I cannot believe that Thanksgiving is a mere two weeks away. It is going to be fun this year because Erin and Jon (my daughter and son in law) and their kids will be here this year…but sad too, because Chris will be in Iraq still.  You  gotta feel sorry for the boy, here I am writing a food blog, publishing a cookbook…and the only thing I have sent him is colloidal silver, echinacea, and other herbs and natural medicines…LOL!

What is that quote about the cobbler’s kids not having shoes?

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So, the turkey is eaten, the dishes are washed, the alka seltzer is fizzing. What do you do with all the Thanksgiving leftovers? Here are some ideas to get you started!

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Thanksgiving

Give me the end of the year an’ its fun
When most of the plannin’ an’ toilin’ is done;
Bring all the wanderers home to the nest,
Let me sit down with the ones I love best,
Hear the old voices still ringin’ with song,
See the old faces unblemished by wrong,
See the old table with all of its chairs
An I’ll put soul in my Thanksgivin’ prayers.

I hope you have a blessed & wonderful Thanksgiving!

I had some time this morning since I have my dinner basically finished (evil laugh) and I wanted to post some ideas for what to do when, all of a sudden, you find out YOU are hosting Thanksgiving, and cooking.

It happens. Maybe the relatives that were going to host got sick, or decided to join a commune in Oregon, or maybe you misunderstood something, or….

Well. It happens. I envision the scene from A Christmas Story where they eat Christmas dinner at the Chinese restaurant. Roast duck, anyone?

So…here are some ideas, mine and around the web, for putting together a quick but gourmet feast that you will be proud to serve. Every thing on this list takes less than 1 hour total…except maybe the turkey.

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So, with Thanksgiving a day away I am joining in the posts to express my thankfulness for the myriad of blessings that are poured out on me every single day.

1.Jesus Christ. Not politically correct but always first.

2. My family. The biggest bunch of weirdos on the planet.

3. My friends. Also the biggest bunch of weirdos on the planet. Maybe on any planet.

4. You. Every morning I check my blog for comments and to see how many people have visited. I am always humbled and amazed that not only do you keep coming back, you leave comments, and post about me on your blogs, and send me emails to tell me you are praying for me. When someone leaves a sort of mean comment you guys surround it with encouraging ones. How awesome are you? Awesome enough that MONDAY I am announcing a new contest. You will like it. Promise.

And…so…in honor of this day I leave you with one of my favorite videos.

Thanksgiving is this week!

This is always a busy week for me and sometimes I just want to get the kids busy doing something so that I can concentrate on other things. I don;t usually use convenience foods like slice and bake cookies, cake mix or premade frosting but here are some ideas for foods the kids can make by themselves!  The mixes just mean that they can be more independent-more time for you to get your stuff done!

1. Check out these cute Turkey Cookies from Pillsbury!

2. Let them make some Pumpkin Ice Cream

3. How cute are these Marshmallow Pops?

4. And I thought this Peanut butter “Cheese Ball”would be cool to take to the school party with some Lorna Doones.

5. Pumpkin Dessert Squares are a little more involved but yummy and easy enough for most kids 8 and up to do with a little supervision.

6. How could a kid resist these Teeny Turkey Snacks?

7.  Here is an easy Oreo Cookie Turkey Snack

8. Pumpkin Mousse is easy and delicious. Have the kids whip it up while you watch the parades!

9. Kids can toss together this beautiful Bacon Cranberry Spinach Salad for a colorful side

10. Make an edible centerpiece with this cornucopia

Other ways to get the kids busy in the kitchen is to have them wash vegetables, make place cards and place mats,  and practice their reading by reading off recipes to you as you cook.  Make it a family thing and make memories that last a life time.

I never understood the need for people to pick up the brown and serve rolls when they could make homemade dinner rolls themselves so easily. Saying that, I must hang my head in shame and admit that I do buy them each year as an addition to the breads I make because my son, Chris (currently in the Air Force) says that you can’t have Thanksgiving with out them. My mom liked these rolls and brought them every year. After she passed away I thought we would be free of them, but no. We must buy them for Chris. And honestly, I smile while I am saying this. I would buy them daily if it meant that he would be home again.

