On a roll — A tasty staple on Thanksgiving tables

The turkey and dressing are in the oven. The pies and cranberry sauce are cooling and ready to serve. But it's not Thanksgiving without the rolls, right?

With just a day to spare, you've got a few options, depending on how much time or money you want to spend:

• Grab a bag of ready-made rolls from your supermarket's bakery as you pick up other last-minute Thanksgiving items. Don't serve them straight from the bag, of course. Spiff them up putting them in a basket and warming them in the oven for a few minutes. Cover them with a colorful dish towel so they don't dry out.

• Pick up your order from a local bakery or restaurant known for its rolls. This makes them a little more special rather than an afterthought.

"Last year, the Lion House bakery hand-rolled and baked 42,000 rolls the few days before Thanksgiving," said Neil Wilkinson, director of marketing for Temple Square Hospitality. "It is set to do even more this year."

Most of the orders were placed by last Sunday, "but there will be drop-by business available, for both the Lion House Pantry and all Deseret Book Pantry locations, up to Thanksgiving," added Wilkinson. "We have had some people already give us their orders for Christmas and next year's Thanksgiving." To do this, call 363-5466.

Granite Bakery stopped taking rolls orders Tuesday night, but "we try to keep an abundance of them in the bakery that are sold on a first-come, first-serve basis," said owner Russ Oliver. The store also sells frozen bread dough that you can take home and bake yourself. Between the frozen and baked rolls, Granite Bakery sells more than 1,000 dozen rolls during the Thanksgiving season.

You can expect to pay $3 to $4 per dozen at Granite Bakery, or $4.99 per dozen at the Lion House.

Again, warm them briefly before serving — at least enough to soften a pat of butter when it's spread on the roll.

• Pop open a package of refrigerated biscuits or crescent roll dough. (Knocking a "poppin' fresh" can on your counter is a great stress reliever!) To dress them up, try brushing them with beaten whole egg or egg white, Caesar or Italian dressing, or milk, just before baking. Or after baking, brush them with a little butter or olive oil. You can also sprinkle on some chopped herbs, sesame or poppy seeds, cornmeal or bread crumbs, advise the Pillsbury editors in their book "Dough Magic!"