HOLIDAY WREATHS

Good Morning everyone, Tamy here again.  Today I’m filling in for Emily and I thought I’d offer you this easy and colorful recipe for the upcoming Christmas season.  Kids LOVE these! Well, to be honest so do the adults.

My great aunt who I only got to see a couple times a year used to make these every year special for me and I would wait out on the front steps for her arrive just to see them and know they were there. She always made them soooooooooo pretty and perfect!

HOLIDAY WREATHS
(these are better when they are made a few days ahead)

30 large marshmallows (or 1 jar marshmallow cream)
1/2 cup butter
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 teaspoon green food color
3 1/2 cups cornflakes
Red Hots
  • Combine marshmallows, butter, vanilla and food color in top of double boiler. Heat and stir frequently until well blended.
  • Gradually stir in cornflakes until well blended.
  • Drop onto wax paper and arrange into wreath shapes. I plop them onto the wax paper and then push out from the center to form the wreaths.
  • Decorate with red hots.
  • Let cool.
  • If your house is warm – chill in refrigerator until set.

Veggie Tales by Kris!

Salsa is not just for dipping! It makes a great side salad for any dish (like chicken or fish). I also love Israeli Salad! How else do you eat your salsa?

For salad: 

(toss all ingredients into a bowl)
1/2 can kidney beans, rinsed
1/2 cup corn niblets
1/2 avocado scooped out in chunks
1 cup whole cherry tomatoes
1 red pepper, diced
1/2 cup chopped cilantro
2 scallions, chopped finely
1 lime, juiced
1 tablespoon olive oil
salt and pepper to taste

SALTED CHOCOLATE COOKIE DROPS

This recipe was inspired by my good friend Barbara’s candy recipe for Salted Chocolate over at Kitchen Comforts.
SALTED CHOCOLATE COOKIE DROPS
  • 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1/2 cup Hershey’s cocoa
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1 1/4 cups unsalted butter, softened
  • 1 1/2 cups (packed) brown sugar
  • 1/2 cup sugar
  • 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
  • 1 Heath bar, chopped into bits
  • 1 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 10 ounces milk chocolate, chopped into small chips
  1. Sift the flour, cocoa and baking soda together.
  2. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
  3. Beat the butter on medium speed until soft and creamy. Add the sugars, salt and vanilla extract and beat for 2 minutes more.
  4. Add the flour mixture and mix just until well blended.
  5. Add chocolate pieces and mix only to incorporate.
  6. Line baking sheets with silicone mats.
  7. Roll into 1 inch balls.
  8. Press down slightly as you place them on the baking mat about an inch apart.
  9. Bake for 10-12 minutes.
  10. If needed press down slightly with the back of the spatula as you remove them from the oven.
  11. Cool for 5 minutes before removing from mats.
Makes about 4-6 dozen cookies.

Fire Roasted Acorn Squash Soup

It’s Fire Day Friday and the day after Thanksgiving, so naturally you’d expect me to write about the turkey I smoked yesterday, right?


Brined in bourbon and maple syrup and then smoked with hickory/cherry wood, it was a spectacular bird. However, I want to tell you about the soup we made instead. I’m used to making a great turkey but this was my first time ever cooking acorn squash.


Fire Roasted Acorn Squash Soup
adapted from: Acorn Squash Soup

I set up Alexis’ Big Green Egg for indirect heat and got it settled in at 350f. While it was preheating, I halved the acorn squash and removed the seeds. (Note: Keep the seeds, toss with some oil, salt and cinnamon then roast for a tasty treat or garnish.)


I roasted the halves cut side down for 35 minutes while I was also roasting some sweet potatoes.

Then when the turkey was getting close to being done later that day, I made the soup. I could have done this stove top, but it was a gorgeous day with a record high temp of 74f so I could not resist being out on the deck. (NOTE: I don’t know what the heck happens at the 2:21 minute mark, skip to 3:15)

Saute the onions and celery over medium high heat for 5-8 minutes, until softened.

Stir in the flour. Add the dill, curry powder, cinnamon, cayenne, and mediterranian seasoned sea salt.

Whisk in the chicken stock and bring to a simmer.

Whisk in the evaporated milk and bring back to a simmer.

Stir the the acorn squash and heat through.

Let cool slightly and then process in small batches in a blender. I tried just using an immersion blender but found that I had to use a real blender to get the texture I wanted.

Season one last time with salt/pepper to taste.

Garnish with roasted seeds and parsley.

The soup was rich and had a velvety texture. The down side to it was that it was filling and put a dent in how much I could eat when the main course and sides hit the table.

Happy Thanksgiving & the tale of Pickle Eyeballs and the Church Basement Ladies

Happy Thanksgiving all!

