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When I was growing up, we always had a special new outfit for Christmas. Most of the time, my grandmother made this holiday apparel. It wasn't until I became an adult, that I realized ................
.............. what an amazing seamstress she was, and how much love she poured into everything she did.
We, (my sister's and I) would lay on the floor and peruse, painstakingly, through the Penney's or Sear's catalog, trying to decided on a dress that we loved. After the decision was finally made, we'd bring the catalog to Grandma and show her the specific outfit that we'd chosen. She'd study the picture for awhile and then (this is the amazing part!), she'd take some old newspaper and draw a pattern for our personally requested dress.
Next, we were off to the fabric store (usually the one in the basement of J.C. Penney's) to pick out some pretty cloth. When we returned home, she'd lay out the newly purchased fabric along with her pattern on the kitchen table and carefully cut out the pieces. Before we knew it, her sewing machine would be a-whirring. It didn't take long and she'd call us for a "fitting". She'd put a pin here and there, make a tuck or two and lower or raise the hem, always adjusting this custom-made dress to fit us perfectly.
This was no small task, since I have three sisters, so she had to repeat this sequence four times! But on Christmas morning, we were as proud as little strutting peacocks, sporting our beautiful new holiday outfits for everyone to see.
Nowadays, we're much more casual about the holidays and, if you peeked into our living room on Christmas morning, you'd probably find us in jammies or just super-comfy clothing. With our holiday meals, however, I love to make things quite special. One of my favorite ways is to pass a pretty bread basket filled with warm festive dinner rolls. I usually take a few extra minutes to make a fun compound butter (recipes to come!) to go along with the rolls.
It's funny, even if I've spent hours on the rest of the meal, often the bread and butter steals the show! I've put together a collection of six of my favorite dinner rolls (including one that's sure to make you laugh). They can all be made in advance and popped into the freezer. Just thaw for a few hours and warm them in the oven before serving. Click on the link below to check them out:
Rose says
where do you get the receipes from? i click on your posts but do not see the ingredients nor the method....?
Chris Scheuer says
Hi Rose, on Mondays we post on PARADE magazine. If you click on the link at the bottom of the page it will take you to PARADE where you'll find the recipe. Thanks for visiting!
www.you-made-that.com says
These are beautiful and I'm sure they were as good as they look too!
Jeanette says
Love how beautiful these rolls are ~ perfect for any holiday table!
Cuisine de Provence says
What a centerpiece for a festive table!
mia xara says
Such cute bread rolls, Chris!!! It's so nice to have beautiful childhood memories and so precious to create new ones with your family 🙂
Karen Kerr says
There you go, you made me get all teary eyed. Such a sweet story about your grandmother! My grandmother was an amazing seamstress too and I spent many hours with her learning how to sew. Miss her so much.
Debra Eliotseats says
Hope you had a great Thanksgiving! I miss dressing up for the holiday dinner. We are casual as well. Loved these rolls. Actually made them last year! Thanks!
Debra Eliotseats says
I miss dressing up for the holiday dinner. Love these rolls. I stole your idea last year. This year, I just had to resort to getting some whole wheat rolls out of the freezer (but they were still homemade)! Hope you had a great holiday!
GLENDA CHILDERS says
I had a great aunt that sewed beautiful clothes for us when we were young. So amazing.
Merry Christmas, Chris.
Fondly,
Glenda