Thanksgiving 2009

So at the last minute Thanksgiving dinner got moved to our house because my parents had to unexpectedly go out of state for my grandfather's death and funeral. One of my sisters and I quickly put together a menu of our favorite things. Since the list was pretty longgggggg we decided to cut out the veggies. Hey, it was a holiday and mom wasn't there. just kidding mom! =0) That's your big chance to cut out the veggies right? No, we love veggies but the list of "must haves" was getting way too long and time was short....remember, I was throwing this together last minute. so the veggies got cut....no pun intended.

Here's what we had:

First Hors' devours
baked brie and crackers
salami, cheese and crackers
bread and butter pickles and olives

turkey (I wasn't impressed with how it turned out. Maybe because it was an organic free range...free range can sometimes be tougher. Next time I would do it in the crock-pot....cause, you know me...it always comes out better in a crock-pot.)

stuffing (mom's recipe. Yum! To ensure that you have really yummy stuffing, make sure you have these ingredients in it: sausage, water chestnuts, walnuts, and apples. oh, and always use sourdough bread.)

mashed potatoes

great grandma's coleslaw (and that IS what we call it. For my kids it would actually be great-great-grandma's coleslaw)

homemade whole wheat rolls (recipe coming Friday)

cranberries (are a must....to put on the turkey when it doesn't turn out so well or is a little dry, and to drown your rolls with. yum. that's what I'm talking about!)

apple pie (made by my brother's girl friend who happens to be an incredible baker! This thing was fabulous! and I don't care if my husband says that I use that word too often to describe everything. Everything IS fabulous!)

caramel pumpkin gingersnap cheesecake. so there. (but I made it without putting the caramel on the bottom crust and without pecans.)

homemade whipping cream

homemade caramel sauce (to go on the apple pie and the cheesecake of course! recipe coming soon.)

ice cream (because obviously, we didn't have enough dessert stuff.)

The food was great, the company extremely fun, and the fact that we got to celebrate it in our home brought much joy.

Blogging Fast

I'm taking a blogging fast for a week. I need to be spending some extra time in prayer over some things and so I thought it would be good to remove the distraction of blogging. I'd also like to focus on my family more through Thanksgiving week. I hope you all have a wonderful week of giving Thanks! I'll return next Monday (Nov. 30th).

Looking for a way the little ones can help with the Thanksgiving feast? Let them make the butter.
A yummy Thanksgiving dessert for the kiddos- Frost on the Pumpkin.
My Thanksgiving post from last year...which includes lots of fun treats to make with the kids and some easy and inexpesive centerpieces for your Thanksgiving Day table.

Give Thanks

Have a wonderful day tomorrow
taking time to give thanks.

The big things I'm thankful for: that God sent His son, Jesus to rescue me from this world and that He loves me, that God gave me an incredible husband who is truly my best friend and confidant, that God blessed and untrusted me with two wonderful miracles of His creation, and the rest is just icing on the cake.

I'll be back here on Monday....

Homemade Butter

This is another fun thing to do. We always did this on Thanksgiving day when I was a kid. The kids get a kick out of it and I still do too...

Pour heavy whipping cream into a large canning jar.
Put the lid on tightly and start shaking.
Pass the jar around and let all the kids do some shaking.

It will first turn to whipped cream inside.....

and before long, it starts to separate and you've got a chunk of butter and buttermilk in there.

Take the butter out and save the buttermilk for a later use. You can add salt if you'd like to.

Here is a pretty good tutorial on it.

Frost on the Pumpkin

It's looking like I won't get that caramel pumpkin pie made in time to post it on here before Thanksgiving. But if it turns out well I'll post it afterwards because it would be nice for any fall day. Meantime, here's something else.

I made this recipe a few years back for Thanksgiving as a treat for the kiddos and so I wanted to share it with you. I'm afraid it isn't healthy other than the pumpkin! But it's a yummy treat that's for sure. I got this recipe from a friend, Lynn. Thanks Lynn! I still love this little dip.

1 can vanilla frosting
8 oz. sour cream
1 can pumpkin
1 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 tsp. ginger
1/4 tsp. ground cloves
8 oz. Cool Whip (thawed)
Ginger Snaps

Mix all ingredients together (except Ginger Snaps of course!) and chill until ready to serve. Serve with Ginger Snaps as a dip!

