Freezing in the New Year

This morning I really wanted to ski.  Unfortunately the temperature  was -5 degrees which made for some frigid skiing.  We made it out for about 2.5 hours before the cold took us hostage.

So cold after the morning ski.  Even my hair was frozen.

Nevertheless, tonight is New Year's Eve and I hope everyone has something fun planned.  Regardless of where you are, you are bound to hear and possibly be forced to sing "Auld Lang Syne." The title of the song literally means "old long since" and is a Scottish song.  In case you are interested, here are the lyrics, though I know most people only sing the first verse/part:

Auld Lang Syne

Should old acquaintance be forgot,

and never brought to mind 

Should old acquaintance be forgot,

and old lang syne 

CHORUS:

For auld lang syne, my dear,

for auld lang syne,

we'll take a cup of kindness yet,

for auld lang syne.

And surely you'll buy your pint cup !

and surely I'll buy mine !

And we'll take a cup o' kindness yet,

for auld lang syne.

CHORUS

We two have run about the slopes,

and picked the daisies fine ;

But we've wandered many a weary foot,

since auld lang syne.

CHORUS

We two have paddled in the stream,

from morning sun till dine ;

But seas between us broad have roared

since auld lang syne.

CHORUS

And there's a hand my trusty friend !

And give us a hand o' thine !

And we'll take a right good-will draught,

for auld lang syne.

CHORUS

Happy New Year Everyone! Be Safe and I look forward to bringing you more Everyday Domestic Diversions in 2011. 

-Best Wishes for a Safe and Happy New Year!

Vacation Breakfast

First, thanks to Tim for Guest Blogging on Pumpkin Wednesday!  I'm glad to know she is learning a lot about college football while I am away. 

I'm still on vacation and am enjoying my late morning starts.  And, even though I'm on vacation I'm not adverse to cooking.  I had eggs yesterday so this morning I settled on making some french toast.  However, we don't have a fully stocked pantry so I had to make something to take the place of syrup.  I added some banana topping for a delicious and sweet morning breakfast.   

I made 1.5 pieces of toast with this recipe, but feel free to add more, just use the same proportions.

French Toast

1 egg

2 tablespoons milk

1/2 tsp. vanilla extract

Butter

Banana Topping

One Banana

Cinnamon

Sugar

Butter

Get out a frying pan and put in enough butter to coat the pan.  Dredge the bread in the egg and place in the pan.  Cook for about 5 minutes on each side, or until both sides are browned.

Perfectly Cooked

While the french toast is cooking, prepare the banana topping.  Cut the banana into small slices.  Add the butter to a small pan and let it melt.  Add the bananas and cook over medium heat.  Mix together sugar and cinnamon, using 3 parts sugar to 1 part cinnamon.  Add the cinnamon sugar mix to the bananas and cook for about 5 minutes until the sugar is bubbly and the bananas are soft.  Just be careful the sugar doesn't burn and the bananas don't break down into total mush.

Sliced bananas with cinnamon and sugar

Add the banana topping to your french toast and enjoy!

I added some cinnamon sugar on top for good measure

How do you fancy up your french toast?

-Hope everyone enjoys their time off for the holidays!

Pumpkin Wednesday!! -- Special Guest Writer: Pumpkin picks Bowl Games

You may think the life of a small, domestic tuxedo cat is an easy one. And in pretty much every conceivable way, that's true. I spend most of the day sleeping on a Sherpa rug inside a pretzel box covered by a red blanket that forms a canopy over my head. Yeah, it's safe to say I live a pretty cushy life.

But recently, two major events occurred that have changed my life. First, my Sherpa bed got mysteriously moved into the family room so that it opens out toward the TV. So now, all that time I used to spend just lying around, I now spend taking in whatever happens to be on the tube.

Taking it all in

The second major event: Lindsay went on vacation and left me here with Timmy, which means that the daily TV selection is way different than usual. No 'It's Me or the Dress' or 'Say Yes to the Dog.' Instead, we pretty much just watch college football all the time. And since I pretty much never leave my Sherpa box, I have learned a lot about the bowl games in the past few days.