Anyway..(pass me a tissue?) … These buttermilk rolls are light and wonderful. They freeze really well if you want to do them ahead, or you can make your own brown and serve version by baking them until done but not colored (about 10 minutes. Be sure they are baked all the way through though. Sacrifice one for the cause if you need to), and freezing. Thaw and brown when you need them.

There is nothing like them, warm, with some butter melting down the roll, a little tupelo honey drizzled on..and…sigh. They are so easy to make you will never go back to..you know..the dark side.

Light Buttermilk Dinner Rolls

1/4 cup warm water (105-115°F) The easiest way to check temp is to pretend it is a baby’s bathwater. If you would bathe a baby in it it is just right.
1 (1/4-oz) package active dry yeast
1 tablespoon mild honey (tupelo, orange blossom, alfalfa, blueberry…these are all perfect)
2 teaspoons salt
3 to 3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup whole fat buttermilk at room temperature. Please, do not buy fat free. Yuck
2 tablespoons honey
1/2 stick unsalted butter, melted
1 egg yolk lightly beaten with 1 tablespoon water

Stir together water, yeast, and honey in a small bowl and let stand until foamy, about 5 minutes. (If mixture doesn’t foam, discard and start over with new yeast.) Stir salt into 3 cups of flour and then add yeast mixture, buttermilk, and butter, stirring until it makes a soft, sticky dough.

Turn out dough onto a floured surface and knead, adding just enough more flour to prevent sticking, until smooth and elastic, 6 to 10 minutes.

Form dough into a ball and transfer to an oiled large bowl, turning to coat. Cover bowl with kitchen towel and let dough rise in a draft-free place at warm room temperature until doubled in bulk, 1 to 1 1/2 hours. The top of your fridge, in the oven with the light on, on top of the counter when the dishwasher is running are all good places. If your kitchen is very chilly it may take a little more time. If it is warm it may take a little less. You will know it has doubled when it looks like it has and you can push your finger in it and the dent will remain.

Turn out dough onto a lightly floured surface and knead several times to remove air. Cut dough into 18 equal pieces. Form a smooth ball with each piece, or roll into a rope and make a knot..Pretend it’s Play-do.. Repeat with remaining pieces of dough, arranging balls 1 inch apart on baking sheet. Cover loosely with kitchen towel and let rolls rise in a draft-free place at warm room temperature until doubled in bulk, 1 to 1 1/4 hours.

Preheat oven to 375°F.

Brush rolls lightly with egg yolk and water mixture. This is an egg wash and will make the crusts more golden and beautiful. You can omit if you want. Bake until rolls are golden brown and sound hollow when tapped on bottom, 15 minutes.

I was raised on bread stuffing with sage, or sage stuffing, what ever you want to call it. Marc wasn’t. His mom stuffed the turkey with the pork filling from Tourtiere but since I cook and he doesn’t he is stuck with sage stuffing. Don’t worry about him, I make the whole tourtiere and he is happy.

For the stuffing you will need stale bread. I do not make homemade bread for stuffing, but it is awesome. I just don’t usually have time. I do like to have a mixture of breads for the stuffing, and I especially like it with a little sour dough bread added. Leave your bread slices out for about 24 hours to get good and stale. Then tear into small pieces. The amount you need depends on the size of your turkey. Sorry, it isn’t exact.

You will need one small container of dried sage, one package organic fresh sage, salt, pepper, 5 stalks celery, 2 onions, 1 stick unsalted butter, some chicken broth, and your bread.

Chop the vegetables and sage finely, and add to the bread, tossing to mix well. Add salt, pepper, and the whole small container of sage, more if you need it.Taste for seasoning. Melt the butter and pour over the bread, again, tossing to coat. Use enough broth to make it moist enough to stuff into the turkey.

Yep…that’s it!…

I know that I explained how to fix a turkey in this post, Thanksgiving Preparation but sometimes pictures are so much more easily followed. So, when I fixed the turkey for OUR Thanksgiving I took pictures. I did not use the exact ingredients as in the other post. This year I decided to season it with Herbs de Provence rather than the cranberry sauce, however the techniques pictured can be used with any recipe. Ready?

Step 1- after the bird is thawed take the neck and bag of giblets out of the abdominal cavity and the chest cavity. Set aside. Rinse bird thoroughly in warm water. Dry with paper towels.

