Thanks for Thanks

Well, we made it through Thanksgiving and I am oh so thankful for that (among other, more important things of course - like health, happiness and family).  All those spreadsheets and hours of planning paid off because the day went off without a hitch!  Everyone loved it, we had a great time and great food. Here are some pics of our day of food...

9am - Shove that bad boy in the oven

The finalized tablescape.  I think the pears with brown bows really do it.  Eat your heart out Martha Stewart!

There she blows! The most luscious, perfectly browned turkey we could have ever been thankful for...

In addition to the luscious turkey, we had stuffing, homemade applesauce, corn, mashed potatoes, cranberry sauce and homemade gravy.  We were too hungry to stop and take pictures, sorry!  You'll just have to conjure up these cozy Thanksgiving images on your own ;)

Everyone's favorite part of the meal, dessert!

I was so excited to eat dessert, I forgot to take a pic of the pumpkin cheesecake before we served it!

Pumpkin chocolate chip cookies

Lots of wine and great people and food, for me that's a success!  

Martha Freakin' Pumpkin Stewart Cheesecake

I did it! I managed to successfully make a cheesecake - a pumpkin cheesecake no less! No cracks, no mushy inside, homemade crust, this is restaurant quality stuff here people. After hearing how difficult it is to make cheesecake I was weary but I soldiered on and by god, won the prize. It tastes amazing, cheesy not-too-pumpkin-y goodness.  This could easily sit alongside one of my mother-in-law's homemade goodies.  

The recipe can be found here courtesy of the happy homemaker, Martha Stewart. She may not be able to manage her finances legally, but she sure can cook!  

I concentrated so hard while making it I thought my eyes would fall out. I painstakingly read each and every direction again and again to get it right. Patience and fortitude paid off because I got a Martha Stewart Cheesecake. Sorry Martha, I know it is your recipe but I'm taking all the credit for how this puppy turned out!

I even made my own graham cracker crust!

I said the cheesecake was a success, but I didn't claim it was sans mess!

There she is in all her un-cracked glory!

Tell me this beauty couldn't be in a bakery somewhere

So much for my diet...

Thanksgiving, Part 1.5

Frankenstorm hit, but luckily it did not cause too much disruption to my immediate area.  The same cannot be said for places such as NY and NJ.  My heart goes out to all those who lost things, people and their lives in that storm.

Considering the devastation of Hurricane Sandy I did not feel right cooking up an entire warm, cozy Thanksgiving meal as a test run.  It felt wasteful and unnecessary in light of the recent events.  I did make some pumpkin chocolate chip cookies however. (recipe can be found here). 

The first batch came out great (to my surprise!), the second batch, not so much (typical).  Maybe it was because the batter sat there while the first batch cooked?  Or maybe I made bigger cookies by accident and they needed longer to cook than the first batch, I'm not sure, but the first batch was great nonetheless.  Actually the cookies got better with each passing day.  The flavors seemed to meld together or something.  

Look at that ooey gooey goodness!!

Thanksgiving, Part I

I am hosting Thanksgiving for my in-laws this year so the pressure for it to be perfect is high. Not only is this my first time hosting any holiday, but its also my daughter's first ever Thanksgiving. My in-laws can cook, they eat with real dishes, they use real utensils and glasses, and they're used to perfect Donna Reed dinners and decor. My mother-in-law makes her own floral arrangements, makes Cinnabons and pies from scratch, makes clothes and can clean like someone with severe OCD! This woman does it all, how I am supposed to keep up with that?!

She's very particular and opinionated so the idea that my novice cooking skills (or lack thereof) will be put to the test this Thanksgiving is more than intimidating. I make box cake, I buy pre-made floral arrangements and I eat on the couch off paper plates. How ever will I survive??

I took all that nervousness and decided that I needed a plan. I'm the type of person who loves lists, organization, planning and efficiency. You could say I'm cursed as a perfectionist. So my planning commenced. I scoured the Internet looking for recipes that weren't too hard, had ingredients I recognized and that felt manageable. After hours (literally hours, three of them) of scouring I picked my menu. I then proceeded to make an Excel spreadsheet listing each part of the meal and the ingredients needed. I know what you're thinking and you're right.  I then sorted this into things I could make the day before and things that must be made the day of. THEN, I made another spreadsheet that took the like ingredients from each recipe and grouped them together so I know how much to buy of each thing. I'm nuts, I know, but it made me feel better.

You thought I was kidding, didn't you?  :)

Next it was time to plan the decorations. I looked at tons of pictures of tablescapes (thanks Sandra Lee for the technical term) only to feel overwhelmed. Do I want a rustic, warm colored decor, or do I want white, gold simple decor? Flowers or pumpkins and gourds as the centerpieces? Spray painting pears to use as place cards - overkill? too much work?