Here is the tale of the pickled eyeball and the church basement ladies…

I promise there is food content coming, but first, I want to say a thank you to the ladies that started me on my foodie journey, the church basement ladies of Liberty Baptist Church in Pekin, Illinois. I have a long and sad story that I will not be telling today. But the short version of that story (the part you need to know to appreciate the happier parts) is that when I was a freshman in high school, my father got very sick. He spent several months at a hospital 150 miles from me. My mother stayed by his side most of that time. My older brother and I were asked to take care of ourselves while doctors do what they do.

A sad enough time, but in a way, very exciting. I was asked to grow before my time. But, 2 high school age kids could not have managed without a support system in place. We had friends and some family that looked in on us often. Not the least of which was my church family. Activities kept me busy, and church pot-luck dinners kept me fed beyond blue box max and cheese.

Church pot-luck dinners were amazing things. The ladies of the church would try to out do each other. Very competitive. Simple casseroles were followed by plates of imaginative meat dishes, followed by incredible desserts. Some of the best eating of my life happened in that basement. I still recall that miracle Sunday when the very first green bean casserole with French’s fired onions appeared on the table (I am old).

Like I said, the ladies were very competitive. On pot-luck day, there were a handful of “church basement ladies” who warmed all the dishes during service so that when the singing, praying and eating the heads of live roosters was finished, the congregation was fed hot items. It was a difficult task, and there were a small select few members of the youth group that helped set up and do the beck and call of the ladies. I was one of those youth. I also got to be a part of the clean up. Which gave me a chance to be a bug on the wall, as these ladies would critigue the finished meal. I listened to the ladies discuss the best (and more often, they discussed the worst) of the meal. They knew which church members were taking home empty plates (a huge honor), and which dishes were barely touched. Not all comments were… Christian. Like I said, very competitive.

Which brings me to the ladies that started me on my journey to my first culinary success… 

One Sunday afternoon, the ladies challenged me to bring a covered dish for the next potluck. During the Witty banter that followed, I not only vowed to bring a covered dish, but by the end of the day, I would be taking that dish home empty. Remember, due to the volume of foods served, for one dish to be emptied, it would need to be an exceptional item.

This recipe came from a friend’s mother who assured me that no one could resist these.
Three ingredients:
Cream Cheese
Buddig meat
Pickles
3 steps…

  • wrap a pickle with a bit of cream cheese 
  • wrap that with a few slices of buddig meat 
  • cut into slices
And sure enough, when these were made, when they were presented at the pot-luck, the plate was empty at the end of the day. Whatever smallmeasure of success I may have had since then as a cook or host, I will never be as thrilled as when I was announced by the church basement ladies to have an empty dish to take home! These ladies gave me the first and best encouragement I ever received regarding foodie matters.

So, to those unsung heroines of the basement, those ladies that kept the social wheels of the church greased… To those wonderful ladies that went out of their way to befriend a sad child, worried about his family… And to the ladies that encouraged me after my first, albeit simple, culinary success… Today I am thankful…
Thanksgiving has a complicated origin in the United States. Only occasionally were there presidential proclamations of a national day of thanks prior to the American Civil War. In 1863, President Lincoln proclaimed a national Thanksgiving day. Since that day, Thanksgiving has been observed annually. Likewise, only a month before the attack on Pearl Harbor, in 1941, Thanksgiving became a federal holiday. It is not a coincidence that this most “family” centric of all our holidays has it’s origins when we were asking our best and bravest to sacrifice to the fullest measure of devotion. Enjoy your day with your family, make all your friends welcome in your home, and consider for a moment (dare I be politically incorect and ask you to pray for) the people in harm’s way who earn our thanks every day.

Happy Holidays, enjoy your day and have a moist, tender, golden brown and delicious bird!

Dave here from MY YEAR ON THE GRILL. It really is just this easy!  

 … I CAN COOK THAT! 

And so can you!
…

HAPPY THANKSGIVING

I hope you and yours have a wonderful, safe and Happy Thanksgiving!
Now because it is almost Thanksgiving and everyone is sooooooooooooooooo busy this time of year I invite all my readers that want to participate to consider themselves tagged! Be sure and leave me a message so I can come read your answers!  I did this a couple of years ago and we had a lot of fun with it!

There are only two easy rules:

1. Post these rules when you participate in this meme.

2. Link to the people you tag as well as the person who tagged you.

Now on to the FUN!!

1. Which do you like better: hosting Thanksgiving at your home, or going elsewhere?

Years ago I somehow ended up hosting for my family and that became tradition. I think I prefer it, but we have had many wonderful Thanksgivings elsewhere. Last year was at my sis-in-laws and 2 years before that at her DIL’s and while were both wonderful, they were much different from having had it here.