So as a special edition for Pumpkin Wednesday, I will help everyone pick bowl games by sharing my thoughts on some of the upcoming games:

I would pounce on these picks if I were you

Alamo Bowl
Oklahoma State (-6) vs. Arizona
- Arizona's mascot is the Wildcats. After this past weekend at Timmy's house, I've decided that maybe I am not such a big fan of other cats. So I am picking against them. OK State 41 Arizona 31

 Gator Bowl
Michigan vs. Mississippi State (-6)
- Even I think Denard Robinson is fast. I'm taking my home state to win.  Don't Mess with the Mitten! Michigan 28  Miss St. 24

Liberty Bowl
Georgia (-7) vs. Central Florida
- Georgia wide receiver A.J. Green can jump even higher than me and has maybe the best set of paws in the country. Seriously, the guy never drops a pass! UGA 35 UCF 14

Armed Forces Bowl
Army vs. SMU (-7)
- Army's first bowl game in over a decade. Such a feel good story. And I saw some story that SMU paid all their players or something. Sounds sleazy to me. I'm taking the troops! Army 17 SMU 16

Sugar Bowl
Ohio State (-3) vs. Arkansas
-Terrelle Pyor tweeted that he is sorry for his selfish behavior. If I can't trust TPeezy, who can I trust?      OSU 27 Arkansas 21

National Championship Game
Oregon vs. Auburn (-3)
-(S)cam Newton will probably play well, but I believe karma catches up to him here. Oregon 30 Auburn 28

I told you Iowa's offensive line would control the line of scrimmage!

Well, those are my picks. After literally minutes of analyzing these games, I am confident they are all winners. Hopefully I win some money because I still owe Lindsay a ton of back-rent for the apartment lease I co-pawed in Little Italy.

Enjoy the Most Wonderful Week of the Year!

Who do you think will win games this Bowl season?

I'm a Traveling Woman

This week I am on vacation with my family in Vail, Colorado.  My brother, Will, moved with a friend out to Colorado to work at a ski resort.  He is starting medical school in the Fall of 2011, but is taking this year to make a little money and spend some time snowboarding out west.  Because the mountain needs so much staff, Vail Resorts hires recent college graduates and gives them perks like free skiing, discounts at Vail retailers and discounted ski tickets for your extended family.  

So, my mom, dad, sister and I are spending the week with him.  This means traveling from Detroit to Denver to Vail, and it also means packing.  Normally when I travel it’s only for a few days and I usually try to make sure my items fit in a carry-on bag.  This trip though requires ski gear plus clothes plus skis, so I had to check not one, but two bags.

Checking bags is not cheap.  There are a few websites that let you know the fees per bag and the airline restrictions.  In some situations the bag fees may influence what airline you ultimately select.  

By nature I overpack.  My mom thinks its because I don’t plan and can’t match my clothes, but I think it’s because I like to have choices of what to wear depending on my mood.  Nevertheless, I do have a few good packing tips to share so you can keep that checked luggage under 50 pounds!

• Roll your clothing.  I’m not sure if I read this tip somewhere or saw it on a movie (I love Up in the Air), but it saves more space than laying your clothing flat.

• When checking bags, remember to put your shampoo and other liquid products in two sets of plastic bags.  I know that seems crazy but there is nothing worse than getting to your destination and having your shampoo explode all over your clothes.

• Again, when you are checking bags, make sure you pack your essentials in your carry on.  Heaven forbid your luggage gets lost, you will still be able to brush your teeth and apply deodorant.  I always make sure to keep my makeup bags with my carry on, so even if my clothes aren’t that clean, at least my face can look fresh.

• Really, you should work on planning ahead to take only as much as you need.  I am not perfect, but I am working to try to only bring the essential items and a few outfits.

