I’ve been ooohing and awing over the display for a couple days now. Here’s the whole spectacular buffet.We have to look at a few of these fabulous Thanksgiving treats a little closer. I love the little scarecrows, and the Indian corn cookie pops are too cute!

These turkey cookies are my absolute favorite!

If you’re looking for something on the lighter side check out these sugared and caramel pears.

I’ve been thinking about making something similar these little pumpkin pound cakes since I saw them done in Better Homes and Gardens a month or two ago. These are even cuter!

This is just a teaser of all the great desserts, you can check out the whole Thanksgiving Dessert Buffet at Amy Atlas’ blog:

Thanksgiving Dessert Buffet

More Pictures of the Dessert Buffet

Table Designed By: Amy Atlas of Sweet Designs

Photography by: Allan Zepeda for Mel Barlow Photography

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Melissa is working with Walmart to help people create Thanksgiving dinner with all the trimmings and sides for under $20. Yesterday I shared some of Melissa’s delicious Thanksgiving recipes, today I want to share the interview.

Melissa’s a quick talker, but I got most of what she shared. My questions are in bold, and her answers are below.

What are some of your favorite low-cost and time-saving holiday meal-making tips?
Melissa has two ways that she saves money on food for the holidays.

1. Melissa says save money by shopping smart. Take advantage of the good deals retailers are offering during the holidays, like WalMart’s meal for 8 for $20. Consumers are empowered by finding good deals and being good stewards of their money, especially during the holidays.
2. Melissa also believes you can save money by storing smart. Wasted ingredients are expensive ingredients, so you should take care of the ingredients you have. Store leftovers in the front of the refrigerator so you will use them. Another good idea is to scan the fridge before menu planning and a shopping trip, to leverage the ingredients you already have in your refrigerator or pantry.

What are your favorite low cost Thanksgiving side dishes?

Melissa’s favorite side dish is stuffing. Her husband is from France and did not know what stuffing was before he had hers. Now he’s a huge fan.

Melissa says you can use basic pantry ingredients to make your stuffing special. For example with fresh garlic you can extract extra flavor by roasting it before adding it to the stuffing. Onions can be caramelized and cooked slow for maximum flavor before you add them to your stuffing mixture.

What personal touches do you add to your Thanksgiving meal to make it stand out?
Melissa says your oven is overworked when you’re preparing the Thanksgiving meal, so you can give it a break by preparing a no bake stuffing which incorporates turkey drippings and other great flavors.

She also stressed that the best part about a Thanksgiving meal is having the people you love around you to share good times. There are many great Thanksgiving memories to be had and stories to be told, even if your Thanksgiving turkey doesn’t turn out perfectly. It will only add to the stories.

Do you have any special turkey cooking tips for making a fabulous Thanksgiving turkey?
Melissa had some great turkey cooking tips to keep you from serving a dried out turkey. She suggests salting and peppering your turkey then putting it on the counter at room temperature about an hour before you plan to bake it. This helps the bird cook evenly, and prevents the outer layer from getting too dry before the inner layer is cooked.

She recommends using an instant read thermometer stuck into the deepest part of the thigh of the turkey to get an accurate temperature of the meat. Getting an accurate temperature will keep you from over or under cooking your turkey.

Melissa also had a few other holiday suggestions she wanted me to share with She Knows Parties readers. Around the holidays families can find some great ways to keep the holiday tradition alive without spending a lot of money.

If you’re feeling upset because you can’t afford everything on your holiday list Melissa suggests a one day volunteer project helping those less fortunate than you are. She says this will put you in a better frame of mind on what the holidays are about. You don’t need to go into debt to have a great holiday. Donating time and energy to those less fortunate than you are can help put that into perspective.

I want to thank Melissa d’Arabian for taking the time to chat with me, and for sharing her Thanksgiving and holiday tips with She Knows Parties readers.

Image The Food Network/ Walmart

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Melissa won this season’s Next Food Network Star, and she now has her own show, Ten Dollar Dinners.

I got to interview Melissa D’ Arabian last week, and I’ll have the interview for you coming up in the next day or so. Woot!

Today I have some of Melissa’s favorite low cost recipes to put together a great Thanksgiving dinner menu. All of these recipes sound fabulous.

