Holiday Lights and Holiday Music

How was your Thanksgiving? I hope it was a memorable one. We've been eating leftovers non-stop since Thursday and I haven't gotten sick of it yet! My favorite way to eat leftovers at the moment is to toast a piece of french bread, then top with pieces of roast turkey, pour hot gravy over it and serve with cranberry sauce (you could even throw in a layer of stuffing too). It's a home-run. Give it a whirl. Another thing that has got me excited is the fact that I can finally turn on my holiday lights! I've been patiently waiting since they came and hung them in October (early bird discount). Here they are:

Nephi, our holiday light magician shared that the trick to doing colored lights and still make them look bright is to mix in a white light between each colored light. I never would have thought of that, but I thought it was good information to pass along......in case you are in the midst of trying to hang lights right now. It's pretty hard to beat an all white set up, though. Kara does all white at her place and it's classy as can be.


Lastly, we can all finally blast Christmas music w/o a second thought! Truth be told, we listened to Christmas tunes all throughout Thanksgiving and you probably did too. I think it keeps things fun and festive, especially when you are working your buns off in the kitchen. Here is some Christmas music that I'm excited about listening to:

Carpenters Christmas Portrait....a childhood favorite.

The Elf soundtrack always puts a smile on my face.

Nat King Cole's Christmas album is my man's favorite.

New out this year if you're looking for a hipper spin on Christmas tunage. 

And you can't go wrong here. Perfect when you are entertaining to play in the background.

All this tunage can be found on itunes or amazon! Hope you have a great day! I best be gettin' to trimmin' my tree. 

house image by Briana

Thanksgiving Recipe Round-up

Today I'm sharing some of the links to Kara and I's favorite Thanksgiving recipes! We've posted them here on the blog before but I thought it would be nice to have a little reminder in case you need some last minute ideas. I hope this post finds you in good spirits, looking forward to all the feasting and traditions in the days ahead! We hope you have the happiest of Thanksgivings! 

((Mom's Sweet Potato Casserole))

((GRAVY! GRAVY! GRAVY!))

((Fruit Crisp in a Pinch))

((Kara's Coconut Cream Pie))

((Our Favorite Chocolate Cream Pie))

Images by Kara and Briana: top and bottom photo by Kara, the rest by Bri

Fragrant Mulling Spices

Make your house smell wonderful and inviting during the holidays and through the winter months with this mulling spice blend. There is nothing more inviting then a house that smells of cozy spices, don't you think? Enjoy!


Recipe:
Fill a small pot with 3-4 inches of water.
2-3 cinnamon sticks
1 heaping tablespoon whole cloves
Peel of a whole orange (you could also use clementine peels!)
Pinch of all-spice
If you have it on hand, you could also add one vanilla bean


Add all ingredients and simmer over very low heat. Simmer all day and enjoy the fragrance. Adding more water to the pot as needed. If you need to leave your house make sure you turn the heat off. Never leave the simmering mulling spices unattended. 

images by Briana

Scratch Coconut Cream Pie

Happy Labor Day everybody!  Our bro Jas had a birthday a few weeks ago!  He's quite the foodie and wanted to do something other than birthday cake!  His requests?  Key lime pie and coconut cream pie!  Bri was in charge of the Key lime and I was in charge of the coconut cream!  I used a simple pastry cream recipe from culinary school that has never failed me and added unsweetened coconut to the pastry cream while it was cooking!  The coconut infused a natural and delicate flavor to the custard!  In one word!  PERFECT!  I also used a flaky pie crust recipe that is also never-fail and delicious! 

 

Flaky Pie Crust Recipe found here

For Coconut Cream:

1 quart milk

1/2 cup granulated sugar

3/4 cup unsweetened coconut, slightly goldened

-----------------------------

4 egg yolks

2 whole eggs

1/4 cup cornstarch

1/2 cup granulated sugar

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1/2 stick of butter

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1.  Cook coconut in a saute pan, over medium heat.  Stirring frequently for a consistent golden color.

2.  In a heavy saucepan, dissolve sugar in milk with coconut and bring just to a boil.

3.  With a whisk, beat the yolks, whole eggs, cornstarch and sugar until smooth.

4.  Temper the egg mixture by slowly beating in some of the hot milk mixture in a thin stream.  

5.  Then return the tempered egg/milk mixture back to the rest of the milk mixture in the saucepan. 

6.  Over medium heat, stir mixture constantly until it comes to a boil.

7.  Once the mixture comes to a boil and thickens while stirring, remove from heat.

8.  Stir in the butter and vanilla.  Mix until the butter is melted and completely blended in.

9.  Pour the coconut pastry cream into a clean storage container.  Put waxed paper directly on the surface of the pastry cream so it doesn't form a skin while cooling.  Cover with the lid and put in the fridge to cool for at least 2 hours before using!

images by Kara

Irresistible Chocolate Cream Pie

This pie is my favorite by far on Thanksgiving Day! It is also the easiest of all the pies we make! Our Momma has been making chocolate cream pie this way since I can remember! We always make our crust from scratch, but if you want to save yourself some extra time, by all means, use a frozen pie crust. Then all you have to do is throw it in the oven for the alotted time and let it cool before pouring the cream filling into it.