• If you are taking electronics in your checked baggage or placing locks on your suitcases, make sure you are current on the TSA rules you must follow. Also, make sure you follow these guidelines  to know what you are prohibited from bringing in both your carry on and your checked baggage. 

And as a random fun fact, in the bathroom drawer I found a pack of matches from Cleveland, more specifically from the Mayfield Smoke Shop in Little Italy.  It was nice to find a random reminder from home....

I can't get the pictures to post because the internet is a bit patchy here.  I'll hopefully do better tomorrow.

-What are your procedures for a successful travel experience?

-Looking forward to a wonderful Tuesday!

Pumpkin Wednesday!

I realize I have been really slacking in the "posting" department...but, today is Pumpkin Wednesday and it would be downright rude not to give attention to the blog.

If you haven't left for work yet, or you still have Christmasing to do...


Come on, get out of bed!

Go get in the shower,

Put on your favorite Christmas sweater or accessory, and get your day started!

Wishing safe travels as everyone heads home for the holidays!

-Looking forward to heading back to Michigan

Pumpkin Wednesday and Party Food: Day 3

Pumpkin is a very simple cat.

She loves to hang out in her $7 cat tent from Ikea 

She only eats inexpensive dry cat food

And she could be entertained for days with nothing but toys with feathers.  

                                


















In honor of her simplicity, tonight's party food recipe is the simplest (even easier than the olive-cheeseballs!) but was the most sought after appetizer.  I present to you...cheesey pigs in a blanket.

Ingredients:
Hot Dogs
American Cheese Slices
Crescent roll dough

Directions:
Preheat the oven to the temperature specified on the crescent roll dough package.  Get a cookie sheet and cover with parchment paper.  The parchment paper makes for easy clean up because the cheese sometimes oozes out of the pigs in a blanket.

Prep-Cut hot dogs in half long ways.  Then cut each piece into three giving you six mini hot dog pieces.  Repeat with an eight count package of hot dogs, and set aside.  Wipe down your cutting board and grab a few slices of cheese.  Unwrap and cut (while the cheese is still on the wrapper) into three or four strips, and then cut each cheese strip in half.  Next break open the can of crescent roll dough.  Unroll the dough and cut small strips out of each individual crescent roll.  Your slices don't have to be exact, just try to make them be in proportion with your hot dog pieces.

Assembly- Set the strip of crescent roll dough down.  Place hot dog with cheese strip on it at one end of the dough and roll.  Place on parchment paper lined cookie sheet and place in the oven.  Cook for about 8-12 minutes.  The timing really depends on the size of your "pigs."  I usually wait until the crescent roll looks a bit brown.

Remove from the oven and insert toothpicks for easy snacking.  You can put out ketchup or mustard for dipping, but the pigs are pretty delicious on their own.


What's a childhood snack you can't get enough of as a 20-something/adult?

-A little closer to the weekend!

Party Food: Day 2

Another great and easy party food is a hearty dip.  I always feel a "hot" dip is a little more substantial and more appropriate for the winter time.  I decided to make a hot artichoke dip and found this Paula Dean recipe on the Food Network website.  Here it is reprinted for you with a few suggestions...

Ingredients
1 (8 ounces) block cream cheese, softened

1 cup mayonnaise, I like Helmann's

1 (14 ounces) can artichoke hearts, drained and chopped, make sure you use the kind packed in water, not oil!

2 green onions, sliced thin

1/2 cup grated Parmesan

1 cup shredded mozzarella

Dash hot sauce

 Dash Worcestershire sauce

 Salt and pepper

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

In a large bowl, beat the cream cheese with a hand held electric mixer until smooth. Add the mayonnaise and blend with the cream cheese until smooth. Add remaining ingredients and stir together until combined. Transfer the dip to a shallow dish.  I used a glass pie plate. Bake in the oven for 30 to 40 minutes until the top is golden brown and the dip is bubbling. I served this dip with Wheat Thins which have just enough sweetness to be the perfect compliment to this salty and savory dip.

