Happy Thanksgiving

Whereas it is the duty of all nations to acknowledge the providence of Almighty God, to obey His will, to be grateful for His benefits, and humbly to implore His protection and favor; and Whereas both Houses of Congress have, by their joint committee, requested me to "recommend to the people of the United States a day of public thanksgiving and prayer, to be observed by acknowledging with grateful hearts the many and signal favors of Almighty God, especially by affording them an opportunity peaceably to establish a form of government for their safety and happiness. Now, therefore, I do recommend and assign Thursday, the 26th day of November next, to be devoted by the people of these States to the service of that great and glorious Being who is the beneficent author of all the good that was, that is, or that will be.
—George Washington

 

We have had a fun day in the kitchen preparing for Thanksgiving tomorrow.  We enjoyed listening to the The Legend of Squanto from Focus on the Family Radio Theatre while we worked, it was excellent!

The kids had a whole lot of fun making these Oreo Turkeys!  Ours  look quite different than her perfect examples, but memories were made nonetheless! I spent most of  the morning and afternoon preparing some sides for tomorrows dinner and baking pies; two pecan and a favorite of ours, a Bourbon Cherry pie.  

I am excited about tomorrow’s menu as it is pretty traditional but with a couple of fun twists.  I found most of my recipes for tomorrow’s meal on www.thepioneerwoman.com and www.food.com  and we look forward to each delectable bite!  She makes her food look so inviting so I thought I would link to her recipes rather than try to repost them myself! 

 

Praise God from Whom all blessings flow... Happy Thanksgiving!

 

 

Perfect Turkey in an Electric Roaster Oven

Creamy Mashed Potatoes

Brussel Sprouts with Balsamic and Cranberries

Sweet Roasted Rosemary Acorn Squash Wedges

Green Bean Casserole

Buttered Rosemary Rolls
And some of our traditional favorites...
Sweet Potato Casserole
Simple Stuffing

 

 

 

Bourbon Cherry Pie

3 cups pitted cherries ( I add in some rhubarb)

1 cup sugar

1/4 flour

1 tsp. almond extract

4 T. butter

2 T. bourbon (I double the bourbon)

1/2 cup brown sugar

1 tsp. tapioca (I actually used 2 T. cornstarch)

1 double pie crust

1 dash salt

 

Combine cherries, sugars, flour, tapioca (or cornstarch), salt and almond extract.  Pour into a pie shell.  Dot mixture with butter and distribute bourbon over the to.  Add top crust and crimp around edges.  Cut slits in top crust.  Bake for 45 minutes in a 425 degree oven.  Sprinkle a little bit of sugar and cinnamon on the top of the crust when there is about 10-12 minutes of baking left. 

 

 

 

 

One of JD's turkeys.... I wonder where his chocolate "skin" went!! :-)

RECIPE UPDATES :

So, I wanted to do a quick update on the recipes for Thanksgiving.  I realized after I posted that I would be doing my turkey in my big electric roaster rather than the oven so I went searching for the perfect cooking instructions.  I DID find an excellent set of cooking instructions and our turkey was probably the best one ever done in our roaster!

Both myself and my dear friend Sara tried did the Brussel Sprouts with Balsamic and Cranberries and we both came to the same conclusio n.... way too sweet! Our opinion is that we would cut the sugar in the balsamic mix by half (or maybe even a little more than half) and let the cranberries be the sweetener. 

A couple notes on the Bourbon Cherry pie.  The first time I did the pie was last summer and I put in some rhubarb because I did not have enough cherries.  After doing only all cherries this time I would add rhubarb in if I have it next time. It just seems to add a great texture to the pie that was missing a little this time.  Also, I forgot to say I doubled the bourbon, and I definately like the extra flavor the doubled bourbon gives.  A note for those of you not used to cooking with alcohol ... no worries!  The alcohol cooks away but the residual flavor is outstanding!