2. Do you buy a fresh or frozen turkey? Organic? Free-range?

Depends on what is available in the small town neck of the woods. I don’t care whether it is frozen or fresh per se, but do want a free range one.

3. Do you make stuffing or dressing? What kind?

Absolutely make it from scratch! It’s an Oatnut Sourdough Herb Stuffing.

4. Sweet potato pie or Pumpkin pie?

Neither, it’s Pumpkin Cheesecake here.

5. Are leftovers a blessing or a curse?

Definitely a blessing. We love the leftovers for easy meals the following week and MUST HAVE turkey sandwiches.

6. What side dishes are a must-have in your family?

Oatnut Sourdough Herb Stuffing, Apricot Carrot Casserole and Baked Pineapple.

7. What do you wish you had that might make Thanksgiving easier?

A double wall oven would be easier on my back.

8. If/when you go to someone else’s house for the holiday, do you usually bring a dish? If so, what is it? My Apricot Carrot Casserole because it is so different and blends well with whatever their menu is.

9. What do you wish one of your guests would bring to your house?

Smiles, appetites and positive attitudes.

10. What do you wish one of your guests would NOT bring to your house?

Bad attitudes coupled with deep seated arguments over politics and/or religion.

11. Do you stick with a particular menu from year to year, or do you mix it up?

While I do try to mix-it up now and then, a lynch mob quickly forms if I don’t keep it pretty close to what it has always been. For Christmas I have been able to mix it up better as it is also our youngest son’s birthday. He gets to pick the basic meat and then everyone else gets to pick a favorite to go with it and that has become our tradition since.

12. Is Thanksgiving a religious or secular holiday in your home?

It is a beautiful melding of both. We celebrate the pilgrimage with the influence God has always had on it.

13. Share one Thanksgiving tradition.

The Thanksgiving traditions in my family seemed to dwindle as the kids grew older and then the extended families and alternate get togethers grew. We do have a traditional meal with the same traditional recipes we have always used though.

14. Share one Thanksgiving memory.

As for disaster, it seems that in my parent’s house it always happened on Thanksgiving and usually involved the garbage disposal backing up and creating a HUGE mess. One year in particular it was really bad! So bad we couldn’t even have people over. My grandparents only lived a few blocks away. Long story short, grandpa brought their red Chevy station wagon over to our house with and old quilt spread out in the back and the adults loaded all the food there. My uncle and I rode in the back to keep all the bowls and pans from tilting over. While grandpa had been at our house, grandma had set the table at their house. All the food was unloaded from the station wagon and the preparation continued in grandma’s kitchen. It was one of the more memorable Thanksgivings I can remember.

15. Name five things you’re thankful for.

  1. My Faith and love of God
  2. The love of family and friends
  3. A roof over our heads
  4. Food on the table and Dirty Dishes
  5. Babies & Puppies

THANKSGIVING ROUND-UP

WHEN: WEDNESDAY, November 24th ~ WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 8th, 2009
WHERE: OuR KrAzY kItChEn

We’re having a party here at the OuR KrAzY kItChEn and you’re invited. Bring your favorite recipe, decorating idea, pictures, anecdotes and let’s have some fun together.
  • Do you have a special pumpkin pie recipe recipe?
  • What is your favorite side dish recipe?
  • Do you have a favorite apple recipe?
  • Do you have special way to carve a turkey?
  • How about a party punch that’s perfect for the Thanksgiving crowd?
  • What is your idea of a best decorating idea?

Balsamic Sauteed Chicken Breasts

I needed something in a hurry. 

I had this awesome Butternut Squash Bake that I was making but needed something to go along with it. 

With nothing thawed.

My brother saved the day by bringing home a whole bunch of fresh boneless chicken breasts from Sam’s Club.  So chicken it was!
These were very simple but incredibly delicious.  Great for dinner when you’re in a hurry!  Very healthy and low calorie too! We ate these with a delicious Butternut Squash Bake!
Balsamic Sauteed Chicken Breast Recipe
1/2 cup chicken broth
1/2 cup balsamic vinegar
1 tbsp. honey
1 tbsp. sugar
5 (6 oz) boneless chicken breasts (not too thick)
Salt and pepper
2 green onions, chopped
  • Combine broth, vinegar, honey and sugar. 
  • Spray non stick pan with cooking spray.  
  • Salt and pepper chicken breasts and brown in pan.
  • Cook 4 – 5 minutes on each side until there is a nice brown.  
  • Add balsamic mixture, scraping to loosen bits on the bottom.  
  • Add green onion.  
  • Bring to a boil and cook until reduced to about 1/2 cup.  About 4 – 5 minutes.  If chicken isn’t quite done, cover and cook before sauce reduces. 
  • Serve sauce over the chicken. 
Check out more great recipes at Debbi Does Dinner Healthy!