And, for fun, I hope you caught this year's Top Ten Youtube Videos.  If you missed it, here is an article giving a brief synopsis of all the videos.  The number one video this year is the "Bed Intruder Song," which is an audio remix of a newscast profiling a family after an attempted sexual assault in a housing project in Alabama.  The star of the video, Antoine Dodson, has achieved quite a bit of fame from becoming a Youtube celebrity and Wikipedia reports he has been able to make enough money to move his family out of the projects.

Check out the video if you haven't seen it already...

Looking forward to a wonderful Wednesday!

Party Food: Day 1

This weekend Tim and I hosted a holiday party at our place.  It was really great to see everyone and I had a lot of fun planning and prepping!  I made all the party food, and this week I will share the recipes I relied on to make some delicious holiday party foods.

I'll start off the week with one of the easy recipes in case you are in need of a quick nosh to make or bring to a work potluck.  Here is the recipe for Olive-Cheese Balls from the Betty Crocker Cookbook.

Ingredients
2 cups shredded sharp Cheddar cheese
1 1/4 cups all purpose flour (don't use self-rising flour for this recipe)
1/2 cup melted butter
About 36 small pimento stuffed olives, drained

Drain the olives.  I made sure they were dry by setting them out on a tray with paper towels.

Make sure the olives are nice and dried so they don't make the dough soggy

Next mix the cheese and the flour, and then mix in the margarine.  You may need to use your hands to mix the dough if it seems dry.  Mold 1 teaspoon of the cheese dough around each olive and shape into a ball.  Place them on an ungreased cookie sheet, cover and refrigerate for at least 1 hour prior to baking.

Heat your oven to 400 degrees.  Bake the cheeseballs until set, approximately 15-20 minutes.  This recipe makes about 3-4 dozen cheeseballs.

One cheese-olive ball

Many cheese-olive balls

 This recipe was so easy, and makes a decent amount of food without too much work.  What is your go-to recipe for bountiful savory finger food?

-Looking forward to a productive Tuesday

Liven Up Your Holiday Spirits

My mom has a knack for finding useful tips and interesting information in just about everything she reads.  Last week she called me to tell me about another interesting tidbit she had picked up from reading the weekend edition of the Wall Street Journal.  

The WSJ article, all about the traditions of Christmas punch, mentioned the importance of keeping a cold punch cold.  For those of you who have made a bowl of Christmas cheer, you know ice cubes melt too quickly to keep the punch cold and often add too much water to your perfectly proportioned mixture.

So what's a hostess (or host) to do with a giant bowl of punch you ask? The answer is to make an ice ring.  You might have seen some fancy ice rings made by caterers at those events where there is punch, or you may have no idea what I am talking about... 

But fear not.  I found some advice online and made my own ice ring! (I am actually making punch this weekend for a Christmas get-together, so don't worry, I'm not just making ice rings for entertainment.) 

Here's how to get your ice ring started:

Step One:  You need something to make the ring in.  If you don't have an ice ring mold, or ring shaped jello mold there is no need to head out to the store.  A bundt pan will work just fine.  If you don't have a bundt pan check with a friend and see if you can borrow theirs (thanks Mike!).

                                  

Step Two:  You will want to put some fruit in your ice ring to make it look festive.  I used lemons and limes because I think those flavors will best complement my punch recipe.  But don't limit yourself, be creative!  This site suggests using fruit like oranges, maraschino cherries, raspberries, mint and watermelon.

Step Three:  Cut up the fruit and layer it into the bottom of the bundt pan.

  

Step Four:  Add water over the fruit, but try not to let the fruit float.  You won't need to add much water.

I decided to splurge and use delicious filtered water from the Brita Pitcher

Step Five:  Place in the freezer and let everything set.  When the ice has formed over the fruit, remove your pan from the freezer, fill to the top with more water.  Return to freezer.

