Thanksgiving 2012

From my family to yours, Happy Thanksgiving.  My prayer is that we spend time together more, cherish the small things, focus on the blessings, and be thankful all year instead of just one day.

Wordless Wednesday-First Thanksgiving

Making Tuesday Tasty-Pumpkin-Ginger Bread Pudding

It's that time of year again! Pumpkin and I are best friends! I usually don't like it savory though so, you'll be seeing one or two sweet versions on here.  This would make a great variation to your Thanksgiving or Christmas meal. I would probably substitute ground ginger for allspice because it's what I prefer and want the true ginger taste in my dessert.  Enjoy!

Ingredients

1 4-pound sugar pumpkin or kabocha squash
 Extra-virgin olive oil, for brushing
4 large eggs
1 cup packed light brown sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon ground allspice
2 cups heavy cream
1 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
1 loaf cinnamon brioche, challah or plain pound cake, diced (about 10 cups)
1/2 cup golden raisins
1/4 cup diced crystallized ginger Confectioners' sugar, for garnish (optional)

Directions

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Cut the pumpkin or squash into quarters and remove the seeds. Brush the insides with a little olive oil and arrange on a baking sheet, skin-side up. Roast in the oven until the pumpkin or squash is soft all the way through, about 1 hour. Remove from the oven and let cool. Discard the skin and puree the flesh in a food processor. (The puree can be prepared 1 or 2 days ahead.) Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. In a large bowl, combine 2 1/2 cups of the pumpkin or squash puree, the eggs, brown sugar and spices. Whisk in the cream and vanilla. Combine the bread, raisins and ginger in a 7-by-11-inch baking dish. Pour the pudding mixture over the bread to cover and let sit 15 minutes. (You might not use all of the pudding mixture at first; add more if there's room in the dish once the bread has soaked.) Bake in the preheated oven until the custard is set, about 40 minutes. Spoon into bowls and sprinkle a dusting of confectioners' sugar on top, if desired. It's fall in a dessert.

*recipe courtesy of Foodnetwork.com/Anne Burrell*

Happy Thanksgiving Everyone!!!

I am truly thankful this year once again for my blessings. We have a beautiful daughter and a son on the way. We are relatively healthy and we have all we need!

Here's a little Thanksgiving funny for you :)

Wordless Wednesday-Thanksgiving 2007

Happy Thanksgiving Everyone!! Give Thanks :)

Making Tuesday Tasty-Thanksgiving Turkey

Ok, so the focal point of most tables during Thanksgiving will be a gorgeous turkey! Here is one recipe I've come across to make the most of your Thanksgiving dinner. Enjoy.

Directions

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F. Pull the neck and giblets out of the cavity; ditch the liver and save the rest of the giblets for gravy. Dry the turkey with paper towels, then season inside and out with salt and pepper. Fill the turkey with aromatics like chopped onions, carrots, apples and herbs, then place breast-side up in a roasting pan and brush with melted butter. Tent with foil and roast for 2 hours (for a 10- to 12-pound turkey; add an extra 15 minutes per pound for larger birds). Remove the foil, baste with more melted butter and crank the oven to 425 degrees F. Roast for another hour or until the meat at the thigh registers 165 degrees F. Let rest while you make the gravy.

*recipe/photo courtesy of foodnetwork.com*

Making Tuesday Tasty-Herb And Bacon Stuffing

It's officially November!!! I'm so excited this is one of my favorite months and it's also the month of my favorite holiday, Thanksgiving. I love the food, the friends and family, I love the cooking and baking, and I just love this time of year.

Here's a scrumptious version of stuffing that I think you can make and enjoy with the whole family!

Ingredients

2 loaves Corn Bread

6 large celery ribs

1 pound onions (about 2 large)

1 pound sliced bacon

1/2 cup chopped mixed fresh herbs such as thyme, sage, rosemary, and/or marjoram or 2 tablespoons mixed dried herbs, crumbled

1 cup Turkey Giblet Stock or chicken broth

1/4 cup reserved fat from roast turkey or melted butter
print a shopping list for this recipe

Preparation

Preheat oven to 325° F. and butter a 4-quart baking dish.
Cut corn bread into 1/2-inch cubes and dry in 2 large shallow baking pans in oven 20 minutes. Remove corn bread from oven and leave oven at 325° F. Coarsely chop separately celery, onions, and bacon.

