The menu

Thanksgiving is my favorite meal to cook each year. I enjoy the whole process, a full day of prepping and cooking and setting the table and making everything look perfect.... for me the preparation of the meal is better than the food.

I begin the day early, usually with the Macy's Thanksgiving Day parade playing in the background. I start by stuffing the turkey, basting and putting it in the oven. Followed by preparations for my dressing and desserts.

The last items of the day are the side dishes.

I like to begin serving appetizers around 2PM followed by dinner at 5 sharp.

This year's menu is a very traditional meal filled with family favorites.....

Turkey,

stuffed with apples, celery, onion, orange and potatoes

Cornbread Dressing

(recipe below)

Gravy

Broccoli Casserole

Sweet Potato Souffle

Deviled Eggs

Green Beans

Black Eye Peas

Seven Layer Salad

Mandarin Orange Congealed Salad

Cranberry Mold

Cream Cheese Pound Cake

accented with fresh fruit salad topping

Mini Pumpkin and Pecan Pie Tarts

Pomegranate Spritzer

Ice Tea

When I moved to Florida, my friends had no idea what I meant when I mentioned dressing for a Thanksgiving gathering. I found that dressing is typically a southern dish (and for those of you who don't live here, Florida really isn't southern....who knew!), in the rest of the country people just stuff the bird and serve stuffing. In the south we make dressing.

Growing up my mother and grandmother would spend hours discussing the dressing, you could never make it too perfect and in our family the challenge was intensified..... some of us (the smart ones) like the dressing super thin, the family members who have no culinary taste like the dressing thick. My mother and grandmother would work diligently to make sure everyone got what they wanted, so they would always cook 3 pans of dressing.... one thick, one thin and one medium. The medium pan was for nibbling as we prepared for the main feast.

I have carried on the tradition of 3 pans as well, whether I am surrounded by family or friends, it just makes Thanksgiving a bit more special when I prepare those three pans of dressing in a salute to my mama and ma-ma.

If you haven't tried dressing give it a try sometime, it isn't difficult; however, it is time consuming, but worth the time and effort when you see the satisfaction on your guests face.

Cornbread Dressing Recipe

Buttermilk Cornbread (I make it from scratch)
1 Package of Seasoned Stove Top Stuffing Mix
Loaf Bread (Preferably white)

The breads for your stuffing may be cooked on the day of service or 2 - 3 days ahead of time. Crumble all the bread items together and set aside.

1 Large Onion Chopped
Celery Chopped

Smother the chopped onion and celery and combine with the breads

6 hard boiled eggs, crumbled and mixed with the other ingredients

8 cups of Chicken Stock mixed into the dry ingredients

4 sticks of butter melted and mixed with the other ingredients

Fresh herbs

salt and pepper to taste

Poultry Seasoning to taste


Combine all the wet and dry ingredients. Press into a large pan or cast iron frying pans. Bake at 350 for approximately 45 minutes.

Serve with turkey as a side dish with gravy or dry.

Cornbread dressing makes a GREAT accent to a turkey sandwich the day after Thanksgiving, so enjoy this southern tradition, it is Home Made Easy.

Cream Cheese Pound Cake

Baking has always been something that interest me, but like many people it also filled me with panic. That is until I took the plunge and decided to just go for it.



When I was a child my grandmother was a wonderful baker, she made us great cakes and cookies growing up and each year all of us were presented with a birthday cake that fit our personality perfectly.



One of my favorite childhood photos is from my 3rd birthday. On my knees, looking in amazement at my Choo-Choo train cake, each car lovingly decorated with vibrant colors as they stood ready to roll down the tracks.



Whenever we visited, my grandmother always had cakes or cookies for us to enjoy. One of her best was a Cream Cheese Pound Cake.



Box cakes are great and have taken much of the mystery out of baking, but to me there is nothing better than baking a cake from scratch, it gives me a tremendous sense of accomplishment.



Yesterday was my neighbor's birthday, my gift to her was my grandmother's cake, with my own twist of a vanilla glaze. Now this cake isn't for the faint of heart and if you are on a diet not something you could eat every day, but for special visits with family or a memorable birthday celebration there is nothing like it!



Cream Cheese Pound Cake with a Vanilla Glaze, Home Made Easy!



Ingredients:

2 1/2 sticks of butter

3 cups sugar

3 cups sifted cake flour (I use self-rising flour instead, because I am lazy and don't like to sift. You can't tell the difference.)

8oz. package of cream cheese

6 large eggs

dash of salt

1 1/2 teaspoon of vanilla

In a large bowl cream butter, cream cheese and sugar together.





Add eggs, one at time, beating well after each.

Add vanilla and a dash of salt.

Add flour, mixing well and pour into a bundt pan.

Once you have filled the bundt pan, put it into a COLD oven. Bake at 325 for 1 hour, 25 minutes. The cake comes out a beautiful golden brown.


While the cake is cooling, I made a simple glaze for topping. Combine 1/4 cup of sugar, 1 egg, spoonful of butter and 1 teaspoon of vanilla. Whisk and put on the stove top stirring constantly until the sugar has dissolved and the mixture is liquid. (DO NOT BOIL!)

After the glaze is complete drizzle it over the cake.

This cake has an amazing taste, it is a substantial dessert and great with berries, ice cream or by itself.

Childhood memories, celebrating a friend's birthday and a delicious cake made from scratch. Cream Cheese Pound Cake with a Vanilla Glaze is a wonderful Home Made Easy dessert!