely surprised us by paying us a visit on his way down to visit his daughter in North Carolina.  He is so sweet and kind and brought gifts for each child which were so perfect.  He is someone who has Christmas in his heart for sure.  His visit was a true Christmas miracle!

My next favorite Christmas Eve moment was our Christmas Nativity play that we put on as a gift for Steve.  The kids were just soooo cute!

We read part of the article from this month's Ensign called "The Reality of Christ's Birth" or something like that.  I liked reading the prophesies of Christ's birth.

Scarlett played the part of Isaiah.  The looooong beard was her idea.

Reading the scripture off of my phone was mine.  :)

Mary and Joseph were played by Autumn and my nephew Henry.  They sure were smitten with each other.  Mousie (Autumn's beloved stuffed animal) played the baby Jesus and Henry's favorite stuffed animal Eyore played...the donkey, of course.

Later on, Scarlett bagged the beard for angel wings.

Mary and Joseph making eyes at each other.

Henry and Autumn made the star hanging on the wall behind them.

Lots of hugging.

The next favorite thing of the evening was the annual reading of The Littlest Angel by my Dad, which we did after the Nativity.  It's all of our favorite book, which my parents read to us every Christmas Eve growing up.

The funny thing is that he always cries halfway through and cannot finish, so someone else has to read.  Then that person cries and so on and so forth.

As I said, everything is out of order.  This picture of my mom opening my gift is from later in the evening, after midnight to be precise, but I like it so I'm sharing it.  I gave her a door music box like the one we had on our door growing up.

Another photo I just like...ALL OF THE STOCKINGS hung in our hallway.  It was such a blessing to have so many family members and so many children visiting us for Christmas.  This never happens!  The children's faces were just aglow with the magic and anticipation of Christmas Eve.

Earlier in the evening, we did get another special visitor...Santa stopped by to remind the kids to GO TO BED! :)

We love Santa around here.  We love playing Santa.  And we love what Santa reminds us to do...that is to give to others with all our heart.

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St. Lucia's Day

The other night, we visited the country of Iceland in our Christmas trip around the world.

Although people in Iceland celebrate St. Lucia Day, a day honoring the patron saint of light, Christians in other Nordic countries such as Sweden, Finland, Norway, and Denmark, do as well.

Now, members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints do not pray to saints as do some other religions, instead, we believe that all believers in Christ are capable of and should act as saints, doing good and serving others where ever we go.  

Around Christmas time in Sweden (and other countries), one of the biggest celebrations is St. Lucia's Day (or St. Lucy's Day) on December 13th.  The celebration comes from stories that were told by Monks who first brought Christianity to Sweden.

St. Lucia was a young Christian girl who was martyred for her faith in 304 AD.  The most common story told about St. Lucia is that she would secretly bring food to the persecuted Christians in Rome, who lived in hiding in the catacombs under the city.  She would wear candles on her head so she had both her hands free to carry things.  Lucy means light, a very appropriate name.

St. Lucia's Day is now celebrated by a girl dressing in a white dress with a red sash around her waist and a crown of candles on her head.  Early in the morning on December 13th, the girl passes out coffee and donuts to her family.  Small children use electric candles but from about 12 years old, real candles are used!

Although traditionally, the oldest girl in a household has the honor of playing St. Lucy, I gave Autumn the honor, and she was just glowing with excitement, to be our special guest!

Autumn was true grace under "fire"!  Thank goodness we didn't try to use real candles.  The crown we made was a little wobbly, and the wreath was poking poor Autumn in the head, but she smiled and played her part so well...passing out the Dunkin'Donuts!

She loved wearing the pretty white dress that my sister passed on for their baptism days (coming up!)  She felt very special, and the other girls are eager for their turn in the coming years!  Hopefully we'll come up with a more stable crown before then!

Another tradition that we had a good laugh over was that in Iceland 13 mischievous elves visit children!!!  The first day they come is December 12th and the last day is December 24th.  They leave gifts in children's shoes.  Then they gradually go back to the mountains, one by one.  By January 6th, the elves are gone and the Christmas season is over!  Love it!

The thirteen elves have different names that describe their mischief.  Here are some common ones: Window Peeper, Yogurt Gobbler, Donut Beggar, Ice Breaker, Sausage Snatcher, Pot Licker, Door Slammer, Butter Greedy, Fat Gobbler, Skirt Blower, Doorway Sniffer, Smoke Gulper, and Itty Bitty.

We were cracking up over the names and agreed that we certainly have some elves that fit that description among our family!!

If you'd like to say "Merry Christmas" in Icelandic, you'd say "Gledileg jol", pronounced gled-EH-leh yole.

Gledileg jol!

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