Creamed Corn Gratin

• 4 strips bacon, chopped
• 2 medium sweet onions, chopped
• Salt and pepper
• 3 cans creamed corn
• 1 T fresh thyme (or 1 t dried)
• 1 T butter (for greasing)
• ¼ cup parmesan cheese

In a large sauté pan, cook bacon over medium heat until crispy. Remove bacon pieces from the pan and in remaining bacon fat, cook onion slowly over low heat until caramelized, stirring occasionally, about 20 minutes. Add back the bacon, and the thyme and cook another minute or two to release flavors.

Add creamed corn and cook over low heat ten minutes. Salt and pepper to taste. Heat broiler to high. Place corn mixture in a buttered gratin dish. Top with parmesan cheese and broil until golden brown and bubbly, about two minutes.

Thanksgiving green beans

• 2 T flour
• 5 T butter, divided
• ½ large onion, finely chopped
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1 t Dijon mustard
• 1 cup milk
• 3 cans green beans, drained and rinsed
• ½ cup breadcrumbs
• ½ cup pecan pieces, chopped

In a small saucepan, cook onions in 2 T of the butter over medium low heat until onions are soft (about five minutes). Add garlic and cook for another minute. Add flour and create a thick paste. Cook for 3 minutes, whisking. Add mustard and whisk. Slowly add milk in thin stream, whisking constantly.

Heat the sauce until bubbles begin to form. Once bubbles begin to form and sauce begins to thicken, remove from heat and stir in the drained beans. Season with salt and pepper, and pour into a baking dish greased with 1 T butter.

In a small bowl, toss breadcrumbs, pecans, salt and pepper, and the final 2 T of butter, melted, until well combined. Sprinkle on top of beans and bake until bubbly and golden, about 20 minutes.

Smashed potatoes

• 3 pounds red potatoes, scrubbed and cut in half
• 5 whole cloves garlic, peeled, stem end removed
• 4 ounces cream cheese (half a package), cut into cubes
• 4 T butter (1/2 stick)
• 3 green onions, chopped
• 1/3-2/3 cup milk (or use cream leftover from caramel sauce if making)
• Salt and pepper

In a large pot of generously salted water, boil potatoes and garlic cloves until potatoes are fork tender, (about twenty minutes, depending on potato size). Drain in a colander and return potatoes and garlic to pot.

Toss in the butter and cream cheese, and with a fork, smash the potatoes and garlic, blending with the cream cheese and butter. Add green onions and enough milk to reach a creamy, but chunky, consistency. Salt and pepper generously. Serve with or without gravy.

Thanksgiving herbed dinner rolls

• 6 T butter, melted
• 1 T fresh rosemary, minced (or 1 t dried)
• 1 T fresh sage, minced (or 1 t dried)
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• Salt and pepper
• 1 package dinner rolls

In a small bowl, mix butter with rosemary, sage, and garlic. Salt and pepper generously. Split the rolls horizontally (without separating the rolls), so you have two large flat working areas – the tops and the bottoms of the rolls.

Using a basting brush, lightly brush butter all over the cut bread surface areas. Broil the rolls, oiled side facing the heat source, just until barely golden. Put the tops back on the bottoms and separate rolls and serve in a bread basket.

Herb and Garlic-scented turkey

• 1 12 pound turkey, rinsed and dried well
• 1 head garlic, cloves separated but NOT peeled
• 3 T olive oil
• ½ cup butter
• 1 T fresh rosemary, minced (or 1 t dried)
• 1 T fresh sage, minced (or 1 t dried)
• 1 t garlic powder
• ½ cup wine1 lemon, cut in quarters, for the cavity
• 3-4 Sprigs of fresh rosemary, for the cavity
• Salt and pepper

In a small bowl, blend butter, minced herbs and garlic powder. Rub turkey with 2 T butter mixture and generously salt the turkey, and allow to sit at room temperature for one hour. Heat oven to 375.

Place turkey in large roasting pan with rack and pour wine on bottom of pan. Roast turkey for 45 minutes at 375. Meanwhile, in a small bowl toss the garlic cloves, rosemary and lemon with olive oil and season with salt and pepper, squeezing the lemon a little to release a little bit of the juice.

