Our Mother's Day Menu

What are you doing for Mother's Day?  We'll be having breakfast at home, then lounging around until the afternoon.  We usually spend our lounging time playing games.  :)  In the afternoon we'll gather with family for a little celebration.  Here's what's on the menu:

Breakfast:
Easy Potato and Bacon Breakfast Casserole  (Can you tell I like Our Best Bites?)

Late lunch/early dinner:
Grilled chicken (marinated in Italian dressing and honey)
Orange cream fruit salad
Orzo with fresh veggies and Italian dressing
Lima beans
Loaded mashed potatoes
Chocolate cake
Coconut cake

Christmas Cookie Baking Day

My Mom, sister, and I had our Christmas baking day today!  We made over 20 dozen cookies.  Thank goodness we have neighbors, newspaper delivery drivers, etc. to give them to!  Today we baked:

Snowballs
Oatmeal Caramelitas
Pecan Tassies
Triple Chocolate Chip cookies
Toffee Bits cookies
Chocolate Crinkle cookies

Do you have a Christmas cookie baking day every year?

Cranberry Sauce

One of my favorite parts of Thanksgiving!

1 bag fresh cranberries
1 c sugar
1/2 c water
1/2 of an orange, juiced

Combine all ingredients in a saucepan.  Cook over medium heat, stirring ocassionally, until the cranberries burst, about 20 minutes.  Cool for at least two hours.

Scalloped Potatoes

My daughter is not a potato lover by any means.  She does gobble these up, though!  I'm thinking they may make a Thanksgiving appearance this year!

This is not a healthy dish.  It's cheesy, gooey, and good, but not healthy.

You can easily adjust this recipe for the amount of people you'll be serving.  For that reason, there are no exact measurements.  You'll need a lot more for 10 people than you will for one!

Scalloped Potatoes

Russet potatoes, one per person
Salt
Pepper
All-purpose flour
Butter, diced
Cheddar cheese, sliced
Milk

Butter a baking dish.  Preheat oven to 350°.

Peel potato(es), then slice.  Place a single layer of potatoes into the buttered dish.  Season lightly with salt and pepper.  Dot with butter.  Place a single layer of cheese slices over top.  Sprinkle lightly with flour.

Repeat layers until you've used up all of your potatoes, ending with a layer of cheddar slices.  Do not sprinkle flour over the top layer.

Pour milk over the dish, until it comes up just below the top layer of potatoes.

Bake for at least 1 hour, until potatoes are tender.  (A serving for one takes about an hour, a serving for six takes about an hour and a half.)

Let sit 5 minutes before serving.

Classic Stuffing

I just cannot believe that Thanksgiving is next week!  I guess it's time to share some holiday recipes!  I like to do everything from scratch on Thanksgiving.  Well, most days, but especially on Thanksgiving.  :)  This stuffing is very easy, but tastes like you slaved.  To lessen the work on Thanksgiving day, I usually take care of the celery and onion the day before, and just heat it for a few seconds in the microwave on Thanksgiving day, to loosen it up when adding it to the bread.  Love it!

Classic Stuffing

1 lb. loaf wheat bread
3 stalks celery, diced
1 small onion, diced
4 tbsp butter
3 tsp  poultry seasoning
1 egg, lightly beaten
1/4-1/2 chicken broth (vegetarian broth if you prefer)

On Wednesday:
Take the loaf of bread out of the bag, and let sit out at least 8 hours, preferably 12 or more.
Saute the celery and onion in butter until soft.  Let cool, then place into a container in the refrigerator.

On Thursday:
Cut the bread into cubes.  Place in a deep 3-quart baking dish.
Heat celery and onion for just a few seconds in the microwave.  Add to bread.
Add poultry seasoning.
Add egg.  Using hands, gently but thoroughly combine the bread mixture.
Add chicken broth, just enough to help mixture "stick" together.  Take care to only add a little at a time, as you don't want it wet, just bound together.

Bake at 350° for 30 minutes.  Keep warm until serving.

Thanksgiving Menu

How do you handle Thanksgiving in your family?  Do you gather with family?  With friends?  Does the host do all of the cooking, or does everyone bring a dish?  When I lived on the West coast we went to a friend's potluck on year.  Every other year I did all of the cooking for our family, and sometimes a friend or two.  Now that I'm back home, it's back to what I grew up with.  We have a family dinner (anywhere from 13-20 of us) every year. Since the meal is at my sister's house, she is in charge of the turkey.  I should say, my brother in law is in charge of the turkey, as he does the frying.  Every other household brings 1-3 dishes.  We have a LOT of food.  I love it!!  We always have a variation or two, but we stick to the basics in my family.  Thanksgiving to us is about tradition, and we don't usually deviate from our favorite recipes for our favorite dishes.  Here are our ol' standby's:

Turkey
Sweet potato casserole
Green bean casserole
Mashed potatoes
Corn pudding
Brussels sprouts with pine nuts & bacon (The ONLY way I'll eat Brussels sprouts!)
Rolls
Stuffing
Cranberry sauce
Pecan pie

Honey Roasted Sweet Potatoes

Photo courtesy foodnetwork.com.

This is adapted from an Ellie Krieger recipe.  I didn't have a fresh lemon, so I used orange zest instead.  Next time I'll use orange juice or 2 tsp orange zest (I used 1 tsp tonight, and it wasn't strong enough for me.)  I left it as I prepared it tonight in the recipe, so that you can adjust it to your liking.

Honey Roasted Sweet Potatoes
serves 4-6

4 large sweet potatoes
2 tbsp olive oil
2 tbsp honey
1 tsp orange zest
1/2 tsp salt

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Peel the sweet potatoes, and cut into 1-inch pieces.  Place in a 9x12 baking dish.  In a small bowl, whisk together the olive oil, honey, and zest.  Pour over the sweet potatoes, sprinkle them with salt, and toss to coat.  Bake for one hour, or until potatoes are tender, stirring occasionally.

We had these tonight with Unfried Chicken Legs, green beans, mandarin oranges, and butter French bread.

Pumpkin Butter

Thank you, Libby's!

15 oz can pumpkin
2/3 c packed brown sugar
¼ c honey
1 tbsp lemon juice
¼ tsp ground cinnamon
1/8 tsp ground cloves

Combine all ingredients in a sauce pan. Bring to a boil over med-high heat; reduce heat to low. Stirring frequently, cook on low 20-25 minutes, until thickened. Refrigerate in an air-tight container up to two months.

Makes 2 cups