Thanksgiving 2008

The Spread...all made from scratch! :)

Roast Turkey with Bacon-Herb Butter

Sauteed Spinach with Pecans & Feta

Mashed Potatoes

Cider Gravy

Broccoli & Cheese Casserole

Cornbread Dressing

Double Cranberry-Apple Sauce

Honey Yeast Rolls

Sweet Potato Souffle

Carrot Cake

French Macarons with Chocolate Ganache

Walnut Brownies

Cheese Ball with Pecans

Cornbread Dressing with Sausage:


Double Cranberry-Apple Sauce:

Walnut Brownies:



French Macarons with Chocolate Ganache:

Cranberry Sauce & Cheese Ball:

Carrot Cake:

Desserts!

Whew...my first time hosting Thanksgiving dinner was a huge success! Everything from the amazingly delicious turkey to the yummy carrot cake turned out great. I posted my entire menu in the post below (along with links to the recipes!), but I wanted to share some photos from the big day here.

This was only my second time roasting a turkey, so I was a little nervous about how it would turn out. I found THIS recipe at Bon Appetit, and let me just say...I've never had better turkey! The bacon-herb butter that's put under the turkey skin is absolutely delicious. It has the perfect taste...with just the right amount of flavor. And the cider gravy...YUM! I basted the turkey every 30 - 45 minutes while it was roasting.

Another favorite was the homemade cranberry sauce. I've always eaten the cranberry sauce right out of the can....you know, the jellied kind. I don't think I'll ever go back now...LOL.

There's no way that I would have been able to coordinate all of these dishes and get them all on the table at the same time without being VERY organized. Microsoft Word was my best friend during this process. I started by putting all of my recipes in one document, along with a photo of each dish. I then created a shopping list and organized it by sections in the grocery store (baking aisle, fresh produce, dairy, etc.)....also including the quantity of each ingredient that I needed. The last thing that I did was create an itinerary for Turkey Day. I knew exactly what time to put the turkey in the oven, peel the potatoes, and start the yeast rolls...haha. It may sound like a lot of preparation, but hey...everything was done at the same time! I was also able to make several things ahead of time. I started on Monday with the Cranberry Sauce, made the gravy base and bacon-herb butter on Tuesday, and then I made the desserts & cheeseball on Wednesday. I also prepped the turkey and broccoli & cheese casserole on Wednesday, so I only had to pop them in the oven on Thursday! All of this preparation certainly made Thanksgiving Day even more enjoyable and easy.

On top of all this, I got the opportunity to bake a friend's Thanksgiving desserts...she placed an order for a Carrot Cake, Double Chocolate Cake, Walnut Brownies, and another batch of regular brownies. I was so excited to have my first big "order." My wonderful husband, Brad, designed a cute logo and made some decals for the bakery boxes. Take a look...I was so happy with the way everything turned out...I hope that Mrs. Watson was just as thrilled...

At the end of the day, I loved preparing Thanksgiving dinner! It was a BIG job, but I had so much fun with the preparations.

I hope that your Thanksgiving celebrations were just as wonderful!!!

Turkey Day is Almost Here!!!

Above Photo Courtesy of Bon Appetit magazine

Here are my serving dishes...all washed and ready to go!

***I'm so excited about Thanksgiving....it's my very first year hosting the big dinner. There's a 21 lb. turkey hanging out in my fridge, waiting for his time in the spotlight. I thought I would share my menu here. I'll be sure to include a post after the big day...complete with photos and all recipes. I've included some of the recipes below...just click on each menu item, and it should take you to the recipe.

Appetizer:
Cheese Ball with assorted crackers (I'm using my Dad's recipe)

Main Course:
Roast Heritage Turkey with Bacon-Herb Butter (pictured above)
Cider Gravy
Cornbread Dressing
Mashed Potatoes
Double Cranberry-Apple Sauce
Broccoli & Cheese Casserole
Sweet Potato Casserole
Sauteed Spinach with Pecans & Feta
Honey Yeast Rolls

Dessert:
Carrot Cake
French Macarons with Chocolate Ganache Filling
Walnut Brownies

Beverages:
Hot Apple Cider
Tea
Pinot Noir Wine
Coffee w/Pumpkin Spice Creamer

I found this gravy boat at my favorite store...Anthropologie...I thought it was adorable!!

New tablecloth...perfect for Thanksgiving!

Giada's Butternut Squash & Vanilla Risotto

***I was recently watching an episode of Everyday Italian, and Giada whipped up this dish. I LOVE butternut squash and this recipe just sounded divine....especially with the addition of vanilla, which is another one of my favorites. I made this as a side dish for tonight's dinner. I loved it! The vanilla adds such a nice, warm flavor, and the onion really balances it all out.