Remove the turkey from the oven and place garlic cloves, rosemary, and lemon into the cavity of the turkey. Brush turkey skin with the remaining butter mixture, melted. Return back to the oven, lower temperature to 325 and continue roasting, uncovered, until turkey meat has reached 160 degrees in the thickest part of the thigh, about 2 hours.

Baste every 30 minutes. Once the turkey is 160 degrees, remove the bird from the oven, remove garlic for stuffing use, and cover with foil tent. Let rest 20 minutes before carving.

Unbelievable no-bake stuffing

• 3 packages stuffing mix
• 15 roasted garlic cloves reserved from roasting turkey
• 2 cups chicken stock
• 2 cups water
• ¼ cup juices from roasted turkey
• 3 slices bacon, chopped
• ½ cup butter
• 2 medium onions, finely chopped
• 1 bunch of celery, finely chopped
• Salt and pepper

In a large sauté pan, cook bacon until it becomes translucent. Add the butter and the onions and cook until onion is soft, about five minutes. Add celery and cook an additional five minutes. Meanwhile, squeeze out the soft flesh of fifteen of the roasted garlic cloves.

In a blender or food processor, blend garlic flesh with 1 cup of the chicken stock until smooth. Add the garlic stock, the remaining stock, the roasted turkey juices, and water to the sauté pan. Once mixture begins to boil, toss in dried stuffing mix, remove from heat, and cover for five minutes. Salt and pepper to taste. Fluff and serve.

Warm Cinnamon Caramel Sauce (serve with Pumpkin Roll Cake)

• ½ cup sugar
• 3 T water
• 1 T butter
• ½ cup heavy cream
• 1 t vanilla
• 1 t cinnamon
• Pinch salt

In a medium heavy saucepan, mix water and sugar and then place on medium high heat. Allow to boil (without stirring; only swirl pan if needed) until pale golden brown, approximately seven minutes. (Watch closely; sugar burns quickly.) Remove from heat, and add butter and cream, while stirring vigorously (mixture will bubble).

Return to heat and bring to boil and then remove from heat. Stir in vanilla, cinnamon, and salt. Allow to cool a few minutes before drizzling over pumpkin roll and vanilla ice cream.

I’ll be back with the interview!

Images courtesy of Walmart and Melissa d’ Arabian

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I also have a fun interview with someone from The Food Network, more Thanksgiving recipes, and a giveaway, so stay tuned!

You can tell your guests your Thanksgiving signature drink is a Mayflower Martini, or a Pilgrim Toddy. How fun is that?

The Mayflower Martini

• 1.5 oz. of Rhum Clément Première Canne
• .5 oz. of Rhum Clément Créole Shrubb
• 1 oz. of Cranberry juice
• Purée of half of a golden pear
• Powdered cinnamon

Method: In mixing glass filled with ice, stir Rhum Clément Première Canne and Rhum Clément Créole Shrubb with cranberry juice and allow to sit for 30 seconds. Rim the cocktail glass with the powdered cinnamon and pour the purée of the pear in the bottom of the glass. Slowly pour the cocktail over the back of a spoon onto the purée of the pear.

photo/recipe Rhum Clement

The Pilgrim Toddy

• 2 oz. of Rhum Clément V.S.O.P. Rum
• .75 oz. of Rhum Clément Créole Shrubb
• 1 cup apple cider
• A Cinnamon Stick
• 4 whole cloves
• A piece of lemon peel
• A small pat of butter

Method: Warm the cider until it almost reached the boiling point and pour just a 12oz cup of the cider into the mug or glass. Add Rhum Clément Créole Shrubb, the cloves and stir with the cinnamon stick. Fill the rest of the mug or glass with Rhum Clément V.S.O.P. Rum and top off the rest with cider. Garnish with a pat of butter and some freshly grated nutmeg.

Fall Breeze:
From Courvoisier Exclusif

• 1.5 oz Courvoisier Exclusif
• 2 Fresh Strawberries
• .5 oz Simple Syrup
• .5 oz DeKuper Pomegranate
• 1 oz Cranberry Juice
• 1 oz Apple Cider

Method: Muddle strawberries and simple syrup in a shaker. Fill shaker with ice. Add remaining ingredients and shake vigorously to incorporate. Strain into chilled cocktail glass and Garnish with an apple slice.

