Wednesday, November 3, 2010

3rd Anniversary, A Tart & A Giveaway! (Closed)

Today is Lick The Bowl Good's 3rd Anniversary! I remember the night I started this blog. I sat quietly for a long time at the desk in the office fooling around with colors and templates until I was satisfied with the outcome. The original color of this blog was blue-green, the way :-) I walked out of there as the proud owner of a baking blog. I thought my husband was going to think I was crazy, but he's been my greatest supporter and taste tester and he's encouraged me to do bigger and better things. I never thought I'd be doing this 3 years later, but I'm thrilled to be here to inspire and learn from you all.

Over the years I have made many desserts, but never had I made a chocolate cream pie. My husband loves a good chocolate cream pie and if it's ever on a diner menu, it later ends up in his belly. I can take it or leave it, because so many times it doesn't live up to my expectations- surprise, surprise! They're either not chocolaty enough, or the crust is bad or they're a weird texture. So when this recipe was made by the Tuesdays with Dorie group and everyone raved about it, I bookmarked it.

Though there are a few steps in this recipe, it came together pretty simply. The chocolate custard needs to be chilled properly so it can be made a day ahead of time to help speed up the assembly process. I made this cream tart with Callebaut chocolate and it was delicious. I didn't love the crust by itself, but it melded perfectly with the rich and creamy filling and fluffy whipped topping. Mr. H loved it and ate several pieces, which is a sign of a good recipe. I will definitely make this one again and again. And you can make it too in the tart pan I'm giving away below!

Chocolate Cream Tart

adapted from Dorie Greenspan

Printer Friendly Version

For the crust:

  • 1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
  • 1/4 cup confectioners' sugar
  • 1/4 tsp salt
  • 9 Tbsp very cold (or frozen) unsalted butter, cut into pieces
  • 1 large egg yolk

For the filling:

  • 2 cups whole milk
  • 4 large egg yolks
  • 6 Tbsp sugar
  • 3 Tbsp cornstarch, sifted
  • 1/4 tsp salt
  • 7 oz. bittersweet chocolate, melted
  • 2 1/2 Tbsp unsalted butter, cut into pieces and at room temperature

For the topping:

  • 1/2 cup cold heavy cream
  • 1 1/2 Tbsp confectioners' sugar, sifted
  • 1/4 tsp pure vanilla extract
  • Chocolate shavings or curls for decoration, or cocoa powder for dusting

To make the shortbread crust: Put the flour, cocoa, confectioners’ sugar and salt in a food processor and pulse a couple of times to combine. Scatter the pieces of butter over the dry ingredients and pulse until the butter is coarsely cut in — you should have pieces the size of oatmeal flakes and some the size of peas.

Stir the yolk, just to break it up, and add it a little at a time, pulsing after each addition. When the egg is in, process in long pulses — about 10 seconds each — until the dough, which will look granular soon after the egg is added, forms clumps and curds. Just before you reach this stage, the sound of the machine working the dough will change — heads up.

Turn the dough out onto a work surface and very lightly and sparingly knead the dough just to incorporate any dry ingredients that might have escaped mixing.

Press the dough into the buttered 9.5" tart pan. Press evenly over the bottom and up the sides. Don’t be too heavy-handed — press the crust in so that the edges of the pieces cling to one another, but no so hard that the crust loses its crumbly texture. Freeze for at least 30 minutes, preferably longer, before baking.

To bake the crust: Center a rack in the oven and preheat the oven to 375° Fahrenheit. Butter the shiny side of a piece of aluminum foil and fit the foil, buttered side down, tightly against the crust. (Since you froze the crust, you can bake it without weights.) Put the tart pan on a baking sheet and bake the crust for 25 minutes. Carefully remove the foil. If the crust has puffed, press it down gently with the back of a spoon.

Bake for another 8 minutes or so, or until it is firm and golden brown. Keep a close eye on the crust's progress — it can get too dark in a flash. Transfer the tart pan to a rack and cool the crust to room temperature before filling.

To make the filling: Bring the milk to a boil. Meanwhile, in a large heavy-bottomed saucepan, whisk the yolks together with the sugar, cornstarch and salt until well-blended and thick.

Whisking without stopping, drizzle in about 1/4 cup of the hot milk — this will temper, or warm, the yolks so they don't curdle — then, still whisking, add the remainder of the milk in a steady stream.

Put the pan over medium heat and, whisk constantly (make sure to get in the edges of the pan), bring the mixture to a boil. Keep at a boil, still whisking, for 1 to 2 minutes, then remove the pan from the heat.

Whisk in the melted chocolate. Let sit for 5 minutes, then whisk in the bits of butter, stirring until they are fully incorporated and the custard is smooth and silky. You can press a piece of plastic wrap against the surface of the custard to create an airtight seal and refrigerate the custard or, if you want to cool the custard quickly, put the bowl into a larger bowl filled with ice cubes and cold water and stir the custard occasionally until it is fully chilled, about 20 minutes. (If it's more convenient, you can keep the custard, tightly covered, in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.)

To assemble the tart: Whisk the chocolate cream vigorously to loosen it and to bring back its velvety texture. Spoon the cream into the tart shell, stopping just short of the crust's rim (you may have some left over) — you want to leave room for the topping. Smooth the top and, if you are not serving the tart immediately, press a piece of plastic wrap against the cream and refrigerate the tart until needed (or up to 6 hours).

To make the topping: Working with a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment or a hand mixer in a large bowl, beat the cream until it just starts to thicken. Beat in the confectioners' sugar and vanilla and continue to beat until the cream holds firm peaks.

Spread the whipped cream over the tart and smooth it with a metal icing spatula or, if you prefer swirls, go for them. Serve the tart now or refrigerate it for up to 2 hours before serving. When you are ready to serve the tart, scatter chocolate shavings or curls over the top or, if you'd prefer, lightly dust the top with cocoa powder.

In honor of LTBG's 3rd Anniversary, I have a giveaway for you sponsored by CSN. Thanks CSN! Rather than giving away a coupon code, I wanted to give away something that I would love to have and use. And since the holidays are just around the corner, I've chosen a sampling of Le Creuset Stoneware in Cherry that will look fabulous on your Thanksgiving table.

  1. In order to enter this giveaway, you MUST leave a comment on this post telling me about your favorite Thanksgiving food memory.

  2. For a second entry, leave me the recipe of your favorite Thanksgiving dish or dessert in the comment section. Be sure to leave a separate comment if you do this.

  3. This giveaway is open to US residents only.

One winner will be chosen and revealed in one week on Wednesday, November 10th. Be sure to leave your name and email so I can contact you if you win. Good luck!

329 comments:

  1. My favorite Thanksgiving is probably a few years ago when my dad decided to try a new recipe for our cornbread dressing and screwed it up. We've laughed about it for years afterwards!

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  2. Congratulations on three years!!! You've posted some GORGEOUS food in those years.
    I think my favorite Thanksgiving memory is eating until you are uncomfortable...then falling asleep in the recliner and even though you think you will never eat again....making a quick turkey sandwich about 9 PM hahaha.

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  3. We tried these individual pumpkin cheesecakes last year and they were a big hit. They tasted great and were so easy to grab-n-go all through the afternoon.
    http://coleensrecipes.blogspot.com/2009/11/individual-pumpkin-cheesecakes-my-200th.html

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  4. My favorite thanksgiving memory... has got to be the time my dad invited some old friends over when I was under 10 years old and they brought a duck filled with delicious stuffing. I loved it and had a couple servings. After a while I started to feel woozy... that was when they told me the stuffing was infused with brandy. Tasted good though~

    le.paradis.found at gmail dot com

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  5. My favorite Thanksgiving food memory would be the sweet potatoes my grandma made when I was a child. Unfortunately I can picture them in my mind clearly today and would love to have some but as a child they did not look good to me and I never did taste them! Crazy! Your tart looks delicious Monica and I know I would love that!

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  6. my favorite thanksgiving food memory is making the stuffing each year. we would eat so much of it raw that we would be full by dinner time. my kids still love doing this same thing each year. they've grown up doing the same thing i've been doing every thanksgiving since i was a toddler.

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  7. the recipe is:

    cubed bread

    lots of melted butter

    diced onions and celery

    salt & pepper

    6 raw eggs

    lots of bell's seasoning

    mix it all together and taste for seasoning. then taste it again and again and again until you have ruined your appetite!

    then you can bake it at 350 for about 45 minutes. that is, if there is any left!

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  8. Congratulations on your 3 year blogging anniversary! We'd be missing some seriously good recipes if you hadn't started this blog.

    My favorite thanksgiving memory...the time my mom made sweet potato casserole with giant marshmallows instead of the minis so there was marshmallows oozing everywhere in the oven.

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  9. Monica: Happy third anniversary!! I've thoroughly enjoyed your posts since I "met" you (also the photography)!

    My favorite Thanksgiving memory is my mother and grandmother in the kitchen preparing the feast--the smells and later, the taste stays with me today.

    And your chocolate pie looks delicious!!

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  10. my favorite thanksgiving memory was 10 years ago when i hosted my very first thanksgiving as a newlywed. i forgot or rather didn't know there was a bag of "goodies" that needed to be removed from the turkey prior to cooking. lets just say the smell was something i don't think i'll ever forget!

    summer
    summerskodacek@sbcglobal.net

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  11. cheese log

    2 blocks of softened cream cheese
    1/2 block velveeta cheese
    1cup chopped pecans (unsalted)
    4-6 cloves minced garlic

    mix all ingredients together and form into "logs" the size of corn on the cob. then roll the logs onto plate covered with chili powder so the outside is completely covered. roll in wax paper and chill until ready to serve. serve with ritz crackers. soooo yummy!

    summer
    summerskodacek@sbcglobal.net

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  12. My favorite Thanksgiving memory is when my Grandma was alive and we'd make Thanksgiving dinner together. Thanksgiving never tasted that good....she was an amazing cook...and I am so glad I got to learn it from her! I still dream about her pumpkin pie.

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  13. My husband's favorite Thanksgiving dessert! We can't have Thanksgiving without it!

