Sunday, February 21, 2016

A Traditional Farm Life - Mom's Caramel Rolls


A Traditional Farm Life

By Shasta Hamilton

Greetings from Enterprise, dear friends!  How about those strong winds this week?  Hope you didn’t blow away! At our house, the children enjoyed playing outside in the warm temperatures despite the howling winds Thursday. 

Earlier this week--before all the wind--the boys painted their forecart.  The body is bright red, the tongue shiny black, and the two seats are their original yellow.

Our boys have enjoyed trying out this new “toy” this week, testing its ability to pull trailers around the yard, and moving bales with the bale mover. 

They did some blading in the horse lot with the utility blade attached.  This task fills up both seats on the forecart as one handles the lines driving the team while the other runs the blade.  It looks to me like a teamwork building exercise, and so far the results have been in line with their expectations.

It was so much fun they invited their Grandpa and Grandma over Wednesday night for supper and rides.  This was a great opportunity for my parents to see the fruit of all that labor this winter in my Dad’s shop. 

My folks watched as the boys harnessed Tom and Jerry, led them over to the forecart, and hitched them up.  Then it was time for a ride. 
It’s probably safe to say my Dad’s last experience with draft horses was some sixty years ago.  He mentioned how small these draft horses are in comparison to his memory of being a little boy looking up at those huge draft horses.  (Hafflingers are smaller than other draft breeds, so it is indeed possible they are smaller than Bob and Patsy were those many years ago on the farm, even with the memories from childhood taken into account.)

Thankfully the ride went well for all involved.  It was fun to see my Dad running the lever for the blade while they rode around the horse lot.  My Dad has used a blade countless times on the back of a tractor in his years, so running a blade behind horses must have been a unique blend of the familiar with the novel.

It was a poignant moment for me, watching two generations learning from each other, yet not in the way you would expect.  This time it wasn’t the Grandpa giving some young whipper-snappers a demonstration on the way farming used to be, it was the other way around!

My Mom bravely got in on the fun, too, and took a ride.  It’s probably fair to say that some special memories were made on a beautiful, unusually warm evening for Kansas in February.

In honor of this special evening with my parents, I reached back in my own memory for a favorite recipe from my childhood.  I always looked forward to Mom’s Caramel Rolls, a quick and easy sweet treat she could whip together with frozen dinner rolls when time was short--without all the fuss of kneading a batch of bread dough.

These rolls are a great accompaniment with soup on a winter’s evening, but just as yummy with a cup of coffee at break time.  The same syrup can be used with cinnamon rolls for a simple sticky bun. 

Surprise your family soon with this old-fashioned treat.  You don’t have to be an expert baker to pull this one off--simply follow the rising and baking directions on the package.  Before you know it, you’ll be making your own memories at meal time!

Mom’s Caramel Rolls
28 frozen dinner rolls
(such as Rhodes brand)
3/4 cup brown sugar
6 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons water
1.  Microwave brown sugar, butter and water 2-1/2 minutes to make syrup.  (Or bring it a boil and cook until bubbly on the stove.) 
2.  Spray cookie sheet (jelly roll size) with non-stick spray and pour in syrup, spreading it evenly.
3.  Place 28 rolls evenly in pan.  Follow “speed bake” or other baking instructions on roll package.*  Turn upside down on waxed paper immediately after removing from the oven.  Cool a bit, then dig in! 
Yield:  28 rolls.

*Mom notes that the rolls can be out of freezer 30 minutes before preparing.

Copyright © 2016 by Shasta Hamilton

Shasta is a fifth generation rural Kansan now residing in Enterprise, Kansas.  She and her husband own and operate The Buggy Stop Home-Style Kitchen with their six home-schooled children.  You can reach The Buggy Stop by calling (785) 200-6385 or visit them on the web at www.thebuggystoprestaurant.com .  

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