If you want to make your own pie crust I promise this recipe will not disappoint! It is sooo easy to make you guys! And I should know because I really don't like making pie crusts and year after year of trying several different recipes, this one blew me away with it's ease, buttery flakiness and flavor!

Ingredients: Yields one 9 inch pie shell

1 1/4 cups all purpose flour

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, cold and diced

1/4 cup ice water

That's it! Those are your crust ingredients! Now to put them together.

In the bowl of your electric mixer, using whisk attachment, mix flour and salt. Then add the cold diced butter. Mix until you have obtained the consistency below. Slightly coarse.

Add the ice water a tablespoon at a time until the dough comes together and can be formed into a loose ball. Flatten the ball slightly and wrap in plastic wrap. Put the dough into the fridge for 4 hours or overnight.

Preheat your oven to 375 degrees. Remove dough from fridge and roll out thin enough to cover your entire pie plate.

Fold rolled dough in half to make it easier to transfer to your pie plate.

Cut the excess off from around the edge. And form desired shape to the outer edge.

Place tinfoil inside and up around edges of the pie shell to help it hold its shape. Place pie weights or dried beans on top of the tinfoil. If you don't have either of these don't fret. The crust should still hold its shape under the foil.

Bake for 25 min at 375 degrees. Then remove the foil and pie weights from the pie crust and continue to let it bake for another 10 minutes until slightly golden.

Now for the filling. Don't judge until you've tried it!

1 box (5.1 oz) instant chocolate pudding mix

1 box (5.1 oz) instant vanilla pudding mix

2 1/2 cups half & half

2 1/2 cups whole milk

Mix the above ingredients together thoroughly and pour into the cooled pie crust.

Serve immediately or cover with plastic wrap and keep in the fridge until ready to serve.

Grate a chocolate bar on top for garnish and serve with freshly whipped and sweetened cream!

images by Kara

Thanksgiving Recipes: Gravy

Let's make gravy!

Recipe (yield 8-10 servings):

Reserved drippings from roasted turkey

1 32oz carton Kitchen Basics Turkey Stock

4-5 tablespoons cornstarch

salt and pepper to taste

In a medium pot, bring drippings (if you have refrigerated the drippings they will be congealed, but heat will liquify them) and 1/2 of your carton of turkey stock to a rapid boil. Place the 1/2 empty carton of turkey stock in the fridge. Allow drippings and stock to boil rapidly for a few minutes. P.S. This picture is not depicting a rapid boil. :)

Pull the carton of turkey stock from the fridge and pour it all in a small bowl. Add 4 heaping tablespoons of cornstarch and whisk rapidly and thoroughly to combine- the mixture will look creamy.

Slowly add cornstarch mixture to boiling drippings while whisking. Allow gravy to come back to a rapid boil. The mixture will immediately begin to thicken. Allow to boil for a few minutes.

Check and see if the gravy is thick enough to your liking, if not, you can make more thickening by whisking another tablespoon or two of cornstarch into a 1/2 cup of cool water and slowly whisk this into the gravy. Allow to boil to thicken further. Salt and pepper to taste.

Enjoy!

images by Briana

Thanksgiving Recipes: Tender Roasted Turkey

Here is my mom's recipe for roasted turkey. It's tender, flavorful and juicy. She uses a roasting bag. Have you ever tried using a roasting bag? The bags lock in the moisture, preventing the turkey from drying out. As an added bonus, you won't be scrubbing the roasting pan afterwards either. I also need to add that this turkey isn't stuffed. My fam has always made and baked the stuffing outside the turkey and I much prefer it this way, but if you do decide to stuff your turkey you need to add another 30 minutes to the baking times I've provided below. Enjoy!

Recipe:

1 fresh or frozen turkey 14-20lb (if frozen, make sure it's thawed properly according to package instructions)

2 fresh poultry bouquets, these are easily found at your grocery store this time of year, if not, buy a combination of fresh rosemary, sage and thyme

1 medium to large bunch of celery

2 medium to large yellow onions

softened butter for spreading over turkey (make sure to use salted butter)

side note: If you're turkey is bigger than 20lbs, use 3 onions, a large head of celery and more butter.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Remove giblets and neck from the large and small cavities in the turkey. They are usually packaged in a plastic bag, but make sure you search around a little so you don't miss anything. You can discard these, or save the neck to later boil with some herbs, onion and celery to make a flavorful stock. Rinse turkey and pat dry. Set turkey aside on some paper towels.