    Pecan Pumpkin Dessert
    2 (15 ounce) cans solid pack pumpkin
    1 (12 ounce) can evaporated milk
    1 cup sugar
    3 eggs
    1 teaspoon vanilla extract
    1 (18.25 ounce) package yellow cake mix
    1 cup butter, melted 1 1/2 cups chopped pecans
    FROSTING:
    1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese,
    softened
    1 1/2 cups confectioners' sugar
    1 teaspoon vanilla extract
    1 (12 ounce) container frozen whipped
    topping, thawed

    Directions:
    1. Line a 13-in. x 9-in. x 2-in. baking pan with waxed paper and coat the paper with nonstick cooking spray; set aside.
    2. In a large mixing bowl, combine the pumpkin, milk and sugar. Beat in eggs and vanilla. Pour into prepared pan. Sprinkle with dry cake mix and drizzle with butter. Sprinkle with pecans.
    3. Bake at 350 degrees F for 1 hour or until golden brown. Cool completely in pan on a wire rack. Invert onto a large serving platter; carefully remove waxed paper.
    4. In a large mixing bowl, beat the cream cheese, confectioners' sugar and vanilla until smooth. Fold in whipped topping. Frost dessert. Store in the refrigerator.

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  14. This is kind of weird memory to have as a favorite, but it has provided so many laughs for my family throughout the years. One Thanksgiving I really overindulged. Two plates of food at the table, two pieces of pie, a piece of cheesecake, a plate of seconds in the evening, and finally some little Debbie Nutter Bars as a midnight snack. I woke up at 3 am and felt like I was going to die my stomach was so upset. Now anytime I start to eat too much food my family says, "Jess, remember that Thanksgiving..."

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  15. Congrats and yum! 2008 was my favorite year ~ my husband and I hosted both families at our house. It was wonderful!

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  16. It is so simple but my mom's banana bread. Love the recipes in the posts!

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  17. My favorite Thanksgiving memory is still a part of our lives...it's the homegrown sage that comes from my Mom's farm. My Dad planted that sage over 40 years ago and even though he's gone now, the sage thrives in the garden at Lead Hill. Every fall before frost I pinch off several stems of the fragrant herb, bring it home and dry it. The fragrance of that sage reminds me of years of happy Thanksgivings on the farm...

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  18. My favorite Thanksgiving food memory is definitely my dad's homemade cinnamon rolls. He made them every year and we devoured them BEFORE Thanksgiving dinner......lol

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  19. My favorite Thanksgiving memory would have to be from a couple of years ago. I decided to try a new "side dish" and make that Broccoli and Cheese casserole. You know the one with the Ritz crackers? Well, for some reason, I failed miserably. Parts of it burned and it was just all around gross. So the next year, my little brother, who totally does not cook, showed up with the ingredients to try again which is amazing in itself since he stays far, far, FAR away from the kitchen. Well, he made it and it was delicious. Ever since then, that is considered "his dish" and he finds such pleasure in making it and doing his part for Thanksgiving.

    Such an amazing giveaway! The color is beautiful!
    lisaberkery(at)gmail(dot)com

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  20. Along with tradition pumpkin, sweet potato, apple and pecan pies, we always make sure to have a Poppy Seed cake on hand. It's a tradition from my Bohemian grandmother.

    Poppy Seed Cake
    -3 cups all-purpose flour
    -1/2 teaspoon baking soda
    -1/2 teaspoon salt
    -2 cups white sugar
    -4 eggs
    -1 teaspoon vanilla extract
    -1 cup vegetable oil
    -13 fluid oz evaporated milk
    -whole can poppy seeds

    Directions

    -Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease and flour a 10 inch tube pan.
    -In a large bowl, mix flour, baking soda, salt and sugar. Make a well in the center and add eggs, vanilla, oil and milk. Mix well and fold in the poppy seeds. Pour into a 10 inch tube pan.
    -Bake at 350 degrees for 1 hour, or until a toothpick inserted into the cake comes out clean. Cool for 10 minutes in the pan, then turn out onto a wire rack and cool completely.

    lisaberkery(at)gmail(dot)com

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  21. My cousin and I were too young and had to sit at the adult table at my grandma's house...the older cousins got to sit in the other room. Needless to say we were sad that we couldn't sit with the older kids. But we got the last laugh - for some reason they decided to sit under the pool table - and it fell on them! Mind you it was not the best or well kept. None of them got hurt, but it sure made a loud noise!

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  22. My favorite food at Thanksgiving, but could easily be enjoyed year round is deviled eggs. There is just something that says "holiday" when you see a deviled egg. The deviled eggs have to have zing and zap though...

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  23. Monica,happy 3rd anniversary!

    My favorite Thanksgiving memory is my husband's grandma's cornbread stuffing. I've been enjoying it since 2001!

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  24. Recipe for Southwest Deviled Eggs:
    Southwestern Deviled Eggs
    1 dozen large eggs, hard-boiled and peeled
    6 TBS mayonnaise (Hellmann's Olive Oil)
    2 to 4 TBS pickled sliced jalapeno peppers, minced
    1 TBS (or a little more)(I just squeeze the bottle until I think it's a TBS) Spicy Brown Mustard
    1/2 tsp. cumin
    1/8 tsp. salt
    Fresh ground black pepper, to taste
    Smoked paprika
    Cut eggs in half lengthwise, and carefully remove yolks. Mash yolks (I just used a fork); stir in mayonnaise and next five ingredients. Spoon or pipe egg yolk mixture into egg halves. Sprinkle lightly with smoked paprika. Cover and chill at least 1 hour or until ready to serve. I even topped some of eggs with a jalapeno slice for the brave soul (which is me).

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  25. Happy 3rd Anniversary Monica!!! I just love hearing about how you started this baking blog 3 years ago....what a gift you have given to ALL of us in the "food blog land". I feel so honored to have discovered your blog and YOU as a dear friend. :-)

    I'm going to have to spend some time thinking about my favorite Thanksgiving recipe and get back to you. I can't wait to see what other people post!

    LOVE the Chocolate Cream Pie you made!

    Hugs!
    ~avril :-)

    p.s. Have you started packing?

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  26. Daddy's Cornbread Dressing
    1 pan cornbread, day old
    1 pan biscuits, day old
    chicken broth,1 quart/more or less
    onion
    celery
    1 stick of butter
    dried sage
    salt and pepper
    2 eggs, beaten
    1 can cream of chicken soup
    Saute the onions and celery in the butter until tender. Crumble the breads in a big bowl. Mix the cream of chicken soup and eggs then pour over the bread. Add broth to make the mixture very moist(baking removes this moisture so don't worry it will be too wet). Crumble a palm full of homegrown sage in your hands, then begin adding a little at a time to the dressing until the flavor is just right. Add salt and pepper to taste. Bake 350 until hot and the top makes a crust, about an hour. *eggs can be added after seasoning, if preferred. My Dad was famous for his dressing, and was often asked to make it for potlucks and church gatherings!

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  27. My favorite memory is Thanksgiving every year at Grandma's house with the family. Thanks for the giveaway!

    Chris

    zekks at yahoo dot com

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  28. My favorite memory of Thanksgiving is my first year taking the meal over from my mother. She came to my house the night before so we could get up early enough to get the turkey in. My mom is deceased 2 years now, and I still miss her so much, but will look forward to the day that I can pass this same meal prep to my daughter!

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  29. My alltime favorite thanksgiving food is, by far, Turkey and gravy. I'm such a traditionalist... the gravy MAKES the turkey and goes well with mashed potatoes or even bread. There's just no thanksgiving without turkey and gravy! :) however, being with family might trump the gravy - if it weren't for family (and friends), there's no need for thanksgiving at all!

    Congratulations on Three years!

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  30. Looks so yummy and so perfect.
    Congrats on ur additional award from http://spicyartichoke.blogspot.com

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  31. My Favorite food memory has always been being involved in the kitchen helping my mom with the making of the food since I was young still now having my own children Im still in there helping I love it.

    Marci
    rmwilliams224@hotmail.com

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  32. Congrats on your anniversary! I just found your site recently, (I think it was as a link from Tasty Kitchen, but when surfing the 'net, who knows for sure!)

    My favorite memory is my husband making everything one year so I didn't have to (our daughter was born November 30, and this year she will be 10!)

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  33. Happy Anniversary LTBG! My favorite Thanksgiving memory would be bringing my son Lukas to his first Thanksgiving dinner. He didn't have teeth yet, but he sure had fun playing in the mashed potatoes and fruit salad!

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  34. My favorite recipe comes from last year! It was my first time hosting Thanksgiving and I made these really awesome crock pot potatoes!
    http://www.pillsbury.com/recipes/ultimate-slow-cooker-mashed-potatoes/17bd54d5-2647-4144-8579-0cb1b26bc0ba/

    LOL...great now I am hungry hehe!

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  35. My favorite Thanksgiving food memory is from just last year when I hosted a large group including both family and friends. My in-town guests each brought a dish or two. On of my friends even stopped at the store to buy a new kitchen appliance to cook her veggie dish in. But, more important than the food, was the wonderful company. Our favorite Thanksgiving dishes are fresh cranberry salad and sweet potato soufflet.

    Congrats on 3 years, I've made quite a few of your recipes and have loved them all.

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  36. My favorite thanksgiving food memory is baking a pumpkin pie in Athens, Greece where I studied abroad in college. Because canned pumpkin wasn't available in Greece, my mom shipped some over to be sure I had a pumpkin pie.

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  37. My best holiday memories are with my Mom in the kitchen during the holidays making all the southern traditional dishes and some of her Greek specialties.

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  38. What a fun giveaway! I absolutely go CrAzY over Pumpkin Pie. I've experimented a lot with pumpkin and can't wait to start making this recipe again.

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  39. Best Thanksgiving memory was my For Thanksgiving. Which was when I was 18 and I had to have Thanksgiving breakfast at home,Thanksgiving lunch at my boyfriends house,dinner at my bestie's house and then a later dinner at my bosses house. I Had a great time but I could not eat a thing for 3 days because I was so full and sick of eating
    jacksoncrisman@yahoo.com

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  40. Pumpkin crunch cake

    2 C. pumpkin puree
    12 oz. evaporated milk
    4 eggs
    1 1/2 C. sugar
    2 t. pumpkin pie spice
    1 t. salt
    1 box yellow cake mix
    1 C. chopped pecans or walnuts
    1 C. butter, melted

    Preheat oven to 350 and coat a 9 x 13 pan with cooking spray. Combine first 6 ingredients in a large bowl. Whisk or mix well and pour into prepared pan. Sprinkle dry cake mix evenly over the top of batter. Sprinkle the chopped nuts on top. Drizzle with melted butter. Bake for 1 hour. Cool completely on a wire rack..... YUMMY!!!!

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  41. What a great milestone.

