Thanksgiving Menu

As mentioned in one of my earlier posts Thanksgiving will be at my house this year (on Saturday) with a grand total of 16 people family members. Everyone is bringing a dish or two so I really only have to clean the house and make a few things :)

Here is the final menu- the ones with links are the recipes that I am making:

Appetizers
Spinach Dip with Bread Bowl
Creamy Crab and Red Pepper Spread with Crackers

Main dish
Turkey/gravy

Salads
Coleslaw
Deviled Eggs
Pistachio Salad
Veggies & Dip

Sides
Squash
Dressing
Mashed Potatoes
Cranberry/Apple Sauce (pictured above)
Pea casserole
Bread
Sweet Potato Casserole
Corn
Dinner Rolls
Cranberry Sorbet

Dessert
Pecan Pie
Pumpkin Pie
Apple Crisp

Beverages
Milk
Water
Pepsi
Sierra Mist
Sierra Mist Free
Wine
Crock Pot Pumpkin Spiced Latte

Cheese pumpkins

This cute idea was in the Betty Crocker newsletter today:

Cheese Pumpkins


8 tablespoons smoked Cheddar cold pack cheese food (from 8-oz container), well chilled
2 teaspoons finely chopped peanuts
4 butter-flavored pretzel spindles or sticks, broken in half
16 tiny pieces fresh parsley leaves

1. Line small serving plate with waxed paper. Roll each level tablespoon cold pack cheese food into a ball; place on waxed paper-lined serving plate. Refrigerate 10 to 15 minutes for easier handling.

2. With end of toothpick, draw ridges around balls to resemble pumpkins. Dip bottoms of cheese balls in chopped peanuts.

3. Just before serving, insert pretzel halves into cheese balls for pumpkin stems. Decorate with parsley for leaves. Store in refrigerator.

Turkey Cookie Treats

How cute are these??

My son's preschool is having a Thanksgiving celebration on the Monday before Thanksgiving and I think that these Turkey Cookie Treats from the Betty Crocker website would be the perfect treat to bring!

Prep Time: 1 hour 15 min
Total Time: 1 hour 15 min
Makes: 2 dozen cookies

1 pouch (1 lb 1.5 oz) Betty Crocker® sugar cookie mix
1/2 cup butter or margarine, softened
1 egg
1 container (12 oz) Betty Crocker® Whipped chocolate frosting
Candy corn
1 tube (4.25 oz) Betty Crocker® yellow decorating icing
Miniature candy-coated semisweet chocolate baking bits
1 tube (0.68 oz) Betty Crocker® black decorating gel

1. Heat oven to 375°F. In medium bowl, stir cookie mix, butter and egg until soft dough forms. On ungreased cookie sheets, drop dough by rounded tablespoonfuls 2 inches apart.

2.Bake 11 to 14 minutes or until edges are light golden brown. Cool 1 minute; remove from cookie sheets to cooling racks. Cool completely, about 15 minutes.

3. Frost and decorate 1 cookie at a time. After spreading frosting on cookie, add candy corn for feathers. Pipe yellow icing for beak and feet. Add baking bits for eyes; pipe black gel for center of each eye.

High Altitude (3500-6500 ft): Decrease butter to 1/3 cup.

Thanksgiving at my house!

(image from http://www.thanksgiving-day.org/thanksgiving-day-pictures.html)

Since where we moved this past year is centrally located to all of my side of the family it was decided that we would have Thanksgiving dinner at our house.

The nice thing is everyone volunteered to bring certain dishes but they pretty much covered everything and I don't know what to make!

Here is what people already said they were bringing:

Turkey/gravy
Squash
Stuffing
Bread
Deviled Eggs
Coleslaw
Pistachio salad
Cranberry Sorbet
Pumpkin pie


Besides mashed potatoes I don't know what else is missing!

I think I am going to make Marilyn's recipe that she left on my blog giveaway (thanks Marilyn!):

Crock Pot Pumpkin Spiced Latte

Ingredients
2 cups milk (I use 2%)
2 tablespoons canned pumpkin
2 tablespoons sugar
2 tablespoons vanilla
1/2 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice (or 1/4 tsp cinnamon, 1/8 tsp nutmeg, 1/8 tsp ground cloves, and tiny pinch of ground ginger)
3/4 cup strong brewed coffee (or 1/2 cup brewed espresso)
garnish with whipped topping

Add the coffee/espresso and milk to the crockpot. Whisk in the pumpkin, spices, sugar, and vanilla.
Cover and cook on high for 2 hours if everything is cold. Whisk again.
Ladle into mugs, and garnish with whipped cream and additional cinnamon.



But I am not sure what else I am going to make! I feel like I have to make at least a couple of dishes- it IS at my house!

At least I will have a decoration! I just was notified that I was the winner of this cute plaque:

from Kisses From The Father - Thank you Stacey :)