Butternut Squash Dinner Rolls

Alright, ladies and gentlemen- this is epic, so bookmark this page.  Here, I give you my best yeast roll recipe, perfect for wowwing basically everyone.
Tastes: Sweet and yeasty (in a good way), with a hint of squash flavor
Reminds me of: Thanksgiving and Christmas dinners- decadent!
Make it a meal:  These are great for sandwiches or burgers, or as a side to accompany soup and salad

A NOTE BEFOREHAND:
This recipe makes 40-50 bun-sized rolls.  It halves or quarters very well, and if you are using a stand mixer to make your dough, I suggest at least halving the recipe.  Otherwise, proceed with caution, because it will take your Kitchenaid to its limits.  It sure does for mine!
ALSO
You can use pureed (cooked) sweet potatoes or pumpkin in place of the butternut squash.  All are wonderful, but we tend to always have at least one butternut squash on hand at all times (such a long shelf life) so that is how I make them.  To make the puree, I roast a squash on foil in the oven for 1-2 hours at 350 degrees.  Let it cool completely, then halve, scoop out the pulp, and mash by hand, puree in a blender, or use an immersion blender.  Freeze what you don't use now, and thaw it later to make more tasty treats.  The same works for sweet potatoes or pumpkin.

You'll need:
2 cups pureed butternut squash
3/4 cup sugar
1/2 cup hot water
2 cups warm milk (I use skim- it's just fine either way)
4 Tbsp butter
1 tsp salt
2.5 Tbsp yeast (yes, it is a lot, I know)
2 cups whole wheat
9-10 cups all purpose flour

Combine first 6 ingredients in the bowl of your blender and mix well.  Add yeast, whole wheat flour, and 6 cups of the all purpose flour.  Mix, then switch to a dough hook, or turn dough out onto a heavily floured surface and incorporate the remaining AP flour, until the dough is elastic and slightly tacky, but not sticky.  Transfer the dough to a very large oiled bowl, turn to coat with oil, then cover with a towel and let rise in a warm spot  for 90 minutes.  Punch the dough down, divide in quarters, then divide each quarter into 12 balls and place balls on a greased baking sheet about an in apart.  Spray tops lightly with cooking spray, then cover each tray with a clean towel and let rise for another 45 minutes.  Bake for 15-18 minutes at 350 degrees.  Remove from oven, brush tops with orange juice glaze (instructions below) if desired,  and return to oven for another 5 minutes.  Remove from oven and let rolls cool, then remove from baking sheets.  Delicious on their own, or for a dessert-like treat, serve with orange butter (instructions below).

Orange Juice Glaze and Orange Butter:
The glaze seals moisture into the rolls, and makes them better for slicing or reheating. Combine 1/2 cup orange juice and 1/3 cup sugar in a small saucepan.  Simmer over medium heat for 15 minutes, stirring frequently.  Remove from heat and brush over the tops of the rolls, reserving the rest of the glaze to make orange butter.  For this, combine the remaining glaze with 6 tablespoons butter, and stir until butter has melted.  Refrigerate until solid (or mostly solid) then beat with an electric mixer until whipped and smooth.  Serve on rolls.

Fresh Cranberry Pecan Bread

Tastes: Tart, moist, and sweet
Reminds me of:  The muffins from Alpine Bagel in college.  Hallelujah, what muffins!

To market, to market:
2 cups AP flour
2 Tbsp ground flaxseed
1 cup granulated sugar
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
2/3 cup chopped pecans (or walnuts if you prefer, but pecans lend a sweeter taste to the bread)
1 cup chopped cranberries (you can use up to 1/2 cup more if you like, and the recipe still works great)
1/2 cup water
2 Tbsp lemon juice
1 egg
1/4 cup melted butter
zest of one lemon (or orange)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease one 9x5 loaf pan or 3 mini loaf pans.  Combine all ingredients until blended, but do not overmix.  Pour into pan(s) and bake 50-55 minutes for a large loaf or 35-40 minutes for small loaves.  Remove from oven when top is golden brown and toothpick inserted into center comes out clean.  Cool in pans, slice just before serving for moister bread.

Lemon-Raspberry-Ginger Cupcakes

Tastes: Tart, sweet, with just a hint of ginger
Serve it up!:  This is an awesome light dessert for spring or summer gatherings, it does not require refrigeration and it isn't overly sweet.  Plus, it is quick to make!

To market, to market:
1 box lemon flavored cake mix (I used Betty Crocker this time.  Gasp!)
3/4 cup Just Whites egg substitute (you can use 3 whole eggs if you wish)
1 cup water
1 Tbsp lemon juice
1/2 cup applesauce (or use oil as directed on cake mix box)
Frozen raspberries

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Line muffin pan with cupcake liners (this will make 20-24 regular cupcakes or around 45 mini cupcakes).  Mix all ingredients, except raspberries, thoroughly to combine.  Fill each baking cup 1/2 way full of cake batter, then press a raspberry into the center of each cupcake (it is okay if the raspberry is not completely covered with batter).  Bake for 20 minutes for regular cupcakes or 12-15 minutes for mini cupcakes, or until tops are barely beginning to brown.  Remove from oven and cool slightly before glazing (recipe below). Reserve the remaining raspberries for garnish.
*This dessert can also be made in a 9x13 pan, but I prefer to mix the frozen raspberries in with the batter before pouring into the pan if baking a single sheet cake.  The result is a beautiful, marbled yellow and pink cake.

For the glaze, you'll need:
1/4 cup honey
1/2 cup powdered sugar
1 Tbsp unsalted butter
Fresh juice of 2 lemons (zest the lemons first and save zest for sprinkling over the tops of the cupcakes)
1/4 tsp ground ginger

Combine all glaze ingredients in a small saucepan over medium-high heat.  Whisk constantly until the mixture just begins to boil, then remove from heat.  Cool 5 minutes, then swirl over the tops of the cupcakes with the back of a spoon.  This glaze is very thin until it cools, so be sure not to dump it over the tops of the cupcakes (or you'll have a big mess, believe me!).  Use excess to recoat the cupcakes once the first layer of glaze has set, then garnish each one with a raspberry, a pinch of lemon zest, and a dusting of ginger (if desired).  Stored tightly covered, these will stay moist 2-3 days.