Thanksgiving

We had a lovely Thanksgiving, which is always nice, but it was especially so this year. This was the Thanksgiving that almost wasn't. Several wonderful surprises happened that made it possible.

Ethan was in Mexico and it was not clear when he would return. I had to prepare myself for the idea of Thanksgiving without him. He is grown up now, and I know that I will have to get used to holidays without him; he has his own life to live. However, that does not mean that it will go smoothly for me. I am not as graceful about this kids growing up stuff as I wish I was. Ethan was ready to come home and was expected to come home on Tuesday. However, on Sunday Larr came home late in the evening and 30 seconds later Ethan followed him in. I had not guessed that such a surprise was up and when I saw Ethan, I cried while I hugged him. It was such a joy and relief to have him home. I had missed him so, and been so worried about his safety. Everyone else was happy to see him, too. I think Kohlton missed Ethan as much as the rest of us.

On Monday, Larr went to see Don in the hospital. The hospitalist came by to inform them that Don was to be discharged in two hours. Larr called me to inform me and asked me to go over to his house to finish the cleaning that had yet to be done. Once they arrived, Don was happy,but exhausted.

Over the course of the next few days, Larr and Ethan took care of Don. Ellie and Kohlton helped me clean and prepare for Thanksgiving. I also did a lot of cooking. By Wednesday, we were unsure whether we could pull off Thanksgiving. I even considered cancelling it. We were not sure that Don would be up for coming over for Thanksgiving. That would mean that he and at least one other member of our family would not be there and I was way behind on my preparations as Larr and Ethan were busy taking care of Don. In the end, we decided to have the feast and be happy with it. Don would feel bad if we had cancelled it due to his situation.

Wednesday evening Ellie pulled out the autumn garlands that Natalie had given us. The items (the wooden forest creatures from Crate and Barrel, as well as some candles) I had gathered to decorate the table were already in place. Ellie and Kohlton got out our fancy china, table clothes, etc. and Ellie worked her table decoration magic. It is always exciting to see how she will set the table each year. We both really enjoy a lovely table.

I enjoyed making the pies. I had collected two more nice pie plates in anticipation of wanting to make them extra fancy this year.

In the morning, I received an unexpected call from my father. That was certainly a highlight of my day.

Ellie, who loves to bake, modified a recipe to create lovely pizzelle tubes filled with a twist on French Cream. (I've included her recipes below.) She is so talented.

On Thursday morning I put the turkey in and then we began to get the rest of the party set up. We had two spots for visiting and enjoying appetizers.

Aunt Kathy gave me a new marble and wood cheese plate which I used right away. I also had new wooden bowls that I purchased with a gift card that my mother had given me. It was really fun to have new serving dishes. Lilia made an appetizer of blue cheese filled dates covered with prosciutto (and then placed under the broiler for almost 10 minutes). They were a hit, too.

Our guests arrived and we visited. Ethan carved the turkey. Even Don was able to join us for a while.

Over the course of the last few days, Remmie had gotten really wound up. He was a bit too excited and was a bit too energetic. Part of the time he was good, part of the time he had to regroup while in the van, away from the party.

I am thankful that we were able to come together and have a nice party. In addition to our little family, we were joined by my mother, Aunt Kathy, Grandpa Don, Mark, Lilia, Mark (Kohlton's father), Martine (his girlfriend), Britt (Kohlton's mother) and Linda (Kohlton's grandmother).

Everyone enjoyed him/herself and none of the stress of the earlier part of the week seemed to have come through.

I hope you had a wonderful day, too.

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Pizzelles
via: Allrecipes.com

6 eggs
1 1/2 cups white sugar
1 cup margarine, melted and cooled (we used salted butter)
2 tablespoons anise extract
3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
4 teaspoons baking powder

Beat eggs and sugar with an electric mixer until fluffy. Stir in the melted margarine and anise extract. Combine the flour and baking powder; stir in gradually. Dough will be sticky.