    My favorite memory is making the stuffing with my grandmother. All my siblings and my cousins would make sure that the only person who could make the stuffing was our grandmother. I watched her so often that I have made it but still I come close but now cigar for hitting it on the nose.

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  42. The link is to my favorite recipe for the Thanksgiving season.
    I have been making it for my family and also for my husband's family since we got married.

    http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Pumpkin-Crisp/Detail.aspx

    It is a pumpkin Crisp and it beats pumpkin pie by a mile.

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  43. Lisa in Fort Worth
    My favorite memory is eating the left over cinnamon-sugar pie crust Thanksgiving morning while watching the parades and smelling the turkey bake. Smells are the best memories.

    lisa0655@hotmail.com

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  44. My favorite Thanksgiving food memory is Chicken and Noodles. My grandfather is picky and won't eat stuffing, so my Mom always makes homemade chicken and noodles for him. The noodle making (usually in late October) is a family event with me, my sister, my Mom and a few assorted cousins. The younger ones are given the job of hanging the noodles to dry on a clothes rack. The family has grown so much we have expanded and now use 2-3 drying racks!

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  45. Yum. I want that tart - thank god I'm too lazy to make it just to make it.

    Favorite Thanksgiving food memory is the first time I realized I could just eat a giant plate of sides, which I did - never had a tastier T-Day meal!
    kasey19062ATaolDOTcom

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  46. I've got several fave recipes - mashed potatoes and stuffing! - but (probably brought to mind by your tart) here's the dessert one everyone seems to love the best:

    French Chocolate Pie

    Ingredients

    * 1/2 cup butter, room temperature
    * 3/4 cup white sugar
    * 2 (1 ounce) squares unsweetened baking chocolate, melted and cooled
    * 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
    * 2 eggs
    * 1 prepared 8 inch pastry shell, baked and cooled

    Directions

    1. Cream butter in a mixing bowl. Gradually beat in the sugar with an electric mixer until light colored and well blended. Stir in the thoroughly cooled chocolate, and vanilla extract. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating 5 minutes on medium speed after each addition. Spoon the chocolate filling into a cooled, baked pie shell.
    2. Refrigerate at least 2 hours before serving.

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  47. My favorite Thanksgiving food memory is of my Grandmother's homemade chicken and noodles. She makes the noodles from scratch every year for Thanksgiving, Christmas, and Easter. Such comfort food!!

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  48. My favorite Thanksgiving memory is when I first started making the pumpkin pies for my family. I think I was eleven or twelve when I started, and I've done it nearly every year since. I was so proud to be contributing to the family's meal :)

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  49. Thanks for all of your great recipes. I love the looks of that chocolate pie. My favorite Thanksgiving memory is when we had a Japanese exchange student. I had made 18 pies for dinner that year and he could not believe it when he saw them all over the snack bar. He had to get his camera and take lots of pictures of them.

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  50. entry #1 - My fave thanksgiving memory is eating until we are stuffed and then going to my aunt granny's house (who passed away this past summer). We will definitely miss her this Thanksgiving.

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  51. Congratulations on your anniversary! My favorite Thanksgiving memory, with the exception of starting memories with my kids and husband. Would be spending Thanksgiving with my extended family, my father was one of 10 children, so you can imagine how big the get togethers were....and all the food....yum!

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  52. Favorite dish? Would have to be Sweet Potato Souffle, to me it just tastes like Thanksgiving :)

    Thank you for hosting this giveaway!

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  53. One year my dad got his hands on the mashed potatoes and ruined them by dumping in tons of pepper. The pototoes turned grey. Our entire family of 30+ will never let him forget it!

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  54. Congrats on 3 years & lots of great recipes!
    We hold Thanksgiving at our house now, but my favorite memories are from Thanksgiving as a child. Helping my mom make her incredible apple pie & getting to eat the dough scraps (baked with cinnamon & sugar.) I have the recipe & make it every year, but it's just not the same as Mom's.
    Shar

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  55. The first time I EVER had sweet potatoes was at my mother in law's house on Thanksgiving. YUM! I will NEVER forget that day- it changed my life!!

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  56. My grandma makes the best rolls, but she only makes them for Thanksgiving. Her rolls are what made me want to learn how to bake. So glad I only have a few weeks left until I get to sit in her kitchen and gorge myself on those delectable little rolls!

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  57. Cranberry Sauce Extraordinaire

    1 cup water
    1 cup white sugar
    1 (12 ounce) package fresh cranberries
    1 orange, peeled and pureed
    1 apple, peeled, cored and diced
    1 pear, peeled, cored and diced
    1/2 teaspoon salt
    1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
    1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg

    In a medium saucepan, boil water and sugar until the sugar dissolves. Reduce the heat to simmer, and stir in cranberries, pureed orange, apple, pear, salt, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Cover, and simmer for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the cranberries burst. Remove from heat, and let cool to room temperature.

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  58. My favorite thanksgiving was last years when I made the whole meal by myself, I felt so accomplished when I pulled the turkey out of the oven and it didn't look awful.

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  59. fave, fave, fave Thanksgiving dish...sweet potatoe pie! okay, so it's not really a pie, per say, but oh yum! sweet potatoes, brown sugar, pecans, butter...I can not wait!! and how perfect would a new Le Creuset dish be to serve it in?? fingers crossed-thanks, Monica!!

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  60. I LOVE your blog--congrats on 3 years! My Thanksgiving memories are all wrapped-up in my Grandma: her rolls, stuffing, and jam. O' how I miss her!
    Natalie
    natj621@msn.com

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  61. Pomegranate Jello Salad

    Ingredients
    4-5 medium pomegranates
    5 apples, diced
    20 oz can crushed pineapple, undrained
    2 c hot water
    2 small or 1 large pkg raspberry jello
    16 oz Cool Whip
    4 oz cream cheese, softened
    4-8 oz sour cream



    Directions
    Seed pomegranates. Add to diced apples and pineapple.

    In a separate bowl, mix hot water and jello until dissolved and then add to pomegranate mixture. Pour half of pomegranate mixture into bottom of 9x13 pan and chill for 30 minutes or until firm.

    Mix cool whip, cream cheese, and sour cream until smooth. When first layer is done, spread cream cheese mixture on top.

    Carefully add the rest of the pomegranate mixture on top and chill until set.


    Natalie
    natj621@msn.com

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  62. When I was younger, my mom's side of the family gathered together as often as possible for holidays. One Thanksgiving, my grandfather who is no longer with us celebrated a little too much with the spirits. After we sat down to the dinner table, Papaw fell asleep with his face literally in his plate. Needless to say, us kids all laughed and Mamaw angrily sent him to bed. That was over 20 years ago, and we still laugh about it today.

    bugsmom

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  63. Congratulations on 3 years! I am drooling over the give-away and the chocolate torte, yum.

    When I think of my favorite Thanksgiving memory, one keeps coming to mind. It was not exactly pleasant, but it is still a favorite memory because I can laugh about it now. When I was five, my family went out for chinese food instead of the traditional turkey dinner. My grandfather was with us. I saw something very interesting on his plate, and I pointed to it. It looked like a slimy ball, round and gooey, and he told me it was an octopus eye! It totally freaked me out and I still, to this day do not know what it was. It was probably just a mushroom in sauce!

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  64. I love baking rolls with my dad. We always make a ton! Football and after dinner naps are also good memories!

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  65. I have so many wonderful memories of Thanksgiving, but one of my favorite food memories has to be when my sister and I (college age at the time) were making the sweet potato casserole and the stuffing together in my parents kitchen. My dad came in and put a viking hat on me and a hat on my sister and took our picture. It was a silly, fun morning.

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  66. Congratulations on 3 years! I love your blog and your pictures are always so pretty and look delicious!

    I love reading all the comments about favorite Thanksgiving memories - almost all surrounded by family. My mom always makes us go around the table and say what we are thankful for. It usually starts out with some jokes but always turns into wonderful sentiments.

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  67. My favorite food memory was finally trying corn pudding. It had been a staple at the Thanksgiving table for 30 years, but I wouldn't touch it. Finally I tried, and I was hooked!!

    Krysta
    bwcakrysta@yahoo.com

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  68. OH, and Aunt of 14 =
    auntnikki12@gmail.com.

    My favorite Thanksgiving recipe? Apple Bites. I am going to email you the recipe, because it includes lots of pictures!

    ReplyDelete
  69. My favorite Thanksgiving memory is helping my mom cook all the foods every year!

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  70. My favorite thanksgiving dessert we make is reese's cookies.

    Start by filling a mini muffin pan with liners. Then take any kind of peanut butter cookie dough (we usually use store bought because we make so many) and make small balls big enough to fit into each cup. Bake these for about 8 minutes or until golden brown at 375 degrees F. While these are baking unwrap the same amount of mini reese's peanut butter cups as you have cookies baking. Once you get the cookies out of the oven immediately press a mini reese's into each cookie. cool before removing from the pan. They can be kept refrigerated or at room temp. Enjoy!

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  71. Congratulations! What a wonderful giveaway! I so love Le Creuset!

    My favorite Thanksgiving memory is the time we spent at the neighbors house. Her turkey exploded in the oven. She's the only person I know that this ever happened to. It was a good thing for us though...she was a terrible cook!!

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  72. My favorite Thanksgiving food memory is the year my grandmother had dinner catered....it was pretty much horrible, but made me and the rest of the family truly appreciate the dishes she has always made!! Needless to say, it has never been catered again!!

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  73. My favorite Thanksgiving memory was the year in high school that I decided to cook a full menu out of a vegetarian magazine for my dad and brother. The main course was a lentil roll loaf that looked and pretty much tasted like dog food. My dad smiled and ate the whole thing.

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  74. My favorite memory comes from not specifically 1 Thanksgiving, but a combination of all when I was younger. when we went to visit relatives in another state and ate at my grandparents and all of us kids could'nt wait to be done with dinner (oh how times have changed) so that we could go put on a skit for the adults. I am sure they were cheesy, but it was fun that all the adults watched us and laughed.

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  75. My most favorite thing about Thanksgiving is that it's almost Christmas, haha. But really, I love cooking so cooking for more than 2 people is fun!
    cassiedianne@aol.com

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  76. Congrats on 3 years!!