Fruit is still on the bottom just as planned

Step Six:  When everything is frozen and you are ready to remove the ice ring from the pan, place it in a shallow pan of warm water and the ice should loosen right up.

Step Seven:  Place the ice ring in the punch bowl and enjoy!

What are your feelings on Christmas punch?  Tacky or a necessary holiday staple?

-Almost TGIF!

Pumpkin Wednesday!

Hello, Hello and Welcome to a Late Night Edition of Pumpkin Wednesday.  With all the snow in Cleveland today, Pumpkin is feeling particularly lazy.  Please enjoy her laziness and I hope you were able to take a break and relax today!

Pumpkin's New Bed

Pumpkin Stretching Acting Like She Will Get Out of the Box

Pumpkin Deciding She is Not Leaving the Box

How was your Wednesday?  Anyone in the greater Cleveland area have any good tales about getting home during the blizzard today?

One step closer to the weekend!

Quick and Easy Dessert

The other night our friends invited us over for dinner and asked me to bring a dessert.  I didn't have many ingredients on hand and didn't have a ton of time to prep anything too fancy....but not to worry, I did remember I purchased some miniature pre-made Graham Cracker pie crusts on an impulse buy earlier in the week...

Now that I had a graham cracker crust, I was pretty sure I would be trying to craft a no-bake dessert.  After deciding I was not in the mood for something with pudding, I scoured the internet and settled on a recipe for a no-bake cheesecake.

Following a super-easy recipe, I ended up with a few mini no-bake cheesecakes that turned out to be a perfect bite of dessert after our main meal.

Ingredients:
1-8 ounce package Cream Cheese, softened
1-14 ounce can sweetened condensed milk
1/3 cup fresh lemon juice
1/4 tsp. vanilla extract
Premade graham cracker crusts in tin foil pans

Directions:
Combine softened cream cheese and can of condensed milk.  Blend these two together using an electric handmixer, and beat until all the lumps are gone.  Add vanilla, then add the lemon juice slowly while blending all the ingredients together.  Spoon the mixture into the graham cracker crust cups and place in the refrigerator for about three hours to firm up.  My mixture made about 9 mini cheesecakes.  If you are short on time you can always put them, covered, into the freezer for about 45 minutes.  Because I live in the Midwest and it is freezing outside, I just covered the cheesecakes and set them out on the backporch.

I served these with some homemade whipped cream, and they were quite delicious.

Pic=not so good, Mini Cheesecakes=very good

If you are feeling adventurous you can add any type of fruit, or even chocolate or caramel sauce for more flavor/fun :)


What is the quick dessert you bring to an informal get together when you don't feel like picking up something at the grocery store?

-Looking forward to a wonderful Wednesday!

Miscellaneous Monday

It's official....welcome to winter....  Today the greater Cleveland area got quite a bit of snow, so I have now had to drag out all my winter gear.  In today's Miscellaneous Monday, here are a few fun snow facts and some tips for keeping your winter gear in good condition!

• Lake Effect Snow.  This term gets thrown around a lot in the midwest and upstate New York, but most people don't know the science behind the weather.  The major snow that gets dumped inland occurs when a cold front of air moves across a warmer lake.  The lake/bay/ocean never completely freezes over, so even when it is cold, the massive body of water will be warmer than the outside air.  When the cold air passes over warm lake, the warm air from the lake hits the cold arctic air and precipitation forms.

• Boots.  I love winter boots, but the salt can really wreak havoc on any leather, suede or cloth product.  My strategy for keeping my boots from getting demolished is a can of Scotchguard or sneaker protector.  I'm sure you have been talked into buying shoe/leather protector spray at some point, but if not, buy yourself a can of Scotchguard.  Make sure your boots are totally clean by using a leather cleaning brush, or if they are fabric, make sure they are dirt free.  Follow the directions on the can, but make sure you don't spray too closely to the leather/fabric.  If you are nervous about the impact on your fabric, test a small patch.  After spraying two coats on in a well ventilated area and letting them dry, you should have somewhat water repellent boots.