Preheat your pizzelle iron according to the manufacturer's instructions. Drop batter by rounded spoonfuls onto the iron. Close and cook for about 90 seconds, or until steam stops coming out of the iron. Carefully remove and cool. Store in an airtight tin at room temperature.

To make the tubes Ellie created a form using foil and a drum stick. We would pull off the hot pizzelle from the iron and wrap it around a form, holding it in place with a chop stick or folk. She found that you needed to move as quickly as possible, or else it develops cracks. I needed to wear rubber gloves because the heat was hurting my fingers.

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Pastry Cream (modified by Ellie)
via: Olga's Flavor Factory

2 teaspoons unflavored gelatin
¼ cup water
1½ cups half and half (Ellie used 3/4 cup 2% milk and 3/4 cup heavy cream)
5 large egg yolks
⅓ cup sugar
3 Tablespoons all purpose flour
3 Tablespoons butter, cut into 3 pieces, chilled
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
½ Tablespoon hazelnut liqueur, optional (Ellie did not use this.)
1 cup heavy cream, chilled
1-2 Tablespoons powdered sugar

Sprinkle the gelatin over the water and set aside until the gelatin softens.

In a small saucepan, bring the half and half to a simmer. Do not boil.

Meanwhile, in a medium bowl, whisk the yolks and sugar until smooth.

Add the flour and whisk until smooth.

When the half and half is just barely simmering, slowly pour a ladle of the hot liquid into the bowl, while you are whisking at the same time. This is called tempering and means that you are slowly heating up the egg mixture to make sure that the eggs don't scramble. Whisk in another ladle of hot liquid and then return everything to the same saucepan and cook on medium or low heat until the mixture thickens and you see big bubbles bursting on the surface. Remove from the heat.

Add the butter, softened gelatin and the vanilla extract. Whisk until smooth.

Strain the pastry cream through a fine mesh sieve to remove any lumps. Place some parchment paper right on top of the pastry cream, which will prevent a skin from forming on top. Chill in the refrigerator for about 45 minutes.

Getting Ready for a Party - Recipes Galore & Decoration Inspiration

It has been so warm here that it does not feel like Christmas, yet. But, I've found some decorating inspiration online. Here, I'd like to share a few of them with you:
From: Blessing From Our Nest blog


From: Ideal Home


from: Nell's Hill


Advent Display by Stephanie Lynn Blog

We had so much fun Wendy, David, Caroline and Laura last weekend that we have decided to have them over this weekend. I'm trying to put together a really fun party. I love planning and executing this kind of thing. (Some day, after I retire from teaching, I'd love to run a Bed and Breakfast. I'd have a wonderful excuse to do things like this more often.)

We'll start with some appetizers, have my zucchinni and cheese soup for the first course, then cheese fondue and a Moroccan inspired salad for the next two courses and some sort of decedent dessert. Here are the new recipes that have caught my eye:

Moroccan Quinoa Salad
from Green Kitchen Stories
Serves 4

If you don’t feel like marinating the zucchini and eggplant yourself you can find ready-made at most supermarkets (but nothing beats homemade).

1 zucchini, cut in thin slices
1 eggplant , cut in thin slices
olive oil
1 clove garlic, minced
salt
1 1/2 cup quinoa
2 tbsp cinnamon
1 lemon
1/2 cup almonds
2 bunches mint leaves
1 bunch cilantro/coriander
3 tbsp raisins
2 avocados, cut into 1 inch squares
4 small spring onions, chopped
1 cup almonds, divided in half, roasted and salted

Start by making the marinated vegetables. Spread out the zucchini and eggplant slices on a bbq, in a grill pan or in the oven, a couple of minutes on each side. Put them in a bowl, drizzle olive oil, garlic and salt over them and set aside.