Step 2-Gather your ingredients together. Salt, pepper, herbs, the turkey, turkey bags, oil, etc.

Step 2 1/2 Use the peelings from the vegetables you used int he stuffing, a couple of pieces of celery, celery leaves, the neck and gizzard an heart (I don’t use the liver but some people do) and put in a pan covered with water. simmer until neck is done, a couple of hours, adding water as necessary. Once the neck is done, simmer until the liquid is reduced by half. Strain and remove the vegetables and meat, and set broth aside.

Step 3- Make a mixture of salt, pepper, and seasoning in your hand and rub the inside cavity of the turkey.

Step 4 - Stuff the abdominal cavity of the turkey loosely with stuffing of choice. For my sage stuffing recipe click here

Step 6- Some people use twine to truss the turkey. I don’t bother. Just fold the flap of skin over and pull the legs in place.

Step 7- Turn the pan around and pull the flap of skin up to reveal the chest cavity. Stuff it loosely. You can even use a different stuffing if your family like 2 kinds.

Step 8- Now, very gently begin to loosen the skin from the meat on the breast.

Step 9- Make a mixture of the seasonings you plan to use (or cranberry sauce) and rub it over the meat. I sometimes will lay thin slices of garlic in here, or fresh herb leaves.

Step 10-Now, oil the skin lightly. I used olive oil, but anything will do.

Step 11-Prepare the roasting bag by adding a tablespoon or so of flour and shaking it well.

Step 12- carefully put turkey in roasting bag and tie up. Lay in a sturdy pan.

Step 13 - Cut 6 slits in roasting bag for steam to escape. Put turkey in the oven.

Now…here is where you have to make some decisions. The recommended way to roast a turkey is at 350 for about 4 hours for a 20 lbs stuffed turkey. Personally I roast mine at 325 for 8 hours, or about 20 minutes a pound. This was a 23 lb turkey and I put it in the oven at 12:00 noon.

at 3:00 p.m. it was starting to brown and smell good but no where near done.

At 8:00p.m. it was perfect. Meat falling from the bone, drumstick moved easily.Remove from oven at this point and allow to sit for 20 minutes. Open the bag (watch for steam). Pour the broth carefully into a bowl, adding the broth you made earlier.. Remove stuffing and put in a bowl and carve turkey.

Now, I have to admit that once I was ready to carve the turkey I totally forgot about taking pictures. Trust me, it looks wonderful.

We usually have several pies and other desserts because I can never decide which ones I want to make. While you can only make and freeze pie crusts and fruit pies, with two weeks to go until Thanksgiving I thought it might be fun to check out 25 of the best Thanksgiving pies on the Internet.

I have no clue how I am going to decide which to make…I really think Thanksgiving should be a three day event. Day one should be the turkey and maybe appetizers. Then day two could be the side dishes, followed by day three…desserts. Maybe there should be day four- Alka seltzer day.

Anyway, check out these recipes. Let me know what you are making because I am in a quandary and I only have 10 pie pans… I guess I could go buy more pie pans…

Custard recipes do not freeze. You could freeze any of the purely fruit ones either baked or unbaked. You could freeze crusts. But do not, I repeat do NOT freeze the cream or custard pies!

image from Nestle

1.The first one is a must in our family. It is so classic that I can’t imagine not having it. Yep, I am talking about the original Libby’s Pumpkin Pie recipe. It is easy, it is good, and there is even a step by step video to go with it!

2. Gingered Apple Pie with Cider Bourbon Sauce is bound to amaze people with your baking skills. It is buttery and incredible served warm with the warm sauce.

Image: Allrecipes

3.Sweet Potato Pie is a southern favorite this time of year. This one is especially good. I suggest that you bake the sweet potatoes rather than boil them for the filling, as baking intensifies the flavor and sweetness alot and gives you a fluffier texture. Just bake them at 375 for an hour (or until done, be sure to put them on a cookie sheet because the sugars will drip and make a mess..ask me how I know). Cool them and scoop out the flesh.

4. This is my oldest daughter’s favorite. She absolutely does not think it is Thanksgiving without the Pecan Pie. One small hint…When you make a pecan pie take a few minutes to lightly toast the pecans (and let them cool) before adding them to the recipe. This brings out the flavor of the pecans.

