Pecan Cranberry Pull-apart Dinner Rolls

     I found a wonderful recipe in The Bread Baker's Apprentice for Walnut Cranberry Celebration Bread, luckily it also makes rolls.  Being a southerner my nut of choice is pecans rather than walnuts.  The recipe also called for either lemon or orange extract, and since I made homemade cranberry sauce with orange zest and juice I opted for the orange extract.  I made the rolls on Wednesday, and put them in the fridge to stop the fermentation so I could bake the rolls fresh on Thanksgiving Day.   I accidentally left two rolls off the pan before refrigerating them.  The rolls also accidentally completed the second rise and were baked just in time for Wayne and I to sample them at lunch.  I think they will make a nice addition to the Thanksgiving table.
     Thanksgiving is my absolute favorite holiday.  It's about all the right things.  It's about reflecting on all the things I have to be grateful for.  It's about sharing a special meal with family and friends.  It's about spending time with those I care about.  As I have gotten older, my family had gotten smaller.  Family is now living in many different places; grandparents, parents, aunts, and uncles are no longer with us.  This year we will have a group of 5, but we will still have turkey with all the trimmings.  We usually have some type of pecan pie and pumpkin pie for dessert, but this year we are going to have Apple Upside-down Cake.  The recipe looked yummy, and the cake turned out just like the photo.  If you are interested check it out at  http://www.kingarthurflour.com/recipes/apple-upside-down-cake-recipe     This is the second year I have made my own cranberry sauce, and I am a convert.  I was raised on the jellied in the can stuff.  When whole berry sauce became available we used that.  Well once I learned how easy it is to make homemade - wow so easy and so good.  If you have never made your own, check out the web.  There are many, many recipes, and I'm sure you'll find one to suit your taste.  The one I made called for a bag of fresh cranberries, the zest and juice from an orange, one cinnamon stick, and a cup of sugar. That seemed a little sweet for my taste, so I used a half cup.  You just cook it all until the berries open.  How much easier can it be?
     Thanksgiving is now behind me, and it was a success.  We had a really pleasant surprise for Thanksgiving. Ms. Carol, my sister-in-law, called to wish us a happy Thanksgiving, and she asked what were we doing.  I told her Wayne had just taken the turkey out the oven.  I looked up and there she and Harry were at the door.  Can I say shocked loud enough.  I told Wayne that his sister was at the door, and I think he thought I had lost my mind.  They now live 4 hours from us, and they decided to surprise us.  Carol brought one of Wayne's favorite things - deviled eggs.  Naturally we had plenty to eat, and two more people were no problem.  I told Wayne I could hear Harry saying to Carol on the way here, "Are you sure they are going to be home," numerous times.
     I was right, the rolls were the perfect compliment to the meal.  There were 18 rolls for 7 people, and I had 2 left.  The rolls had the flavors of fall and Thanksgiving.  They had just the right aroma of orange, and the ideal blend of flavor blend of cranberry and pecan.  The rolls themselves were tender and moist.  The apple upside cake was wonderful.  I used honey crisp apples which had just the right amount of sweetness and wonderful apple flavor.  I served this wonderfully moist cake warm with a dollop of whipped cream and a little ice-cream on the side.  It was the ideal dessert to end a day of family, friendship and food.  I don't think a better day was possible.