Cook the quinoa according to the package but add two tbsp cinnamon in the water. When it’s done cooking, rinse and set aside to cool off. Squeeze the juice from half a lemon and add five tbsp of olive oil into the quinoa. Chop half of the mint leaves, half of the cilantro and all the raisins, throw them in the quinoa and toss it around until everything is mixed. Serve in bowls together with the marinated vegetables, avocado, spring onions, the rest of the mint and cilantro and the roasted almonds.

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Quinoa and Pomegranate Salad
via OOh, Look blog
serves 3-4

Ingredients
1 cup quinoa
2 cups reduced salt chicken stock
50g baby spinach leaves, shredded
1/4 cup craisins (dried cranberries)
1/2 pomegranate, seeds extracted
1/4 cup walnuts, roughly chopped

Dressing
4 tblsp extra virgin olive oil
2 tblsp red wine vinegar
1 tblsp pomegranate molasses
salt and pepper

Method
1. To cook the quinoa: rinse the quinoa in a fine sieve, drain, then place in a medium saucepan with the chicken stock. Bring to a simmer, then cover and cook for about 10 minutes, until the quinoa is soft and the liquid has evaporated. Remove from the heat and cool slightly.
2. For the dressing: Whisk the dressing ingredients together in a jug or bowl and season to taste with salt and pepper.
3. To assemble the salad: Fluff up the quinoa with a fork, then combine with the spinach, craisins and pomegranate seeds. Pour over the dressing and toss through. Sprinkle with walnuts and serve.

Read more: http://ooh-look.blogspot.com/2010/11/quinoa-pomegranate-salad-and-whack-pom.html#ixzz17lwjRPag


Salted Caramel Bars
via What's Gaby Cooking? blog

Ingredients

Shortbread:
10 tbsp unsalted butter, melted
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 tsp salt
1 egg yolk, whisked
1 2/3 cups AP flour

Caramel Topping:
1 cup unsalted butter
1 cup light brown sugar
12 tbsp light corn syrup
2 tsp sea salt
4 tbsp sugar
4 tbsp heavy cream
1 1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract

Sea salt flakes

Directions

Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees and line a 9-by-9-inch pan with parchment paper with the edges of the parchment hanging over the sides. This will make removing the bars easier.

In a large bowl combine the melted butter, sugar and salt with a fork. Add the yolk and combine with the fork. Add the flour and using your hands, combine the dough until its flaky. Transfer the dough into the parchment lined pan and press down with your hands or the bottom of a measuring cup. Refrigerate this for 30 minutes. Once chilled, bake for 27 minutes until lightly browned.

Once baked, remove and set aside to cool.

Meanwhile, in a pot combine the topping ingredients; butter, brown sugar, corn syrup, salt, sugar and cream. Bring to a boil and make sure all the sugar is dissolved. Stir for about 5-10 minutes until its thick and bubbly. If you have a candy thermometer – the caramel should be about 230 degrees. Remove from heat, stir in vanilla extract and pour on top of the shortbread.

Refrigerate for 2-4 hours. Then sprinkle with the sea salt flakes and serve!

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Snowman Shooters
via Babble blog

* 1 (14 oz.) can sweetened condensed milk
* 2 squares unsweetened chocolate
* 1 pint of vanilla ice cream
* 1 Small & 1medium ice cream scoops
* 8-12 Mini chocolate chips (or peppercorns)
* 4-6 Small pieces of carrots, cut into tiny spears

In a medium, microwave-safe bowl, place the chocolate squares and microwave them for 35-40 seconds, just enough to soften. Pour the sweetened condensed milk over the chocolate, then return to the microwave for 50-60 seconds. Remove and stir until the chocolate is fully melted and a thick hot fudge sauce forms.

Spoon hot fudge sauce into the bottom of 4-5 small shooter glasses. Using a medium-sized ice cream scoop, scoop some of the vanilla ice cream into a rounded ball and plop it carefully on top of the hot fudge sauce. Use the small sized scoop to do the same, placing the second scoop on top of the first one to create the snowman’s head.