    My favorite memory is the first year my husband and I had Thanksgiving at our house and I cooked everything by myself. All was going off without a hitch and when it was all ready I was starting to serve up plates and decided I would pop the yams with marshmallows in the oven under broil for a quick minute. The next thing I know, the oven window is lit up because the marshmellows were on fire! I havent' been able to live that one down since :)

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  77. Ever since we made pumpkin pie from semi-scratch (instead of frozen), this has been my most favorite T-Day recipe:

    Libby's Pumpkin Pie
    * 1 (9 inch) Graham cracker pie crust (I don't like Pie crust so I substituted graham cracker instead).
    * 3/4 cup white sugar
    * 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
    * 1/2 teaspoon salt
    * 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
    * 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
    * 2 eggs
    * 1 (15 ounce) can LIBBY'S® 100% Pure Pumpkin
    * 1 (12 fluid ounce) can NESTLE® CARNATION® Evaporated Milk

    Directions

    1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.
    2. Combine sugar, salt, cinnamon, ginger and cloves in small bowl. Beat eggs lightly in large bowl. Stir in pumpkin and sugar-spice mixture. Gradually stir in evaporated milk. Pour into pie shell.
    3. Bake for 15 minutes. Reduce temperature to 350 degrees F.; bake for 40 to 50 minutes or until knife inserted near center comes out clean. Cool on wire rack for 2 hours. Serve immediately or refrigerate.

    cassiedianne@aol.com

    ReplyDelete
  78. Cinnamon Pumpkin Pie

    Ingredients
    1 cup sugar
    4 teaspoons cornstarch
    1/2 teaspoon salt
    1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
    2 eggs
    1 can (15 ounces) solid-pack pumpkin
    1 cup milk
    1 unbaked pastry shell (9 inches)
    Whipped cream in a can, optional

    Directions
    In a small bowl, combine the sugar, cornstarch, salt and cinnamon. In a large bowl, beat eggs. Stir in pumpkin and sugar mixture. Gradually stir in milk. Pour into pastry shell.

    Bake at 400° for 10 minutes. Reduce heat to 350°; bake 45-50 minutes longer or until a knife inserted near the center comes out clean. Cool on a wire rack. Top with whipped cream if desired. Refrigerate leftovers. Yield: 6 servings.

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  79. Thank you so much for hosting this giveaway!!! Bakeware! Wow!!!
    My favourite Thansgiving memory is probably spending time with family in Monterey, CA.
    ~Grace~
    gracesgardenwalk.blogspot.com

    ReplyDelete
  80. My favorite Thanksgiving memory was probably the year we decided to chuck the 'spend 8 hours in the kitchen' idea and went for fondue instead! We had cheese, hot oil and chocolate, and the most involved task was cutting everything into bite-sized pieces!

    gcambra37(at)gmail(dot)com

    Thanks for the giveaway!

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  81. This one makes it to the table every year. And it makes a great sandwich spread as well!

    Cranberry Conserve

    1/3 c packed brown sugar
    1/3 c butter
    2 t vinegar
    2 onions, coarsely chopped
    4 c cranberries
    ½ c golden raisins
    ¼ c apple cider or juice
    ¼ t ground allspice
    ¼ t ground cloves
    3 ½ c sugar
    1 c toasted pecan pieces

    In a soup pot, cook and stir brown sugar, butter and vinegar over medium heat for 1 to 2 minutes. Add onions. Cook, uncovered, over low heat for 10 - 12 minutes or until onions are tender, stirring often. Transfer to bowl.

    In same pan, combine cranberries, raisins, apple cider, allspice and cloves. Bring to a rolling boil over medium heat, stirring occasionally. Cook 5 minutes and then add onion mixture and sugar. Return to boiling. Cook, uncovered 10 - 15 mins, stirring more frequently as mixture thickens. Remove from heat. Stir in nuts. Ladle into freezer containers, leaving ½ in headspace. Freeze up to 1 year.

    gcambra37(at)gmail(dot)com

    ReplyDelete
  82. Congratulations, Monica! I love your blog. I'm always inspired by your lovely pictures.
    Thanksgiving at my mom's house (nowhere else) is my favorite holiday. It's always a big deal since we are a large family and my mom invites other families so we end up with upwards of 30 people trying to crowd around the dinner table. We all pitch in, but my mom does the lion's share of the cooking and she's an amazing cook! I love everything about Thanksgiving: the food, family, and fellowship.

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  83. my favorite Thanksgiving food memory concerns what did NOT end up on the table. my mom was reheating asparagus with hollandaise sauce in the microwave because it had gotten a little cold, and the microwave door wouldn't open! so that year we didn't have asparagus. the funniest part is that my mom flatly refuses asparagus at the Thanksgiving table because she thinks it's bad luck!

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  84. I remember as a kid, I would always stand by the table waiting for everyone to be ready to eat. All the while I would be taste testing a little bit of everything.

    hewella1 at gmail dot com

    ReplyDelete
  85. First of all... Congratulations and Happy, Happy Anniversary! I cannot tell you how grateful I am to call you my friend! Your blog is wonderful, but you are FABULOUS!

    Thank you for the give-away, you know what a fan I am of Le Creuset and I LOVE the red color best of all!

    My favorite Thanksgiving memory is each and every Thanksgiving that our whole family was together. I took all those years for granted and now that Brandon is in the Army and William is living on his own and my parents are 3,318 miles away... memories is all I have.

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  86. Three years goes by quite quickly, doesn't it?

    Favorite memory? My cousin's and I fighting over space in front of my Grandparents heat vent. There was only two in the main living area. We would pile on top of each other and doze off from all the turkey and mashed potatoes and finger rolls!

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  87. My favorite memories of Thanksgiving were as a child. My mom has a huge family and all 80+ of us would converge on my Grandma's house to enjoy the day together.

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  88. And my favorite food from Thanksgiving is my aunt's Seven-Up salad.

    1-3 oz package lime jello
    1 cup hot water
    1 cup cold 7-Up
    1 cup applesauce

    Dissolve jello in hot water. Stir in 7-Up and applesauce, pour into mold and refrigerate.

    I only got this treat at Thanksgiving or Christmas. It is so simple, but I still only make it at Thanksgiving or Christmas-brings me back to my childhood!

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  89. I truly cannot pick a favorite Thanksgiving food memory. I guess I would have to say that I just love having the entire family around the table sharing the feast. The easiest way to count your blessings is to count the number of people around the table!

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  90. Congrats for three years of blogging! I love you blog, recipes, and photos! Keep 'em coming!

    Thanksgiving is BIG for my family, so I have many memories over the years. From when I was a little girl playing at my uncle's ranch Thanksgiving day and my cousin slicing her neck open on barbed wire, to cooking my first Thanksgiving feast all by myself, I have some great Turkey Day memories!

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  91. A Thanksgiving favorite (as well as a favorite for all other holidays) of my family is baked clams. There is no exact recipe for this one, but you just open a couple cans of chopped clams into a bowl (juices and all), and add a splash of olive oil and enough seasoned breadcrumbs and grated parmesan cheese to hold everything together in a thick paste. We plop heaping spoonfuls of the mixture into clam shells saved up over the years, then place them on a baking sheet in a 350 degree oven until they look dry and golden brown on the top. Serve with a sprinkle of parsley and lemon juice and it is a great meal starter.

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  92. Complimenti per il tuo blog e le belle ricette, passo spesso a trovarti :)

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  93. And here is a recipe and memory too! I first made this chocolate ribbon pie when I was 13 or 14 years old. It was loved by all and is a request for many family get togethers

    http://www.kitchen-concoctions.com/2010/05/goin-old-school.html

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  94. Chocolate upon chocolate...yum! Congrats on your 3 years :) Thanksgiving memories...hmm. I miss Thanksgiving when my parents were living, those were special times. Of course it's good with my family now, but traditions change and it's just different.

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  95. I would have to say that my favorite memory is making pumpkin cheesecakes a few years ago and selling them. I love cooking and making money from it was just an added bonus!
    trixinsane2303@yahoo.com

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  96. The Best time I had was when My husband and I got married 6 years ago and had Thanksgiving the week after we got back from our honeymoon, all our family members attended and it was a very nice time!
    Congrats on three years!

    ReplyDelete
  97. Graham Cracker Crust:
    7 1/2 graham crackers, finely ground (1 1/2 cups)
    1/3 cup sugar
    6 T. butter, melted
    1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
    Mix together until well blended. Press into 9-inch springform pan.

    Double Layer Pumpkin Cheesecake:
    Graham cracker crust
    3 (8 oz) pkgs. cream cheese, softened
    1/2 cup sugar
    1/2 t. vanilla extract
    2 eggs
    1/2 cup sour cream
    1 cup pumpkin puree
    1/2 t. ground cinnamon
    2 pinches ground cloves
    2 pinches ground nutmeg
    Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In mixer, combine cream cheese, sugar and vanilla. Beat until smooth. Add eggs one at a time. Fold in sour cream. Remove one cup and spread into bottom of crust. To remaining batter, add pumpkin, cinnamon, cloves and nutmeg. Stir until well blended. Spread over top of batter in crust. Wrap bottom of pan in foil and place on cookie sheet. Add water to the cookie sheet. Bake for 1 hour. Turn off oven and prop open door. Let sit in oven for an additional hour. Keep in fridge until ready to serve.

    trixinsane2303@yahoo.com

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  98. My favorite Thanksgiving food memory is my mama teaching me how to make the lime-grape-pineapple jello salad she always made - my FAVORITE! I remember thinking (I was about 10 years old), that now I could make this special dish any time I wanted. Of course, I didn't - it was just too special to have any ol' time.

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  99. Congrats on 3 years, your blog is gorgeous.

    My favorite memory is having a turkey baking contest, boys vs. girls....I WON!!! Kiss it boys! LOL

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  100. my favorite recipe is a *non * recipe really. My secret to turkey is. I stick of butter at room temp, miz with Rosemary, chives, onion, then refrigerate again for a week or two. The morning of thanksgiving seperate the skin from the turkey and aplly stick of butter...bake

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  101. Great going on the 3 year. I just recently discovered your blog thank to a friend. My fav. Thanksgiving food memory is baked Mac n Cheese..simple but yummy!

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  102. Happy 3rd anniversary!!! My memory is on the newer side. I have taken over the duties from my MIL and make dinner for the family. That makes me happy.

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  103. One of my favorite Thanksgiving memory is from the very first Thanksgiving that we didn't travel back to our parents' hometown. Instead, my husband and I invited some friends that weren't traveling to spend the day with us and I cooked the entire meal for the first time! It was rather tasty if I do say so myself! We had a wonderful time. Since then, there have been several other Thanksgivings that we didn't travel and I was able to make the dinner.

