Thanksgiving 2009

All too quickly, Thanksgiving 2009 is history. All the planning, coordination of what time to cook what so that everything is ready on time, all the looking forward is now past. I trust yours was as special as ours was. Although we missed being with our boys and their wives, we were blessed to be with the rest of our family minus my nephew and his family who live in Colorado.

I just thought I would report that all the desserts I took to my sister's turned out great. My brother in law informed me that he tried all four that I brought (one was a pumpkin roll given to me by a friend) and that the apple pie was the best. (Here's a picture of the middle of the pie.) I had a half slice of the gingered pumpkin (outstanding!) and a half slice of the derby (very good too!).

I wonder what you either served at your home or took to someone else's home? I would love some recommendations for some great recipes! Leave me a comment and tell me how your Thanksgiving was. I would enjoy hearing from YOU! And if you tried one of my recipes, I hope you had good success. Most of all, I hope you realize all that you have to be thankful for. We are blessed indeed!

Beginning December1, I will have a special edition of My Recipe Box for the Christmas holidays. Be sure to check in daily!

Proud Kentuckians!

My husband is originally from Kentucky and although I was born in Michigan and lived there until I was 13, I claim Kentucky as my home. I lived in Kentucky from 7th grade until I got married when I was 20 (yes, I know--I was very young!). We may be partial, but we love Kentucky for its beautiful horse farms, rolling white fences, and these days, the mountains. (This picture was taken in my sister's neighborhood.) We have been back in Kentucky now since August and we still forget from time to time that we are actually here. We'll catch ourselves saying "When we go to Kentucky . . . " Then it dawns on us--we ARE in Kentucky! We are so happy to be back in the Bluegrass state, despite the fact that I heard today that we are to receive a higher than normal amount of snow this winter.

Another Kentucky favorite of ours is derby pie--or I should say Kentucky derby pie. It's almost as famous as the derby. It's a chocolaty, gooey pie that definitely calls for a tall glass of cold milk as its companion. This will be another dessert that I will be taking to my sister's when we go to Kentucky Thursday--oh yeah--we ARE in Kentucky!

1/2 c. butter

1 c. sugar
2 eggs
1 t. vanilla

1/2 c. all-purpose flour

1 c. broken English walnuts or pecans

1 6 oz. package chocolate chips

Cream butter and sugar. Beat in eggs and flour. Add vanilla. Stir in chocolate chips and nuts. Pour in unbaked 9" pie shell. Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes or until top is golden brown.

Click here for a printable version of this recipe.

A Twist on Pumpkin Pie

Thanksgiving is one of my favorite holidays. I think that's why I resent the push of the media to skim over it. It seems we go directly from Halloween right to Christmas. I know it honors the Lord when we take the time to be thankful. He has blessed us so much! Our hearts should overflow with praise to Him for his goodness. I heard someone say that if God hadn't done anything else but sent Jesus to save us, that would have been enough for us to praise Him through all eternity. If you are like me, you have that and so much more to be thankful for. I hope as you gather this week that you will take a few moments to express your thanks. Make a list and include not just the big things but the small things. They all come from the hand of God.

If you happen to be baking pumpkin pie for your Thanksgiving dinner, here's a recipe I found on the Cooking Light web site. It's pumpkin pie with a gingersnap topping and was rated with five stars. Who knows? Maybe this recipe will end up on your list of blessings!

Dianne to the Rescue!

A friend called out on Facebook (Hey, Joe Davis!) needing an easy dessert. Dianne to the rescue! This is another Pampered Chef recipe and one of my favorites. I just hope I'm not too late!

Banana Cream Supreme
16 graham crackers crushed or 1 1/4 c. crumbs
1/4 c. melted margarine
3 T. sugar
1 container (12 oz.) whipped topping
1 c. sour cream
1 package (3.4 oz) vanilla instant pudding and pie filling
3 medium bananas, sliced
2 T. pecans

Combine graham cracker crumbs and melted margarine. Press mixture onto flat bottom of springform pan (you could also use a pie plate). In a bowl, whisk together whipped topping and sour cream. Add pudding mix and combine well. Spread half of the filing over crust. Slice bananas over filling. Spread remaining filling over bananas. Crush pecans (I place them in a plastic storage bag and zip shut then crush with a rolling pin or meat mallet). Sprinkle over filling. You can garnish with raspberries if you like. You can eat this immediately or refrigerate for 30 minutes to reach a colder serving temperature.

Click here for a printable version of this recipe.