Gently press the carrot nose & chocolate chip eyes into the snowman’s head. Return to the freezer and allow to freeze until ready to serve (to ensure your shot glasses don’t freeze & crack, I recommend making these just about 1 hour ahead of time).

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Chocolate Kissed Gingerbread Cookies
via Becky Bakes blog

Chocolate Kissed Gingerbread Cookies

3 cups flour
2 tsp. ginger
1 tsp. cinnamon
1 tsp. baking soda
1/4 tsp. nutmeg (I omitted)
1/4 tsp. salt
3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature
3/4 cup firmly packed brown sugar
1/2 cup molasses
1 egg
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1 tsp. vanilla extract
Semi-sweet or dark chocolate disks (I used Trader Joe’s chocolate callets)*

Mix flour, ginger, cinnamon, baking soda, nutmeg and salt in large bowl.
Using a mixer, beat butter and brown sugar on medium speed until light and fluffy. Add molasses, egg and vanilla; beat well. Gradually beat in flour mixture on low speed until well mixed. Press dough into a thick flat disk. Wrap in plastic wrap. Refrigerate 4 hours or overnight.
Preheat oven to 350°F. Shape dough into 1-inch balls. Roll in granulated sugar. Place 2 inches apart on ungreased baking sheets.
Bake 8 to 10 minutes or until edges of cookies just begin to brown. Immediately press a callet into the center of each cookie. Remove to wire racks; cool completely. Store cookies in airtight container up to 5 days.

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Lia's Toffee Bar
via Pioneer Woman
Ingredients

* 16 ounces, weight Butter, Melted
* 16 ounces, weight Granulated Sugar
* 3 ounces, fluid Water
* 1 teaspoon Salt
* 1 teaspoon Vanilla Extract
* 16 ounces, weight Chopped Topping: Toasted Nuts, Candy Canes, Sea Salt, Etc.
* 24 ounces, weight Tempered Dark Chocolate For Coating, Melted

Preparation Instructions

*Necessary Equipment: Candy Thermometer*

Combine butter, sugar, water, and salt in a saucepan. Bring to a boil, stirring constantly.

Cook over moderate heat, stirring gently, until candy thermometer registers 298 degrees.

Remove from heat and stir in vanilla until well combined.

Pour the mixture onto a silicone baking mat or good parchment paper. Use a heatproof rubber spatula or offset spatula to spread quickly before the toffee sets. Spread thin.

Allow toffee to cool completely. Blot to remove excess oil from the surface. Coat surface with half of the melted chocolate and immediately sprinkle with topping.

When chocolate has totally set, carefully flip over (it’s okay if it falls apart a bit) and coat other side with the rest of the chocolate. Sprinkle on topping.

Allow to set, then break into bite-size pieces.

Store in an airtight container.
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I also really enjoyed the "Glee" Christmas story. This was one of my favorite scenes -


And then, I love it when I find wonderful stop-motion

MINI PLANNERS from Moleskine ® on Vimeo.

An Enchanting Wedding - My Friend Michelle Finally Gets What She Deserves

Yesterday Larr and I went to my friend's wedding and it was wonderful. Michelle and Nils sort of knew each other in high school, but when they reconnected on Facebook it seemed that it was meant to be.


By the third date they knew it was meant to be. Nils is such a great, loving, kind and thoughtful guy. And Michelle could not have been more thrilled.


They were married at the Manor House in Littleton, down on the Ken Caryl estates. The decorations for the holiday season were splendid.



It was nice to have a date with my husband, too.


On another note, another friend of mine is renewing her vows next weeks. I am making her cake so I am enjoying doing a bit of research to help me come up with some lovely treats. I this quest I came across some great need foodie blogs Once Upon a Plate whose blog is the very model of lovely food and tablescape presentations. That one led me to find La Table De Nana. I might have to make her toffee triangles.