Separate celery into stalks and rinse away any dirt. Reserve 4-5 stalks and roughly chop the remaining stalks into big pieces. Set aside. Slice onion into 1/4 inch disks. Set aside.

Take your roasting bag, open it and lay it in the roasting pan with the opening of the bag facing one of the handles of your roasting pan.

Place 4-5 celery stalks in the bag (you will be placing the turkey on top of these). Take turkey and slide it carefully into roasting bag, resting on top of celery stalks. Spread softened butter thoroughly over turkey-- roughly 3-4 tablespoons. Take a few of your onion slices, some celery pieces, and part of your poultry bouquet and place these inside the large cavity of the turkey. Scatter the rest of your onion, celery and fresh herbs on top and around the turkey.

Seal bag with a knot or twist tie. Using a knife, make a 2 in slit at the top of the bag (by the breast).

Place in oven. If your turkey has a pop up thermometer make sure it is facing out so it's visible through oven window. Bake at 350 degrees for 2-2 1/2 hours for a 12-16lb turkey, 2 1/2 to 3 hours for a 16-20lb turkey and 3 to 3 1/2 hours for a 20-24lb turkey or until a meat thermometer reads 180 degrees F.

For easy slicing, let turkey sit in oven bag for 15 minutes before opening. Here is a great tutorial on how to carve turkey. Discard onion, celery, and herb pieces as they have already served their purpose. BUT! Don't discard any of the drippings!

Reserve all the juices/drippings leftover in roasting bag. Take a sieve and place it over a bowl. Pour juices through sieve to catch herb bits and undesirable pieces. Cover and set aside or refrigerate depending on when you will be preparing your gravy.

image by Kara

Tomorrow I will show you how to make gravy with the drippings!

Thanksgiving Recipes: Christmas Ribbon Jell-O

This ribbon jell-o is a long standing Thanksgiving tradition at our house and I LOVE it. It's delicious, festive, and I haven't met a person who doesn't like it.....even people (like me) who get weirded out by Jell-O side dishes love it. I'm sure some of my sibs, cousins (Katie!), aunts, uncles and friends who are reading this can attest to how amazing it is. Please leave a comment and tell everyone how good it is! I wish I could send you all a slice right now. Enjoy!

1st layer:

1 6oz lime jell-o

3 cups boiling water

Dissolve lime jell-o into the boiling water. Pour into a 9x13 pyrex pan. Allow to set up in the refrigerator for the time it takes to make your second layer.

2nd layer:

1 cup pineapple juice

4 cups mini marshmallows

1- 6oz lemon jell-o

3 cups boiling water

2- 8oz cream cheese, softened and cut into pieces

In a large pot, pour in pineapple juice and mini marshmallows. Heat over medium-high heat, stirring often until marshmallows have melted and the mixture is smooth. Set aside. Boil 3 cups water in a small pot. Dissolve lemon jell-o into boiling hot water. Stir hot lemon jell-o and cream cheese pieces into marshmallow mixture. Use a wire whisk to combine the mixture. Whisk until cream cheese is fully combined and melted. Allow mixture to cool on your counter top for a 1/2 hour. When cooled, ladle all of it over the 1st layer of lime jell-o. Make sure you ladle it gently, so you don't dent or damage the lime jell-o layer. Place back in refrigerator to set up. Give it at least a 1/2 hour. Test it gently with your finger and if it springs back, it's ready for the third layer.

3rd layer:

1 6oz cherry jell-o

3 cups boiling water

Dissolve cherry jell-o into boiling hot water. Allow to cool on your counter top. When cooled, ladle over second layer. Refrigerate for at least one more hour before serving.

Christmas Ribbon Jell-O will last 8-10 days in your fridge. You can cover it, but keep in mind that plastic wrap and press n seal have a strong tendency to suction into the Jell-O, so when you remove the wrap it ends up peeling some of the Jell-O off with it.

image by Briana

Buttery Pumpkin Upside-Down Cake

I must first confess, I am not a huge fan of pumpkin pie! I know, I know seriously way out of line! Especially this time of year! But of all the pies our Momma sets out for Thanksgiving, I just happen to be more drawn to the chocolate cream or the coconut cream or the blueberry, hmmm decisions. Anyway, you get the idea! Well I was in a baking sort of a mood yesterday afternoon, as the snow started falling outside my windows and with keeping up the theme going on this month on our 'little slice of the internet' I decided to bust out and make something pumpkinny! Surprise! I found a recipe at cooks.com that to me, had tons of promise. I tweeked it only slightly and OH MAN, PROMISE KEPT! It's a super easy and cool take on traditional pumpkin pie! Think of it as pumpkin pie in reverse! You have the delicate pumpkin filling layer on the bottom and a thick slightly crunchy, yet cakey, sweet and salty crust on top! Is your mind spinning from all the adjectives?? Well, your mouth will be spinning too if you try this cake! I'm even sneaking a few bites this morning before my babes wake up because I, in no way, want Ace and Indee to think it's a-okay to eat cake for breakfast!;)

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees and pam a 9 by 13 inch pan or glass pyrex, set aside.

