My Virtual Thanksgiving

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collection, holiday, recipe, Thanksgiving, virtual

As you read this, I have already eaten THREE Thanksgiving dinners! And there is another pending. I have already gotten out my fat pants and am attempting to accept that I will have to work out extra in between now and Christmas. But I cannot turn down this delicious food. I just don’t have the mental strength.

I am not cooking this year. Instead, I will show you the dinner I would prepare. It’s glorious.

A Brined Turkey from Rufus’ Food and Spirits Guide (isn’t it stunning?!)

Cornbread Dressing from Southern Living (this is the only dressing worth my time!)

Wild Rice Gratin with Kale, Caramelized Onions, and Baby Swiss from AnnShortcakes

Brussels Sprouts Gratin from Simply Recipes (can’t wait to make these!)

Roasted Garlic Mashed Potatoes by Williams and Sonoma

Sweet Potatoes from The Girl Who Ate Everything

The Cocktail from OKRA

Strawberry Spinach Salad with Poppy Seed Dressing from Taste of Home

Caramel Apple Cheesecake Bars from Sweet Pea’s Kitchen

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A Simpler Holiday Season

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Christmas, holiday, holiday season, seasonal, simple, Thanksgiving, traditional

In the past, I have been a self-described Grinch when it comes to Christmas. In fact, the Grinch in me says “No posts about Christmas before Thanksgiving, dummy! Celebrate one holiday at a time!” But there are only four weeks before the big day and I am trying my best to get in the spirit.

Christmas seems so overly commercialized these days.  Nothing like the Christmases of my memory. And all the hype on TV just seems so much like a Pottery Barn catalog that there is no way my somewhat dysfunctional family could ever live up to its cheerful, glittery perfection. Though we sit around a food covered table every Christmas, it is not beautifully appointed with amaryllis blossoms, seasonal evergreen boughs, and brightly burning candles. Nor are we as gorgeous as the people featured in those advertisements.

Instead, we eat off dishes my grandmother uses every day (as has for the last 30+ years). None of the food is transferred from their cook pots to serving bowls or platters. We do not own a gravy boat or placemats. Or silver. Or crystal. And, you know what, there is nothing wrong with that!

It took me a few years but I have figured out how I can have a happy Christmas, knowing that it will never be “perfect.” It starts by going back to the basics. What does Christmas mean to YOU?

Christmas means…

Fun– Decorating sugar cookies and gingerbread houses. Playing in the snow. Making paper snowflakes. Decorating the tree and the house. Going see a live nativity scene. Walking around the neighborhood to check out the neighborhood lights, taking a hike, playing pool or ping pong. Cut your own tree. Make a new wreath for your front door.

Food– Homemade candies and cookies. Comfort food like your grandmother’s mashed potatoes, your aunt’s cranberry sauce, your favorite ham recipe, the macaroni and cheese that your family has always made. Perhaps a seasonal cocktail.

Family– Get together. Play games. Talk (maybe not about politics or religion, though). Take pictures of each other and the fun.  Honor the memories of those who have already passed away. Embrace your faith’s Christmas traditions like the advent wreath or Midnight Mass.

Regardless of how you celebrate, if you concentrate on the simple things in life, you will have a happy holiday season. Now start making your list of things to do this season that will celebrate what Christmas means to you!

Photos credits: Here, here, here, here, and here

5 Things I’m Thankful For and A Simple Salad

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bacon, blue cheese, food, life, pear, salad, simple, spinach, thankful, Thanksgiving

Sometimes it’s the simple things in life that make it awesome. Inspired by my friend Liz, I am going to list fivethings that I am thankful for. A reminder never hurts.

1. Some awesome people – without them I would not be who I am.
   1. My husband James
   2. My brother Charlie
   3. My best friend Jamie
   4. My grandparents.
2. My blogging family that has given me so much love, inspiration, and a creative outlet.
3. My job. Love it some days. Hate it other days. Being a nurse is a damn good occupation. I am thankful for it.
4. My garden. Nothing is more satisfying that digging in the rich dirt and enjoying foods I grew myself.
5. Books. I love books. They give me so much joy. See what books I enjoy and friend me at goodreads.com

A Simple Salad

• 2 cups baby spinach
• 1 slices of bacon, fried and chopped
• Blue cheese
• 1 pear, thinly sliced
• Appalachian Naturals’ Pomegranate Vinaigrette
  

Combine the ingredients and top with the dressing. Enjoy!

What are you thankful for?

The Best Chocolate Cheesecake EVER!