I think I will make Once Upon a Plate's

White Christmas Hot Chocolate
4 to 6 servings

6 ounce white chocolate, chopped (or 1 cup white chocolate chips)
1 cup heavy cream
4 cups half-and-half
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Vanilla whipped cream (or topping) for garnish
Optional garnishes; see below

Directions~

Combine white chocolate and heavy cream in a saucepan over medium heat. Stir continuously until chocolate melts.

Stir in half-and-half and vanilla extract. Heat gently until hot, stirring occasionally.

Pour into mugs or cafe latte bowls, then top generously with vanilla whipped cream (or whipped topping).

Garnish with decorative colored sprinkles or a dusting of cinnamon, cocoa powder, or grated white chocolate.

And La Table Da Nana's

Toffee Bits Triangles

Ingredients:
1 cup (250 mL) butter or margarine, softened
1 cup (250 mL) packed light brown sugar
1 teaspoon (5 mL) vanilla
1 egg yolk
2 cups (500 mL) all-purpose flour
1 1/4 cups (220 g) CHIPITS SKOR Toffee Bits, divided
2 cups (300 g) CHIPITS Semi-Sweet Chocolate Chips
Directions:
1. Heat oven to 350°F (180°C).

2. In large bowl, beat butter and brown sugar until fluffy. Beat in egg yolk and vanilla until creamy.

3. Stir in flour and 1 cup (250 mL) of the toffee bits. Press into ungreased 15-1/2 x 10-1/2 inch (39 x 27 cm) jelly roll pan.

4. Bake 18 to 20 minutes or until light brown. Immediately sprinkle semi-sweet chocolate chips over top. Let stand until softened, about 5 minutes; spread evenly over top. Sprinkle with remaining toffee bits. Let cool completely. Cut into 3-inch (7.5 cm) squares; cut each square diagonally into 4 triangles.

Makes 60 triangles.

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For Laura and Davis I will make some treats. I am tracking down good carrot cake recipes. I am dithering between Sam's Famous Carrot Cake and Carrot Cake III, both from allrecipes. com.

Sam's Famous Carrot Cake


Ingredients

* 3 eggs
* 3/4 cup buttermilk
* 3/4 cup vegetable oil
* 1 1/2 cups white sugar
* 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
* 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
* 1/4 teaspoon salt
* 2 cups all-purpose flour
* 2 teaspoons baking soda
* 2 cups shredded carrots
* 1 cup flaked coconut
* 1 cup chopped walnuts
* 1 (8 ounce) can crushed pineapple with juice
* 1 cup raisins

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease and flour an 8x12 inch pan.
2. In a medium bowl, sift together flour, baking soda, salt and cinnamon. Set aside.
3. In a large bowl, combine eggs, buttermilk, oil, sugar and vanilla. Mix well. Add flour mixture and mix well.
4. In a medium bowl, combine shredded carrots, coconut, walnuts, pineapple and raisins.
5. Using a large wooden spoon or a very heavy whisk, add carrot mixture to batter and fold in well.
6. Pour into prepared 8x12 inch pan, and bake at 350 degrees F (175 degrees C) for 1 hour. Check with toothpick.
7. Allow to cool for at least 20 minutes before serving.

Carrot Cake III


Ingredients

* 4 eggs
* 1 1/4 cups vegetable oil
* 2 cups white sugar
* 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
* 2 cups all-purpose flour
* 2 teaspoons baking soda
* 2 teaspoons baking powder
* 1/2 teaspoon salt
* 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
* 3 cups grated carrots
* 1 cup chopped pecans
*
* 1/2 cup butter, softened
* 8 ounces cream cheese, softened
* 4 cups confectioners' sugar
* 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
* 1 cup chopped pecans

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease and flour a 9x13 inch pan.
2. In a large bowl, beat together eggs, oil, white sugar and 2 teaspoons vanilla. Mix in flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt and cinnamon. Stir in carrots. Fold in pecans. Pour into prepared pan.
3. Bake in the preheated oven for 40 to 50 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean. Let cool in pan for 10 minutes, then turn out onto a wire rack and cool completely.
4. To Make Frosting: In a medium bowl, combine butter, cream cheese, confectioners' sugar and 1 teaspoon vanilla. Beat until the mixture is smooth and creamy. Stir in chopped pecans. Frost the cooled cake.

