Yum! I need to have a HUGE Thanksgiving gathering so I can have an excuse to make a bunch of desserts - LOL!
Do you still serve some of the same Thanksgiving desserts that you grew up eating?
Have a blessed day, friends and a blessed Thanksgiving!
Showing posts with label Thanksgiving. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Thanksgiving. Show all posts
Monday, November 25, 2013
Not Too Late ~ 12 More Thanksgiving Dessert Ideas
While I do love to serve my favorite Thanksgiving desserts, there are so many more great dessert ideas to try! I think any of these 12 desserts would be a fabulous addition to a Thanksgiving meal. It's not too late to shop and whip up a couple of these desserts by Thursday!
Yum! I need to have a HUGE Thanksgiving gathering so I can have an excuse to make a bunch of desserts - LOL!
Do you still serve some of the same Thanksgiving desserts that you grew up eating?
Have a blessed day, friends and a blessed Thanksgiving!
Yum! I need to have a HUGE Thanksgiving gathering so I can have an excuse to make a bunch of desserts - LOL!
Do you still serve some of the same Thanksgiving desserts that you grew up eating?
Have a blessed day, friends and a blessed Thanksgiving!
Friday, November 22, 2013
Thanksgiving Menu 2013
It's official - I'm hosting Thanksgiving dinner again and I finally finished my menu {though it doesn't change much from year to year}! I followed my own Thanksgiving tips, included my Thanksgiving dinner faves, and I'm making one of my favorite Thanksgiving desserts. You can find links to the recipes below plus many more I've made at past Thanksgiving meals on my Thanksgiving Menu Pinterest board.
Appetizers
Holiday Cranberry Spread
Sweet Spiced Nuts
Pumpkin Bread
Other {Brought by guests}
Main Dishes
Brined Roasted Turkey
Ham
Slow Cooker Stuffing
Mashed Potatoes & Gravy
Colorful Roasted Vegetables
Winter Salad with Apples and Walnuts
Cranberry-Apple Sauce
Rolls? {Brought by guests}
Desserts
Amaretto Cake
Pumpkin Pie Truffles
Cranberry Gelato
Pumpkin or Pecan Pie? {Brought by guests}
If you like checking out Thanksgiving menus, you might like my friend Kim's menu - she switched out several of her dishes for Pioneer Woman's recipes and it all sounds delish!
Are you staying home or traveling for Thanksgiving this year? What are you assigned to make for or take to a Thanksgiving meal?
I hope you get to enjoy some yummy food no matter where you are on Thanksgiving Day! Have a blessed day friends!
Appetizers
Holiday Cranberry Spread
Sweet Spiced Nuts
Pumpkin Bread
Other {Brought by guests}
Main Dishes
Brined Roasted Turkey
Ham
Slow Cooker Stuffing
Mashed Potatoes & Gravy
Colorful Roasted Vegetables
Winter Salad with Apples and Walnuts
Cranberry-Apple Sauce
Rolls? {Brought by guests}
Desserts
Amaretto Cake
Pumpkin Pie Truffles
Cranberry Gelato
Pumpkin or Pecan Pie? {Brought by guests}
If you like checking out Thanksgiving menus, you might like my friend Kim's menu - she switched out several of her dishes for Pioneer Woman's recipes and it all sounds delish!
Are you staying home or traveling for Thanksgiving this year? What are you assigned to make for or take to a Thanksgiving meal?
I hope you get to enjoy some yummy food no matter where you are on Thanksgiving Day! Have a blessed day friends!
Saturday, November 16, 2013
My Favorite Thanksgiving Desserts
I shared my tips for hosting Thanksgiving dinner and my Thanksgiving dinner faves. That means it's time for dessert!
Of course I like standard apple, pumpkin, and pecan pies for Thanksgiving! And for a few years, I made a basic apple pie for Thanksgiving. But gradually I branched out and the following desserts have made multiple appearances at our dinners over the years. I tend to serve at least one of these faves, one new recipe, and one thing that contains chocolate in some form! {Sorry about the pics - I really need to retake these when I have a chance.}
Amaretto Cake. My step mother-in-law served it once and I've been making it ever since. So.so.yummy.
Pumpkin Dessert. Combine cake, nuts, butter, and a pumpkin pie mixture? DElish. I first had this recipe years ago from a coworker. It was often my go-to Thanksgiving dessert.
No-Bake Pumpkin Pie. Found this recipe when I was a teenager and have been making it on and off for Thanksgiving since then. It's a great alternative to regular baked pumpkin pie.
No-Bake Chocolate Chip Cheesecake. Found this recipe a few years ago and altered it a bit. It's so ridiculously simple and super rich.
I have made and enjoyed many other desserts, but these are definitely my favorites - for Thanksgiving that is! I have different favorites for each holiday. :)
What are your favorite Thanksgiving desserts? If you have a link to one, share it in the comments!
