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Showing posts with the label THANKSGIVING

Chonky Boys: The Chocolate Chip Cookie Ice Cream Sandwiches that Scream Summer!

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Featuring my thick and nuggy Chonky Boy Chocolate Chip Cookies, these ice cream sandwiches are the stuff that summer dreams are made of.  If you've ever had the Cookie Ice Cream Sandwich at Disneyland , you are going to LOVE these!  These big and bold chocolate chip cookies are based on a recipe from my culinary school studies at Auguste Escoffier, but with a few modifications to give them that Jennuine touch.  They make the perfectas book for a fat slice of real vanilla bean ice cream.  And those mini chips?  You just gotta have that extra cronch! Thank goodness this recipe only makes 8 sandwiches, otherwise I would be eating them for breakfast lunch and dinner.  This way, my big family can help save me from my inner child diet-saboteur.   Print With Image Without Image Chonky Boy Chocolate Chip Cookie Ice Cream Sandwiches Yield: 8 Author: Jenn Erickson Loaded with chocolate chips and buttery, brown-sugary vanilla flavor, these mall-sized cookies form a perfect partnership with a
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THE MAYFLOUR -- A pie that is ship shape and ready to sail

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(photo modified from the original taken by SS) A few weeks ago I stumbled upon a blog called Diamonds for Dessert and was immediately captivated by the creativity and charm of the recipes there. The one recipe I positively couldn't get out of my mind was the incredibly original and beautifully written tutorial for making a pie that looks like a pirate ship -- A Pie-rate Ship! Brilliant!   Not having any little buccaneers with impending birthdays in my crew, I immediately began to daydream about the other occasions I could serve a ship-shaped pie!  I first imagined a fleet of Spanish sailing ships ~ The Nina, The Pinta and The Santa Maria for Columbus Day.  Unfortunately, Columbus Day had just passed.  I had literally missed the boat!  "Not to worry," I told myself, "Thanksgiving is just around the corner."  Suffice to say, it was a little too close around the corner, and sadly I've spent the last few days nursing a head cold rather than prepari
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Free Vintage Thanksgiving Clip Art -- A Fabulous Folk Art Turkey

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Just a few little charming snippets from my collection to share with you today.  These three vintage images came from a 1927 book passed down from my grandmother titled "The Turtle Whose Snap Unfastened".  This delightful (and rather quirky) little book features the illustrations of Ve Elizabeth Cadie set to stories like "The Turkey Who Gargled His Gobble", "The Bee Who Broke His Buzz", and "The Horse Who Scrambled His Trot".  Enjoy!
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ENOUGH ABOUT ME ALREADY

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(my maternal grandmother, Rose, is the baby pictured above) I've never been particularly comfortable droning on and on about myself, but this week's posts seem to have been just that.  Thanks for bearing with me, for indulging me my follies, and for keeping my spirits high with your kind comments! But enough about me already!  I want to hear about you... With the Thanksgiving week nearly upon us, I'm thinking a lot about family. So the question is: Does your family (mom, dad, brothers, sisters, etc) read your blog? If not, do you know why?  How do you feel about that? If yes, how do they interact with your blog?  Do you write about them?  Ever write something you wish you hadn't?
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CONCIENCIOUS THANKSGIVING OBJECTORS ~ A RARE BIRD?

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Thanks to the courageous confession from fellow blogger Nicole at Miss Dot's Cupcake Spot (Read her post " Don't Hate Me, But... ", and while you're there check out  Mustache Mondays !)  that she isn't particularly fond of Thanksgiving Food, I feel safe to say that I could contentedly live out the rest of my days without ever eating another bite of Thanksgiving Turkey (Whew!  That felt good!)  There must be more of us out there who, because they love the tradition, the feasting, and celebration that comes with the holiday, hide our true feelings.  Somehow, not liking a slice of bird with cranberry sauce feels, well, kinda un-American.  Hmmm....I'm feeling a support group coming on ~ The First Annual Congregation of the AntiTurkarian Holidationalists?  If you thought I was weird for not liking Turkey, well, now I've really gone and done it! Some AntiTurkarians, like my friend Nicole, turn to desserts (specifically PIE) for their Thanksgiving salva
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PUMPKIN WHOOPIE (!) PIES WITH CREAM CHEESE VANILLA BEAN FILLING

