About Me

My photo
A young and slightly ignorant woman who has always loved baking and cooking, I want to make people happy with food as often as I can. I'm here to whisk away and explore!

Friday, November 15, 2013

Thanksgiving is Coming!!

I. Love. Thanksgiving.
Seriously, guys. It's my favorite holiday. It wins out over Christmas, Easter, Independence Day, Groundhogs Day...
Okay, I take it back. I don't have a favorite holiday per se, because whenever a new one appears on the horizon I get really excited and declare it my new favorite. So right now my favorite holiday is absolutely most definitely Thanksgiving. Let's think about this.
Christmas is the happiest...
Easter is the most meaningful...
Groundhogs Day the most under-appreciated...
But Thanksgiving is the most comfortable...
And if you know anything about me, I am always 100% about comfort. I change into Pajamas at 4 in the afternoon. I drink at least three cups of tea a day. I put a comforter in the drivers seat of my car because it's comfier than just a plain old seat. I carry an extra pair of socks in my purse (Don't judge me...) Okay! back to the Thanksgiving theme. This could get even more embarrassing if I confess anything else.
I thought, since I've done so little blogging of late, that I could tell you guys (if there is even anyone still reading my poor neglected blog) our Thanksgiving Menu for 2013!
Hurray! Huzzah! *confetti* Bravo!
Okay, fine. I might be a little too excited.


This year, because we have stupendous guests arriving on Thanksgiving day (aka my favorite person in the world) and my sister's boyfriend has his own family festivities that day our fantastic feast will be on Friday this year. I was happy with this plan because it means I have a whole entire day off to cook before hand, and we can have Thanksgiving breakfast for Thursday. Because as well as being an advocate for comfort, I am also the number one fan of breakfast. Best meal ever. So yes! Let the menu-ing begin!

Breakfast:
- Cranberry Orange Blintzes. Every year we have some sort of crepes for breakfast. This year will be blintzes, which are rolled crepes filled with creamy ricotta custard. There will be cranberry orange sauce for the top, as well as warmed fried apples.
-Latkes
-Bacon. Obviously. Every good breakfast has bacon.

First Thanksgiving as Purple Door Bakery, three years ago.




Dinner

- Turkey (duh) We decided no brining this year. It takes about three days to brine a turkey and that's a lot of days. And although you can taste the difference, it isn't a big enough difference for three days. :) In the good old days Grandma would make awesome turkey by just basting it every hour and putting bacon on top. Throwback Thursday this year!
- Stuffing. There is no Thanksgiving without Stuffing. And our family can be a little bit particular. My dad wants it to be cornbread, my sister insists on water chestnuts, sausage is a must. So yes. Our perfected recipe will be amazing and make everyone happy. That's the way Thanksgiving goes... 
- Garlic Smashed Potatoes with Browned Onions. This is the best mashed potato you will ever eat. There's hints of cheese, garlic, and oniony goodness. We pretty much only eat them one day a year because they are so bad for you (but good for your happy place)
- Asparagus with bacon bits and butter everywhere! Usually we have it with Hollandaise sauce, but going with one less sauce this year, phew!
- Homemade Creamed Corn. It's kinda my signature dish. When I first moved here about three years ago I made creamed corn for some people at a barbeque. I think everyone in town called me "Creamed Corn Girl" for a few months at least. Slightly embarrassing. A little flattering.
- Pao de Quejo. Because we need a little Brazilian goods on our table. Plus, any American biscuit or roll, no matter how fluffy and perfect, can't compare with little cheesy (gluten free!) bites of absolute deliciousness known as Pao de Quejo.
- Green beans. Not the casserole, not the canned kind. I'm talking squeaky teeth beans, the kind that snap even after you've cooked them. (We call them squeaky teeth beans because they are perfect if they squeak against your teeth when you chew. It's fun. :) )

Dessert
If I had my way we would be consuming two types of creme brulee, four pies, and some sort of cookie. My family doesn't let that happen, which would be a sad story, except they are probably all saving our waistlines from a terrifying future. ;)
-Pumpkin Pie. People are asking for the same old classic, but I want to shake it up a little tiny bit. Whether it's by adding a gingersnap crust, a maple glaze, or something else I haven't decided yet. One thing for sure: whipped cream will be there. Pumpkin Pie without chipped cream might be the saddest thing to ever happen in the pie world.
-Apple Pie. My dad really hates pumpkin things. He's just one of those people that isn't a pumpkin fan. So I'm making his favorite pie. Apple Pie with strudel topping. Vanilla ice cream will also be making a guest appearance, I'm pretty sure.
- Sweet Potato Creme Brulee. Both me and my mom are avid fans of yams. I could honestly eat sweet potato casserole for days. FOR DAYS. I'm excited about this one. :)
https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNEPpvPGvIjTw9yABW0-WZjlNGwC6YUlSYlzsvlPTMw2_lOLtcS4r_a2edIsW9zFwCZh1aVwMKaGWL73pLcHDjq53VwrF5FuLwUQIPtINFemorCJ9_9mrWB9SAqzdpLDB5_rTmLLLeroQW/s1600/selectivelow.jpg
These are pumpkin Creme Brulees, but they are going to be awesome with yams!
-Gingerbread Leaf Cookies. I'm making these as place markers on the table. I'm going to pipe names on in fancy royal icing. They should be fun...
Back when I couldn't take pictures...yay!