This post linked to:
~ Chic & Crafty Party at The Frugal Girls
If you enjoyed stopping and smelling the chocolates with me, I'd love it if you click to Subscribe to Stop and Smell the Chocolates by Email or RSS!
Have a blessed day friends!
Of course I like standard apple, pumpkin, and pecan pies for Thanksgiving! And for a few years, I made a basic apple pie for Thanksgiving. But gradually I branched out and the following desserts have made multiple appearances at our dinners over the years. I tend to serve at least one of these faves, one new recipe, and one thing that contains chocolate in some form! {Sorry about the pics - I really need to retake these when I have a chance.}
Amaretto Cake. My step mother-in-law served it once and I've been making it ever since. So.so.yummy.
Pumpkin Dessert. Combine cake, nuts, butter, and a pumpkin pie mixture? DElish. I first had this recipe years ago from a coworker. It was often my go-to Thanksgiving dessert.
No-Bake Pumpkin Pie. Found this recipe when I was a teenager and have been making it on and off for Thanksgiving since then. It's a great alternative to regular baked pumpkin pie.
No-Bake Chocolate Chip Cheesecake. Found this recipe a few years ago and altered it a bit. It's so ridiculously simple and super rich.
I have made and enjoyed many other desserts, but these are definitely my favorites - for Thanksgiving that is! I have different favorites for each holiday. :)
What are your favorite Thanksgiving desserts? If you have a link to one, share it in the comments!
This post linked to:
~ Chic & Crafty Party at The Frugal Girls
If you enjoyed stopping and smelling the chocolates with me, I'd love it if you click to Subscribe to Stop and Smell the Chocolates by Email or RSS!
Have a blessed day friends!
Thursday, November 14, 2013
My Top 5 Thanksgiving Dinner Faves
My Thanksgiving dinner menu stays mostly the same from year to year. I usually choose one side dish to vary and often throw in a new dessert to try. But there are a few items that must be included every year - no exceptions {or make those exceptions rare - LOL}!
1. The Turkey. Sometimes we add in other meats, like ham or tri-tip roast, but there must always be turkey. And now it must be a brined turkey. We started brining our turkey a few years ago and we've been believers ever since. Definitely makes the turkey more juicy and flavorful. And after years of trying different roasting methods, we've settled on one that we think is best. We follow the method that Alton Brown shows in these videos: Cooking Perfect Turkey, Part 1 and Cooking Perfect Turkey, Part 2.
2. Mashed Potatoes and Gravy. I think I would cry if we didn't have mashed potatoes and gravy. Seriously. We use plain old Russet potatoes, but golden potatoes are yummy as well. There are a few tips that we've learned over the years. After boiling and draining the potatoes, put the pot back on the warm burner so the rest of the moisture steams away. We like to add half 'n half and butter to the potatoes while we mash them. If you do that, the butter should be melted first and both the butter and the milk/cream should be warm when added to the potatoes. Above all, don't overmix! Otherwise you get a gummy consistency that is not pleasant. And I do my best to make homemade turkey gravy though I have yet to actually master that - mine never turns out quite right no matter what tips I follow - LOL!
3. Slow Cooker Stuffing. It's a basic yummy stuffing recipe, but I LOVE that it cooks in the slow cooker. Not only do you avoid the risk of food poisoning from cooking it inside the turkey, but you also save on oven space if you were cooking it separately. You do have to do some cooking on the stove first before putting it in the slow cooker and it takes a few hours until it's ready so I'm always up really early getting it started. But after that, you do nothing until it's time to serve! And oh, those spices smell so good while it's cooking!
4. Cranberry-Apple Sauce. I do enjoy traditional cranberry sauce, but most of the family does not. And hey, I do still like the jellied cranberry sauce from the can because that's what I grew up eating. :) But I love the flavor of this mixture of cranberry sauce and applesauce. That's really all there is to it - mixing whole-berry cranberry sauce with chunky applesauce and adding cinnamon. The nice thing is that you can use either homemade or store-bought ingredients, whatever you prefer or have on hand - keep it simple!
5. Something Pumpkin. I'm not picky about what has the pumpkin in it - could be Pumpkin Bread, Pumpkin Dessert, No-Bake Pumpkin Pie, Pumpkin Pie Truffles, or Quick Pumpkin Pudding. {You can check my Pumpkin Perfection Pinterest board for ideas.} I do like a traditional baked pumpkin pie as well, though I have yet to make a really good one. My fave purchased one was from Whole Foods.
I do have other dishes that are regularly served at our Thanksgiving meal, but they're not necessarily must-haves like these 5! I have a Thanksgiving Menu Pinterest board that contains links to recipes that I've used in Thanksgiving dinners over the years - check it out for ideas!
What are your favorite Thanksgiving dinner recipes? What can't you live without in your Thanksgiving meal? Feel free to share links to recipes in the comments!
If you enjoyed stopping and smelling the chocolates with me, I'd love it if you click to Subscribe to Stop and Smell the Chocolates by Email or RSS!