Image: Chow

5. Chocolate Bourbon Pecan Pie from Charlie Palmer ( I found it on CHOW), why not use up the leftover bourbon from the apple pie above? Don;t you want to lick the screen right now?

6. Dihvya at Culinary Bazaar made a luscious Cranberry Apple Pie . It was different than I expected, using raisins and walnuts with the apples and cranberries but absolutely fabulous!

7. I can only say..”YUM” to Spiced Pumpkin Pudding Pie at Serious Eats. Seriously.

8. This Coconut Praline Pie is still one of my personal favorites. People who don’t even LIKE coconut like this one. I have really gotten much better at picture taking I see!

Image by jo_jo_ba, Group Recipes

9. These Mincemeat Tarts are exactly what I like in mincemeat, a little kick to them from the cayenne pepper. I like to add dried chipotle granules instead of cayenne, because I like the slow, smoky heat that it adds.

10. This may be cheating a bit..but here are 51, yes 51 Apple Pie Recipes from Deb at Simply Thrifty. Knock yourself out.

11. Follador at Non Sequitur created this poached pear 7 pumpkin pie that sounded amazing. Black peppercorns and Pinot Noir are a brilliant touch.

Image: Out of the Frying Pan

12. Out of the Frying Pan has this amazing Chess Pie recipe from James Beard. It has some lemon in it, which is very traditional but i was intrigued by the use of a little orange as well.

13. Oh my goodness. Pumpkin Ice Cream Pie. This is the most amazing recipe and it is great because you can make it ahead and freeze. It has Heath Bars chopped up in it. The only change I suggest is to use a pecan praline or butter brickle ice cream instead of vanilla.

14. This is the best French Silk Pie on the planet. Maybe in the whole known universe. It is the only one I make. Ever. I use the filling for my Buche de Noel, for tortes, and many other things. It always comes out perfect. Always.

15. If you are from the south you know that Banana Pudding should be served as a side dish with every meal. Thanksgiving is no exception. This is a delightful Banana Pudding Pie.

16. Caramel Pecan Topped Pumpkin Pie from Razzledazzle Recipes is perfect. Just perfect.

17. Epicurious is one of those sites for me that is dangerous. I could spend all day there and an entire year’s pay on the ingredients to try each one of them..one by one. Check out this Brandied Pumpkin Pie. I could go for that right now. The entire thing.

Image: Something in Season

18. I love Brendan’s blog, Something In Season. I really support cooking in season, with local ingredients as much as possible, and his recipes most often involve doing just that. They are also beautifully photographed and gluten- free. This Gluten Free Pumpkin Pie looks wonderful.

Image: Kraft Foods

19. Pumpkin Swirl Cheesecake is rich and delicious. Be sure to beat the ingredients on low speed and don’t incorporate too much air for the best, densest cheesecake ever.

20. My friend Inge, from Vanielje Kitchen has this wonderful recipe for Mincemeat. It makes alot but after you taste it you will absolutely need alot..the only addition I can suggest, once again, is a tablespoon or so of dried chipotle granules to add a seductive, smoky, spicy heat.

Image: More Than Burnt Toast

21.Valli, from More than Burnt Toast, celebrated Thanksgiving last month since Canadians can’t wait until the proper time (grin) and posted this amazing DROOLWORTHY Cinnamon Streusel Topped Pumpkin Pie

Image:Cafe Lynnylu

22. O.k..this is not exactly a pie. Well, it is not at all a pie. BUT, this is my blog and I will do what I want, o.k.?
Seriously…this Pistachio, Mango and Blood Orange Terrine from Lynn at Cafe Lynnylu was so amazing I wanted to add it just for the sheer beauty of having it on this page. It is going to be on our Thanksgiving table..I am thinking I can convince my family it is a salad.

23. Start a new tradition this year with this Cranberry White Chocolate Tart. I love the combination in cookies and this looks amazing.

24. Another variation on the pumpkin/sweet potato pie theme. This Butternut Squash Pie has a little maple syrup added. MMMM.

25. Vermont Maple Sugar Pie, if you hurry, you can order in the maple sugar before Thanksgiving!

There it is. 25 of the most irresistible pies on the planet. But that’s only pie…Check back because you know, there ARE other desserts for Thanksgiving.

Julie and Heather are both running cool contests…Check them out at:
Play Library
and
Chocolate Bytes