Maple Fig
From Tuthilltown Spirits

• 1.5 oz Hudson 4 Grain Bourbon
• 1 oz Fig Puree
• .75 oz Maple Syrup
• .25 oz Balsamic vinegar

Method: Combine all ingredients in a glass-mixing pint. Stir well. Strain into a chilled Garnish: fig wedge

Red Apple

• 1.5 oz Spirit of the Hudson Vodka
• 1 oz Apple Juice
• .5 oz fresh lemon juice
• .5 oz grenadine
• 1 dash orange bitters

Method: Combine all ingredients in a shaker. Shake well and strain into a chilled cocktail glass. Garnish with an apple slice.

Proper Martini
From G’Vine Gin

• 2.5 oz G’Vine Nouaison Gin
• .5 oz Dry Vermouth

Method: Combine all ingredients in a glass mixing pint. Stir well. Strain into a chilled cocktail glass.

Always remind your guests to drink responsibly.

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These cocktail recipes have all the flavors of the season. I’m a big fan of egg nog and of gingerbread this time of year, so I can’t wait to give a couple of these a try. Add in the cranberry and nutmeg flavors, and I’m sure these will be a big hit for any holiday party.

Maple Cinnamon Nog:

A combination of Bourbon, clove & cinnamon infused maple syrup, spiced rum, egg white, and a dash of cream for a smooth and creamy, yet light, cocktail nog

• 1 oz Bourbon
• 1/2 oz Spiced rum
• about 3/4 tbsp clove & cinnamon infused maple syrup
• 1/2 egg white
• cream to taste

In a shaker combine the bourbon, infused maple syrup, spiced rum, egg white and cream with ice. Shake until frothy. Strain into a snifter and top with grated nutmeg and a cinnamon stick

To infuse maple syrup add 6 fresh cinnamon sticks and a palmful of cloves to a fresh maple syrup. Refrigerate. Syrup will be ready to use in 24 hours.

Ginger Spice:

Cranberry vodka, poured over fresh muddled ginger and sugar, shaken with ice and topped with cranberry juice. A tantalizing, tongue tingling treat

• 4 thin slices of fresh ginger
• 5 fresh cranberries (optional)
• 1 bar spoon raw sugar
• 1.5 oz cranberry or orange vodka
• about 5 oz cranberry juice

Muddle the fresh ginger and cranberries with the raw sugar in a shaker. Add ice, vodka and cranberry juice. Shake and strain into a martini glass. Garnish with paper thin slice of fresh ginger

Pumpkin Pie:

Pumpkin butter, spiced rum, cinnamon, powdered sugar and an egg white, shaken and served up with a chestnut and a dollop of whipped cream.

• 3 heaping spoons of Pumpkin butter
• 3 oz spiced rum
• 1/2 egg white
• ground cinnamon
• powdered sugar
• chestnut
• whipped cream

Combine the pumpkin butter, rum, egg white, and a pinch of cinnamon & powdered sugar in a shaker with ice. Shake and strain into a martini glass. Garnish with the chestnut and a dollop of whipped cream.

As always pleas make sure you remind your guests to drink responsibly.

Images Harbour Restaurant

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If you’re in charge of the turkey for your Thanksgiving dinner feast, here are a few ideas to cook it to perfection.

1. One of our favorite ways to cook our Thanksgiving turkey is on the grill, yep grilled turkey is loaded with flavor, and delicious.
2. Along the same idea, here is a recipe for a charcoal grilled turkey.
3. You can get very non traditional for your Thanksgiving dinner, and make some BBQ turkey skewers.
4. My uncle likes to deep fry the Thanksgiving turkey. He infuses the turkey with herbs and spices then lets it sit for a few hours in the refrigerator before he lowers it into the fryer. I must say the turkey does come out juicy and delicious. Just make sure you do your deep frying outside where you can’t splash the grease on something and catch it on fire. And use caution to not burn yourself around the hot grease.
5. The other day I posted a recipe for a champagne turkey that sounds delicious.
6. If you want to go traditional, here’s a great turkey baking tutorial.

Okay, now I’m hungry for turkey!