For the topping I think I will go with Maple Cream Cheese.

Icing

* 10 ounces cream cheese (such as Philadelphia), room temperature
* 5 tablespoons unsalted butter, room temperature
* 2 1/2 cups powdered sugar
* 1/4 cup pure maple syrup

For icing:
Using electric mixer, beat cream cheese and butter in large bowl until light and fluffy. Add powdered sugar and beat at low speed until well blended. Beat in maple syrup. Chill until just firm enough to spread, 30 minutes.

I also like the idea of another flavored treat, just as a contrast. I am thinking about pairing them with almond cupcakes (from an almond cherry trifle recipe I want to try) that would be decorated like the ones from Once Upon a Plate. Here's that recipe. I have not tried it, yet.

For jam

* 2 cups fresh cherries (about 12 ounces), pitted, coarsely chopped
* 1 cup sugar
* 1/4 cup water


For cake

* 1 7-ounce package almond paste, cut into small pieces
* 1 1/4 cups sugar
* 1 1/4 cups (2 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, cut into pieces
* 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
* 6 large eggs
* 1 cup all purpose flour
* 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
* 1/4 teaspoon salt


For custard

* 1/2 cup sugar
* 2 tablespoons cornstarch
* 6 large egg yolks
* 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
* 2 cups half and half


* 3 cups fresh cherries (about 18 ounces), pitted, coarsely chopped


* 1 cup chilled whipping cream
* 1/4 cup powdered sugar
* Cherries with stems
* Slivered almonds, toasted



Make jam:
Combine all ingredients in heavy medium saucepan. Stir over medium heat until sugar dissolves and mixture boils. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer until jam is thick, stirring often, about 22 minutes. Transfer to small bowl. Cover and chill up to 3 days.

Make cake:
Preheat oven to 325°F. Butter 9-inch-diameter springform pan. Line bottom with parchment; butter parchment. Blend almond paste and sugar in processor until mixture resembles fine meal, about 1 minute. Add butter and vanilla and blend well, occasionally scraping down sides of bowl. Blend in eggs 1 at a time. Using on/off turns, blend in flour, baking powder and salt (do not overmix). Transfer batter to prepared pan. Place pan on baking sheet; bake cake until tester inserted into center comes out clean and top is golden, about 1 hour 10 minutes. Cool cake in pan on rack. Cover; let stand at room temperature 1 day.

Make custard:
Whisk 1/2 cup sugar and cornstarch in heavy medium saucepan to blend. Beat in yolks and vanilla. Gradually whisk in half and half. Stir over medium heat until custard thickens and boils. Transfer to bowl. Press plastic wrap directly onto surface; chill 1 day.

Cut around pan sides to loosen cake; release pan sides. Cut cake horizontally into 3 layers; discard parchment. Spoon thin layer of custard over bottom of 3- to 3 1/2-quart trifle bowl. Trim 1 cake layer to fit, if necessary; place in bowl. Spread with 1/3 of custard. Mix chopped cherries into jam. Spoon 1/3 of jam mixture atop custard; spread to edge of bowl so that jam shows. Top with second cake layer, half of remaining custard and half of remaining jam mixture; spread to edge of bowl. Top with third cake layer. Spread with remaining custard, then jam mixture.

Beat whipping cream and powdered sugar until stiff peaks form. Transfer to pastry bag fitted with star tip. Pipe cream in center of trifle. Pipe rosettes around edge; top rosettes with whole cherries. Sprinkle trifle with almonds. Cover; chill at least 3 hours and up to 1 day.

(commentators suggested:
*I cut the sugar by 1/4th and added almond flavor to the cake 1/2 tsp and 1/2 tsp extract to the custard. I thought it was perfect and looked beautiful.)