Vanilla is one of those things that you don't necessarily think to add to savory dishes, but it definitely works here. I didn't have any vanilla beans on-hand, so I just used a splash of pure vanilla extract instead. This dish is all about flavor...it would make a nice addition to any holiday meal!***

Ingredients:
4 cups vegetable broth (I used chicken broth)
1 large vanilla bean (I used a splash of pure vanilla extract)
3 cups peeled cubed (1-inch wide) butternut squash, about 12 ounces
2 tablespoons butter, plus 1 tablespoon
3/4 cups finely chopped onion (from 1 onion)
1 1/2 cups Arborio rice or medium-grain white rice
1/2 cup dry white wine
1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh chives

Directions:
In a medium saucepan, warm the broth over medium-high heat. Cut the vanilla bean in half lengthwise. Scrape out the seeds and add them, and the bean, to the broth. When the broth comes to a simmer reduce the heat to low. Add the butternut squash to the simmering broth and cook until tender, about 5 minutes. Using a slotted spoon remove the butternut squash to a side dish. Turn the heat on the broth down to very low and cover to keep warm.

Meanwhile, in a large, heavy saucepan, melt 2 tablespoons of the butter over medium heat. Add the onion and saute until tender but not brown, about 3 minutes. Add the rice and stir to coat with the butter. Add the wine and simmer until the wine has almost completely evaporated, about 3 minutes. Add 1/2 cup of the simmering broth and stir until almost completely absorbed, about 2 minutes. Continue cooking the rice, adding the broth 1/2 cup at a time, stirring constantly and allowing each addition to of the broth to absorb before adding the next, until the rice is tender but still firm to the bite and the mixture is creamy, about 20 minutes total.

Discard the vanilla bean. Turn off the heat. Gently stir in the butternut squash, Parmesan, the remaining tablespoon of butter, and salt. Transfer the risotto to a serving bowl and sprinkle with chives. Serve immediately.

Source: Giada De Laurentiis @ FoodNetwork.com

Twice-Baked Sweet Potatoes

***These twice-baked sweet potatoes were pretty darn scrumpdidaliumptious!...Is that even a word??? :)

I recently needed to come up with a great side for a dinner party...something pretty quick and easy. I turned to a recent issue of Kraft Food & Family magazine (Fall 2008), and what did I find?...the perfect thing. Even better....I just happened to have the right ingredients on-hand. Whew...no last minute run to the grocery store was needed.

Twice baked potatoes always make a pretty presentation. These were no exception. I thought it was a nice twist on the usual Russet potato variety. And plus, sweet potatoes are one of those things that just scream - "Hey! It's the holidays!!!"

Also, if you haven't already signed up for a FREE subscription to this magazine, then you should! It's stuffed with tons of great, easy recipes that you'll love. You can sign up HERE....and yes, it's totally FREE!***

Ingredients:
2 large sweet potatoes (1-1/2 lb.)
2 oz. (1/4 of 8-oz. pkg.) Neufchatel Cheese, cubed (I used regular cream cheese)
2 Tbsp. fat-free milk
1 Tbsp. brown sugar
1/4 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/4 cup Pecan Pieces

Directions:
Heat oven to 425ºF. Cut potatoes lengthwise in half; place, cut-sides down, in foil-lined 15x10-inch baking pan. Bake 30 to 35 min. or until tender.

Scoop out centers of potatoes into bowl, leaving 1/4-inch-thick shells. Add Neufchatel cheese, milk, sugar and cinnamon to potatoes; mash until blended. Spoon potato mixture into shells; top with nuts.

Bake 8 min. or until potatoes are heated through and nuts are toasted.

Kraft Kitchens Tips:
Shortcut
Pierce whole sweet potatoes with fork; wrap in damp paper towels. Microwave on HIGH 7 to 8 min. or until tender. Cut potatoes in half; scoop out centers and continue as directed.

Make Ahead
Stuff potato shells as directed; cover and refrigerate up to 1 hour. When ready to serve, uncover and bake as directed, increasing baking time as needed until filling is heated through.

Source: Kraft Foods

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!

I must say that Halloween has always been one of my favorite holidays...I love decorating with all the fun, spooky stuff! We had planned on having a fun Halloween party this year...we had a great time. I broke out the decorations and went all out.