Have a blessed day friends!
1. The Turkey. Sometimes we add in other meats, like ham or tri-tip roast, but there must always be turkey. And now it must be a brined turkey. We started brining our turkey a few years ago and we've been believers ever since. Definitely makes the turkey more juicy and flavorful. And after years of trying different roasting methods, we've settled on one that we think is best. We follow the method that Alton Brown shows in these videos: Cooking Perfect Turkey, Part 1 and Cooking Perfect Turkey, Part 2.
3. Slow Cooker Stuffing. It's a basic yummy stuffing recipe, but I LOVE that it cooks in the slow cooker. Not only do you avoid the risk of food poisoning from cooking it inside the turkey, but you also save on oven space if you were cooking it separately. You do have to do some cooking on the stove first before putting it in the slow cooker and it takes a few hours until it's ready so I'm always up really early getting it started. But after that, you do nothing until it's time to serve! And oh, those spices smell so good while it's cooking!
4. Cranberry-Apple Sauce. I do enjoy traditional cranberry sauce, but most of the family does not. And hey, I do still like the jellied cranberry sauce from the can because that's what I grew up eating. :) But I love the flavor of this mixture of cranberry sauce and applesauce. That's really all there is to it - mixing whole-berry cranberry sauce with chunky applesauce and adding cinnamon. The nice thing is that you can use either homemade or store-bought ingredients, whatever you prefer or have on hand - keep it simple!
5. Something Pumpkin. I'm not picky about what has the pumpkin in it - could be Pumpkin Bread, Pumpkin Dessert, No-Bake Pumpkin Pie, Pumpkin Pie Truffles, or Quick Pumpkin Pudding. {You can check my Pumpkin Perfection Pinterest board for ideas.} I do like a traditional baked pumpkin pie as well, though I have yet to make a really good one. My fave purchased one was from Whole Foods.
I do have other dishes that are regularly served at our Thanksgiving meal, but they're not necessarily must-haves like these 5! I have a Thanksgiving Menu Pinterest board that contains links to recipes that I've used in Thanksgiving dinners over the years - check it out for ideas!
What are your favorite Thanksgiving dinner recipes? What can't you live without in your Thanksgiving meal? Feel free to share links to recipes in the comments!
If you enjoyed stopping and smelling the chocolates with me, I'd love it if you click to Subscribe to Stop and Smell the Chocolates by Email or RSS!
Have a blessed day friends!
Wednesday, November 13, 2013
10 Tips For Hosting Thanksgiving Dinner
Thanksgiving Day is fast approaching. I've been hosting Thanksgiving dinner for at least 10 years, though it's not for a large crowd. Still, I've learned a few things over the years. Whether you've never hosted before or you've hosted for years, I hope you find a helpful tip {or share one in the comments}! Of course, these could be applied to any holiday meal.
1. Plan the menu ahead, preferably 2 weeks ahead or more {which is like...now}. Gather up all the recipes you need and start making a shopping list. Check the ingredients in your cupboards - you might remember having an item last year, but perhaps it's expired by now. Why so far ahead? Because if you wait until the last minute to do this and then try to shop, the stores may be out of some of the key ingredients you need {trust me on that}. And the crowds. I get a little claustrophobic when I have to shop and can't even make it through an aisle filled with carts and people.
2. Look again at the menu you created. If you are anything like me, you just need to cross one dish off of there right now. I have a tendency to overdo it and then end up having to eliminate something at the last minute because I run out of time. Also, if there is too much food then people get full quickly and we end up with way too many leftovers or one dish that's hardly been touched. {For us, that means we skip having a green salad and sometimes skip the rolls.}
3. Schedule out the menu. What does that mean? You need to figure out how long it takes to make each dish and when it needs to be ready. You also need to know what can be made ahead and what can't. Work backwards from the time that you want to eat and figure out when you need to start each item. I usually start preparing some things a couple of days ahead.
4. Be flexible about what time you need to eat. If you really need to eat by a certain time, then plan for everything to be ready an hour before that since something always ends up taking longer than you expect. I've learned to stop giving an expected meal time. I give a general idea and tell everybody to just come early to hang out and visit while we finish cooking.
5. Decide whether you want to serve the meal to everybody sitting at the table or serve it buffet style. Either way is just as delicious! But decide now as this will determine if you need to bring out extra tables or configure your room differently. Even if I serve the meal at the table, I usually set up a small table to set some of the food on after it's been passed around as it won't all fit on the main table.