In a large, deep skillet sauté bacon over moderately high heat, stirring, until browned, about 10 minutes. Add celery and onions and cook, stirring, until vegetables are softened, about 5 minutes. Add herbs and salt and pepper to taste and cook, stirring, 1 minute.

In a large bowl toss together corn bread and bacon mixture and transfer to baking dish. Stuffing may be prepared up to this point 1 day ahead and cooled completely before being chilled, covered.

Drizzle stock or broth over stuffing and bake, covered, 1 hour. Drizzle reserved fat or butter over stuffing and bake, uncovered, in upper third of oven 30 minutes more, or until top is golden.

*recipe and photo courtesy of epicurious.com*

Wordless Wednesday-Cousins

I'm having trouble with my computer today so I pulled a pic where I could access. This is Kaia with her cousin Alexis last Thanksgiving. Kaia is still trying to hold her cousins which are nearly the same size as her now ha ha.

Happy Thanksgiving Everyone!

It's my favorite! Hope you all remember your blessings and have a wonderful day enjoying each other and eating a delicious meal!

Wordless Wednesday-At Grandma's First Thanksgiving

Making Tuesday Tasty-High Heat Turkey

It's November so I'm gonna start things out right! A classic Turkey prepared and cooked on high heat. Whenever I cook poultry on high heat it turns out succulent and delicious. As long as you cover it properly in the beginning, make sure there's water at bottom of the pan and, and let it rest, you're going to have one beautiful bird! Not to mention shaving off precious time in the cooking process.

Ingredients

16-18 lbs fresh whole turkey

1/2 cup olive oil

1 tablespoon fresh black pepper, to taste

3 cups as needed chicken broth

Directions
1. Dry a 16 to 18 lb. turkey inside and out with paper towels.

2. Oil the turkey inside and out with any kind of vegetable oil (olive, canola, etc.) using your hands.
3. Cut away any excess skin around the opening of the cavity and wedge a fork inside the cavity to open it further. Leave the fork in to keep cavity open.

4. Rub spices, herbs, or just pepper all over the bird with your oily fingers.

5. Place the turkey, breast side down on a rack in a large metal roasting pan.

6. Cover the top of the turkey, including legs and wings with greased foil.

7. Pour ¾-inch of chicken or turkey broth in the bottom of the pan. As the turkey cooks, check the liquid every 45 minutes and add more in case it evaporates.

8. Cook the turkey at 500° to 525° for 2 hours.

9. Remove foil, stuff the turkey with cooked stuffing and return it to the rack breast side up.

10. Cook the turkey 30 to 45 minutes longer until an instant-read thermometer stuck deep in the thigh reads 175°.

11. Let the turkey rest at least 20 minutes, this allows the meat to reabsorb its juices.

Suggestions to go along with this cooking process. If you salt or over salt you will be taking the juices from the bird. Find a large enough pan to fit the bird in and put it on a rack so it's not "stewing". Allow the heated air to flow around the bird and cook it properly. Don't baste the bird because it breaks down the lovely caramelization on the bird as well as uses up the pan juices that would be later used for gravy. Don't cover with cheesecloth because it prevents browning and color to the bird.

**This recipe I've used is taken courtesy of Recipezaar/kiwidutch. Photo courtesy of Recipezaar**

It's November!

Just a little entry today. I'm excited that it's November and yet, always this time of year has me amazed. I'm excited that Thanksgiving is around the corner, my wedding anniversary, and our annual church reunion is coming around. I love Thanksgiving, it's really my favorite holiday. I'm not totally sure why. I think the food is fantastic, I love family and friends, and you don't have to worry about gift giving. It's a time to truly be thankful for what you have.

This year has no doubt been a hard one. One of the worst in awhile but, I am thankful everyday for what I do have. I have a lot more than some. I have been blessed with many people in my life and that makes it even more rich.

I am also one of those moms that gets anxiety each year that goes by. Seeing just how fleeting time can be. When it's measured next to your child, it's even more poignant. You see the years by their growth instead of by seasons. My daughter is almost three years old. It's awe inspiring that she will be three. I know that sounds dramatic. She is almost three though. I have been with her the whole time being a stay at home mom, and yet it's going so fast.

Take the time to know your children as individuals, to teach them, to nurture their creativity. We all get busy. Just take time out weekly for them. In an instant they are grown.