• Driving.  Once it starts snowing, people seem to forget important rules of driving.  There is no sense bashing all motorists, so here are a few things you can do to help keep yourself and fellow travelers accident free!  Start by slowing down and leaving enough room between you and the car traveling ahead of you.  Get used to feeling out how your car reacts when you break on snow while you are driving at slow speeds on side streets.  Also remember when you are traveling on the highway, bridges and overpasses tend to ice over more quickly than the regular stretches of road, so use caution!

•  Car Kit.  Make sure to throw a few essentials in the trunk of your car in case you do get stranded on the highway.  A few people got stuck near buffalo last week on I-90 for over 12 hours! Bah!  Your emergency kit should contain a blanket, a shovel, kitty litter or sand for traction, a few granola bars and bottles of water.  You should also invest in a small first aid kit, they aren't too expensive and something that is worthwhile to have in your car for all seasons.  

• Salt Stains.  Despite the huge pain in the butt that rock salt is for clothes, it shouldn't cause stains to the back of your pants/skirts.  Just wash regularly or dry clean and you should avoid too many problems.  If you wear your nice leather shoes out, instead of your boots that you Scotchguarded, you can clean those salt stains with a tablespoon of vinegar mixed in a cup of water (or so says GQ style guy).  

Are you ready for the winter and all the snow?!?!

-Looking forward to a great Tuesday!

Good Morning Pumpkin Wednesday!

Good Morning!  Open your eyes and get moving!

So Sleepy!

Time to get out of bed/your box and get to work!

Get out of bed, or your box...

Have a wonderful Wednesday!

Just a Quick Dinner

I guess I have never put much thought into this before, but when I get back from Thanksgiving I feel like I need a break from eating.  Turns out, I am also not that interested in cooking.  I'm not sure you can blame me, or anyone else for that matter, because after eating a delicious home-cooked Thanksgiving meal it's difficult to feel inspired in the kitchen.


Nonetheless I couldn't handle takeout and wanted to get back into the kitchen.  So for tonight's quick post I leave you with a recipe for Chicken Paprikash from the Real Simple Magazine.  As a heads up, this is definitely not a traditional Hungarian Chicken Paprikash.  However, the flavors were good, ingredients were easily put together and the final meal was quite tasty.  


Here's my take on the recipe.

Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 2 1/2 pounds bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs and drumsticks
• kosher salt and black pepper
• 1 medium onion, chopped (I know its a different shape than the pepper, but I liked diced onions much better)
• 1 bell pepper, sliced
• 3 cloves garlic, chopped
•  28-ounce can peeled whole tomatoes
• 1 tablespoon paprika
• 6 ounces wide egg noodles
• 1/4 cup sour cream

Directions

• Heat the oil in a large sauce pan with sides.  Don't use anymore than the 1 tablespoon of oil or the sauce will be too oily. Season the chicken liberally with the kosher salt and black pepper.
• Cook the chicken until browned, 4 to 5 minutes per side. Remove from the pot and set aside.
• Discard some of the drippings. Add the onion, bell pepper, and garlic and cook, stirring, until tender, 4 to 5 minutes
• Add the tomatoes.  I recommend chopping or breaking up the tomatoes before you put them into the pot.  Add the paprika, ½ teaspoon salt, and ¼ teaspoon black pepper and bring to a boil.  I also added about 1/4 teaspoon of red pepper flakes.  Be careful with this spice because you can always add more, but can never take away!
• Return the chicken to the pan and cover the chicken in the vegetable/tomato mixture and simmer, partially covered, until cooked through, 15 to 20 minutes
• While the chicken and veggies meld together, cook the noodles according to the package directions. You can top the chicken with sour cream, but I didn't think it was necessary.

What recipes have you tried when looking to change up your weeknight cooking routine?

-Looking forward to a wonderful Wednesday!

Miscellaneous Monday

I hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving and were able to spend some time with friends and family. I had a great few days at my parent's house in Michigan, but am now back in Cleveland and am ready to post!