The chocolate cake that you see is the Hershey's "Perfectly Chocolate" Cake that I recently posted. When I made it the first time, it was for a friend so I didn't get to try it. I've been waiting for the perfect opportunity to try out all that chocolatey goodness, so I baked it again for the party. I had seen so many fun cakes and cupcakes in magazines and on the internet with the spider web design on the top, and I wanted to try my hand at it. The picture above shows my results. A cute little spider made with a jaw breaker and black icing was the finishing touch. A layer of vanila buttercream (colored orange with food coloring) made the perfect addition to the inside of the cake.

We made some yummy taco chilli for dinner...stay tuned for that post!

I'll let the photos do the rest of the talking...

Hershey's "Perfectly Chocolate" Cake

***When a friend, Peggy, recently asked me to make a double chocolate cake for a party, I had just the right recipe in mind. I had seen this recipe on the back of the Hershey's Cocoa canister, and I had also heard wonderful things about this particular cake over on Good Things Catered. So, I decided to give it a try. And let me just tell you...making a chocolate cake and not eating a slice was EXTREMELY hard for me...LOL....I am very much a chocolate addict. I was very pleased with the results, though. The cake was wonderfully moist (just look at the pics!) and the frosting was out-of-this-world delicious. Seriously...this cake is my new go-to chocolate cake.

Peggy wanted a fall-themed cake, preferably with sunflowers. I had a lot of fun thinking of ideas for this cake!***

Cake Batter = Chocolately Goodness!

Just look at those yummy layers...

Ingredients:

2 c. sugar

1-3/4 c. all-purpose flour

3/4 c. Hershey's Cocoa

1-1/2 tsp baking powder

1-1/2 tsp baking soda

1 tsp salt

2 eggs

1 c. milk

1/2 c. vegetable oil

2 tsp vanilla extract

1 c. boiling water (or 1 c. freshly brewed, hot coffee)

For the Frosting:
1/2 c. (1 stick) butter, melted

2/3 c. Hershey's Cocoa

3 c. powdered sugar

1/3 c. milk

1 tsp vanilla extract

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees and prepare two 9-inch round baking pans. Stir together sugar, flour, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda and salt in large bowl.

Add eggs, milk, oil and vanilla; beat on medium speed of mixer 2 minutes. Stir in boiling water (batter will be thin).

Pour batter into prepared pans. Bake 30 to 35 minutes or until wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean.

Cool 10 minutes; remove from pans to wire racks. Cool completely.

Meanwhile, make frosting:

Stir melted butter into cocoa. Alternately add powdered sugar and milk, beating to spreading consistency. Add a small amount of additional milk, if needed. Stir in vanilla. (Yields about 2 cups frosting.)

Frost cake when completely cooled, as desired.

Source: Hershey's Kitchens

Slashed Chicken with Herb Butter

***This is one of those recipes that every woman should have in her arsenal...a delicious, juicy, buttery, lemony roasted chicken. It's just a classic! I found this on Katie's food blog - Good Things Catered - and my stomach started growling just looking at her photo. The recipe sounded DELISH. Herb Butter...you can't go wrong with anything that has that in the title...hah. Our entire house smelled delicious while this was cooking. A Dutch Oven makes this chicken even better. I cooked it with the lid on for most of the time, but took it off for about 15 minutes at the end to make the skin a little crispier. You'll enjoy this one!***

Slashed Chicken with Herb Butter

Williams-Sonoma

Ingredients:

8 Tbsp (1 stick) unsalted butter, at room temperature

1 Tbsp chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley

1 Tbsp chopped fresh chives

1 tsp chopped fresh chervil

1 tsp chopped fresh thyme

1 tsp lemon zest

1 tsp salt, plus more, to taste

1/2 tsp freshly ground pepper, plus more, to taste

1 chicken, 3 to 4 lb.

2 bay leaves, cut in half

2 garlic cloves, sliced

Directions:

-Put a 5-quart oval Dutch oven in a cold oven and preheat the oven to 450 degrees.

-After the oven has preheated, heat the pan for 20 to 25 minutes.

-Meanwhile, in a small bowl, combine the butter, parsley, chives, chervil, thyme, lemon zest, the 1 tsp salt and the 1/2 tsp pepper and stir until well blended.
-Set the compound butter aside.

-Rinse the chicken with cold water and pat dry.

-Set the chicken, breast side up.

-Using a sharp knife, cut 3 slashes, each 4 inches long and 1/2 inch deep, in each breast.

-Cut 2 slashes, each 3 inches long and 1/2 inch deep, in each leg.

-Rub the compound butter all over the chicken, pushing the butter into the slashes.
-Place 1/2 bay leaf in 1 slash of each breast and leg.

