Thanksgiving mistakes you never want to make

Thanksgiving is about a week away and for all you hosts out there, now is the time the pressure starts to set in and you have nightmares of all the things that can go wrong. Below is a list of the top mistakes that you do not want to make at your Thanksgiving meal.

Keep your rolls fresh: When you have a million things to do for one meal, preparation is next to godliness. Nothing helps more with preparation than items you can make ahead of time. Rolls are the perfect item to make the day before and warm right before you serve them. Always remember to put your rolls in an air tight container when you store them over night. If you don't, you will have little hockey pucks in the morning and a lot of stress trying to get new rolls to rise in time for dinner.

Thaw your butter- Nothing is worse than having beautiful golden warm rolls ruined by an ice cube of butter that shred your roll the minute the butter touches it. Butter is meant to be spreadable so be sure to take it out of the fridge in time to ensure that can happen. It makes for happy guests and less awkward moments of people trying chip off the butter like they are chiseling an ice sculpture.

Mix cornstarch with water for the gravy- We have all done it. You know that your mom always added cornstarch to the gravy to thicken it. Unfortunately, many of us failed to notice that she mixed it with a bit of water first and we go ahead and dump the powder right into the simmering gravy. Nothing like a chunk of gluey bitter mouth to go along with your creamy mashed potatoes. Always remember to mix your cornstarch with water before adding to your gravy.

Do not use a non-stick pan to mash your potatoes in- Non-stick pans are awesome. But what is not awesome is having that black non-stick coating marbled through your white potatoes. Potatoe mashers will tear that coating right off and cause havoc to your meal. After all, you can only claim  that you went overboard with the pepper for so long. Sooner or later everyone will figure it out and you will be horribly embarrassed.

Finally, the top mistake that you do not want to make for your Thanksgiving meal.

THAW YOUR TURKEY DAYS IN ADVANCE- Did you know that thawing a turkey can take up to 4 days? Please do not be the host that wakes up in the morning feeling completely prepared and then you realize your turkey in nestled down on the bottom of your deep freeze. It is a hard mistake to recover from. Do yourself a favor and put a reminder in your phone right now. You will be glad you did.

We hope that you all have a wonderful Thanksgiving. Let us know of any experiences that you have, good or bad, that made a Thanksgiving to remember. Happy cooking everyone!

Andrea

Banana Bread

This has long been a favorite around our house. It is a great way to use your overripe bananas. It is also a great treat to send in care packages or to freeze for those times you need a quick treat to take to a neighbor. This recipe can be doubled or tripled so you will have plenty when you need it. Good luck!

1/2 C shortening
1 C sugar
2 eggs
3 ripe bananas
1/3 C walnuts
2 C flour
1 tsp soda
1/2 tsp salt

Mix together well. Pour batter into 1 large loaf pan or 3 small loaf pans. Make sure to spray your pans with non-stick spray. Bake @ 350 for 1 hour or until you can insert a toothpick in center of loaf and it comes out clean.

Heidi

Grilled Cheese, Cheese Fries, and the ultimate Dipping Sauce

You will need:
Loaf of sourdough bread
Slices of Muenster and Provolone cheese
1 Avocado
Butter
1 bag frozen shoestring fries
1 bag shredded cheddar cheese
Mayonnaise
Hickory BBQ sauce


Cut two slices of Sourdough bread and generously butter each side. Using a non stick pan on a low setting begin grilling the bread. I usually do about 10 mins until a nice crust has formed. Then flip and grill the other side. After about 7 mins add on 2 slices of muenster then add a couple slices of avocado and then 2 slices of provolone. The avocado will be in between the muenster and provolone. Then once the cheese is melted its ready to serve. I like the flavor the different kinds of cheese bring to it.

For the cheese fries cook 1 bag of frozen shoestring fries in the oven as directed. Once cooked place on a plate layering shredded medium cheddar cheese throughout. Then put back in the oven for a few minutes until cheese is melted. Make sure you put a cool baking pan underneath the plate. Don't leave the plate in the oven for too long only a few minutes. For the dipping sauce you combine mayonnaise and hickory flavored BBQ sauce to taste. I usually do about 1 Tablespoons of Mayo to 3 Tablespoons of BBQ sauce. This sauce is delicious!!

Parmesan Breadsticks

I reluctantly share this recipe because my friends will all think I am a fraud. Every time I make these I get rave reviews and I am hailed an amazing cook. I feel guilty because they are so easy that it is embarrassing. I feel like I am lifting the magic curtain and there are no fancy tricks to show. Anyway.... if you really want to wow an audience by adding breadsticks to a soup or pasta, try these! I promise you will not be disappointed. Olive Garden doesn't have anything on these babies!

