Dackel Princess

The Feast!

After three days of planning and cooking, I finally laid my table with all the vegetables and turkey and stuffing and we sat down to eat.

Everything came out well with the exception of the apple pie, which I was not pleased with. My chestnut dressing was, I think, the best I have ever made. Grandma would be proud of me!

I tried to portion out my food, but I have to tell you that by the end of the meal, all I wanted to do was unhook my pants and have an Alka Seltzer!

Our friends were truly enjoyable company and we didn’t stop talking all through the meal. Perhaps if I had talked more, and eaten less I would not feel so over stuffed now!

I’m making broth for turkey soup, and we have enough left overs to feed an army. Every year I swear I will not do this, and every year I end up with way too much!

Below you will find another recipe.

Happy Friday!

Mashed Butternut Squash

2-3 large Butternut Squash
1/4-1/2 stick butter
3-4 tbs brown sugar
1-2 tsp cinnamon
pinch of salt

Boil butternut squash until tender. Drain and add butter, brown sugar, cinnamon and salt. Mash until smooth.

Several people asked me to please post a few of the recipes for my Thanksgiving meal. Since I am a lover of food, and taste is everything I have searched over the course of many years to find these. Hubby has been helping me today with all of the preparation work and tomorrow he will help me with the actual cooking. I’m lucky to have him.

I was so busy today with each of the items you will see below, and now that dinner is done I am just plain beat! I plan to put my feet up watch a tiny bit of TV before heading to bed early. I still need to make my apple pie in the morning and get old Tom Turkey in the oven by 9 AM!

I am doing a Christmas card exchange this year. If anyone would like to join in please email me at: dackelprincess(at)metrocast.net with your full name and address and I will send you mine.

Happy Thanksgiving!

and Happy Anniversary to my sister Melodie and her husband Ron!

Chestnut Stuffing

As I have been telling you all, chestnuts are just my favorite things in the world. Especially at Thanksgiving. Today I roasted them and then made the stuffing.

Preheat oven to 400º
Soak chestnuts in bowl of boiling water
for about 30 minutes.
Drain.
With scissors of knife put an X in the top
of the rounded portion of chestnut.
Roast chestnuts on cookie sheet for
25 minutes. Put in dish towel and crack shells.
Peel. Enjoy!!!!

All peeled.

Meanwhile,

Stuffing

1 Big bag of Pepperidge Farm Stuffing
1 cup chopped onion               1 Tbs. Sage
1 cup chopped celery                1 Tbs. Savory
1 Tbs. minced garlic                2 Tsp. salt
1/2 cup minced carrot             1/2 tsp pepper
24 chestnuts                           1 stick butter
chicken stock                        1 Tbs. Parsley

Melt butter, saute chopped vegetables until tender. Mix all ingredients with chicken stock until moist. Cool before stuffing your turkey.

All done!!!

Pearl Onions

Hubby peeled the Pearl Onions, and tomorrow I will steam them. Yum! Pearl Onions are so sweet!

To peel pearl onion and boiler onions, we recommend using this simple and easy method:

Immerse onions in boiling water for 2-3 minutes. (You can also use your microwave to heat the onions.)

Place onions in cold water and allow them to set for a couple of minutes.

To peel, simply cut-off the root portion of the bulb and squeeze gently. The onion will literally pop out of its skin!

Pumpkin Bread

Here is a recipe that Hubby just loves. It’s flavorful and easy.

4 eggs, beaten                                                   2 t. baking soda
3 cups sugar                                                      1/2 t. salt
1 cup cooking oil                                                 1 t. cinnamon
3/4 cup water                                                      1 t. nutmeg
3 1/3 cups flour                                                   1 t. ginger
No. 303 can pumpkin (1 1/2 cups)

Combine and mix all ingredients well – the mixture will be very liquidy.
Pour into 2 loaf pans.
Bake at 350 degrees for 1 1/4 hours. (slightly less for the smaller pans)
This freezes beautifully. It is also delicious toasted.

