Martha would be proud
Yes, it’s true. Thanksgiving is 15 weeks from today and I have already started planning the festivities that will take place at our house that day. I’m going through my recipes and keeping the ones that were huge hits last year (my Sage Roasted Turkey, Yukon Gold Mashed Potatoes and Green Beans with Caramelized Onions are definite keepers) and either retesting or reworking the ones that I wasn’t thrilled with (my Apple Pie was a bit mooshy and I wasn’t sure how I felt about the Blueberry Pie with Lemon Zest or the Sweet Potato Mash which had bananas in it). I’m also looking for a couple of new recipes. I’d like to add a couple more vegetable sides in there as well as a desert that isn’t pie.
I’m not sure how many people we’ll have this year, but it could be as many as 18. I freaking LOVE the holidays. I did both Thanksgiving and Christmas here last year (even though I was 800,000 months pregnant with Logan) and I had so much fun. I started baking/prepping for Thanksgiving on Tuesday last year and I suspect that I’ll do the same this year.
I can’t wait.
And with all of that said, I really must run and take advantage of Logan’s first nap of the day… there is laundry to be done, work piling up on my desk and a freebie to get out for you guys… all before the day is done. Have a great Thursday everyone… and I’ll be back with more notes and goodies later tonight (if the kids allow it).
August 9th, 2007 at 8:28 am
Ooh I’m a holiday freak too. I’ve warned Steve how mad I am about Christmas - we obviously don’t have Thanksgiving in the UK. It’s never too early to prepare. I’ve even started to put presents together as I do a lot of hand-made, craft, digi-scrap stuff for my family and it takes ages. So yeah! I know you’re excitement! btw 800,000 months pregnant? LMAO - too funny
August 9th, 2007 at 9:03 am
i used to have a recipe for this years ago, but i lost it. i found this one on a nashville news show. it’s super moist and yummy and a great way to sneak some veggies in! you HAVE to try it!!!
:) M
Chocolate Zucchini Cake:
2 ½ cups flour
¾ cup cocoa
2 ½ t. baking powder
1 ½ t baking soda
1 t salt
1 t cinnamon
¾ c. cup soft unsalted butter
2 cups sugar
3 eggs
2 t vanilla
Grated peel of one orange
2 packed cups coarsely grated zucchini
½ cup buttermilk
Preheat oven to 350.
Sift together the flour, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda, salt and cinnamon and set aside.
With a mixer, beat together the butter and sugar until thoroughly combined. Add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Mix in the vanilla, orange peel and zucchini.
Alternately stir the dry ingredients and the milk into the zucchini mixture.
Turn batter into 2 prepared 9″ cake pans, and bake for about 35 minutes, or until a wooden pick inserted into the cake comes out clean. Cool in the pans for 15 minutes.
Frost with the following:
Cocoa Cream Cheese Frosting:
1 ½ pounds soft cream cheese
1 lb. confectioners sugar
2/3 c. cocoa powder
Use an electric mixer fitted with a whip to mix thoroughly.
MARTHA STAMPS / MARTHA’S AT THE PLANTATION
August 9th, 2007 at 9:43 am
More power to you planning ahead. Here is a recipe I found last year for sweet potatoes that was the rave of our dinner hope you like
http://www.rd.com/content/macaroon-sweet-potato-bake-recipe/ This whole website is wonderful for recipes!
August 9th, 2007 at 9:45 am
Any chance you could post those “keeper” recipes? They sound yummy! I don’t do Thanksgiving. In fact, we are most UN-traditional in that arena in that we eat out for Thanksgiving every year (usually a hotel buffet; a zillion yummy choices without having to cook or clean! LOL). Christmas, however, is another matter, and I’m always looking for new recipes!
August 9th, 2007 at 2:02 pm
I just found your site and wanted to say thank you, thank you, thank you for the freebies! They are fantastic. =oD
August 9th, 2007 at 3:27 pm
I am such a planner when it comes to the holidays. This year though will be different since for Thanksgiving we will be in Missouri with friends. I have already started to think about Christmas gifts though the real hard part is the fact that we have 5 birthdays in the mix along with Christmas, including my DH’s. so it is always chaotic. I do enjoy that costco gets their Christmas stuff out early so I don’t have to buy everything all at once it can be a planned mayhem. Love hearing from you!
Anna M.
August 10th, 2007 at 4:16 am
Amazing !!!! Cannot believe you love to cook a dinner like that for 18 people !! I am so jealous LOL As far as I am concerned 8 people is a crowd and making more than 3 different recepies totally freaks me out … After my death I really want to come back as a cook, I hate it that I just simply cannot do stuff like that … We don’t have Thanksgiving here in Holland, but Christmas, yes, my favourite time of the year ! As long as I don’t have to cook huge dinners ofcourse
Only tip I can give you is the following. I recently bought an icecream maker machine (hahaha, don’t know what else to call it). Now you see, and THAT I love !!! We made sofar banana/chocolate icecream and AfterEight Icecream, this is with peppermint and chocolate. Today we will make the third flavour and tonight it will be bigtime icecream dessert ! Don’t know, but wouldn’t that be great for you for thanksgiving ? You can make all the flavours in advance, and than combine with crepes (very thin pancakes) or something like that LOL And be honoust, who doesn’t like icecream ???
August 10th, 2007 at 7:17 am
Ok you are so a woman after my own heart! I love planning for parties, getting all my ducks in a row and having family and friends around! I would LOVE your recipes, you can never have to many ‘tried and true’ recipes!!
Love the photos of the boys and wow you do have early walkers!! YIKES!! lol
August 10th, 2007 at 11:19 am
thanksgiving is my favorite holiday and now that i live in canada i have two thanksgivings to celebrate… and i lvoe a crowd for thanksgiving… but that photo made my mouth water now, so i think we will have aturkey this weekend
August 10th, 2007 at 4:25 pm
Now that is one big tasty-looking turkey! We don’t do Thanksgiving (of course coz I’m an Aussie LOL!) but I so LOVE the idea of a turkey for Christmas! BUT I just hate sweating over a hot lunch coz it’s always so damn hot so we usually have seafood, cold ham and salad for Christmans lunch/dinner (we like to call it linner coz it’s in between the two meals). One day I will go back to the UK and have a COLD Christmas & a HOT dinner with all the trimmings - one day ….. sigh! Enjoy your planning Anna, I envy your level of organisation LOL!
September 10th, 2007 at 7:03 pm
I always like to do a pumpkin cheese cake at thanksgiving. You can find lots of recipes on the net. The recipe I use has maple syrup in it and is absolutely delicious.
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