All you will need is
12-24 frozen roll dough (I used Rhoades dough)
1 stick of butter
About 1/2 bottle of powdered parmesan cheese

Take the dough out and let thaw until pliable enough to roll
Roll into sticks and set aside

Melt butter and place in dipping bowl
Pour parmesan cheese in dipping bowl

Take your breadsticks and dip them in butter and then parmesan cheese.
(If you are a garlic fan you can sprinkle some garlic salt on them at this point as well.)

Lay them a few inches apart on a baking sheet.

(Here is the key to making them the best breadsticks so pay attention)
Let them raise for at least an hour. You don't want to rush this. They will double in size.





Bake at 350 for 11-13 minutes until golden brown.

Ranch Red Potatoes

These are really easy to make and taste delicious!
You will need:
8-10 Red potatoes washed and unpeeled
Olive Oil
Ranch dressing powder packets
9x13 pan

After you have washed the potatoes cut them into bite sized pieces. I usually use 8-10 potatoes but you can use however many needed to fill your pan.

                                                                               

 

 

 

Next put the potato pieces in a 9x13 pan and brush on olive oil. Use enough to coat the potatoes but not so much that you get a lot of excess in the bottom.

 

 

 

 

Then open the Ranch packet and sprinkle powder over potatoes stirring occasionally so that each potato gets covered. For more flavor use a packet and a half to two packets. I usually use about one and a half.

 

 

 

 

 

Bake in the oven at 375 degrees for about an hour or until the inside is soft and the outside is a little crispy. Enjoy!

Oatmeal Yogurt Pancakes

Oatmeal Yogurt Pancakes

Breakfast is a BIG deal at our house. I try and make Sunday mornings a cool breakfast morning and let Ayden pick what we are going to eat for breakfast. He will choose and we will have some bonding time together making breakfast for our little family. Lately he has been all about pancakes. The last 4 Sunday's he has chosen pancakes and well I'm getting a little tired of the old fashion pancakes. So I started to look for something to spice up our Sunday morning pancake marathon. I found this recipes on http://damndelicious.net/2012/10/18/blueberry-oatmeal-yogurt-pancakes/ and gave it a try and it was a huge hit! The original recipe calls for blueberries but we got a little carried away with smoothies the other morning so I swapped with banana's this morning. This is what you will need:

1 2/3 Cup All Purpose Flour
2/3 Cup Old-Fashioned Rolled Oats
2 Tbs Sugar
1 1/4 tsp Baking Powder
1/4 tsp Baking Soda
1/4 tsp Salt
1 Cup Greek Yogurt (whatever flavor you fancy)
1 C Milk
4 Tbs Unsalted Butter Melted
2 Eggs
1 Cup Blueberries or whatever fruit you have on hand
Maple Syrup for the finishing touch

Combine flour, oats, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.

In a separate bowl or measuring cup combine yogurt, milk, butter and eggs. Whisk together until smooth. Once combined and smooth add to your dry ingredients. Stir together using a rubber spatula until dry ingredients are moist. Add your favorite fruit.

Take a skillet and spray with nonstick spray if needed and you are ready to make your pancakes.
Scoop 1/3 cup of batter onto skillet and cook until you see bubbles appear on the top and the bottom is a nice golden brown. Flip and cook your pancake about another 1-2 minutes until the other side is golden brown as well.

Your pancake is now ready to eat. Top with whatever your heart desires. We like to top with more fruit or peanut butter or just good ole maple syrup. They are extremely filling because of the oatmeal but its hard to stop at just one pancake. I hope you guys enjoy these pancakes as much as we do!

Click here for a printable recipe

Pumpkin Chiffon Pie

Bottom Crust:
2 C of boxed yellow cake mix
2 Tbsp flour
1/2 C melted margarine
1 egg

Mix together until well blended. Spread on bottom of 9x13 pan

Middle layer:
3 C pumpkin
2 eggs
2/3 C milk
1 tsp nutmeg
1 tsp ginger
1 tsp vanilla
1/2 C brown sugar

Mix together well. Spread over bottom layer.

Top layer:
Rest of boxed yellow cake mix
2 Tbsp flour
1/4 C softened butter
1/4 C sugar
1/2 tsp cinnamon

Cut in butter to rest of ingredients until crumbly. Sprinkle on top of pumpkin mixture.

Bake at 350 for 45-50 minutes.

Serve with dollop of whip cream on top.

Click here for printable recipe