6. Set the table(s) ahead of time - maybe even the day before. Not only will it look pretty, but it will save you that step as you are scrambling to get all the food ready at once. Of course, if you have lots of kiddos around with nothing to do, then maybe that can be their job! {But don't stress about table setting - do what works for you and your guests. To make you feel better, check out my post from last year: Bring Out The Fine...Chinette?}
7. If you have appetizers during the day, keep them light! You don't want everybody feeling full before they ever get to the table to enjoy the meal that's been so lovingly prepared. I used to use the opportunity to try new appetizer recipes, but then realized it was just too much. Now I let my guests bring the appetizers and just ask for veggies, chips & dip/salsa. Simple and light, but something to snack on in case the meal is taking waaaaayyyy longer than anticipated. :)
8. Let others bring some of the food. Don't try to do the whole meal yourself. Let people help you! I do have a caution if you have out-of-town guests though. If you ask them to bring an important part of the meal and they have to cancel at the last minute, you might have a problem. Or you might ask them to bring something like the mashed potatoes and they might show up with a bag of potatoes and want to make them start to finish in your kitchen {and there is no.room.for.that.}. :)
9. Purchase disposable containers so you can send some leftovers home with your guests. Maybe you have too much turkey and stuffing left - that can be lunch for somebody. Maybe somebody was too full for dessert or has to leave early - send a selection of dessert items home with them for later. My guests consist mainly of single guys, so I often double up on the food and send enough leftovers home with each one to make one or two meals.
10. Take notes! You'll want to remember everything for next year or your next hosted meal {and if you're like me you'll forget even though you are certain that you will remember}. Write down your menu, table setting, timing, what worked or what didn't, what didn't get eaten, etc. This will help you do it even better the next time around!
Do you host Thanksgiving dinner? Do you go somewhere else on Thanksgiving Day? What tips do you have? Share in the comments!
This post linked to:
~ WFMW at We Are THAT Family
I hope to share some of my favorite Thanksgiving menu items and desserts with you over the next couple of days, so be sure to stop by!
If you enjoyed stopping and smelling the chocolates with me, I'd love it if you click to Subscribe to Stop and Smell the Chocolates by Email or RSS!
Have a blessed day friends!
1. Plan the menu ahead, preferably 2 weeks ahead or more {which is like...now}. Gather up all the recipes you need and start making a shopping list. Check the ingredients in your cupboards - you might remember having an item last year, but perhaps it's expired by now. Why so far ahead? Because if you wait until the last minute to do this and then try to shop, the stores may be out of some of the key ingredients you need {trust me on that}. And the crowds. I get a little claustrophobic when I have to shop and can't even make it through an aisle filled with carts and people.
2. Look again at the menu you created. If you are anything like me, you just need to cross one dish off of there right now. I have a tendency to overdo it and then end up having to eliminate something at the last minute because I run out of time. Also, if there is too much food then people get full quickly and we end up with way too many leftovers or one dish that's hardly been touched. {For us, that means we skip having a green salad and sometimes skip the rolls.}
3. Schedule out the menu. What does that mean? You need to figure out how long it takes to make each dish and when it needs to be ready. You also need to know what can be made ahead and what can't. Work backwards from the time that you want to eat and figure out when you need to start each item. I usually start preparing some things a couple of days ahead.
4. Be flexible about what time you need to eat. If you really need to eat by a certain time, then plan for everything to be ready an hour before that since something always ends up taking longer than you expect. I've learned to stop giving an expected meal time. I give a general idea and tell everybody to just come early to hang out and visit while we finish cooking.
5. Decide whether you want to serve the meal to everybody sitting at the table or serve it buffet style. Either way is just as delicious! But decide now as this will determine if you need to bring out extra tables or configure your room differently. Even if I serve the meal at the table, I usually set up a small table to set some of the food on after it's been passed around as it won't all fit on the main table.
6. Set the table(s) ahead of time - maybe even the day before. Not only will it look pretty, but it will save you that step as you are scrambling to get all the food ready at once. Of course, if you have lots of kiddos around with nothing to do, then maybe that can be their job! {But don't stress about table setting - do what works for you and your guests. To make you feel better, check out my post from last year: Bring Out The Fine...Chinette?}
7. If you have appetizers during the day, keep them light! You don't want everybody feeling full before they ever get to the table to enjoy the meal that's been so lovingly prepared. I used to use the opportunity to try new appetizer recipes, but then realized it was just too much. Now I let my guests bring the appetizers and just ask for veggies, chips & dip/salsa. Simple and light, but something to snack on in case the meal is taking waaaaayyyy longer than anticipated. :)
8. Let others bring some of the food. Don't try to do the whole meal yourself. Let people help you! I do have a caution if you have out-of-town guests though. If you ask them to bring an important part of the meal and they have to cancel at the last minute, you might have a problem. Or you might ask them to bring something like the mashed potatoes and they might show up with a bag of potatoes and want to make them start to finish in your kitchen {and there is no.room.for.that.}. :)
9. Purchase disposable containers so you can send some leftovers home with your guests. Maybe you have too much turkey and stuffing left - that can be lunch for somebody. Maybe somebody was too full for dessert or has to leave early - send a selection of dessert items home with them for later. My guests consist mainly of single guys, so I often double up on the food and send enough leftovers home with each one to make one or two meals.