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  104. my favorite thanksgiving memory is actually just last year. it was the first time i didn't spend the holiday with family (besides my husband). we had a visiting friend from England with us, and we put together our very own Thanksgiving menu. we even changed it up a bit and did bread pudding instead of pie! it was a wonderful event for us hosting our very own Thanksgiving!

    Libbi

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  105. My favorite thing at Thanksgiving is the family pie crust! I crave it and can't stop thinking about it all year long. It is my great grandma's recipe and perfect for apple, pumpkin, fudge nut (my favorite!), lemon meringue, etc. I also use it for quiche and chicken pot pie, just for an excuse to eat pie crust!

    Perfectly flaky Pie Crust
    1 1/3 C flour
    1 tsp salt
    2/3 C crisco
    3 T water

    Mix flour and salt. Cut in crisco until mixture is uniform. Sprinkle the water on top and toss lightly with a fork. Shape into a ball, roll out on floured surface (wax paper works great). Line pie plate, cut off excess edges and feel free to eat or save for little tarts! Flute edges, prick bottom and sides if pre-baking. Bake 425 for 10-12 minutes. Don't overwork it or it won't be flaky.
    Enjoy!

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  106. I want to eat that tart right now for breakfast... it looks sooo yummy! I would just love to win that stoneware, I've been dying to get some and it is baking season so I'm craving all sorts of yummy stuff! My favorite memory of Thanksgiving is the time my family went to a cabin in the mountains and played games all weekend and ate tons of delicious foods! Cause isn't that what the holiday is all about? Yum!

    ReplyDelete
  107. Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday. This year I am super super excited to be hosting it. Over the years I have done different things in the dinner process, but I have ALWAYS been the one to make the mashed potatoes. There is just something that signals thanksgiving to me when I get to wake up and spend forever peeling potatoes to feed the crazies I call family.

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  108. Your tart is beautiful! And I love the perfect chocolate peel you got! My favorite Thanksgiving memories are all about the food. The smell all day helping my mom prepare all the dishes. My favorite was always the sweet potatoes and plain black olives (boring I know, but we never had olives except for Thanksgiving).

    ReplyDelete
  109. Favorite Thanksgiving memory is when I had first gotten together with my wife. Her father was in the hospital with cancer and we surprised him with a full Thanksgiving meal. We brought everything to the hospital and set it up in a spare room and brought him in. He was so excited. The hospital staff was awesome to let us do that for him and were appreciative of the extra pies.

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  110. I found this turkey brine recipe last year on PioneerWoman.com and I got several comments that it was the best turkey ever! It really was so flavorful and moist. I just need to find a bigger bowl this year!

    3 cups Apple Juice or Apple Cider
    2 gallons Cold Water
    4 Tablespoons Fresh Rosemary Leaves
    5 cloves Garlic, Minced
    1-½ cups Kosher Salt
    2 cups Brown Sugar
    3 Tablespoons Peppercorns
    5 whole Bay Leaves
    Peel of Three Large Oranges

    Combine all ingredients in a large pot. Stir until salt and sugar dissolve. Bring to a boil, then turn off heat and cover.
    Allow to cool completely, then pour into a large brining bag or pot. Place uncooked turkey in brine solution, then refrigerate for 16 to 24 hours.
    When ready to roast turkey, remove turkey from brine. Submerge turkey in a pot or sink of fresh, cold water. Allow to sit in clean water for 15 minutes to remove excess salt from the outside.
    Discard brine. Remove turkey from clean water, pat dry, and cook according to your normal roasting method.

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  111. I think one of my favorite Thanksgiving memories is when we started a Thanksgiving Eve night with a Crab/Lobster dinner! What could be better!

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  112. My fav. recipe would have to be Ruth Cris's sweet potatoe dish. Oh man it's basically a dessert.

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  113. My favorite Thanksgiving memory was one when my Grandma made an apple pie. When my brother-in-law bit into a piece of the pie,he made the strangest face and immediately got up and left the table. My Grandma had unknowing used cayenne pepper instead of the cinnamon! We laughed a long time over that one.

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  114. my favorit thanksgiving food memory is actaul just the drink...my dad is "the drink man" manking all sorts of delicous punch in his crystal punch bowl. He gave me one for my wedding and now I get to make punch for my kids.

    ReplyDelete
  115. And this is the entry for my favorite thanksgiving recipe
    3/4 c flour
    1 tsp baking powder
    2 tsp ground cinnamon
    1 tsp pumpkin pie spice
    1/2 tsp nutmeg
    1/2 tsp salt
    3 eggs slightly beaten
    1 C sugar
    2/3 C canned solid pack pumpkin
    1 c chopped nuts ( Pecans)

    preheat oven to 375ºF grease 15x 10 in jelly roll pan. Line with wax paper, grease. Sift flour baking powder, cinnamon, pumpkin pie spice, nutmeg, and salt. Beat eggs and sugar until fluffy, beat in pumpkin. stir in dry ingredients. pour onto prepared pan spread evenly with spatula sprinkle with nuts bake at 375 for 15 min or until center springs when touched lightly. loosen cake around edges, invert onto clean damp towel dusted with powdered sugar, peel off wax paper. trim 1/4" from all sides roll up in towel. Place seam side down on wire rack. cool completely. unroll cake spread with cream cheese filling roll up refrigerate until serving.

    cream cheese filling
    beat together:
    1c powdered sugar
    1- 8oz package of softened cream cheese
    6 tbsp softened margarine
    1 tsp vanilla

    beat until smooth spread on pumpkin cake roll.

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  116. I loved Thanksgiving growing up -- my dad would always sneak in and take nibbles from stuff, and he especially loved the giblets mom would cook up just for him (yuck!) My mom made the best stuffing/dressing, which back then -the mid-70's, was always stuffed into the bird.

    I will find a favorite recipe and post soon!

    Thank YOU for your beautiful blog!

    ReplyDelete
  117. My favorite Thanksgiving memory is when my grandmother was alive and I was in elementary. I used to leave closer to family when I lived in Cleveland and all of the family would come over and all of the cousins would play. We would play Taboo and Scattergories (I learned quickly adults trumped the kids in this game.)It was always laughter, fun and yummy food.

    ReplyDelete
  118. My favorite recipe is Bourbon Pecan Pie.

    Ingredients:

    1 cup sugar
    3 tablespoons butter, melted
    1/2 cup dark corn syrup
    3 large eggs, beaten
    1 1/2 to 2 cups pecan halves
    2 tablespoons good-quality bourbon
    1 (9-inch) deep-dish pie shell, unbaked

    Directions:

    Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.

    In a medium bowl, stir together the sugar and melted butter. Add the corn syrup, eggs, pecans, and bourbon, and stir until all ingredients are combined. Pour mixture into an unbaked pie shell, and place on a heavy-duty cookie sheet.

    Bake for 10 minutes. Lower the oven temperature to 350 degrees F, and continue to bake for an additional 25 minutes, or until pie is set. Remove from oven and cool on a wire rack.

    xxbblueangelxx@aol.com

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  119. My favorite Thanksgiving memory is my grandmother's cornbread dressing. My mother make an extra one so that we all have enough to take home for leftovers. Oh so good!

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  120. My favorite memory is eating until we are stuffed and not having to worry about dinner for the next 3 days lol....

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  121. Pumpkin Cookies

    1/2 cup butter
    1 1/4 cups brown sugar
    2 eggs
    1 teaspoon vanilla
    1 cup pumpkin
    2 cups flour
    4 teaspoons baking powder
    1/2 teaspoon salt
    1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
    1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
    1/4 teaspoon clove
    1/4 teaspoon ginger
    1 cup chocolate chips
    1 cup nuts

    cream butter and sugar add, egg, vanilla and pumpkin then stir remaining ingredients

    Bake at 375

    ReplyDelete
  122. Coming home from college and eating lots of food

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  123. I would love to win! I love your blog too and recipes YUM! My favorite recipe for Thanksgiving is simple: Peas & Cheese (my mom has made this ever since I was a little girl)

    Peas & Cheese
    1 - 2 cans of peas
    1 jar of Cheese Whiz
    1 tbsp of butter

    Stir together on the stove until melted and hot! YUM so good and we only have it once a year (go figure)!

    ReplyDelete
  124. Here's my comment for another chance to win. Although, I have never ever left a comment, I have to say reading your recipes and blog inspired me to start my own blog. Your blog is one of the few I come back to and read over and over again, so thank you!

    ReplyDelete
  125. My favorite thanksgiving food memory was the day before thanksgiving when I was 10 and my great-grandma (GG) taught me to make pumpkin bars with cream cheese frosting (never had it before, she found the recipe, which she learned from her mother, and decided to make it with me). Its also the ONLY thing I like in pumpkin and I remember everyone jokingly praising her for her miracle (eg. that I actually like something! I was VERY picky). I make it every year because everyone LOVES it and in memory of her.

    ReplyDelete
  126. THE BEST!!!! :)
    16oz. can pumpkin
    1 cup oil
    2 cups white sugar
    2 teaspoons baking powder
    1 teaspoon baking soda
    2 teaspoons Cinnamon
    ½ teaspoon salt
    4 eggs
    2 cups flour
    Frosting:
    6 oz. package Cream Cheese
    2 sticks of butter
    4 cups powder sugar
    2 teaspoon vanilla extract


    1. Preheat the oven to 350°F.
    2. Using an electric mixer at medium speed, combine the eggs, sugar, oil and pumpkin until light and fluffy. Stir together the flour, baking powder, cinnamon, salt and baking soda. Add the dry ingredients to the pumpkin mixture and mix at low speed until thoroughly combined and the batter is smooth.
    3. Spread the batter into a greased 13 by 10-inch baking pan. Bake for 30 minutes.
    Frosting:
    4. Combine the cream cheese and butter in a medium bowl with an electric mixer until smooth. Add the sugar and mix at low speed until combined. Stir in the vanilla and mix again. Spread on cooled pumpkin bars.

    ReplyDelete
  127. My favorite Thanksgiving memory is not actually great, but it seems funny now... A long time ago my aunt peeled her potatoes the night before, and left them out on the counter, so on Thanksgiving we had gray mashed potatoes. grody!