• Did you go shopping on Black Friday?  My mom and I woke up at 6 AM, and made it to our local mall by 7 AM.  It was pretty early, believe me, but I didn't find anything in the ads that would make me want to stand in line at 3 AM.

This store was far too busy and crowded for us to venture into

• This was our first time venturing out for the early morning "doorbuster" and some early spending data indicates there were more people out buying more merchandise.  Early estimates based on credit card data show the spending on Friday may have returned to pre-recession levels.  Always positive.

We were starting to get tired when we re-energized by trying on hats

• Also, while I was home, my mom made the most delicious Turkey.  She brined it in spices for 24 hours prior to cooking and I must say it was super moist and delicious.  I basically ate nothing but turkey... Anyway, I hope to find out more about this brining process and share it with you all.

A very delicious turkey

• In the news today, Leslie Nielsen passed away at the age of 84.  Known for his comic performances in "Airplane" and the "Naked Gun" series, Nielsen started his acting career as a serious man starring in a few big screen dramas.  While everyone seems to remember Nielsen's classic "surely" line in Airplane, I will always best remember him in Naked Gun with Anna Nicole Smith when he tries to host the Oscars and the tech crew remarks they should not invite Phil Donahue next year...haha

• I was fortunate to be invited to join in a recipe exchange via e-mail.  Here's a super easy recipe I received that looks tasty and a great way to use up some leftovers (I'm sure you could make this one with any turkey you still have lying around.)  I haven't tried it yet, but its on my menu plan for the week.

Leftover Chicken Dish

1. 13 X 9 oblong glass dish
2. 1/2 of large pkg Wide Egg Noodles cooked according to pkg directions
3. 1 large sweet onion, cut up in pieces
4. 1 can sliced mushrooms (or equivalent fresh)
5. 1 pkg of chopped spinach, thawed (or equivalent fresh)
6. 1 can Cream of Mushroom Soup
7. half cup milk
8. Equivalent of about half of a cooked chicken, cut/tear up in pieces
9. Grapeseed Oil or EVOO
10. Seasoning:  Morton's Nature's Seasoning; Tarragon leaves;
11. 1 Pkg of shredded cheese (mexican mix is good)

• Prepare Noodles, drain and set aside, Preheat over to 350
• In large skillet, sautee the onion and mushrooms in 2 tsp. grapeseed oil or EVOO over med. heat
• Season with Nature's Seasoning and Tarragon (and whatever other favorite seasoning)
• Add spinach, mushroom soup and milk, mix all together to sizzling
• Add chicken pieces, mix some more; reduce heat to low
• Place noodles in the oblong dish; drizzle LIGHTLY w/oil
• Mix in your veg/chicken mixture, sprinkle w/shredded cheese
• Bake uncovered at 350,  20 minutes

Tell me about your adventures over the Thanksgiving holiday weekend!

Looking forward to a terrific Tuesday!

New Thanksgiving Recipe

On Sunday I made a full Thanksgiving meal for me and Tim.  Since we are going to our respective family homes, I thought it would be nice to celebrate the holiday a bit early, together.  I cooked a turkey, mashed potatoes, sweet potatoes, broccoli with cheese sauce, cranberry relish and a pumpkin pie.

The spread

I really enjoyed making all of these different foods, and will be sharing the rest of the recipes tomorrow.  But tonight, in case you don't have your Thanksgiving menu set I wanted to introduce you to a delicious sweet potato recipe.

I found this recipe, Brandy and Orange-Mashed Sweet Potatoes in Orange Cups, on Food Network, courtesy of Emeril Lagasse.  I was intrigued because my family has traditionally favored the very sweet, canned yams with brown sugar, butter and marshmallows.  Because Tim is open to trying new foods, I thought this more savory sweet potato recipe would be fun to make.