Tags

cheesecake, chocolate, coffee, dessert, Southern, Thanksgiving

Need a stunning dessert to wow everyone at your Thanksgiving dinner, even your mother-in-law? This is the recipe for you. Everyone loves this cheesecake, even people who swear they hate cheesecake. It ‘s tastiness has an amazing effect on people. I once worked with a lady who didn’t really like me much, no matter how hard I tried to be nice to her. I made one of these cheesecakes and she began being nicer to me. Every time we hit a bump in our work relationship, I would make a cheesecake and we would be back to happy tolerance of each other. Is this manipulation? Yes it is. It is proof just how influential food is on people and how tasty this cheesecake is.

The Best Chocolate Cheesecake EVER!

The Crust:

• 1 1/2 cups chocolate wafer crumbs
• 1/4 cup butter or margarine, melted
• 2 tbsp sugar
• 1/4 cup finely chopped almonds

The Cake:

• 3 (8 ounce) packages cream cheese, at room temperature
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 3 eggs, at room temperature (No, the won’t spoil)
• 1/3 cup strong brewed coffee
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 3/4 cup baking cocoa
• 1 cup semisweet chocolate chips

The Topping:

• 1 cup sour cream
• 2 tbsp brown sugar
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• Pecans to decorate

In a bowl, combine the crust ingredients, mixing well. Press into 9 inch springform pan. Set aside.

A couple of tips for a good cheesecake: 1) Don’t overwork it. Only mix as much as necessary, no more. 2) Use a water bath (a good video can be found here). 3) When you remove the cheesecake from the oven to cool, let it sit for 10 minutes. Then run a butter knife around the edge to break it free before the constriction for cooling creates a crack. Do you have any good tips to keep the top from cracking?

In a stand mixer, cream together cream cheese and sugar. Add in eggs, one at a time, continuing to mix after each until just incorporated. Add in coffee and vanilla; mix well. Beat in cocoa powder until combined. With a spatula, fold in the chocolate chips gently. Pour filling into crust. Bake at 375 degrees for 30 to 35 minutes until center is almost set. Remove from the oven; increase oven temperature to 425 degrees degrees. Combine the sour cream, brown sugar and vanilla until smooth. Spread over warm cheesecake. Bake for 10 minutes or until lightly browned. Remove from the oven and cool for 10 minutes. Run butter knife around the edges to break it loose. Cool for at least an hour before refrigerating. Decorate with pecan halves as desired. I usually ring the edge with pecans and create a star 5 point star in the middle. Slice in thin slices as this is a very rich cheesecake. Serves 16 to 20.

Praline Pumpkin Cheescake

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cheesecake, dessert, fall, holidays, praline, pumpkin, Thanksgiving

Two things to note about this cheesecake. 1) I did not make the cheesecake shown below. My aunt-in-law, Janie, made this gorgeous creation. 2) This was featured in Southern Living’s November 2011 issue.

We had 4 desserts on our Thanksgiving table but this one stole the show. Though the praline topping may seem like it will be too sweet, you really should try it. It perfectly complements the cake. I would make this cheesecake for anyone to whom I want to say “I really like/love/value you!” Not to dense, not too sweet, perfectly pumpkin-y.

Praline Pumpkin Cheesecake

The Cake:

• 2 cups graham cracker crumbs
• 1/3 cup finely chopped pecans
• 5 tablespoons butter, melted
• 3 tablespoons light brown sugar
• 4 (8-oz.) packages cream cheese, softened
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 4 large eggs
• 1 1/2 cups canned pumpkin
• 1 1/2 tablespoons lemon juice

The Topping:

• 1 cup firmly packed brown sugar
• 1/3 cup whipping cream
• 1/4 cup butter
• 1 cup powdered sugar, sifted
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 325°. Stir together first 4 ingredients in a bowl until well blended. Press mixture on bottom and 1 1/2 inches up sides of a 9-inch springform pan. Bake 8 to 10 minutes or until lightly browned.

Beat cream cheese and next 2 ingredients at medium speed with a heavy-duty electric stand mixer until blended and smooth. Add eggs, 1 at a time, beating just until blended after each addition. Add pumpkin and lemon juice, beating until blended. Pour batter into prepared crust.

Bake at 325° for 1 hour to 1 hour and 10 minutes or until almost set. Turn oven off. Let cheesecake stand in oven, with door closed, 15 minutes. Remove cheesecake from oven, and gently run a knife around outer edge of cheesecake to loosen from sides of pan. (Do not remove sides of pan.) Cool completely on a wire rack (about 1 hour). Cover and chill 8 to 24 hours. Remove sides and bottom of pan, and transfer cheesecake to a serving plate.

Bring first 3 praline topping ingredients to a boil in a 1-qt. saucepan over medium heat, stirring often. Boil, stirring occasionally, 1 minute; remove from heat. Gradually whisk in powdered sugar and vanilla until smooth. Let stand 5 minutes, whisking occasionally. Use immediately. Garnish with pecan halves.