10. Take notes! You'll want to remember everything for next year or your next hosted meal {and if you're like me you'll forget even though you are certain that you will remember}. Write down your menu, table setting, timing, what worked or what didn't, what didn't get eaten, etc. This will help you do it even better the next time around!
Do you host Thanksgiving dinner? Do you go somewhere else on Thanksgiving Day? What tips do you have? Share in the comments!
This post linked to:
~ WFMW at We Are THAT Family
I hope to share some of my favorite Thanksgiving menu items and desserts with you over the next couple of days, so be sure to stop by!
If you enjoyed stopping and smelling the chocolates with me, I'd love it if you click to Subscribe to Stop and Smell the Chocolates by Email or RSS!
Have a blessed day friends!
Wednesday, November 28, 2012
Bring Out The Fine...Chinette? {Letting Go of Unrealistic Expectations}
Little by little, I'm trying to let go of setting the bar too high for myself and causing unnecessary stress. Every year at Thanksgiving I struggle with this. I *want* to have all of the fabulously delicious food prepared by me and a spotless but cozily decorated house plus a magazine-worthy tablescape. OK, even I know that all of these things won't happen so I don't set my bar quite that high! :)
I've been hosting Thanksgiving for at least 10 years now, I think. We usually just have "The Brothers" {my brothers-in-law} over. Sometimes there's a niece or nephew along too. They don't really care if I do everything perfectly or not. They come to Thanksgiving at my house for 2 reasons:
And I decided to give in to hubs' suggestion that he gives me every year.
Yup - those are paper plates my friends!! Nothing but the finest Chinette for our Thanksgiving meal! You know what? Everybody appreciated it! No dish-washing guilt for the guys and no worry about the mess. Of course, they were amused that I still went with the cloth napkins. Baby steps, baby steps. :)
This year's Thanksgiving was definitely less stressful and the cleanup was far easier. Why was I trying to have the perfect table setting and who was I trying to impress? By letting go a little, the whole experience was more pleasant. No, I won't have my Thanksgiving table featured in a magazine, but my guests will be comfortable and enjoy themselves!
And there was this {Pumpkin Cheesecake Cake by Shugary Sweets} for dessert, so how could there be any complaints?! :)
I hope you all had a blessed time at Thanksgiving! Have you tried letting go a little lately?
And if you need any tried and true holiday meal ideas, be sure to check out my Thanksgiving Menu board on Pinterest!
If you enjoyed stopping and smelling the chocolates with me, I'd love it if you click to Subscribe to Stop and Smell the Chocolates by Email or RSS!
Have a blessed day friends!
I've been hosting Thanksgiving for at least 10 years now, I think. We usually just have "The Brothers" {my brothers-in-law} over. Sometimes there's a niece or nephew along too. They don't really care if I do everything perfectly or not. They come to Thanksgiving at my house for 2 reasons:
- To be with family.
- To eat turkey and all the fixin's.
- To admire "pretty" Fall decor.
- To fill up on appetizers.
- To feel crowded at the table by too much centerpiece "stuff."
- To try new gourmet recipes.
- To feel like they have to be careful not to spill on the tablecloth or cloth napkins.
- To feel pressured to help wash dishes because of all the fancy dishes used.
And I decided to give in to hubs' suggestion that he gives me every year.
Yup - those are paper plates my friends!! Nothing but the finest Chinette for our Thanksgiving meal! You know what? Everybody appreciated it! No dish-washing guilt for the guys and no worry about the mess. Of course, they were amused that I still went with the cloth napkins. Baby steps, baby steps. :)
This year's Thanksgiving was definitely less stressful and the cleanup was far easier. Why was I trying to have the perfect table setting and who was I trying to impress? By letting go a little, the whole experience was more pleasant. No, I won't have my Thanksgiving table featured in a magazine, but my guests will be comfortable and enjoy themselves!
And there was this {Pumpkin Cheesecake Cake by Shugary Sweets} for dessert, so how could there be any complaints?! :)
I hope you all had a blessed time at Thanksgiving! Have you tried letting go a little lately?
And if you need any tried and true holiday meal ideas, be sure to check out my Thanksgiving Menu board on Pinterest!
If you enjoyed stopping and smelling the chocolates with me, I'd love it if you click to Subscribe to Stop and Smell the Chocolates by Email or RSS!
Have a blessed day friends!
Tuesday, November 20, 2012
Thanksgiving Menu 2012
I meant to post this before now! It doesn't change too much from year to year though. If you've never hosted Thanksgiving, you might check out my post on hosting holiday meals - I shared a few tips I've picked up along the way.
On with the food! I'm doing less appetizers and desserts myself this year - trying to learn to streamline a bit. But only a bit - LOL! :)
Appetizers
Assorted items brought by a bro-in-law
Pumpkin Bread {Mini loaves for each of "The Brothers" to take home}
Main Dishes
Ham
Brined Roasted Turkey
Side Dishes
Mashed Potatoes and Gravy
Festive Wild Rice
Slow Cooker Stuffing
Colorful Roasted Vegetables
Pantry Cranberry-Apple Sauce
Just Right Corn Bread
Whipped Cranberry Butter
Desserts
Pumpkin Cheesecake Cake {Hoping this turns out as fabulous as it looks/sounds!}
Pecan Pie {somebody is bringing}
Vanilla Ice Cream {somebody is bringing}
Maybe another pie?