    ReplyDelete
  128. My favorite Thanksgiving recipe is Cranberry Pineapple Salsa.
    1c water; 1c sugar; 1 12oz pack cranberries, rinsed; 1 8oz can crushed pineapple with juice, part drained; 1 lg green onion, chopped; 1 can chopped green chili pepper; 1t fresh lime juice; 1/4t ground cumin
    boil water + sugar at medium high heat until the sugar melts. add berries and reduce heat to medium, simmer 8 minutes stirring frequently. add pineapple, onion, chili, lime juice and cumin, and continue to cook until the berries are tender and start to burst. chill up to 3 days.

    ReplyDelete
  129. My favorite Thanksgiving memory was the first time I made a dish to bring to dinner. I made a chipotle cranberry relish and a vegetable bread pudding. I ruined the relish and I hated the bread pudding (everyone else loved it). This was a great experience. I was so nervous having my whole extended family trying my food, but now I am more confident with my baking. Hopefully in a few years I will do a whole Thanksgiving dinner myself.
    Joanne jhaverstock@att.net

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  130. Pork Chops with Apples and Stuffing

    6 boneless pork chops
    1 tbsp. vegetable oil
    6 apples
    2 tbs. flour
    1 c. sugar
    1 tsp. cinnamon
    6 oz. stuffing mix
    ½ c. chopped onion
    ½ c.chopped celery
    1 1/3 c. water or broth
    4 tbsp. melted butter

    Preheat oven to 350°

    1.Brown pork chops in oil over medium-high heat.

    2.Prepare stuffing according to package directions. Butter, water, celery, and onion amounts may vary depending on your stuffing mix.

    3.Slice apples and mix with flour, sugar, cinnamon, and in baking dish.

    4.Place pork chops on apples.

    5.Top with stuffing.

    6.Cover and bake at 350° for
    35 minutes.

    7.Uncover and bake for 10 minutes.

    This recipe is like a Thanksgiving dinner in one dish. You can use turkey/chicken breast instead of pork chops. It's like turkey, stuffing, and apple pie in one easy recipe. I love to make this in the middle of the year when I feel like I need the comfort of Thanksgiving. This would also be great for a simple Thanksgiving for just a few people.

    Joanne jhaverstock@att.net

    ReplyDelete
  131. Is eating my Grandmother's Baklava. That is what i look forward to most around the holidays. I've had other people's and nothing compares to my Grandma's Baklava.

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  132. All time favorite memory was in 1987, my olderst daughter @ age 7, was already aspiring to become a cook. (all grown up now she is an AWESOME cook, blogger, and fantastic photographer) she was helping for the first time, barely reaching the counter she was up to her elbows in flour, butter, etc...in hindsight I wish I had pictures of my lovely daughter but the memory is in my heart, oh yea we made our/my first pecan pie.




    LAURA GARZA
    LLEAL_7425@YAHOO.COM

    ReplyDelete
  133. my favorite memory... happens every year and it is always the same...

    we have a stuffing recipe from 3 or 4 generations in my family... and as soon as I get to the third step (adding vermouth) the whole thing changes and the smell is WONDERFUL...

    it is ABSOLUTELY the beginning of the Holiday Season for me... :)

    ReplyDelete
  134. I have 2 favorites... One truly funny, the year we did Thanksgiving at home in the middle of a remodel and my father went to lift the turkey from the roaster to the platter and the legs tore away and the turkey landed in a icky, dust whole where a cabinent once was!

    The other was the year I was pregnant with my first and was in charge of the mashed potatoes to bring to the LARGE family gathering. We had a small kitchen and nothing was going right and I was freaking out and finally my fiancee took me by the shoulders and said "you are pregnant, you are freaking, they are JUST potatoes!" It put everything into perspective!

    ReplyDelete
  135. Thank you for such a generous giveaway!

    Congratulations on your 3rd year. I read a lot of food blogs it seems these days and I always know I can count on you for beautiful and clever ideas! You are the one that drives me to the kitchen the most!

    I'm not sure I have a favorite recipe. We are pretty traditional, non cooks in my family but I can not get enough Turkey!!! ever.

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  136. 3 Years! Nice accomplishment. Ive taken many ideas from you over those years!!

    Favorite memory on Thanksgiving would have to be the one where before children, I was scheduled to work in the hospital 7A-7P.. thought Id come home to pizza and beer from the hubby... thought he had to work too... came home instead to a houseful of guests and a fully cooked dinner...each had brought something..wonderful time!

    ReplyDelete
  137. My most requested side dish ...unstuffed mushrooms.. are one of my favorites for Thanksgiving...made every year!
    http://mytastytreasures.blogspot.com/2009/05/unstuffed-mushroom-side-dish-and.html

    ReplyDelete
  138. My favorite Thanksgiving food memory has to be my mom accidentally blowing up a jar of marshmallow creme in her hair! We had an extra microwave that we usually used just to store things, and we'll just say that she decided on a whim to warm something up =)

    ReplyDelete
  139. Absolutely by far the best memory is my grandmother's sweet potato casserole...every year, same memory of that wonderful food. I look forward to it every year and was given the recipe last year! LOVE IT!

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  140. Happy 3rd anniversary, Monica!! Can't wait to see you this weekend!

    I think my favorite Thanksgiving food memory is when my mom made these birdseed scavenger hunt bottles for my niece and nephews to play with after dinner, but all the adults ended up playing with them instead!

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  141. As for the best Thanksgiving recipes, definitely MINI-PIES!!

    http://willowbirdbaking.wordpress.com/2009/09/19/mini-pies-pumpkin-peach-crisp-and-sour-cream-apple/

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  142. My fave Thanksgiving memory is the first one that I hosted -- my son was about 9 months old. The entire family came to our house to celebrate. It was great.

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  143. Caribbean Fudge Pie

    1/4 cup butter, softened
    3/4 cup packed brown sugar
    3 eggs
    12 oz pkg semisweet chocolate chips
    2 teaspoons instant coffee
    1 teaspoon rum extract
    1/4 cup flour
    1 unbaked 9 inch pie shell


    Cream butter and sugar
    Add eggs, 1 at a time and beat well after each one
    Blend in chips, rum, and coffee
    Stir in flour
    Pour into pie shell

    Bake at 375 for 25 minutes. Cool and top with whip cream/cool whip/vanilla ice cream

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  144. Congrats! I discovered your blog about a year ago and just love your recipes and beautiful photos. My favorite Thanksgiving food memory is my Grandma's Banana Cake she used to make every year. I miss her so much and just can not seem to make that cake like she did :)

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  145. my favorite Thanksgiving memory is...wow i dont know. Well this happens every year but i still find it funny. So my dog (who is a chiuahuah) is 11 pounds and shes only supposed to be like 5. well every year she goes sniffing in the dining room while we're all having our dinner and she sounds just like a pig each year it just cracks me up because shes so fat and we feed her beofre our dinner so shes not hungry but when something falls from the table she dives after it like she hasnt been fed in months. I guess it's a "you have to be there" moment.

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  146. I"m so glad you decided to start your blog. I've found so many great recipes from you, and I'm always searching your site for more.

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  147. I forgot to give my favorite Thanksgiving memory.
    My birthday falls on Thanksgiving every few years and when I was 14 it landed on Thanksgiving. I was bummed because I thought everyone would forget. Instead the whole family and extended family surprised me with presents and cake when I walked in the house. I felt so special and loved.
    And for my favorite Thanksgiving dish: I'm not sure of the recipe, but I'm going to have to call my mom and get her stuffing recipe. It's to die for.

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  148. Grandma's Honey Muffins from the Taste of Home

    * 2 cups all-purpose flour
    * 1/2 cup sugar
    * 3 tsp baking powder
    * 1/2 teaspoon salt
    * 1 egg
    * 1 cup 2% milk
    * 1/4 cup butter, melted
    * 1/4 cup honey

    direction:
    * in large bowl combine the flour sugar baking powder and salt. in a small bowl, combine the egg, milk, butter and honey. stir into dry ingredients just until moist
    * fill greased or paper lined muffin tins 3/4 full. bake 400 degrees for 15-18 minutes. remove from pan onto a wire rack. serve warm

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  149. Congrats on 3 years! That's awsome! I've have just recently found this blog, but I look forward to enjoying it for years to come :).... I would have to say that my favorit Thanksgiving memory is the year we had all of the extended family at our house and we had forgotten the sausage for the breakfast cassorol! And this was many years ago so there were no stores open. So, a few of us went to IHOP to obtain that rascalee sausage. Thank God for IHOP :) :)

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  150. Congratulations on the anniversary of your blog.

    My favorite memory to this day is the year we ended up with 15 pies for Thanksgiving. I was in a baking mood (yes, I was in the mood to do some serious baking - LOL). I had started off kind of slow. An apple pie or two. Then an apple-cranberry for mom. Then the two pecan pies for my niece. My other niece wanted wanted a cherry pie - great. My nephew wanted blueberry... um I think I could do that. My other nephew heard I was baking and requested a cream pie (I had never done one but I was game... banana cream... its on the menu). Found a can of mincemeat... called my mom and no one in my family had had ever tasted mincemeat... so there was even a mincement pie. I was in pie making heaven. I found a cranberry marshmellow pie recipe that made it to the table as well. I couldn't stop. Everytime someone called, I was suggesting another pie. Finally my family was begging me to stop. We had pie leftovers for weeks. My nieces and nephews still talk about the Thanksgiving of the many pies. I just smile. :)

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  151. My favorite memory is recent...i was sad as it was the very first Thanksgiving that both of our children were in college and no one would be home...so my husband I volunteered to serve Thanksgiving dinner down at the local homeless mission...it was a wonderful day and one we are now doing annually...I would recommend to all to give part of your day to the homeless if you can...if I think it is hard to be without family on special days..I cannot imagine what it is like for those who have no home...a good time to be thankful!!

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  152. My favorite Thanksgiving food memory is a pumpkin pie. The first Thanksgiving I had here in the US was my first experience with pumpkin pie. I was not happy about trying this pie as I had only had pumpkin as a vegetable but the pumpkin pie was wonderful.

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  153. We had a tofurkey one year - we had a vegetarian guest and thought it would be nice. But it was awful. Now we just stick to vegetables for the vegetarians; the tofurkey was so disgusting!

    urchiken at gmail dot com

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  154. My mom's apple pie! It's nothing out of the ordinary, but every year it's a race to get a slice, everyone wants one!! It's like a little piece of childhood! Yum!

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  155. My favorite memory was last year.....everyone was here! My kids & grandbabies, my brothers, their families, my sister, my folks....my husband's mom, our friends. Just like it's supposed to be.....a gathering, of loved ones. I felt so blessed - God is good and I am reminded everything I think of that day.