TUESDAYS WITH DORIE~ REWIND ~ PERFECT PARTY CAKE!

The Perfect Party Cake on page 250-252.
TIPS FOR MAKING A PERFECT PERFECT PARTY CAKE
  • Make sure the butter is VERY soft, the consistency of mayonnaise, before mixing.
  • Have the egg white and buttermilk at room temperature too.
  • If there is grated lemon zest in the batter, makes sure it is very finely grated as with a microplane, not a box grater – large pieces of zest can weigh down the batter and prevent full leavening from taking place.
  • Use buttermilk instead of milk (the acidity promotes faster setting during baking and also weakens the gluten in the batter).
  • Buy a fresh can of baking powder.
  • Use bleached, not unbleached, all-purpose flour (If you’re using cake flour, make sure it is NOT self-rising).
  • Test the layers for doneness with the point of a knife or a toothpick rather than relying on a timer to determine doneness – if the layers are over baked and a little dry, the texture could seem rubbery.
  • Wrap and chill or freeze the layers as soon as they cool – leaving them uncovered at room temperature for a long time could also dry them out.
final blog signature. ♥

Save Room for Dessert…Eggnog Coffee Cake

I was browsing through my recipe binder, you know, the kind filled with yellowed newspaper clippings, handwritten recipes jotted onto scraps of paper, and occasionally, a nicely done recipe card.  Today’s post is a recipe written in my own handwriting on a piece of paper from a yellow legal pad.  No idea of its origins.  Maybe from my brief foray into law school?  Who knows, what I do know is that it’s super yummy, moist, perfect for dessert with a cup of coffee, and luckily, everytime I come across the recipe, it’s the holiday season, and eggnog is readily available.  It goes together super quickly, and needs no other adornment in addition to the yummy streusel.

Eggnog Coffee Cake
2 cups flour
1 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
6 oz unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg, divided
1 cup eggnog
1 large egg, beaten
3 tablespoons bourbon
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/3 cup brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
Butter and line a 9″ cake with parchment paper, or butter and flour the pan; set aside.
Using a pastry cutter, combine flour, sugar, salt, and butter together until crumbly. 
Measure out 1 cup of the mixture and add the brown sugar, cinnamon, and 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg; set streusel aside.
Add baking powder and 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg to the remaining crumb mixture; beat in the eggnog, egg, bourbon, and vanilla until well mixed.
Pour batter into prepared pan and top with streusel mixture.
Bake at 375 degrees for 50 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean.
Serve warm.
Printable recipe

WEEKLY MENU

Menu Plan Monday hosted by Laura at I’m an Organizing Junkie

 DATE BREAKFAST LUNCH DINNER
Monday 11/22 CEREAL SANDWICHES FARMHOUSE CHICKEN STEW and SALAD
Tuesday 11/23 TOAST LEFTOVERS BAKED HAM, MASHED POTATOES and BROCCOLI
Wednesday 11/24 YOGURT SOUP HAM SANDWICHES and SALAD
Thursday 11/25 FRUIT CHEESE & FRUIT ROAST TURKEY, PARMESAN POTATOES, OATNUT SOURDOUGH HERB DRESSING, GRAVY, GREEN BEAN CASSEROLE, HOLIDAY APRICOT CARROT CASSEROLE, PARKER HOUSE ROLLS AND APPLE OAT PIE
Friday 11/26 OATMEAL C.O.R.N. TURKEY SANDWICHES and LEFTOVERS
Saturday 11/27 OUT leftovers LEFTOVERS
Sunday 11/28 SCRAMBLED EGGS & BACON TAILGATING FOOD RIO GRANDE RIBS, CUCUMBER POMEGRANATE SALAD

IT’S TAILGATING TIME!

We’re HUGE football fans!  Well, it’s that time of year again! Football season is already way too many weeks old (where does the time go?) and that means it’s time for tailgating again, serious football food and game day buffets.  Bring over your best appetizers and your biggest appetite and oh don’t forget the Brewskis to go with it all.  I like mine really cold please with a side of lime!

Tailgating Time will be posted every Sunday at noon and open all week for you to add your football favorites. We’ll play each and every week until Superbowl Sunday. I can’t wait to see what you’ll be bringing!
It’s Tailgating Time!
HOSTED BY: 
Tamy at 3 sides of Crazy 
Lyndsey at Tiny Skillet 
Martha at Seaside Simplicity 
Martha will be back with us next week.

Would you like to be a host of Tailgating Time too? 
Leave me a comment here with your email or with Martha over at Seaside Simplicity so we can send you the code and add you to the host list – more exposure, more links, more football food!