I love decorating and in all my excitement I knew I was getting carried away. I talked with my husband about all this pressure (for which he reminded me I'm the only one putting pressure on myself) and how I wanted it to be perfect. And then I asked how much he'd be comfortable with me spending on decor and he luckily had the same amount in mind that I did.

The next day I packed myself and the baby up and went to everyone's favorite place, Target. I expected to find a ton of Thanksgiving/Fall decorations but they had n-o-t-h-i-n-g. Target was full of Halloween and Christmas decorations, yes that's right I said Christmas. It's October! I don't know, I thought the Pilgrims starting America was kind of important, worthy of at least one aisle of decorations. I was even willing to settle for cheesy tchotchkes like wooden pilgrim couples or ceramic turkeys but even those were MIA. I couldn't even find a wreath. I wound up with a fall-ish table runner with matching placemats and napkins.

I have more work to do, this was just a preliminary test for looks 

I returned home feeling defeated but determined to scrounge something up for the decor. This weekend will be my menu test run, pray for me! I'll write about how it goes next week - maybe during the Frankenstorm!

What are you making this Thanksgiving? Share some of your best tips for impressing the in-laws (recipes, decor ideas, fun things to do, etc). How do you decorate for Thanksgiving?

I'm the Boss, Applesauce

After my husband picked a ton of apples last weekend (which you can read about here) I knew we needed something to do with those apples. Make a pie you say? Nah, trying to lose the baby weight. Eat them as snacks? Nah, I'm allergic to apples. I decided to make homemade applesauce.

I found a recipe courtesy of The Frugal Girls 

Lucky for me the directions couldn't be easier. Peel, core and chop the apples. Mix water, cinnamon, sugar and vanilla together. Pour over apples and place in the slow cooker for four hours. Voila, applesauce!! Now that is my kind of cooking!

YUM!!!!!!!

Homemade Granola Bars

I eat Chewy Granola Bars like it's my job. In a rush? Grab a Chewy Bar. Hungry but can't decide what to eat? Grab a Chewy Bar. Running out the door with no breakfast? Grab a Chewy Bar.

I've spent more money on Chewy Bara since I graduated college than any other food item (except maybe chicken) so I finally decided to save some dough and learn to make my own.

I wanted the chocolate chip kind, not the I'm-oh-so-healthy-I-eat-wheat germ kind of granola bar.  For once, I actually felt that this was easy!  Toss some flour, brown sugar, butter, oats, honey, a pinch of baking soda, a dash of vanilla and some chocolate chips into a bowl, and mix.  Pour into a baking dish, pat down and bake for 20 minutes, legitimately easy!

The best part is they are totally customizable - healthy, fruit, nuts, peanut butter, etc. - your own menu, created and baked by none other than you!!

Building my cooking confidence one recipe at a time.

Success, at Last!

My husband got home late last night as he was at his favorite place, Costco.  So late in fact that I had already eaten dinner. I felt bad, but a girl's gotta eat.  "Did you cook?" you ask.  No, of course not!  I heated up leftovers!

After watching my husband haul a ton of bulk items into our already cramped home, I offered to make him something to eat.  He thankfully agreed and requested a grilled ham and cheese sandwich.  Thank God he didn't ask for something more complicated! 

I can actually make grilled cheese.  It's like french toast but without the batter.  My husband told me about his day and he stood secretly observing my every move.  I took out all of the ingredients I needed - bread, butter, ham, and cheese.  

(For someone who doesn't cook my kitchen is pretty sweet, right?)

Proudly, I began.  And then I paused.  What heat should I put the pan on?  Do I spray it with cooking spray so the sandwich doesn't stick?  I really don't want to screw this up for him.

I swallowed my pride and asked him.  Then I was on my way.  Until, the butter.  Cold butter, fresh bread, they don't mix (which I've learned from tearing many a piece).  What I didn't anticipate however was getting butter from the stick onto the knife.  

My husband told me to scrape it off the top "because that's the easiest way to do it."  Yea right, maybe for him.  This is what resulted...

My butchered butter

Once I got the bread buttered I was in business.  

One of the main reasons I fail at cooking is because I am impatient.  I never wait long enough for the bread to get crispy or for the cheese to melt or for the cookies to bake.  (The other main reason of course is that I have no clue what I'm doing). 

I was nervous about the flip, but it went smoothly and things were shaping up nicely.  

My husband forced patience on me this time, probably more for his sake (and his sandwich) than for mine.  The eensy bit of patience paid off and the grilled cheese was complete.  SUCCESS!!!!  

Cooking: 1,000,000 - Me: 1