-Push the garlic slices into all the slashes.

-Be sure to push the bay leaves and garlic securely into the slashes.

-Season the chicken with salt and pepper.

-Carefully place the chicken, breast side up, in the hot pan.

-Roast until an instant-read thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the thigh, away from the bone, registers 170 degrees, 50 to 60 minutes.

-Transfer the chicken to a cutting board, cover loosely with aluminum foil and let rest for 15 to 25 minutes.

-Carve the chicken and arrange on a warmed platter.

Source: Katie's Blog: Good Things Catered ...recipe originally from Williams-Sonoma

The Best Carrot Cake You've Ever Had!

***I guess that you could say this is the cake that started it all!! I made this cake for Brad's birthday...the very first year we were together. It was such a hit, that I've made it countless times for many birthdays over the last few years. My cake baking skills have definitely gotten much better...especially the last few times I've made cakes. This is because of a few new purchases: 1) An icing spatula and 2) A piping bag w/assorted decorating tips. Who would have thought such simple things would make such a big difference!

I had a ton of fun making this cake. I was especially proud of the carrot ribbons on top. I originally posted this recipe HERE, but I wanted to re-post so that I could add a few tips/tricks to the recipe (and show off this pretty creation!).***

Ingredients:

2 c. sugar
2 c. plain flour

1 1/2 c. cooking oil

4 eggs

2 tsp. salt

2 tsp. soda

2 tsp. cinnamon

3 c. grated carrots

1/2 c. or more chopped pecans

Directions:

Preheat oven to 325 degrees.

Mix sugar, eggs and oil. Beat well. Sift flour and dry ingredients; slowly add to other mixture. Add carrots and nuts.

Divide and pour batter into 3 greased and floured cake pans.

***Tip: I also add parchment paper rounds to the bottom of my cake pans...this keeps the cake from sticking and the results are perfect cake layers every time! First, I grease the pans with Crisco shortening. Then, I add the parchment rounds. I then grease the top of the parchment rounds and then flour the entire pan surface. Here's a video that shows you how.***

Bake 30 to 40 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into center of cake comes out clean. Place cake pans on a wire rack and let cool for about 10 minutes. Remove cakes from pans and continue to cool on rack. Cake layers should be completely cool before attempting to assemble the cake. If not, the cakes will melt the cream cheese icing!

Use Cream Cheese Icing between layers and on top and sides of cake.

Cream Cheese Icing:

1 (8 oz.) pkg. cream cheese

1/2 stick margarine

1 box confectioners sugar (10x)

2 tsp. vanilla

Beat cream cheese and butter in the bowl of an electric mixer until creamy and smooth (I use the paddle attachment on my KitchenAid Stand Mixer). Add vanilla. Slowly add small portions of the confectioners sugar and mix until well blended. Refrigerate until ready to use.

Chicken with Cranberry Sauce

***Wow...this was good! I recently got the Everyday Food: Great Food Fast cookbook by Martha Stewart Living magazine. I have to say that I really love this cookbook. When it comes to cookbooks, I am a photo kind of girl. I like a lot of pretty, color photographs to go along with the recipes. This book doesn't disappoint. There's a beautiful photo for every single recipe...and there's 250 recipes! They are arranged in the book by season, which is really nice. And to top it all off, all the recipes are pretty simple and most of them can be prepared in about 30 minutes. It has quickly become one of my favorite cookbooks.

This recipe caught my eye. It seemed like an interesting combination...chicken and cranberries. I couldn't find fresh cranberries, so I had to use dried cranberries from a bag. However, they worked good too! This dish was a little sweet and savory all in one. It went especially well with the mashed sweet potatoes posted below...like I said in that post, it almost felt like Thanksgiving!***

Ingredients:
2 tablespoons butter
1 1/2 teaspoons dried thyme
Coarse salt and ground pepper
4 bone-in chicken breasts (8 ounces each)
1 medium onion, finely chopped (about 1 cup)
1/2 teaspoon dried sage
2 cups reduced-sodium chicken broth
1 cup cranberries (I had to use dried cranberries...they were just as yummy!)
1/4 cup sugar
1 teaspoon cornstarch (mixed with 1 tablespoon water)

Directions:
Preheat oven to 450 degrees. In a small bowl, mix 1 tablespoon butter, 1 teaspoon thyme, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Rub evenly under chicken skin. Place on a rimmed baking sheet; roast skin side up until skin is golden brown and meat is cooked through, about 25 minutes.

