Well Golly Gee...I'll Be...

I have some Thanksgiving recipes for ya'll! And some photos to go with them!

First is a NEW Apple Pie Recipe!

~Easy Pie Crust~

(Courtesy of Food Network Magazine)

12 tbsp. very cold unsalted butter

3 c. AP flour

1 tsp. salt

1 tbsp. sugar

1/3 c. very cold vegetable shortening

6-8 tbsp. ice water

Dice the butter and return it to the refrigerator while you prepare the flour mixture. Place the flour, salt, and sugar in a large bowl and mix to combine. Place the butter and shortening into the same bowl. Using a knife and fork, cut the butter and shortening into the flour mixture. This took me about 30 to 45 min. You can also use a pastry cutter or do this in a food processor. The dough should come together into little pea sized balls. Add the water a tbsp. at time and mix to combine. Turn out onto a floured counter and roll into a ball. Cover in plastic wrap and place in refrigerator for 30 min.

When ready to form a crust, take the dough out of the refrigerator and cut in half. Roll each piece on a well-floured counter into a circle, rolling from the center to the edge, turning and flouring the dough to make sure it doesn't stick to the board. Fold the dough in half, place in a pie pan and unfold to fit the pan. Repeat with the top crust.

~Deep Dish Apple Pie~

(Courtesy of Food Network Magazine)

4 lbs. Granny Smith apples, peeled, cored, and sliced

Zest of 1 lemon

Zest of 1 orange

2 tbsp. lemon juice

1 tbsp. orange juice

1/2 c. sugar, plus more

1/4 c. AP flour

1 tsp. salt

1 1/2 tsp. cinnamon

1/2 tsp. nutmeg

1/8 tsp. allspice

1 egg beaten w/ water to brush on top

Preheat the oven to 400 F. Place the peeled, cored, and sliced apples into a large bowl and combine with the zests, juices, 1/2 c. sugar, flour, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, and allspice. Combine until all of the apples are coated with the mixture. Pour into prepared bottom pie crust. Top with prepared top pie crust. (I latticed my crust) If not latticed, then cut 2-3 slits on the top to release steam. Brush the top of the pie with the beaten egg mixture and sprinkle with sugar. Place the pie onto a sheet pan and bake for 1 to 1.5 hours or until the crust is browned and the juices begin to bubble out. Serve warm and ENJOY!!

(Note: I covered mine with tin foil about half way through because the crust was getting a little too brown)

The apple pie mixture

I would have to say that this is by far my favorite pie crust mixture so far, I used to use my grandmothers recipe, but hers does not call for sugar, and I think that I am a fan of the extra sweetness.

As for the filling...I have mixed feelings on that. When I tasted it, it was very citrusy, because of the lemon and orange zest and juice. I am used to apple pies being very apply and/or cinnamon-y. This new flavor was not bad, just different. I think that next time I will keep the citrus, just back off on it a little bit and add more cinnamon. I might try a different type of apple as well, until I get it right!! hahahaha!!

The next morning we had plain and chocolate chip pancakes for breakfast

Clementines that every one enjoyed!

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!!!

Is it a Holiday?

Wow, what a day...wait, what day is today? Oh yeah, it's THANKSGIVING!!! Sure don't feel like it, at least to me. It was such an odd day. Started out that the hubby and I had plans to go to a family friends for Turkey day dinner, but those plans got changed, okay no problem...lets just roll with the flow. Well, we woke up, went to the gym...came home and hard core cleaned the house with the expectation of my In-laws spending the weekend. Okay, what's next? Right, I need to go to the grocery store to pick up some last minute items...okay, in the car over there and when I get there found out that they had closed up for the day...dang! Its the towns only grocery store, you would think they would stay open later that 3:00. Oh well, went to CVS that was open...didn't get everything that I needed, but made due... So, in the car on the way home and I get a call from my hubby who says that he has to go into work earlier than expected, okay...dang! Can't have a mini Thanksgiving with just the two of us in the afternoon! I tell him that I will have food for him when he gets home, but im hungry! I tell him I might eat, and I do...I made Turkey Meatballs (Yummy!) and stovetop stuffing. I also made some spicy turkey sausage when my hubby got home cuz I ate a good deal of the meatballs...I had more of them and less of the stuffing.

~Easy Turkey Meatballs~

1.25 lbs. Ground Turkey

1 egg

1 c. Italian seasoned bread crumbs

2 tbsp. ketchup

2 tsp. oregano

2 tsp. parsley

2 tsp. onion powder

2 tsp. garlic powder

1 tsp. garlic salt

Preheat oven to 400 F. Combine all the ingredients in a large bowl and mix to combine. Roll into golfball sized balls and place onto a greased baking sheet. Bake for 20-25 min. or until the meatballs register 180 degrees on a thermometer.