Cranberry Orange Relish

This was very easy and tastes yummy!

I’ll also serve normal cranberry sauce.

Fresh Cranberry Orange Relish

1 (12-oz) pkg Ocean Spray Cranberries

1 unpeeled orange, cut into 8ths and seeded

3/4 to 1 cup sugar (I use Splenda) 1/2 tsp cinnamon

Place half the cranberries and half the orange segments in food processor. Process until evenly chopped. Transfer to bowl and repeat with remaining cranberries and orange segments. Stir in sugar and cinnamon. Store in refrigerator or freezer.

Thanksgiving Prep Work

Today Hubby drove me to buy all the fixings for our Thanksgiving meal. It was my first trip out since getting sick. I thought I was ready for it, but by the time we got home an hour and a half later, I was dragging.

But, we did get what we needed, including the freshest turkey that they had. With plump breasts and chubby thighs, our turkey looks like a chefs dream! We also bought the chestnuts for the dressing, the Yukon Gold Potatoes, some Pearl Onions, and fresh cranberries to make the cranberry relish with. Of course we will be eating our home grown butternut squash and an apple pie made with our own apples.

Oh I shiver in anticipation of our Thanksgiving meal! I’m not sure that anyone loves Thanksgiving as much as I do! It is simply the best. It was the first thing I learned to cook and I do cook it often. Of course you cannot always get the chestnuts. They seem to only be available in November and December.

When Nat King Cole sang about “Chestnuts roasting on an open fire…” he sure knew what he was singing about!

Wednesday we will do as much of the prep work as we can. Hubby is always such a help with peeling and chopping things. I’m so lucky to have him.

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In other news, I heard from Calvin’s new family and he is being well loved there. He has settled in and has a blood hound sister looking out for him and playing with him. I love it when my puppy buyers write and let me know how the little ones are doing. The house does seem oddly quiet now and we do miss them.

Preparing For Turkey Day!

Recipes have been read, lists have been made and the planning of our Thanksgiving meal is well underway. I’m still undecided about the pies. I am definitely making an apple pie, but I have been craving a pumpkin pie too, so I may make both!

One thing I am planning is our family’s traditional Chestnut Stuffing! Oh how I live for that! I’m not sure I mentioned that a couple of weeks ago I bought a few chestnuts, roasted them in the oven and just ate them. Oh my, they are so good!

I’m also going to make fresh cranberry relish this year. A friend gave me a recipe and will be making that.

Also on our menu will be mashed Yukon Gold potatoes, mashed candied butternut squash, peas, gravy, bread and butter pickles, and some sort of table bread or rolls.

I love cooking and baking and I’m looking forward to doing all of this. Thanksgiving is my favorite meal of the year!

In fact the family legend is that I was born a week early just so I could get my turkey dinner!

That sure sounds like me!

A Thing Of The Past

I woke to absolute quietness, which in turn made me think that something was amiss. After all, the puppies are never this quiet unless they are getting into to something they shouldn’t, like the night they escaped the puppy room.

Sleepily, I pulled on my robe and slippers and headed out to check, and there I saw it…an empty puppy room!

Consciously I knew they were gone, but in those first moments of wakefulness, I had totally forgotten. I smiled a sad smile, and turned and made the coffee.

Later, as I poured my first cup, I looked over at the vacant room, and in my minds eye, I could see those beautiful brown eyed babies watching me.

It’s always like this, the first few days after all the puppies have gone. Hubby and I were growing dangerously close to Curt, and we both admit to missing him quite a bit today.

Meanwhile, I have scrubbed the room, repainted a few spots and late this afternoon returned the table and bench to their rightful places, and rehung our jackets on the wall pegs. I have pretty much erased all the signs of puppies in there.

All of this made me feel tired, so after I finished putting things away, I made some tea and then sat down to relax.

Yes, this granny can relax until next summer when I do it all over again with Anneliese!