Thanksgiving 2011

Our menu:

Placesettings: pilgrim hats. We used smaller mint cookies but then they (oops) didn't have a brim!
Holiday salad with queso fresco instead of swiss or feta
Cranberry juice mixed with Sprite

Turkey
Cranberry sauce
Mashed potatoes
Gravy--yum, made with lots of cream
Rolls
Butter, room temperature
Stovetop stuffing
Corn

Pies: chocolate mousse (2), Pioneer Woman's pumpkin cream (Shannon and I prefer pumpkin cheesecake), PW's Nantucket cranberry (my favorite!), banana cream, peach (3), and pecan.
Whipped cream
Vanilla ice cream

The kids made hair bows and ornaments and stuffed owls out of felt.

Peach Pie

8-inch:

8-inch pastry--1 for top and 1 for bottom!

4 cups sliced fresh peaches

1 tsp lemon juice

2/3 cup sugar

3 TB flour

¼ tsp ground cinnamon

1 TB butter

OR

9-inch:

9-inch pastry--1 for top and 1 for bottom!

5 cups sliced fresh peaches

1 tsp lemon juice

1 cup sugar

¼ cup flour

¼ tsp ground cinnamon

2 TB butter

Heat oven to 425. Prepare pastry. Mix peaches and lemon juice. Mix sugar, flour and cinnamon; stir into peaches. Turn into pastry-lined pie plate; dot with butter. Cover with top crust that has slits cut in it; seal and flute. Cover edge with 2- to 3-inch strip of aluminum foil to prevent excessive browning; remove foil during last 15 min of baking. Bake until crust is brown and juice begins to bubble through slits in crust, 35 to 45 min.

Pecan Pie

9-inch crust

3 eggs

2/3 cup sugar

½ tsp salt

1/3 cup butter, melted

1 cup corn syrup

1 cup pecan halves or broken pecans

Heat oven to 375. Prepare pastry. Beat eggs, sugar, salt butter and syrup with hand beater. Stir in pecans. Pour into pastry-lined pie plate.

Bake until set, 40 to 50 min. Cool slightly. Serve warm or refrigerate.

Heidi’s Peanut Butter Bars

Cream together:
1 c. brown sugar
1 c. white sugar
1 c. butter, softened (2 cubes)

Add:
2 eggs
1 c. peanut butter
1 tsp. vanilla

Mix and add to the rest:
2 c. flour
2 tsp. soda
1 tsp. salt

Last, add & mix all up:
2 c. oats

Press mixture in cookie sheet. Bake at 350 for 15 minutes (until golden brown). Let cool. Spread peanut butter (warmed in microwave) on it. Cool again and spread chocolate frosting on top.

Frosting:
¼ c. cocoa
2-3 c. powdered sugar
¼ c. butter
1 tsp. vanilla
¼ c. evaporated or whole milk (evap. makes it more smooth)

Tip: cut bars while still warm—much easier than afterward.

Salt

1 TBS of Table Salt = 2 TBS of Kosher Salt (Diamond Crystal brand)

Kosher salt is not used in baking normally due to the fact that it does not dissolve as well unless there is ample liquid to facilitate it.


Another conversion I found:

1 teaspoon table salt = 1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
2 teaspoons table salt = 3 teaspoons kosher salt

Grilled Pigs

Another version of pigs in a blanket (as always, I used this roll recipe).

If I do this again I'll grill the hot dogs slightly first and then wind the bread around. Oh, and I'm a fan of all-beef hot dogs.

Pizza Quesadillas

The perfect pizza dough has been eluding me. I think the worst thing is when I don't prebake the crust long enough. If the pizza isn't crispy, it's just blah, especially when I'm sneaking whole wheat flour in it. I thought these pizza quesadillas up the other day and the kids loved them. I used this tortilla recipe and filled the tortillas with pizza sauce, mozzarella cheese, pepperoni pieces and Italian seasoning (in some).