Thanksgiving Planning

Archive for March, 2010

I have a cake i need to decorate for thanksgiving, but i just can’t come up with any good ideas! I don’t want it to be anything normal.. it has to impress!
Something like you’d see on Ace of cakes or Cake boss!

This would be a really elegant presentation.

Start with a white or yellow cake with maple nut or caramel frosting, something cream colored. You could also make a buttercream or cream cheese frosting that you add food color to. You could even do chocolate cake with peanut butter frosting. Whatever…just so your cake and frosting go well together, and your frosting is a light tan color.

Then make some basic harvest shaped stencils. You can probably trace cookie cutter insides onto a large piece of poster board. Pumpkins, leaves, pilgrim hats, whatever. As much as possible, use large cardboards with small (3-4 inch) shapes, about 12 inches apart, so you have an easier time protecting your cake.

Then prepare a few small baggies of granulated or powdered sugar. Create a different color in each bag using different combinations of food colors, to yield brown, yellow, orange, red, and cream colors. Seal and shake each color to mix. You want colors that stand out nicely from your frosting without clashing. You can also add cinnamon, all spice, etc to some of the powdered sugars (if it goes with your cake and frosting flavors), and if you want some texture, you can use some coconut.

Then using the buddy system, have one person hold the stencil very still over the cake (not touching), while the other person sprinkles sugar into the opening with a small screen-scoop. Then change stencils, and sugars, and repeat. You can layer them like a collage but don’t overlap or get carried away so much that you lose each image. You will probably have best results if you layer your darker sugars on the bottom but this is not a hard and fast rule.

This is best for a 9×13 or jelly roll or sheet cake. You can make a layer cake but only the top can be stenciled. If you do a layer cake, you could press handfulls of graham crumbs or coconut or anything…into the sides. Do this last so it covers up any mess from the sugar stenciling.

If you try this, I would love to hear how it turns out!

Do you know any good recipes you use for Thanksgiving dinner..? appetizers, dessert.. anything??

PUMPKIN CHEESE CAKE BARS

1 pkg. yellow cake mix
3 eggs
2 tbsp. melted butter
4 tsp. pumpkin pie spices
1 (8 oz.) cream cheese, soft
1 (14 oz.) Eagle Brand sweetened milk
2 c. pumpkin
1/2 tsp. salt
1 c. chopped nuts

Preheat oven to 350 degrees in large bowl on low speed. Combine cake mix, 1 egg, butter and 2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice; mix until crumbly. Press in bottom of 15 x 10 inch pan. Set aside.
In large bowl beat cheese until fluffy. Add milk then 2 remaining eggs, remaining pumpkin pie spice, pumpkin and salt. Mix well. Pour over crust. Sprinkle nuts over top. Bake 30-35 minutes or until set. Cool. Chill then cut in bars.

HASH BROWN CASSEROLE

1 cup onion, diced
1/4 lb. (1 stick) butter, thinly sliced
1 (8 oz.) container sour cream or plain yogurt (optional)
1 (8 oz.) pkg. Kraft Cracker Barrel sharp cheese
1 can Cream of Chicken soup
1 (2 lb.) bag frozen hash brown potatoes, thawed
1/2 to 1 cup potato chips or corn flakes

Stir together well the diced onion, sour cream or yogurt, grated cheese, thinly sliced butter, and Cream of Chicken soup. Add the hash browns and mix well.
Spread this mixture evenly in a casserole dish and top with crushed chips or corn flakes.

Bake at 350°F 1 to 1 1/2 hours.

Makes 8 to 12 servings.

SWEET AND SPICY PECANS

2 tbsp. butter
1/4 c. (firmly packed) brown sugar
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1/4 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. nutmeg
2 c. pecan halves

Place butter in 1-quart glass bowl. Microwave on high for 30 seconds or until melted. Add remaining ingredients and 1 tablespoon water; stir until pecans are well coated. Microwave, uncovered, on HIGH for 4 to 5 minutes or until pecans are toasted and glazed, stirring 2 or 3 times. Spoon pecans in single layer onto waxed paper. Cool.
Hope this helps!! Happy Thanksgiving

It can be a meat casserole, vegetable casserole, dessert, or some type of bread. Oh…and these are kids ages two through five. And, I will choose best answer! THANK YOU!!!