Brined, Roasted Turkey

Tags

brine, Dinner, holiday, roasted, Supper, Thanksgiving, turkey

This recipe is the highly rated “Good Eats Roast Turkey” from Alton Brown. Over 3500 people have rated this recipe “five star” on the Food Network website. It was a little extra work but I think it was totally worth it and I plan on making it again the next time. I did not use the “aromatics” listed on the original recipe. My family likes stuffing so that is what I fixed. A word of warning to you guys, this turkey cooks much quicker than you expect. I had a 18 lb turkey and it was done in 3 hours according to my meat thermometer. I left it in another 30 minutes and it was just a tad too dry. I suggest you trust the thermometer. I should have, especially since it looked and smelled done too. Despite that, I still plan to make this turkey again. It is superb.

Brined, Roasted Turkey

• 1 (14 to 16 pound) frozen young turkey, thawed
• 1 cup kosher salt
• 1/2 cup light brown sugar
• 1 gallon chicken stock
• 1 tablespoon black peppercorns
• 1 1/2 teaspoons allspice berries
• 1 1/2 teaspoons chopped candied ginger
• 1 gallon heavily iced water

Combine the vegetable stock, salt, brown sugar, peppercorns, allspice berries, and candied ginger in a large stockpot over medium-high heat. Stir occasionally to dissolve solids and bring to a boil. Then remove the brine from the heat, cool to room temperature, and refrigerate.

Early on the day or the night before you’d like to eat, combine the brine, water and ice in the 5-gallon bucket. Place the thawed turkey (with innards removed) breast side down in brine. If necessary, weigh down the bird to ensure it is fully immersed, cover, and refrigerate or set in cool area for 8 to 16 hours, turning the bird once half way through brining.

Preheat the oven to 500 degrees F. Remove the bird from brine and rinse inside and out with cold water. Discard the brine. Place the bird on roasting rack inside a half sheet pan and pat dry with paper towels. Tuck the wings underneath the bird and coat the skin liberally with canola oil.

Roast the turkey on lowest level of the oven at 500 degrees F for 30 minutes. Insert a probe thermometer into thickest part of the breast and reduce the oven temperature to 350 degrees F. Set the thermometer alarm (if available) to 161 degrees F. A 14 to 16 pound bird should require a total of 2 to 2 1/2 hours of roasting. Let the turkey rest, loosely covered with foil or a large mixing bowl for 15 minutes before carving.

The finished product:

A Visual Thanksgiving

Tags

celebration, Dinner, event, holiday, holiday season, hosting, Supper, Thanksgiving, turkey

This was my first year to host Thanksgiving dinner. My husband’s three grandparents, my grandmother, an aunt, and my in-laws were our esteemed guests. There were nine of us total. Even though I was super nervous, there were no major hitches. No food poisoning. No burned side dishes. Only two minor hitches- 1) I didn’t have enough potatoes for mashed potatoes and 2) I accidentally used white instead of red sweet potatoes (they still tasted good). I will post the recipes I used later in the week.

The turkey, ham, cranberry dressing, and rolls….

Green beans, gravy, sweet potatoes from Mamaw Rose, and dressing…

Crunchy pea salad, deviled eggs, sweet potatoes, stuffing, and turkey breast….

The Finale- the dessert table featuring pumpkin praline cheesecake, pumpkin pie, butterscotch pie, jam cake and pecan pie…

Crustless Cranberry Pie

Tags

cranberry, dessert, fall, holiday season, pecans, Thanksgiving, walnuts

My aunt introduced me to this fantastic recipe, originally from allrecipes.com. AllRecipes is a website I regularly use. This recipe is by far one of the best from that site. My whole family makes this recipe. I have taken it several places and it always received rave reviews. I am so obsessed with this recipe. Proof: At the end of every holiday season, I buy 5 or so bag of fresh cranberries and freeze them. When I want to make it out of season, I just defrost and drain them. Cranberry delight throughout the year is indeed possible! It is best warm, straight from the pan. Enjoy!

Crustless Cranberry Pie

• 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 1/2 cups white sugar
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 3 cups fresh cranberries (one bag)
• 1 cup and 2 tablespoons chopped pecans of walnuts
• 3/4 cup butter, melted
• 3 eggs
• 1-1/2 teaspoons almond extract

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease one 9 inch pie pan or an 8×8 square pan. Combine the flour, sugar, and salt. Stir in the cranberries and the walnuts, and toss to coat. Stir in the butter, beaten eggs, and almond extract. Spread the batter into the prepared pan. Bake at 350 degrees F (175 degrees C) for 40 minutes, or until a wooden pick inserted near the center comes out clean.