In a large bowl mix together:

1 large 29 oz can of pumpkin

1 cup milk

1 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon cloves

1/8 teaspoon nutmeg

1/2 teaspoon salt

3 large eggs

1 cup sugar

Pour the pumpkin mixture into your prepared 9 by 13 inch pan or glass pyrex and spread evenly.

Next, take a box yellow or white cake mix and sprinkle the mix evenly over the top of the pumpkin layer. Melt 1 cup of butter in a glass measuring cup and pour little by little evenly over the dry cake mix layer. Then into the oven for 1 hour. Allow the cake to cool for at least 30-45 minutes before serving so it can continue to set up. Believe me, it will still be nice and warm and ready for that big dollop of whipped cream!

image by Kara

Thanksgiving Recipes: Zucchini Stuffing Casserole

Sorry for the poor picture. The sun had set and I was starving and didn't take the time to style a craveable picture. But now I really wish I would have because I'm afraid you won't try it now.....annnnd you need to. It's one of those recipes I couldn't shut up about. My sis-in-laws aunt is the creator of it. We had it this past Sunday as a side dish and it was delicious and there wasn't a speck left at the end of the night. This is another great side dish option for your upcoming Thanksgiving feast. Enjoy!

Recipe:

3-4 medium zucchini, diced into 1/4 inch pieces

5 carrots, diced into 1/4 inch pieces

5 celery stalks, diced into 1/4 inch pieces

1/2 cup lite sour cream (I like Daisy brand)

1 lg. yellow onion, diced finely

1 small box Stove Top (chicken flavor)

1 can cream of celery soup

3/4 cube butter

1 tsp. pepper

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Fill a large pot with water, half full. Bring to a boil. Add carrots and celery. Boil for ten minutes then add diced zucchini. Boil for another few minutes. Turn heat off and drain water from the pot. Set aside. In a large skillet, melt 3/4 stick butter. Add onions and saute until tender. Add Stove Top, sour cream, and cream of celery soup. Mix until combined. Add carrots, celery and zuchini and fold mixture until combined. Lightly butter a casserole dish or other baking dish you prefer. Pour stuffing mixture in dish. Cover and bake for 30-40 minutes. Serve immediately. Refrigerate left-overs.

Lame image by Briana

Thanksgiving Recipes: Candied Yam Casserole

I can't believe it's November already. Time for Thanksgiving recipes! Let's start with Candied Yams. Candied Yams are a must to make your Thanksgiving feast complete. This is my moms recipe and it is goooo-ooood. Enjoy!

Recipe for yams:

4-5 yams (you could sub in sweet potatoes if you prefer but the yams are more vibrant)

1/4-1/3 cup heavy whipping cream (not whipped)

1/3 cup brown sugar

3/4 stick butter

1 teaspoon salt

Fill a large pot half full with water. Bring to a boil over high heat. Scrub yams clean and quarter them into equal size pieces. Carefully place yams in boiling water. Allow to cook for 20 minutes or until fork tender. Drain water from pot. While leaving the yams in the pot, carefully peel the skins from the yams and discard. The yams will be very hot but using a fork or spoon will help-- the skins will slide right off with little effort. Add 3/4 stick butter to the yams and place lid on pot allowing butter to melt. After a few minutes, take a masher and mash yams and butter roughly. Add brown sugar and salt. Using a hand mixer, mix in the sugar and salt at medium speed. Slowly add in cream while mixing at medium speed until smooth. Taste and add more salt or brown sugar if you prefer. Smooth the whipped yam mixture evenly into a lightly buttered baking dish (this recipe will fit a 9x13 pyrex or a comparable baking dish), set aside.

Recipe for topping:

Scant 2 cups finely chopped pecans

1 1/4 cup brown sugar

3/4 stick butter, room temp (you don't want it too soft)

2 1/2 tablespoons flour

In a small bowl, using a hand mixer, mix the butter, brown sugar and flour together until combined yet crumbly. Add pecans and stir until thoroughly coated and combined. Take this topping and spoon it evenly over the whipped yams. Cover and bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes. Allow to cool for 5 minutes before serving.

before

after

Images by Briana