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Today the girls and I dug back to our Pennsylvania roots and baked up a batch of delicious Pumpkin Whoopie Pies!  Max mixed the batter.  Maddie made the filling.  And Bessie, our beloved family cow, kept time with her tail to the tune that Pa played on the fiddle.  I'll leave it to you to figure out where I've embellishmed my story (just a little).  They're very simple to make and as Bessie will tell you, are "udderly" delicious.  Still with me?  Well, bless your heart! Here's the recipe: Pumpkin Whoopie (!) Pies with Cream Cheese Vanilla Bean Filling Makes 9 For the “Pies” 2 cups all-purpose flour 1/2 teaspoon salt 1 teaspoon baking soda 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon 1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves 2 large eggs 1 cup granulated sugar 1/2 cup canola or vegetable oil 1 cup canned pumpkin 1 teaspoon vanilla extract Preheat the oven to 325
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Pumpkin Butter ~ A Dippy Love Story and Recipe

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A few years ago my husband and I were in charge of making snack at my daughter's preschool.  On the top shelf of the oven, one of the teachers had an apple pie baking.  On the middle and bottom shelves we were baking grilled cheese sandwiches (Monterey Jack cheese on Milton's Original Whole Grain Bread).  As is oft to happen with fruit pies, the apple pie bubbled over, coating the corner of one of the sandwiches below with sweet, cinnamony goodness.  Mr. Rook, a big fan of trying unusual food combinations eyed the syrupy sandwich with eager anticipation.  I, however, was wary.  Perhaps it's un-American, but I'm not really a huge fan of apple pie (gasp!).  Smooth-talker that he is, Mr. Rook talked me in to trying a bite and, "WOW!"  It was fantastic!  Unfortunately, this accidental delicacy was in short supply.  So, that evening, we made up a batch of the same grilled cheese sandwiches.  Because we didn't have an apple pie on hand, and hoping to
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PUMPKIN PIE ICE CREAM FOR OUR INDIAN SUMMER

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Due to the bassackwards microclimate of the Monterey Peninsula, we are intermittently experiencing a beautiful Indian Summer ~ Days of warmth and sunshine, with just a subtle backnote of Fall crispness lingering in air.  Have you ever wondered what's up with that layered-tank-top-and-long-scarf look that's so popular with the Old Navy/Gap set?  They're not totally nuts ~ they were probably raised in an area that experiences the Indian Summer.  One day you're bundled up in fleece and Ugg boots (this uniform is standard issue in our area).  On the menu:  a cozy Pumpkin Soup and crusty whole grain bread enjoyed fireside.  Next day your sporting shorts and flip-flops.  On the menu?  Well, you're still feeling "Fall", but suddenly hot soup doesn't have quite the same appeal.  So, here in the land of topsy-turvy seasons we've learned to adapt our favorite seasonal recipes to compliment the "climatary quirks", as it were.  If you're
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COLD TURKEY ~ THE DAY AFTER THANKSGIVING CONUNDRUM

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OKAY, LET'S TALK TURKEY!   After all, that time of year has crept up on us with stealth and a loud and blood curdling, " GOBBLE, GOBBLE, GOBBLE !"    First some Turkey tips from this Bird about Another: 1)  Try a kosher Turkey.  They are held to the strictest standards and are therefore of very high quality, are extremeley clean (cleaned and processed by people, not by machines in giant factories), and come already partially brined, and that means a nice juicy roast! 2)  If you're buying a regular or heirloom bird, be sure to brine it.   Heirlooms and free-range birds can be wonderful, but are often a little drier than regular turkeys.  Not sure where to put your bird while brining?  Try a small cooler.  It will keep it cool and won't take up valuable space in the fridge.  Alton Brown has a great brine recipe on FoodNetwork.com . 3)  Consider cooking your stuffing outside of the bird.  Not only is it safer (sparing you the potential for an u
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