Sugar Cookies
I created a Pinterest board for my Thanksgiving menu. Feel free to click over! Right now I'm only pinning the recipes I'm using this year. But after Thursday I'll also pin recipes there that I've used for past Thanksgiving dinners.
So, based on that menu, how many people do you think will be at my house for Thanksgiving? 20? 15? 12? No - you are wrong my friends. The correct number would be 6. Yes, 6 including me. :)
We make all this food so that we have leftovers and can send containers of food home with each of "The Brothers" {what I call my brothers-in-law}! Leftovers - definitely one of the blessings of hosting the gathering! :)
Are you making anything for Thanksgiving? Are you hosting? I'd love to know what your favorite recipe is!
If you enjoyed stopping and smelling the chocolates with me, I'd love it if you click to Subscribe to Stop and Smell the Chocolates by Email or RSS!
Have a blessed and relaxing Thanksgiving Day friends!
Tuesday, December 20, 2011
Sweet Spiced Nuts
It's not too late to make homemade goodies to give out to family, friends, and neighbors for Christmas! I mean, really, there are still 5 whole days - plennnnty of time! :)
I made these yummy spiced nuts for Thanksgiving - tore the recipe out of a magazine a couple years ago (Food Network magazine). They would make a great treat at a party or to bag up and hand out.
For Thanksgiving, I borrowed the idea from the magazine to put the nuts in a waffle cone at each place setting to look like a cornucopia. All that's missing is a cute ribbon (but I just had guys at my house, so no ribbon necessary - LOL)!
Sweet Spiced Nuts
1 large egg white
1 tablespoon water
2/3 cup sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons Kosher salt
1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
1/4 teaspoon cayenne (red) pepper
3 cups assorted nuts
2 dashes Worcestershire sauce
1. Preheat oven to 275 degrees F. Line large baking sheet with parchment paper.
2. Whisk egg white and water in large bowl until frothy. In small bowl, combine sugar, salt, pumpkin pie spice, and cayenne pepper. Toss nuts in egg white mixture. Stir in spice mix and dashes of Worcestershire.
3. Spoon nuts onto baking sheet in small clusters. Bake 30-35 minutes, until golden. Cool completely and then break into pieces.
I'll have a couple more last-minute homemade food gift ideas to share this week. And if you're need of a warm drink to go with your homemade goodies, stop by Frugal Plus where I posted a recipe for Snow-Topped Tea Nog!
This post linked to:
~ Tasty Tuesday at Balancing Beauty and Bedlam
Have a delicious day friends!
I made these yummy spiced nuts for Thanksgiving - tore the recipe out of a magazine a couple years ago (Food Network magazine). They would make a great treat at a party or to bag up and hand out.
For Thanksgiving, I borrowed the idea from the magazine to put the nuts in a waffle cone at each place setting to look like a cornucopia. All that's missing is a cute ribbon (but I just had guys at my house, so no ribbon necessary - LOL)!
Sweet Spiced Nuts
1 large egg white
1 tablespoon water
2/3 cup sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons Kosher salt
1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
1/4 teaspoon cayenne (red) pepper
3 cups assorted nuts
2 dashes Worcestershire sauce
1. Preheat oven to 275 degrees F. Line large baking sheet with parchment paper.
2. Whisk egg white and water in large bowl until frothy. In small bowl, combine sugar, salt, pumpkin pie spice, and cayenne pepper. Toss nuts in egg white mixture. Stir in spice mix and dashes of Worcestershire.
3. Spoon nuts onto baking sheet in small clusters. Bake 30-35 minutes, until golden. Cool completely and then break into pieces.
I'll have a couple more last-minute homemade food gift ideas to share this week. And if you're need of a warm drink to go with your homemade goodies, stop by Frugal Plus where I posted a recipe for Snow-Topped Tea Nog!
This post linked to:
~ Tasty Tuesday at Balancing Beauty and Bedlam
Have a delicious day friends!
Wednesday, November 23, 2011
My Thanksgiving Menu ~ 2011
I hope you are all getting ready for a lovely Thanksgiving whether you are celebrating with many or few. And prayers for comfort and strength if you are dealing with loss at this time (we have some family members who are).
I thought I would share my menu today even though it's basically the same as past years - you know, just in case you want to come over. ;)
Appetizers
Boy Scout Popcorn - assorted flavors (purchased from our handsome son) :)
Pumpkin Bread
Holiday Cranberry Spread
Main Dishes
Brined Roasted Turkey - 2! Roasting 1 today and 1 tomorrow.