Image (c) L Gerlach

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Even if you’re not the party hostess, you can offer to pitch in with the cocktails for your contribution to the party. These recipes can be great conversation starters, and your friends will be impressed that you came up with recipes so perfect for the holiday.
Blue Ice Pumpkin Pie Martini

• 4 parts Blue Ice Vodka
• 1 part DaVinci Pumpkin Pie Syrup
• Cinnamon Sugar

Add Blue Ice and Pumpkin Pie Syrup to a cocktail shaker, shake well and strain. Garnish with an orange slice and pour into a cocktail glass rimmed with cinnamon sugar

Chilled Pumpkin Latte

• 1 ounce Blue Ice Vodka
• ¾ ounce coffee liqueur
• ¾ ounce DaVinci Pumpkin Pie Syrup

Build over cubed ice in a 12- to 14-ounce Collins-style glass

All-American Chilled Apple Pie

• 1 1/4 oz Blue Ice Vodka
• 3/4 oz Tuaca Liqueur
• 1/2 oz Sweet & Sour
• Fill with Chilled Apple Cider

Build in order over ice in a 12 oz glass, garnish with a lemon slice, a long cinnamon stick, and a straw.

Don’t forget to remind your guests to always drink responsibly!

Images and recipes courtesy of  Blue Ice Vodka

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Recipes you can prepare ahead work great for Thanksgiving day, then you can relax and mingle with your family and friends when they arrive, they’ll just think you’re super human (don’t tell them otherwise).

A bottle of champagne is the secret to the moist turkey recipe below, stuffed with apples and baked in an oven bag.

Holiday Champagne Turkey Recipe

Ingredients:

• 1 (12 pound) Foster Farms Fresh Whole Turkey, neck and giblets removed
• 1/2 cup butter, cubed
• 2 apples, cored and halved
• 1 tablespoon garlic powder
• salt and pepper to taste
• 2/3 (750 milliliter) bottle champagne

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
2. Rinse turkey, and pat dry. Gently loosen turkey breast skin, and insert pieces of butter between the skin and breast. Place apples inside the turkey’s cavity. Sprinkle with garlic powder, salt, and pepper. Place turkey in a roasting bag, and pour champagne over the inside and outside of the bird. Close bag, and place turkey in a roasting pan.
3. Bake turkey 3 to 3 1/2 hours in the preheated oven, or until the internal temperature is 180 degrees F (85 degrees C) when measured in the meatiest part of the thigh. Remove turkey from bag, and let stand for at least 20 minutes before carving.

A 14 – 18 pound turkey takes about 3 ¾ to 4 ¼ hours to cook, and you want to begin checking for doneness about an hour before the end time. You’ll want to take your turkey out of the oven about 20 minutes before you plan to carve it to give it a chance to rest and cool a little (and you want to give your guests a chance to ogle over your beautifully cooked bird).

If you run into problems cooking your Thanksgiving turkey, or you just have a last minute question you can call Foster Farms Turkey Hotline (1-800 255-7227) they’ll have experts on-hand 24 hours a day November 18th – 30th to coach you through last-minute turkey emergencies you have, and also to answer any questions you have as you prep, (like The age old debate: stuffing inside or out?), and provide suggestions for using those turkey leftovers.

Image: Foster Farms

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Today I have recipes for mashed potatoes, gravy, and asparagus courtesy of Smart Balance. Mashed potatoes are a staple on most Thanksgiving menus, and asparagus is one of my favorite vegetables, so I can definitely see me adding both of these to my Thanksgiving day feast.

New-Fashioned Mashed Potatoes and Onions

• 2 1/2 pounds Yukon gold potatoes, peeled and diced
• 1 1/2 cups chopped yellow onion
• 1/4 cup Smart BalanceTM Fat-Free Milk*
• 1/2 cup Smart Balance® Light Buttery Spread
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
• 1/4 cup finely chopped fresh parsley

In a 4-quart saucepan, bring 2 quarts hot tap water to a boil over high heat. Add the potatoes and onions, return to a boil, reduce heat, cover tightly and simmer 14 minutes or until potatoes and onions are tender.

Drain well in colander. Add the potato mixture, plus the other ingredients to the saucepan and use a potato masher or electric mixer to mash until smooth.