Meanwhile, melt remaining tablespoon butter in a large saucepan over medium heat. Cook onion, stirring occasionally, until golden, about 8 minutes. Add sage and remaining 1/2 teaspoon thyme; cook 1 minute. Add broth; simmer until reduced to 1 1/2 cups, 10 to 15 minutes. Strain mixture; return to saucepan.

Add cranberries and sugar; boil until berries burst, 5 to 8 minutes. Whisk in cornstarch mixture; return to a boil. Cook until slightly thickened, 1 to 2 minutes. Remove from heat (sauce will thicken as it stands). Season with salt and pepper. To serve, spoon sauce over chicken.

Source: Everyday Food: Great Food Fast cookbook by Martha Stewart Living magazine

Mashed Sweet Potatoes

***I must have been in a holiday sort of mood the other night, because I made sweet potato puree and chicken with a cranberry sauce....it almost felt like Thanksgiving...hah. Anyway, this is one of my favorite ways to prepare sweet potatoes. I found THIS recipe over at 101 Cookbooks, and used it as inspiration...I did change it up a little bit.

And did you know that the sweet potato ranks #1 in nutrition?? I found the following info @ http://www.foodreference.com/:

"The reasons the sweet potato took first place? Dietary fiber, naturally occurring sugars, complex carbohydrates, protein, vitamins A and C, iron and calcium. The sweet potato received a score of 184; the vegetable ranked in second place was more than 100 points behind with a score of 83. The numbers for the nutritional sweet potato speak for themselves: almost twice the recommended daily allowance of vitamin A, 42 percent of the recommendation for vitamin C, four times the RDA for beta carotene, and, when eaten with the skin, sweet potatoes have more fiber than oatmeal. All these benefits with only about 130 to 160 calories!"

How cool is that??***

Ingredients:

3 large sweet potatoes, cleaned and left damp

1/2 - 3/4 cup milk or heavy cream

2 Tbsp. butter or margarine

Salt & Pepper

1 Tbsp. cinnamon

1/4 cup light brown sugar (add more or less to your liking)

1 Tsp. vanilla extract

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 350F. Pierce each potato 2 - 3 times with a fork. Put the potatoes on a baking sheet and bake in the oven until tender to a fork tip, about 1 hour. Remove from oven and let cool until warm enough to handle, 10 to 15 minutes. Peel and discard the skin. Place the peeled potatoes into a medium sized bowl and mash with a potato masher.

Meanwhile, pour the milk (or cream) into a 2-quart pot, add the vanilla and brown sugar; stir and heat over medium heat just until hot. Remove from heat. Slowly pour the mixture over the potatoes (in small increments), stir, and add the butter and cinnamon. Keep adding the milk mixture until you achieve the desired consistency.

Stir well. Enjoy!

A Lil' Bit of Cupcake Fun!

RED, WHITE, and BLUEberry cupcakes!

Brad and I had a fantastic day yesterday, celebrating the Fourth of July. We got to explore a place called "Old Cahaba" in Selma, AL. I've included some info HERE.

The first state capital of Alabama was established at "Old Cahawba" in 1820. Today, only ruins remain, but you can't help but imagine what took place there as you walk through the historic old town. One of the neatest things is that the Cahaba River and Alabama River flow into each other right next to Old Cahaba.

My favorite thing was walking under the huge, beautiful mossy trees. They are massive in size, and look so beautiful with the breeze flowing through their branches. Here's a photo that Brad took in Selma during one of our visits...

Now, on to the cupcakes! I had a batch of the red velvet cupcakes from Sprinkles Bakery in my pantry. Sprinkles is a famous bakery out in California, and I adore their mixes...you can find them at Williams-Sonoma. I got to thinking that the RED cupcake mix and WHITE icing would be perfect for the holiday. I added red sprinkles and a cute little blueberry to the top of each cupcake so that they would be red, white, and blue! They were even better with homemade vanilla ice cream. Here's another photo...

STRAWBERRY CUPCAKES WITH SPRINKLES!
Last weekend, my cute-as-a-button niece Dakota got to spend the night with her "Aunt Les" (a.k.a. me)! This was her first time spending the night away from home. She was an angel the entire time, and we had a lot of fun! I always look forward to baking with her. It reminds me of all the time that I spent with my Grandmother when I was little, baking all sorts of cakes, cookies, and other desserts. I think that's one of the main reasons I love cooking so much.

After an entire day playing at the waterpark and riding rides at Alabama Adventure (tons of fun!!!), we made the cutest little pink cupcakes with sprinkles that night. Dakota did a great job helping, didn't she?