When I made this I served it up in a little pumpkin just like the one pictured. The one pictured isn't this exact recipe but you get the idea.

Popovers

Okay, I know these are basic to some, but I truly had never made them till this week. My mom has talked so many times of how she made them as a little girl and I've always wanted to try them. They are simple and fun.

A few weeks back, a friend, Sugar Coma, introduced us to Yorkshire Pudding. Thinking that this must be the same thing mom was talking about, I started to research...what is the difference between Yorkshire Pudding and Popovers? Nothing really. They are the same thing except Yorkshire Pudding are the ones usually baked in the meat drippings. In fact you can pour the batter right into the drippings of a roast while it's cooking the last 30 min. and bake up the Yorkshire Pudding all around the roast. Who knew? Popovers are done without meat drippings, just with butter. That's what my research concluded but I'm far from an expert on this so I wouldn't be surprised if I'm totally wrong.

Regardless, these puff muffins are yummy! Mine in the picture didn't pop up as high as Sugar Coma's did and I think I know why. You're supposed to let the batter come to room temp. and well, I just didn't have time, I mean patience, to do that. So, let the batter come to room temp and here is a link to some great popover tips.

1 c whole milk (whole works best)
1 c flour
2 eggs
1/2 tsp salt
butter cut into little chunks

Whisk/beat eggs well. Combine flour, milk, and salt with the eggs. Let batter come to room temperature. Put a little chunk of butter into each muffin cup of a muffin tin. Place the muffin tin in oven while it is pre-heating to 435 degrees. This way the butter will melt. When the butter is melted, use a pastry brush to dip in each cup and brush the sides of the cup with the butter to prevent the muffins from sticking. Pour batter into muffin cups filling them about 1/2 full. This recipe should make about 12 regular popovers. Bake at 435 degrees for about 30 min. Popovers will bake up very puffy and will lightly brown on top. Remove from oven. Serve immediately with butter, jam, honey, etc. They are a bit hollow inside so you can also fill them.

They don't look like much but let me tell ya, the taste is so good!

Give Thanks

With Thanksgiving this week I'm posting a few recipes (for what I'm bringing to Gram's house this year) and some other recipes I've done in the past.

I'm responsible to bring the bread rolls and a pumpkin pie. For some reason I just can't do anything traditional and I keep looking for something "different" to do every holiday...so my "different" twist on rolls and pumpkin pie are going to be:

Popovers
and
Caramel Pumpkin Mousse Pie

I've done a trial run of the popovers....okay we did two trial runs because the first night I made them my family loved them so much that they begged me to make them again the next night. Nope, I don't think it's possible to get tired of them. I'll post those tomorrow.

So, to start you off, here are some of the links to some fun things to make with the kiddos....
Acorn Treats
Oreo Turkeys
Pilgrim Hat Cookies
Pilgrim Hats with Marshmellows
Turkey Cake Pops
Children's Thanksgiving Table (turkey stand up coloring book and silhouettes)

CENTERPIECES: Here are some recipes for simple table centerpieces. I've done some of these and they are simple and usually cheap!

Vase of Fruit: fill a very large vase (clear glass and they are cheap at wal-mart) with a selection of oranges, green apples, pomegranates, and fill all the nooks and crannies with cranberries. I've done this and they are beautiful and full of fall color.

Pumpkin Pedestal: place a pumpkin on a cake pedestal, (click on that one to see a friend's lovely display) urn, or large candle stick. Tie stem with a bow or wrap with ivy.






Pumpkin Candle: Hollow out a pumpkin and place a large pillar candle in it. Drape with fall leaves or ivy. Stuff with leaves or berries and twigs like this one pictured. You can cut a bigger whole and put an even wider candle in it.










Pumpkin in a Wreath: Place a pumpkin in a wreath of fall leaves.












Pumpkin Vase: Hollow out a pumpkin and use it as a vase for a full bouquet of flowers in fall colors.









Mini Pumpkin TeaLights: Hollow out mini pumpkins cutting a circle the size of a traced tea light. Stick a tea light snuggle in to the cut hole.







Bundled Indian Corn: tie in a bunch with a large ribbon and set them standing on end. (sorry the picture is so small)






And be sure to check Martha Stewart's ideas for Thanksgiving tables which include name place cards, napkins, and centerpieces....flip through the pictures:
table decor
the kid's table


See ya tomorrow for popovers. =0)