Here’s a really easy dessert that was always a hit with the kids at our Thanksgiving dinners..

Dirt Pudding

13 x 9 inch pan
1 package cream cheese (softened)
2 boxes of instant french vanilla pudding
4 cups of milk to make the pudding
Package of oreos
1 medium sized bowl of cool whip

Put oreos in a food processor to crumble them finely into "dirt." Use half to layer the bottom of a 13×9 inch pan. In a large bowl, Make the french vanilla pudding according to package directions. Mix in softened cream cheese on high speed, until lumps are gone. Stir in cool whip. Pour into pan over the cookie crumbs. Use other half of cookie crumbs on top of the pudding. Chill for one hour. Tell the kids it’s really dirt after they start to eat it, haha.

Another idea is to make spinach dip with king bread. It’s simple and really good. The recipe for the dip is on the back of the Knoll’s vegetable soup mix package. It’s basically just mixing their dry veggie soup with a 16 oz container of sour cream, and 1 cup of mayonaisse, and chilling in the fridge for 2 hrs. I buy the circular sweet Hawaiian King’s bread, cut a circle out of the middle of it and pour the dip into that space. Then voila, excellent pull and eat appetizer with very little effort.

Im planning to leave on Nov. 21 around 9pm so I don’t have to deal with all the rush hour traffic. Im taking along my 4 and 2 yr. old. I fugure if I leave at night they would sleep most of the way….But im a lil worried about the weather anyone have any advise or tips on what to do and what not to do? How’s the weather this time of year?

The weather is not bad here in Boise right now but there is supposed to be some change come this weekend. You didn’t say which way you will be coming from. Idaho Falls is always windy and cold. Make sure you bring lots of warm stuff for those kids. There are Interstates going into I.F. from both ways so I would stick to them. Around I.F. the roads can get pretty slick with Black Ice so just drive the speed limit drink some coffee and you should be fine. If you do get tired there are plenty of little towns and some big ones to stop into and catch a little nap. If you need you can always call the Idaho Road Report and they can tell you the road conditions. Have a great Turkey Day Jeff Brennan

How to determine the size and type of Turkey for your Thanksgiving.

Good Housekeeping Videos:
http://www.goodhousekeeping.com/video/?src=syn&mag=ghk&dom=youtube&chan=home&link=rel_735

Good Housekeeping Magazine:
http://www.goodhousekeeping.com/?src=syn&mag=ghk&dom=youtube&chan=home&link=rel_736

Subscribe to Good Housekeeping:
http://subscribe.hearstmags.com/subscribe/splits/goodhousekeeping/ghk_sub_nav_link

–

Duration : 0:1:45

Read the rest of this entry »

Learn how pardoning the national turkey started for Thanksgiving in this free holiday origins video from an American history authority and Turkey Day expert.

Expert: Matt Cail
Contact: www.homepaintings.biz
Bio: Matt Cail is an artist who works in oil, water color and acrylic paints, among others.
Filmmaker: randy primm

Duration : 0:1:9

Read the rest of this entry »

Here are some quick and easy centerpiece ideas for your Thanksgiving table.

Duration : 0:3:52

Read the rest of this entry »

Learn how to add garlic to mashed potatoes, a traditional Thanksgiving Day dinner recipe, in this free cooking video.

Expert: Lori Schneider
Contact: www.figscatering.com
Bio: Lori Schneider is a chef and owner of Figs Catering in Austin, Texas.
Filmmaker: Drew Noah

Duration : 0:1:1

Read the rest of this entry »

Learn how to remove the carcass when making Thanksgiving turkey soup in this free cooking video with turkey leftover recipes.

Expert: Brandon Sarkis
Bio: Brandon Sarkis has been a professional chef for more than 12 years, and he has worked in Austin, Texas, Columbus, Ohio, and Atlanta, Ga.
Filmmaker: brandon sarkis

Duration : 0:2:40

Read the rest of this entry »