Thanksgiving Day aka Fooooooooooood

Well, nothing like being in limbo. Will I be at the family Thanksgiving? Will I be in the hospital with a newborn? Will I be in early labor and opt to stay home? What if I am in the hospital all day tomorrow? Ah! I can't miss out on all the good food!

Oh, I don't intend to miss out on any good food. I am prepared. I have all the fixings for a T-day dinner on standby. I spoke to my grandmother on Monday and she already has a turkey for the family meal so our gobbler will be cooked on Friday after he's done enjoying his brine bath. I'm going to set out most of a loaf of bread for my dressing today. Potatoes on standby. Green beans on standby. I would love to share my recipes, but I don't want to risk copyright infringement. All my recipes including my brine for the turkey (and this brine makes the absolutely best turkey) comes from this book:



In my opinion, the best cookbook in the world. My copy is missing the front cover, some of the pages have disappeared. She has been well loved. Everything I intend to cook this week is in this book except for the desserts. I stick with family favorites for that.

My other cookbook is a binder I made myself. It has all the family recipes, the copied from other people recipes, copied from the backs of boxes and from the internet. It's pretty messy. In fact I just discovered I'm missing my pecan pie recipe from it. I'll have to call grandma later today!

Today I plan on making pecan pie. That is my only contribution to the family thanksgiving meal tomorrow if we end up going. I was going to share that recipe, but since grandma is not awake yet I guess I will share another family favorite.

Sausage Ball Appetizer:
1 lb sausage
3 c bisquick (or the like)
about 10 oz of shredded cheddar cheese

Bake at 350 for 15 minutes

My grandmother makes these for every holiday. They are simple and fast. They can be made days in advance, stuck in the fridge and reheated when you need them. Doesn't get much easier than that.

Grandma's Pumpkin Bread:
3 c sugar
3 1/3 c flour
1 t salt
1 t cinnamon
1 t nutmeg
1 t soda
1 c oil
4 eggs
2 c pumpkin puree
2/3 c water
1 t vanilla

Combine dry good, combine wet goods, then mix the two together. Sometimes we add a cup of chopped pecans.... ahh... making myself drool. Makes three loaves.

Here is where things get interesting with family recipes. I have bake at 350 for 1 hour then lower to 300 for 15 minutes. Beside that I have written "Reality - 30 minutes at 350, 15 at 300" lots of wiggle room...... This is where I'm thankful for toothpicks :)

Hope everyone has a great holiday! Safe travels, good food, and happy memories to all!