Side Dishes
Mashed Potatoes and Gravy
Slow Cooker Stuffing
Roasted Spring Veggies
Pantry Cranberry-Apple Sauce
Rolls
Desserts
Amaretto Cake
Pear Custard Pie
Pumpkin Truffles
Pumpkin Pie - believe it or not this is the first time ever that I will attempt making a traditional pumpkin pie (it might be in the oven right when you're reading this)!
Homemade vanilla ice cream - a bro-in-law is bringing some - yum!
That should be enough. LOL! I cooked yesterday and will cook more today and tomorrow. I always cook extra so we can send plenty of yummy food home with all the bro-in-laws. On Friday, you can just picture me on the couch all day, recovering! People will have to heat up their own leftovers on paper plates. :)
I hope you all have a blessed and wonderful Thanksgiving and have fun shopping afterward if you're that kind of brave person (I am not)!!
I thought I would share my menu today even though it's basically the same as past years - you know, just in case you want to come over. ;)
Appetizers
Boy Scout Popcorn - assorted flavors (purchased from our handsome son) :)
Pumpkin Bread
Holiday Cranberry Spread
Main Dishes
Brined Roasted Turkey - 2! Roasting 1 today and 1 tomorrow.
Side Dishes
Mashed Potatoes and Gravy
Slow Cooker Stuffing
Roasted Spring Veggies
Pantry Cranberry-Apple Sauce
Rolls
Desserts
Amaretto Cake
Pear Custard Pie
Pumpkin Truffles
Pumpkin Pie - believe it or not this is the first time ever that I will attempt making a traditional pumpkin pie (it might be in the oven right when you're reading this)!
Homemade vanilla ice cream - a bro-in-law is bringing some - yum!
That should be enough. LOL! I cooked yesterday and will cook more today and tomorrow. I always cook extra so we can send plenty of yummy food home with all the bro-in-laws. On Friday, you can just picture me on the couch all day, recovering! People will have to heat up their own leftovers on paper plates. :)
I hope you all have a blessed and wonderful Thanksgiving and have fun shopping afterward if you're that kind of brave person (I am not)!!
Thursday, November 17, 2011
Encouraging Bloggers ~ The Blessings of Blogging
Welcome again to Encouraging Bloggers - Part 9 today! Be sure to stop by the Intro post with links to the series if you've missed anything. Though every post might not apply to you, I hope that you find encouragement somewhere within the series. Thanks for hanging in here with me!
As we approach the Thanksgiving holiday and reflect on the things we are thankful for in our lives, I wanted to include blogging. Are you thankful for your blog? How has blogging blessed your life? Can you easily list out the blessings of blogging?
I wanted to see if I could list out 20 ways that I am blessed through my blogging - or reasons I'm thankful for my blog. I did the first 10 in under 30 seconds. The other 10 took a little more time and thinking, but I did get 20! I would like to challenge you this week to make your own list of 20 reasons that you're thankful for your blog!
For some of you this will be fairly easy. But there may be some of you that struggle to even come up with 10. If you struggle with making this list, I'd like to suggest that you consider taking a break from your blog sometime during the next month so you can figure out if you really want to continue blogging or if you need a change of direction or purpose on your blog. Or maybe you just need to take a step back to let the blessings come into focus. I can tell you that when I took a break from my blog - absence made the heart grow fonder!
I don't want to tell you my whole list so that I don't influence your list too much, but I will tell you the first 3 that came off the top of my head:
~ My blog has provided me with a creative outlet.
~ Blogging has given me a sense of community.
~ I have made new friends through blogging.
I am so thankful that I have been able to share some encouragement with all of you and am thankful for all of you that stop by and read and share my words with others. Thank you for joining me!
Encouraging Bloggers will take a break during Thanksgiving week, but will be back the following week. I believe I have a couple more posts to go in the series to finish it up.
I hope all of you have a wonderful and blessed Thanksgiving week! Feel free to share some of your blogging blessings in the comments! Hugs to all!
Wednesday, November 24, 2010
Thankful For Thanksgiving
I'm just too busy this week to really blog! Had some volunteer duties and lots of cooking/cleaning for Thanksgiving Day! If you stop and think of me, just picture me in the kitchen!
I am so thankful that we are able to host Thanksgiving and that God provides us with the means to share such a yummy meal! I am thankful for all the ways that my family has been blessed! I'm looking forward to the fellowship and food!
I hope all of you have a blessed Thanksgiving no matter where you go or what kind of food you eat tomorrow!!
Happy Thanksgiving friends!!
P.S. No CHOCOLATE Friday this week as I'll be on the couch recovering from the food and festivities!
I am so thankful that we are able to host Thanksgiving and that God provides us with the means to share such a yummy meal! I am thankful for all the ways that my family has been blessed! I'm looking forward to the fellowship and food!
I hope all of you have a blessed Thanksgiving no matter where you go or what kind of food you eat tomorrow!!
Happy Thanksgiving friends!!