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  156. Here is the apple pie recipe:

    Crust
    2 c. AP Flour
    3/4 c. Crisco
    Ice water (enough to make the crust, it's usually different every time depending on the humidity)

    Filling:
    8 c. apples (we use Rome) core and peeled
    1/2 c sugar
    1/2 c. butter
    2 tsp. cinnamon
    4 T. flour

    Bake at 350 for 45-60 mins or until apples are tender

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  157. My favorite recipe is Kentucky Pecan Pie.
    1 cup white corn syrup
    1 cup dark brown sugar
    1/3 teaspoon salt
    1/3 cup melted butter
    1 teaspoon vanilla
    3 whole eggs slightly beaten
    1 heaping cup shelled whole pecans

    Combine syrup, sugar, salt, butter and vanilla and mix well. Add slightly beaten eggs. Pour into a 9 inch unbaked pie shell. Sprinkle pecans all over. Bake in a preheated oven 350 degrees oven for approximately 45 minutes. When cool top with whipped cream.

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  158. Wow...what a gorgeous bakewear set! My favorite Thanksgiving food memory has to be taking that first bite of my grandmother's sweet potato casserole! No one can make it like she did, although I try every year :)

    djmelton[at]twlakes[dot]net

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  159. My favorite isn't so much Thanksgiving as the day after. When we host Thanksgiving, I have a houseful of inlaws to feed, so I look for great, large recipes. My fave is a cinnamon roll recipe that everyone raves about!! I can get it ready on Thanksgiving after everyone is fed and we're cleaned up, and pop it in the oven the next morning. Smells INCREDIBLE!!

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  160. Infamous UBC Cinnamon Rolls
    3 cups milk
    6 tablespoons butter
    6 tablespoons sugar
    1 tablespoon salt
    1 teaspoon sugar
    1/2 cup lukewarm water
    2 envelopes active dry yeast
    2 large eggs
    9 cups flour

    Filling:
    3/4 cup melted butter, divided
    1 1/4 cups sugar
    2 tablespoons ground cinnamon

    For the rolls, scald milk. Stir in butter, 6 tablespoons sugar, and salt. Cool to lukewarm.
    Dissolve 1 tsp sugar in lukewarm water. Sprinkle yeast over water mixture and let stand in warm place for 10 minutes. Stir.
    In large mixing bowl, combine lukewarm milk mixture and eggs. Stir in dissolved yeast. Add four to five cups of flour and beat well for 10 minutes. With wooden spoon, gradually add enough of the remaining flour to make a soft dough. Turn out onto lightly floured surface and knead until smmoth and elastic, adding additional flour as needed. This is a soft dough. Please in well-greased bowl and roll dough over to grease top. Cover with a damp cloth and let rise in warm place until double in size, about one hour.

    Punch down dough and turn out onto lightly floured surface. Divide dough in half.

    To fill, roll out each piece of dough into a 9x18 inch rectangle. Brush eash rectangle generously with melted butter. Combine the 1 1/14 cups sugar and cinnamon. Sprinkle an equal portion on each rectangle. Roll up douhg like a jelly roll, starting from the long side. Cut into 2-inch slices. Place remaining melted butter in the bottom of a 16.5x11.5x2.5" pan (I use a roasting pan!). Arrange slices in pan and cover loosely with greased wax paper. Let rise in pan until doubled in size, about 45-60 minutes.

    Bake at 350F for 45 minutes. Remove from oven and immediately invert onto serving tray.

    Makes 18 HUGE cinnamon rolls.

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  161. 1st- Happy Anniversary! Thank you for having this mouth watering blog!

    2nd- That crust looks so good, and the chocolate curls!

    3rd- Love the idea for posting a recipe, I will be reading through all of them right after this :)

    4th- My fave T.D. food memory is only much appreciated years later, as a kid I hated it! Now it is the favorite on my plate...Grandma's stuffing. She adds apple and bakes it in foil so some bread cubes are soft and some are crunchy, with lots of sage. So good!

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  162. This is the Sweet Potato Casserole that my grandmother made every Thanksgiving for many years. It is wonderful!

    Preheat oven to 350*

    3 Cups Sweet Potatoes, mashed
    1 tsp. salt
    1/2 stick of butter
    3/4 cup sugar
    1/2 cup evaporated milk
    2 eggs, beaten
    1 tsp. butter flavoring
    1 tsp. sherry or rum extract

    Mix all the above ingredients together by hand and pour into buttered casserole dish.

    Then mix together 1 cup brown sugar, 1/2 cup flour, 1/2 stick butter, and 1 cup chopped pecans and pat down on top of sweet potato mixture. Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes.

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  163. Oh stupid stupid blogger kicked out my super long comment!! I hate that. Sorry, I feel better now and will re-comment.

    Three years?! Wow, in the blogging world you're old. It's nice to be the younger (& bossy) one for a change.

    My favorite Thanksgiving memory was when mom, Joe, & I went to the twins' school for Thanksgiving lunch. Jalen's teacher excited told me that Jalen was the only student to write that he was thankful for his mom on his "thankful for" list. Little did she know that I was in fact, not "mom". I was mommy and the "mom" referred to on his list was MY mom! His teacher I think thought that a little strange when I told her. My mom on the other hand thought it wonderful and I believe still has Jalen's list. :)

    Happy Blogiverary!
    ~ingrid

    Btw, I still think I Make Brown Food is a fun name. :)

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  164. Happy Anniversary! :)

    My favorite Thanksgiving memory was, as a little girl, waiting to break the wishbone with one of my sisters. It was a tradition that kinda died as we got older and decided with was gross to touch bones off a carcass, but for a while, we really did think those wishes would come true.

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  165. This isn't a new recipe (I think they print it in all the magazines around Thanksgiving time), but my sil made it one Holiday and now we make it every year:

    Cranberry-Pineapple Salad

    1 can(20 oz) Crushed pineapple, undrained
    2 pkg (4 serv) Jello Raspberry Gelatin or flavor of your choice
    1 16 oz can whole berry cranberry sauce
    1 medium apple, chopped
    2/3 cups chopped walnuts

    Drain pineapple, reserving liquid in 1 qt. liquid measuring cup.
    Remove 1 Tbsp. of the crushed pineapple to set aside for garnish. Add enough cold water to reserved liquid to measure 3 cups;pour into large saucepan. Bring to boil, remove from heat and add gelatin. Stir at least 2 minutes till dissolved. Add cranberry sauce and stir to blend.
    Pour into a large bowl. Refrigerate 1 1/2 hours or slightly thickened.

    Stir in remaining pineapple, apples and walnuts till well blended. Pour into medium serving bowl. Refrigerate 4 hours or until firm. Unmold and top with reserved pineapple before serving. Makes 14 1/2 cup servings.

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  166. Hey they say its your blogiversary...it my blogiversary too.... ok.sorry... I have had way too much coffee :) Congrats on three years! One of my most cherished Thanksgiving memories is going outside with my hippie mom and listening to Alice's Restraunt! We always had big family get togethers with my grandparents in our conservative town and my mom and I would creep outside to get down with the hippie goodness!

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  167. http://inthekitchenwithbutters.blogspot.com/2010_08_01_archive.html

    Thats a recipe for delicious green beans that I will be making for Thanksgiving. NOM!

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  168. My grandfather and I both have late November birthdays, so when we had Thanksgiving dinner, we shared our birthday "cake", which was always pumpkin pie with two candles for us to blow out in unison. He passed away when I was 12, but I still love to have pumpkin pie as one of my birthday treats.

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  169. Here's a quick and easy holiday recipe. They're chewy and sugary just like the real thing.

    Pecan Pie Mini Muffins

    1 c. brown sugar, packed
    1/2 c. flour
    1 c. pecans, chopped
    2/3 c. butter, melted
    2 eggs, beaten

    In a bowl, combine first three ingredients; set aside. Combine butter & eggs - mix well. Stir into flour mixture until just moistened. Fill greased and floured or paper-lined miniature muffin cups. Bake at 350 degrees for 20 to 25 minutes or until tested done. Remove immediately to cool on wire racks. Makes 2 dozen.

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  170. Congratulations on your 3rd blog-anniversary! The pie looks delicious, we don't have pies like this here. You must have one happy hubby.
    Keep up the gorgeous baking!

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  171. I love the regular old pumpkin pie! :)

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  172. One year I made my son's favorite cheesy potatoes. He took a big helping and got a funny look on his face when he took the first bite. He pulled a piece of chalk out of his mouth. Still have no idea where that came from...probably a long day of teaching!

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  173. My favorite thanksgiving food memory was baking pies with my mom after my first semester away at college. We had never baked pies before and I never knew how good of a baker she was :)

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  174. Studying abroad in Florence during Thanksgiving, my friends and I had to get a little creative...

    ITALIAN STUFFING
    6 tablespoons (3/4 stick) butter
    8 ounces pancetta, cut into 1/4-inch dice
    2 large onions, finely chopped
    2 carrots, peeled and finely chopped
    3 celery stalks, finely chopped
    2 tablespoons chopped fresh rosemary leaves
    3 garlic cloves, chopped
    2 (7.4-ounce) jars roasted peeled whole chestnuts, coarsely broken
    1/4 cup chopped fresh Italian parsley leaves
    1 pound day-old ciabatta bread, cut into 3/4-inch cubes
    2/3 cup freshly grated Parmesan
    1 cup (or more) canned low-salt chicken broth
    Salt and freshly ground black pepper
    2 large eggs, beaten to blend
    Directions
    Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

    Butter a 15 by 10 by 2-inch glass baking dish. Melt 2 tablespoons of butter in a heavy large skillet over medium heat. Add the pancetta and saute until crisp and golden, about 10 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the pancetta to a large bowl. Melt the remaining butter in the same skillet over medium-high heat. Add the onions, carrots, celery, rosemary, and garlic. Saute until the onions are very tender, about 12 minutes. Gently stir in the chestnuts and parsley. Transfer the onion mixture to the large bowl with the pancetta. Add the bread and Parmesan and toss to coat. Add enough broth to the stuffing mixture to moisten. Season the stuffing, to taste, with salt and pepper. Mix in the eggs.

    Transfer the stuffing to the prepared dish. Cover with buttered foil, buttered side down, and bake until the stuffing is heated through, about 30 minutes. Uncover and continue baking until the top is crisp and golden, about 15 minutes longer.

