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!

Braised Fingerling Potato Coins

***This is another yummy side dish that I found flipping through the pages of Gourmet magazine (October 2008 issue). It was extremely easy to prepare, and the taste was delicious and satisfying. I served this dish with chicken, but I think it would also be the perfect complement to a beautiful steak.***

From Gourmet:

"Alice Waters, founder and owner of Chez Panisse, in Berkeley, California, champions the environmental benefits of organic produce and highlights vegetables’ freshness with simple preparations. In this adaptation of her potato coins, we coax the starch out of waxy, thin-skinned fingerlings to create a silky pan sauce. The faint vegetal sweetness of this dish pairs well with just about anything. "

Ingredients:
2 pounds fingerling potatoes, peeled if desired
2 cups water
3/4 stick unsalted butter, cut into bits
3 tablespoons finely chopped flat-leaf parsley
Equipment: an adjustable-blade slicer

Preparation:
Cut a round of parchment paper to fit just inside a 12-inch heavy skillet and butter one side.

Slice potatoes 1/8 inch thick with slicer. Arrange in skillet. Add water, 3/4 teaspoon salt, and 1/2 teaspoon pepper. Dot top with butter. Cover potatoes with parchment, buttered side down, and briskly simmer until tender and most of liquid has evaporated, 30 to 35 minutes.

Serve sprinkled with parsley.

Bart & Misty Tie the Knot + The Bright Star!

Photo courtesy of Flickr.com

My cousin, Bart, recently tied the knot with his beautiful bride Misty. The wedding was wonderful...from the gorgeous flowers...to the great food...and of course, the wonderful time that I got to spend with my extended family. Brad and I had a blast hanging out with everyone.

The rehearsal dinner was held at a Birmingham area landmark...The Bright Star. It's been in business since 1907!!! In fact, Gourmet magazine recently named it one of the "21 Legendary American Restaurants You Must Visit!" They ran a feature about the restaurant in their October 2008 issue. I had heard A LOT about the restaurant....and about the amazing food. I went with high expectations, and I wasn't disappointed. I had the Fresh Snapper Almondine...and it was FABULOUS!

You can take a look at The Bright Star's website and menus HERE. If you're ever in the Birmingham/Bessemer area, you shouldn't miss a chance to eat here.

Also, here's a link to Gourmet's site

Of course, the food paled in comparison to the great time we got to spend with the family. ;)

Here are a few snap shots from the big day...

"The Sweet 100"

***Recently, you may have seen something called "The Omnivore's Hundred" floating around on numerous food blogs. When I spotted the similar list below, called "The Sweet 100," I couldn't resist playing along...I love sweets! :)

The fabulous CakeSpy created this fun list. You can visit her site HERE. The best part about this list is that CakeSpy has included links to photos and recipes. If you don't know what something on the list is, just click on the name to find out!

Anything that I've tried or made is in bold...and colored purple. It looks like my magic number is 62...what's yours???***

From Cakespy's site:

"Recently, a website called Very Good Taste started something of an internet fire with a list called "The Omnivore's Hundred", which listed 100 foods which "every good omnivore should have tried at least once in their life." We liked the idea, and inspired by the vegan variation on Hannah Kaminsky's site, we thought--why not make our own Sweet 100!? Like the original, our list includes "fine food, strange food, everyday food and even some pretty bad food"--but in our universe, it's all sweet! (In case any of them are foreign to you, links to pictures and recipes are included; also, for any vegans, feel free to go through the list assuming it's a vegan counterpart). How many have you tried?

If you'd like, feel free to follow the same guidelines:

1) Copy this list into your site, including the instructions!

2) Bold all of the sweets you've eaten--or make them a different type color.

3) Cross out any of them that you'd never ever eat.
4) Consider anything that is not bold or crossed out your "To Do" List.

5) Optional: Post a comment here linking to your results--or just post a comment letting us know how many you've tried, or what you're going to try next!"

Red Velvet Cake
Princess Torte
Whoopie Pie
Apple Pie either topped or baked with sharp cheddar
Beignet
Baklava
Black and white cookie
Seven Layer Bar (also known as the Magic Bar or Hello Dolly bars)
Fried Fruit pie (sometimes called hand pies)
Kringle
Just-fried (still hot) doughnut
Scone with clotted cream
Betty, Grunt, Slump, Buckle or Pandowdy
Halvah
Macarons
Banana pudding with nilla wafers
Bubble tea (with tapioca "pearls")
Dixie Cup
Rice Krispie treats
Alfajores
Blondies
Croquembouche
Girl Scout cookies
Moon cake
Candy Apple
Baked Alaska
Brooklyn Egg Cream
Nanaimo bar
Baba au rhum
King Cake
Sachertorte
Pavlova
Tres Leches Cake
Trifle
Shoofly Pie
Key Lime Pie (made with real key lime)
Panna Cotta
New York Cheesecake
Napoleon / mille-fueille
Russian Tea Cake / Mexican Wedding Cake
Anzac biscuits
Pizzelle
Kolache
Buckeyes
Malasadas
Moon Pie
Dutch baby
Boston Cream Pie
Homemade chocolate chip cookies
Pralines
Gooey butter cake
Rusks
Daifuku
Green tea cake or cookies
Cupcakes from a cupcake shop
Crème brûlée
Some sort of deep fried fair food (twinkie, candy bar, cupcake)
Yellow cake with chocolate frosting
Jelly Roll
Pop Tarts
Charlotte Russe
An "upside down" dessert (Pineapple upside down cake or Tarte Tatin)
Hummingbird Cake
Jell-O from a mold
Black forest cake
Mock Apple Pie (Ritz Cracker Pie)
Kulfi
Linzer torte
Churro
Stollen
Angel Food Cake
Mincemeat pie
Concha
Opera Cake
Sfogliatelle / Lobster tail
Pain au chocolat
A piece of Gingerbread House
Cassata
Cannoli
Rainbow cookies
Religieuse
Petits fours
Chocolate Souffle
Bienenstich (Bee Sting Cake)
Rugelach
Hamenstashen
Homemade marshmallows
Rigo Janci
Pie or cake made with candy bar flavors (Snickers pie, Reeses pie, etc)
Divinity
Coke or Cola cake
Gateau Basque
S'mores
Figgy Pudding
Bananas foster or other flaming dessert
Joe Froggers
Sables
Millionaire's Shortbread
Animal crackers
Basbousa

***Photo courtesy of StyleHive.com***

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