P.S. No CHOCOLATE Friday this week as I'll be on the couch recovering from the food and festivities!
Thursday, November 18, 2010
Thanksgiving Menu
One week left people!! For some reason, I'm not feeling stressed at all about Thanksgiving Day even though I'm not as organized as usual with it. I think it's starting to feel easier after hosting it for so many years! I am so blessed to have the space to host it and to be able to cook up lots of yummy food for family! It will be a wonderful day of giving thanks, visiting, and eating.
My menu has started to feel sort of basic, but these are the dishes that everybody likes, so why change it? I do throw in a new recipe or two every year to see what the family thinks. Some dishes come back again and some don't. For example, I made this Sour Cream Apple Pie last year (yummy),
but it turns out that most of the family members prefer a traditional apple pie. And now I'm laughing 'cause I don't even plan on making an apple pie this year! LOL - I'm pretty sure they'll all be okay though!
Here's the menu (always subject to last-minute changes!):
Appetizers
Boy Scout Popcorn - assorted flavors (Hey - we HAD to buy popcorn from our own son!)
Lacy Cheddar Crisps
Holiday Cranberry Spread*
Main Dishes
Brined Roasted Turkey
Ham
Side Dishes
Mashed Potatoes and Gravy
Slow Cooker Stuffing
Roasted Spring Veggies
Cranberry Sauce (trying a new recipe - if it doesn't work out, then I'll make this one)
Rolls (trying a Cooking Light recipe)
Desserts
Amaretto Cake
Pumpkin Pie (another new recipe - excited about it!)
Toffee Cookies
* We had this Holiday Cranberry Spread last year, but the place I linked to is gone! Took me a bit of searching, but I found the recipe again (whew!) - thanks to The Queen Mommy! I'm gonna list it right here so I don't lose it again!
Holiday Cranberry Spread
1 bag (16 oz) fresh cranberries, rinsed and sorted
1 orange, peeled and seeded
1 red apple, cored and peeled
1 jalapeno, seeded and deveined
1 cup sugar
1-2 packages (8 oz) cream cheese
In food processor, combine cranberries, orange sections, apple slices, jalapeno, and sugar. Mix until blended. Store in refrigerator 24 hours. One hour before serving, soften 8 oz cream cheese and spread in bottom of glass pie pan. Spread half of cranberry mixture over the top. Cover and refrigerate until serving. Serve with crackers (Ritz are yummy with this). Can make another batch with second 8 oz. of cream cheese and other half of cranberry mixture! It's soooooo yummy!!
My menu has started to feel sort of basic, but these are the dishes that everybody likes, so why change it? I do throw in a new recipe or two every year to see what the family thinks. Some dishes come back again and some don't. For example, I made this Sour Cream Apple Pie last year (yummy),
Here's the menu (always subject to last-minute changes!):
Appetizers
Boy Scout Popcorn - assorted flavors (Hey - we HAD to buy popcorn from our own son!)
Lacy Cheddar Crisps
Holiday Cranberry Spread*
Main Dishes
Brined Roasted Turkey
Ham
Side Dishes
Mashed Potatoes and Gravy
Slow Cooker Stuffing
Roasted Spring Veggies
Cranberry Sauce (trying a new recipe - if it doesn't work out, then I'll make this one)
Rolls (trying a Cooking Light recipe)
Desserts
Amaretto Cake
Pumpkin Pie (another new recipe - excited about it!)
Toffee Cookies
* We had this Holiday Cranberry Spread last year, but the place I linked to is gone! Took me a bit of searching, but I found the recipe again (whew!) - thanks to The Queen Mommy! I'm gonna list it right here so I don't lose it again!
Holiday Cranberry Spread
1 bag (16 oz) fresh cranberries, rinsed and sorted
1 orange, peeled and seeded
1 red apple, cored and peeled
1 jalapeno, seeded and deveined
1 cup sugar
1-2 packages (8 oz) cream cheese
In food processor, combine cranberries, orange sections, apple slices, jalapeno, and sugar. Mix until blended. Store in refrigerator 24 hours. One hour before serving, soften 8 oz cream cheese and spread in bottom of glass pie pan. Spread half of cranberry mixture over the top. Cover and refrigerate until serving. Serve with crackers (Ritz are yummy with this). Can make another batch with second 8 oz. of cream cheese and other half of cranberry mixture! It's soooooo yummy!!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
If you're in need of some pumpkin recipes for Thanksgiving, you can stop by my Pumpkin Recipes post for my recipes plus linked-up recipes.
Don't forget - it's CHOCOLATE Friday tomorrow! Stop by and link up your own chocolate posts!
What are your Thanksgiving plans?
Have a terrific day friends!
Thursday, November 26, 2009
Happy Thanksgiving!
"The First Thanksgiving" by Jean Leon Gerome Ferris
Have a beautiful and blessed Thanksgiving!
1 Thessalonians 5:16-18
Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, in everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.
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