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  175. One year my mom decided to bake a ham and a turkey and she forgot to take the plastic vac-pac on the ham off before baking! HILARIOUS when she served it...she didn't even notice and tried to cut it.

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  176. Also, my favorite Thanksgiving dish is stuffing with corn casserole a close second :)
    Hope I win!

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  177. One of my favorite memories is the aroma of that turkey cooking bright and early on Thanksgiving morning, and knowing that my grandparents, aunts and uncles would be arriving soon. Another is my Mom's stuffing.......as hard as I try I can't make mine taste as good as hers did. Her Apple Pie runs a close second.......she never used a recipe but it always came out perfect.

    Guess it's a "Mom's Magic Touch" huh?

    And can't forget my Nana's homemade rolls.....mmmmmmmmmm!!!!!!

    Happy 3 year Blog-iversary, Monica...that chocolate tart looks dreamy.... :)

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  178. My favorite Thanksgiving was probably last year, cause it was the first year I contributed many dishes to the meal instead of making my mom cook everything. I handled all the desserts, several appetizers as well an green bean bundles. All of which were asked to become regular staples on the table! :)

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  179. Happy 3 years!!!!! That is so awesome! The Hubble has been wanting some kind of chocolate mousse cake pie or something recently so I think this recipe would be perfect. If only I owned a tart pan!! (hint, hint!)

    My favorite Thanksgiving memory is when we would go to my grandma's house. She always made homemade pies. My grandpa's room in the back of the house was the coolest place and she would always place her homemade pies on newspaper underneath his bed in that back room. Me and my older sister would lay on our bellies on the floor just staring at those pies. Best!

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  180. My favorite Thanksgiving food memory is the first Thanksgiving I spent with my husband. We were about to be married the next month and I stayed over with his family. My life was changing so much so fast and I felt I had so much to be grateful for that year! Plus his mom is an amazing cook and it was so fun having different dishes that were a part of HIS family's Thanksgiving tradition.

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  181. My all time favorite recipe EVER but only seems to be acceptable during Thanksgiving is candied yam's.
    1 (29 ounce) can sweet potatoes
    1/4 cup butter, cut into pieces
    1/2 cup brown sugar
    1 1/2 cups miniature marshmallows
    Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C).
    Place sweet potatoes in a medium baking dish. Distribute butter pieces evenly over the sweet potatoes. Sprinkle with brown sugar. Layer with miniature marshmallows.
    Cover and bake in the preheated oven 25 minutes, or until sweet potatoes are tender and marshmallows have melted.
    cluffgirl@hotmail.com

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  182. I remember making my first cranberry apple pie when I was 16. It turned out beautiful, and it is known to this day affectionately as the "crapple" pie.

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  183. My favorite Thanksgiving food memory is of me and my mom and my sister making my grandmothers famous dressing for the first time by ourselves. It was excellent and we enjoyed the experience together.

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  184. My favorite recipe at Thanksgiving is Pumpking Gooey Butter Cake.

    Ingredients
    Cake:
    1 (18 1/4-ounce) package yellow cake mix
    1 egg
    8 tablespoons butter, melted
    Filling:
    1 (8-ounce) package cream cheese, softened
    1 (15-ounce) can pumpkin
    3 eggs
    1 teaspoon vanilla
    8 tablespoons butter, melted
    1 (16-ounce) box powdered sugar
    1 teaspoon cinnamon
    1 teaspoon nutmeg
    Directions
    Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.


    Combine the cake mix, egg, and butter and mix well with an electric mixer. Pat the mixture into the bottom of a lightly greased 13 by 9-inch baking pan.


    To make the filling: In a large bowl, beat the cream cheese and pumpkin until smooth. Add the eggs, vanilla, and butter, and beat together. Next, add the powdered sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, and mix well. Spread pumpkin mixture over cake batter and bake for 40 to 50 minutes. Make sure not to overbake as the center should be a little gooey.


    Serve with fresh whipped cream.

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  185. First time reader (found you via 2 peas their pod) and so happy to have found you. I may just be adding this delicious looking/sounding pie to my thanksgiving menu.

    My favorite Thanksgiving memory is probably everyone gathered at Grandma's house, her WONDERFUL homemade rolls, the turkey cooked in an old wood burning stove in a paper bag, and then going outside for the annual family picture. Good times.

    A favorite thanksgiving dish is a wonderful mixture of apples and yam/sweet potatoes.

    Microwave or oven roast 2-3 yams til almost fork tender
    Allow to cool then peel and slice yams to 1/4"-1/2" thick coins.
    In small buttered casserole dish start with a layer of yams and then top with peeled, cored,and sliced apples (sprinkle with a little lemon juice for color preserve and taste.) Top this layer with mixture of sea salt, fresh ground black pepper, sugar (brown or white,) cinnamon, (nutmeg & allspice also make nice additions) and a little flour or cornstarch (for sauce thickening.) On top of seasonings place pats of butter. Continue layers of yams, apples, seasonings & butter until you are to the top of the dish - try to end with a layer of sweet potatoes.
    Place covered in a 350 deg oven and cook about 30 minutes til you have hot, steamy, buttery, gooey, yummy goodness. Bonus: Prep can be done day or two in advance and yams can then be put in the oven to finish cooking after the turkey comes out to rest before carving.

    Thank you for a wonderful blog.

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  186. My favorite Thanksgiving food memory is from last year. I was living in Japan and wanted to make Thanksgiving dinner for all my friends, especcially turkey because most people there have never had it. I was a little nervous because it was my first time making Thanksgiving dinner, but I was excited. I was so happy to find a turkey at Costco and ordered an aluminum pan online. The only problem was the pan didn't fit in the Japanese oven! Luckily it was an aluminum pan so I could bend it and force it into the oven. The turkey just fit! Everything turned out great and my friends enjoyed their first Thanksgiving meal!

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  187. My mom always orders a fresh turkey and picks it up the day before Thanksgiving. My favorite T'giving memory is the year she went to cook it on T'giving morning only to realize that the butcher had given her a bag of turkey parts and not a whole turkey!! This was back in the day before grocery stores were open on holidays :) She went ahead and cooked it up and it was just as delicious as ever but we still laugh about that to this day!!

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  188. My favorite Thanksgiving dish is actually a very simple one. My mom always made these for Thanksgiving dinner (and her mom before that, etc...) and now my sisters and I serve it with our holiday meals. My mom always called it "Frosted Fruit Shrub" and it's simply 1-2 scoops of orange sherbert in a glass with cranberry juice poured on top. It's absolutely delicious and probably my most favorite part of the meal as well as the rest of our family's. Any holiday meal is not complete with out this tasty drink :)

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  189. Happy Anniversary to you and your blog!
    A favorite memory believe it or not was ...one Thanksgiving many, many years ago as my family was about to sit down and eat....on top of the refrigerator was a corningware glass cover....well, the vibrations were slowly creeping it closer and closer to the edge and finally CRASH!! Glass was everywhere all in the lovingly made mashed potatoes and 2other side dishes....one of my brothers was kinda crazy at the table shouting HOW CAN WE HAVE THANKSGIVING WITHOUT MASHED POTATOES!! lol....to this day he and we still bring it up and it makes me laugh every time! AND oh yeah, somehow he solidly places the full blame for that little catastrophe on me!!! Heehee!

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  190. Mine was definitely my Mother in Law's Dressing - it was amazing & I am so happy I was able sit in on her making this dish several times.

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  191. I always loved the stuffing that my mom would make with cranberries in it.

    My other favorite: Death by Chocolate...recipe to come.

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  192. Death by Chocolate:

    this is not pie, but we always had it for Thanksgiving for some reason, the kids like it better than pie anyway.

    ingredients:

    chocolate pudding, prepared
    cool whip (the big size)
    skor bars (2 or 3, crushed)
    baked brownies crumbled into chunks

    assembly (preferably in a deep glass bowl):

    1st layer, 1/3 or 1/2 chocolate pudding. (depends on how many layers you want)

    2nd layer, some of the brownie chunks.

    3rd layer, 1/2 or 1/3 of cool whip

    4th layer, 1 crushed skor bar

    repeat and end with skor bar on cool whip for the top. SO TASTY!!!

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  193. my favorite memory was my first thanksgiving dinner as a new bride..and 4 months pregnant with my daughter...nothing like the smell of turkey cooking when you have severe morning sicknes..and 20 people coming to dinner!

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  194. My favorite Thanksgiving memory is the Thanksgiving dinner my husband and I prepared for our combined families 6 weeks after we were married. We made and served it in the little kitchen/dining area in our 1 bedroom apartment and managed to fit in 14 people. I was just so eager to show off my new china and dishes and we were just so happy and in love that I don't remember being stressed about anything--just glad everyone could make it! (And we love looking back at the pictures that were taken that day.)

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  195. That tart looks delicious! My fave Thanksgiving memories have been getting together with my entire extended family each year with great food.

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  196. One of my favorite things about fall/winter is cranberry recipes. These cranberry orange muffins are some of my favorites:

    2 cups flour
    3/4 cup sugar
    1 teaspoon baking powder
    1/2 teaspoon baking soda
    1/2 teaspoon salt
    1 cup cranberries
    1 egg
    3/4 cup orange juice
    1/4 cup vegetable oil
    1 teaspoon grated orange rind

    Combine dry ingredients. Stir in cranberries. Beat egg, orange juice, oil and orange rind. Add to dry ingredients all at once. Stir just to moisten. Spoon into greased muffin cups until 3/4 full. Sprinkle tops lightly with a bit of sugar. Bake at 400 for 15-20 mins until lightly browned and a toothpick comes out clean.

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  197. Orange Counter KitchenNovember 4, 2010 at 12:52 PM

    I don't have an "exciting and new" recipe to pass along. We do all the traditional foods: green bean casserole, mashed potatoes, squash, boiled onions, apple and pumpkin pies. However, what we look forward to the most is the stuffing. I don't even use a recipe. But I love it because I clean out my freezer and use all of the odds and ends of loaves of bread, hot dog rolls, probably last Thanksgiving's dinner rolls, etc. that I've been saving all year and now my freezer has lots more space for this year's Thanksgiving leftovers and turkey soup!

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  198. One of my favorite food memories is of the first YUMMY sweet potato casserole i had. This was during my college years and goodness gracious, it was fantastic!!!
    I will try to find the recipe & get it posted!!!
    -LadyG

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  199. Every year I look forward to my grandmother's homemade pies...banana cream pie is my favorite!!

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