Makes 6 cups total
Serves 8; 3/4 cup per serving

Per serving: 167 calories, 3 grams protein, 28 grams carbohydrate, 5 grams fat, 1.5 grams saturated fat, 2.0 grams monounsaturated fat, 1.6 grams polyunsaturated fat, 0 grams trans fat, 205 mg Omega-3 fatty acids, 1746 mg Omega-6 fatty acids, 0 mg cholesterol, 388 mg sodium, 3 grams fiber

Gravy for Mashed Potatoes

• 2 tablespoons flour
• 2 tablespoons Smart Balance® Butter Blend Omega
• 3/4 cup water
• 1/4 cup Smart Balance™ Fat Free milk
• 1 1/2 teaspoons chicken bouillon granules
• 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme leaves
• 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1-2 tablespoons finely chopped parsley or green onion, optional

Combine the flour and Smart Balance® Butter Blend in a medium saucepan over medium heat.
Stir until melted. Whisk in the water until smooth. Add the remaining ingredients, except parsley. Bring to a full boil over medium heat and boil 2 minutes, stirring frequently with a flat spatula. Serve topped with parsley, if desired.

Serves 8; 2 tablespoon servings

Per serving: 38 calories, 1 gram protein, 2 grams carbohydrate, 3 grams fat, 1.3 grams saturated fat, 0.8 gram monounsaturated fat, 0.4 grams polyunsaturated fat, 0 grams trans fat, 89 mg Omega-3 fatty acids, 8 mg Omega-6 fatty acids, 4 mg cholesterol, 260 mg sodium, 0 grams fiber

Asparagus with Lemon-Butter Crumb Topping

• 1 medium lemon
• 1/4 teaspoon salt, divided
• 2 tablespoons Smart Balance® Butter Blend
• 1/2 cup Panko bread crumbs*
• 1 pound fresh asparagus, trimmed (12 ounces total after trimming)
• 1/2 cup water

1. Grate 2 teaspoons rind from the lemon, cut the lemon into wedges.
2. Melt Smart Balance® Butter Blend over medium heat in a large nonstick skillet. Add the breadcrumbs and cook 2-3 minutes, or until just golden, stirring constantly. Remove from heat, add lemon zest and 1/8 teaspoon salt. Stir gently, using the back of a spoon, incorporate lemon zest into the breadcrumb mixture, set aside on separate plate.
3. To the skillet, add the water and asparagus bring to a boil over medium high heat, cover and boil 2 minutes or until tender crisp. Drain well.
4. Place asparagus on serving platter. Sprinkle with 1/8 teaspoon salt and top with the breadcrumbs. Serve with lemon wedges.

*Note: Panko bread crumbs are Japanese breadcrumbs found in major supermarkets in the ethnic section.
Makes about 16-20 spears plus about 1/2 cup crumbs total

Serves 4

Per serving: 94 calories, 3 grams protein, 9 grams carbohydrate, 6 grams fat, 2.5 grams saturated fat, 1.5 grams monounsaturated fat, 0.8 grams polyunsaturated fat, 0 grams trans fat, 600 mg Omega-3 fatty acids, 91 mg Omega-6 fatty acids, 8 mg cholesterol, 208 mg sodium, 2 grams fiber

Image and recipes courtesy of Smart Balance

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1. I love these cute little pumpkin pie bites
2. Not quite pumpkin pie, but still delicious, pumpkin cheesecake
3. Pumpkin pie in miniature, pumpkin tartlets
4. Looking for a lighter version? Try crustless pumpkin pie.
5. Combine two Thanksgiving favorites and you get these mini pecan pumpkin pies.
6. Or this pumpkin pecan bread pudding
7. Not pie at all, but still delicious pumpkin tiramisu.
8. This Fried Pumpkin Layer Cake with Cream Cheese and Orange Frosting from Paula Deen looks totally sinful!
9. I want to try a pumpkin gingerbread trifle this year (I’ll let you know how it turns out).
10. I love pumpkin rolls, you can make them ahead, freeze them, then pull them out of the freezer when you need them.

So what are you having for Thanksgiving dessert this year? The traditional pumpkin pie, or will you serve your pumpkin a different way?

Image (c) L Gerlach

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