Here is what you will need to make this delectable side dish:

• 7 large sweet potatoes, about 3 pounds
• 4 large oranges
• 1 stick unsalted butter
• 1/2 cup light brown sugar
• 3 large eggs
• 3/4 cup fresh orange juice
• 1/2 cup heavy cream
• 1/4 cup brandy
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 1/2 teaspoon salt

And here are the step by step instructions, along with some of my observations from cooking:

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees and put the sweet potatoes, whole and with the skins on, on a baking sheet in the oven for an hour.  I recommend turning the sweet potatoes over about halfway through the cooking process.  Take the potatoes out, let them cool just long enough to be able to remove the skins.  

At this point, turn the oven down to 350 degrees.  Take your four oranges, halve them, and scoop out the insides.  I recommend using a grapefruit spoon (with the sharp edges) to scoop out the inside of the oranges.

While the sweet potatoes are warm, cut them in half and remove the skins and any stringy fibers. 

Yams after one hour in the oven

Put the sweet potatoes in a large mixing bowl.  Make sure the bowl is a pretty good size because you will be adding quite a bit of liquid to the sweet potato mixture.  Add the butter to the sweet potatoes and blend with an electric hand mixer until you remove all the lumps.  It's important at this point that the sweet potatoes are warm so the butter melts and eases the mixing process.

Definitely should have used a larger bowl, so many ingredients

Add the sugar, eggs, orange juice, heavy cream, and brandy, and mix with the electric mixer until smooth. Add the cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt, and mix again, making sure all the ingredients are incorporated throughout.  Fill the orange cups with the sweet potato mixture, filling the cups to a bit overflowing and smooth out the tops.  Place in a baking pan and cook in the oven for about 20 minutes.

Remove from the oven and enjoy while warm!  If you decide to add these potatoes to your menu, you will not be disappointed.  They are worth the extra work and will bring new and surprising flavors to your Thanksgiving meal.

Since sweet potatoes are my most favorite food, what is your secret family sweet potato recipe?

-Wishing everyone safe travels tomorrow!

Thanksgiving Countdown

I can't believe the holiday season is on our doorstep!  I am looking forward to my shortened work week and will be heading home early to hang out with my family (minus my brother who is working out in Colorado) and enjoy my mom's delicious cooking.  In anticipation of Thanksgiving, I have done a bit of cooking and baking to highlight some great recipes and tips for pulling off a fabulous Thanksgiving meal.  So this week will feature recipes for a few traditional Thanksgiving dishes and some new things I tried this year.

So much sugar, but so delicious and fun to make

Tonight I'm still recovering from cooking a full Thanksgiving dinner yesterday, but I wanted to get in the turkey day spirit.  So here is my recipe for a sweet turkey shaped cookie treat, a.k.a, a turkey-gram.

Here are the ingredients:

• 1 package Double Stuf Oreo cookies
• 1 container store bought chocolate frosting
• 1 container cinnamon red hots
• 1 container malted milk balls
• 1 package candy corn

Step 1- Twist Oreo cookie so it is in two pieces.  One side should have all the frosting while the other is just the cookie.  It takes a gentle hand to be able to twist the cookie without breaking it, so be patient

Step 2- Apply chocolate frosting to the cookie-only side.  Make sure it's thick enough to hold a few candies

Step 3- Place 5 candy corn pieces on the frosting like so:

Step 4- This is the tricky part.  Stand the cookie with the candy corn vertically into the cookie with the white frosting.  Again, be gentle, and your cookie should now be 3D and look like this

Step 5- Add a little bit of chocolate frosting to the cookie on the white frosting and place the Whopper securely on the chocolate.

Step 6- Add a tiny bit of chocolate frosting to the malted milk ball near where the turkey gobbler would be.  Secure the cinnamon red hot candy to the malted milk ball.

Hello Turkey!

Step 7- Repeat steps 1-6 and make enough turkeys to share with friends!

So many turkeys

What are the special sweets (besides pies) you make for Thanksgiving?

-Looking forward to the Holiday!