The hubbs got home and started eating, and then he started to feel a little sick...must have been the lack of food all day and then quickly eating really dense food...and the energy drinks that he said he had at work. Bummer man! I don't want him to be sick! So we waited a while and then had dessert! (I was going to make apple pie, but I couldn't get some ingredients due to the grocery store being closed) I made Special K Bars or Scotcheroos as they are also known by. Then I baked up one pie crust that I prepared the other day, and made Mom's Chocolate Pie that is now firming up in the fridge! I also stared some Wild Rice in the microwave that will cook for a while, then sit and steam overnight...can't wait for Thanksgiving Round II tomorrow!! Sans turkey, but hey, thats fine with me!!

~Scotcheroos~

(aka Special K Bars)

1 c. light corn syrup

1 c. granulated sugar

1 c. creamy peanut butter

6 c. rice krispies cereal (or Special K)

1 c. semi-sweet chocolate chips

1 c. butterscotch chips

In a medium sauce pan (large enough to hold all 6 c. of cereal and be able to stir) combine the corn syrup and sugar. Bring to a boil over medium high heat stirring occasionally to prevent burning. When the mixture comes to a boil, remove from heat and stir in peanut butter. Once the peanut butter has melted and combined, add in the cereal. Stir to coat completely. Spread mixture into a 9in x 10in baking dish spayed with cooking spray. Let sit. Meanwhile, in a small sauce pan, melt the chocolate and butterscotch chips over LOW heat stirring constantly to prevent burning. Once melted and combined, pour over peanut butter cereal mixture and spread to cover. Let cool. Cut into bite sized bars and ENJOY!!

On the docket for tomorrow:

1. Finish Wild Rice

2. Finish and Bake Apple Pie

3. Do whatever else that may need to be done...

In the time being, here are some picture and some recipes that I am sure everyone is waiting for!

Pie Crust and Apple Pie Recipe coming soon!!

Mom's Chocolate Pie Recipe here.

Cleaning out the InBox...

I found some recipes that I intended wanted to post...so, I have some time...

~Grandma's Pie Crust~

2 c. flour

2/3 c. shortening

1 tsp. salt

2 tbsp. water

Mix together the first 3 ingredients in a large bowl until completely combined. This takes a good 15 min. or so. The shortening should be entirely combined. The mixture should be fine with very few lumps in it. Add the water and mix it again and form it into 2 balls. Roll out to fit pie pan and for top crust. (I doubled this recipe because I like a good amount of crust.)

~Paper Bag Apple Pie~

4 lg. apples

1/2 c. sugar

2 tbsp. flour

1/2 tsp. nutmeg

1 tsp. cinnamon

1/2 c. sugar

1/2 c. flour

1 stick butter (thinly sliced)

1 brown paper bag

Paper clips

Peel and core the apples and then slice them thinly. Combine the 1/2 c. sugar, 2 tbsp. flour, nutmeg and cinnamon together and stir into the apples. Put this entire mixture into an unbaked 9in. pie shell. Combine the remaining 1/2 c. sugar and 1/2 c. flour and sprinkle over the apple mixture. Over this entire mixture, evenly space the sliced stick of butter. Cover with the top crust. Place the pie in the paper bag and close with paper clips. Place the bag on a cookie sheet and bake at 400F for 1 hour. Split bag and cool.

The outcome after it was devoured by my hubby's roommates!

Gobble Gobble

HAPPY THANKSGIVING 2008!

~The Feast~

The wonderful turkey that we ate!

Mashed Potatoes

Stuffing! One of my favorites!!

Minnesota Grown wild rice with mushrooms and onions.

My mother is famous for these...i tried her recipe and it was amazing!!

Recipe here.

~The Desserts~

Cherry Pie

Homemade Apple Pie

(My second attempt...it was good, but can be better!)

My attempt at my mothers chocolate pie. Made with an oil-based crust and rich chocolate filling. Very very yummy, but next time I would like less crumbly crust.

~Mom's Chocolate Pie~**

15 lg. marshmallows

1/2 c. milk

6 pk. reg. Hershey bars, plain

1 tsp. vanilla

1/2 pt. whipping cream

Melt in microwave in a large microwave safe bowl the marshmallows, 5 chocolate bars, and milk. Stir every few min. to combine and to prevent burning; continue until complete combined and melted together. Cool. Whip the cream, add the vanilla and fold into the cooled chocolate mixture. Pour entire mixture into cooked and cooled pie shell. Grate remaining chocolate bar on top of filling. Chill in refrigerator until firm. Cut, serve, and enjoy!

The sunset that we ended our Thanksgiving day with...

What a georgous view...

Makes you appreciate life.

**Updated with recipes!!**