It's Finally Here!!!

Let's talk Christmas tree ornaments... please, please, please! I have been waiting since July for Christmas time to arrive and FINALLY!!! IT'S HERE! (I'm capitalizing because I'm shouting) I have been so excited about decorating our new home for the first time although it's really just putting the same stuff up in a new place. But I want it to be special for me and my Mr.

I am the type that enjoys a touch of holiday in each room. This week I want to talk about my kitchen. I have a small, four foot Christmas tree in a corner of my kitchen. Usually I will put items on it such as cookie cutters and kitchen-y items. This year I wanted smells of Christmas and more natural items that would also make the room smell of holiday when you walk into it. Let me tell you, after this past weekend the poor little thing is just full!

The first thing that I thought of to decorate my kitchen tree was fruit. I knew there were a couple of oranges and at least one apple in the refrigerator. When I found those I also found a lemon that I had used some of the zest off of on some asparagus last week. Here's what I did:


I preheated the oven at it's lowest temperature which was 170 degrees. Next I sliced the oranges, apple and lemon cross-wise into pretty thin slices. I took whole cloves and gently pushed them into the fruit and sprinkled the apples with a little cinnamon. I placed them onto a cookie cooling rack and popped them into the oven. You can place them directly onto the oven rack but keep an eye on them because they could fall through. I let them cook for about 40 minutes.


When they cool you can easily poke a hole through the citrus with a toothpick and thread ribbon or twine through them for hanging. It adds a touch of Christmas into the air when you walk into the kitchen. If you try this I am sure you'll enjoy it too!

Sweet Goodness and I mean the potatoes!

Hiya Turkeys! Not you of course... or is it? Let's see... I talked about baking, cooking, parades, pecan pie, cranberries, congealed tin can.. what's left? Oh I know. What am I most thankful for this year!

Last night while waiting for the finale of Dancing With the Stars to come on I thought about my blog post for today. I wanted to share one more recipe before Thanksgiving but also touch on what I am thankful for. I started making a list, it seemed to go on and on and on. This year I have been so incredibly blessed with my new husband and home, our fruitful garden this summer, my wonderful family, my time with Sipsey (sniff), my job, there's just so much. I feel like there are people out there that find it hard to think of something to be thankful for and I am thankful that I am not one of those people. That I can see and realize that life gives us so much to appreciate. Sweet, Sweet Life... let's enjoy it while we have it.

Sweet Potatoes

2 big cans of sweet potatoes (I buy the big ones this time of year)
1/4 cup butter, melted
2 tablespoons orange juice
1/4 cup brown sugar
2 good dashes cinnamon
mini-marshmallows

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Drain juice from sweet potatoes. Pour sweet potatoes into and bowl and mash. Add the rest of the ingredients except for the marshmallows. Pour into 2 quart casserole dish. Top with marshmallows. Bake for 20-25 minutes or until marshmallows are lightly browned.

You can make a variation to this my omitting marshmallows and adding chopped pecans, cinnamon and brown sugar on top.

Happy Thanksgiving!

What's For Dessert?

Real quick post today folks! Thanksgiving is now 2 days away. I simply can't wait to spend the morning in my kitchen cooking up a storm while listening to the parades on T.V. in the other room and occasionally running in there to check out a float. In all the kitchen fury it takes careful planning and timing to get everything ready to go when it's time to leave and head to my Sister's house.

One of my items to bake that is requested every year by my Father is good ole pecan pie. It is a simple recipe that I cut off of a Karo Syrup bottle years ago. It is probably still on the label printed today but I thought I would share it with you.

Pecan Pie

3 eggs, slightly beaten
1 cup sugar
1 cup light or dark corn syrup
2 tablespoons butter or margarine, melted
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 1/4 cup pecans, whole or chopped
1 nine inch pie shell unbaked

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Stir together first five ingredients then add pecans. Pour into pie crust. Place pie on a cookie sheet (in case the pie over flows) in oven. Bake for 50 to 55 minutes.

For a variation to this recipe you can add 1/2 cup chocolate chips.

Not Your Ordinary Cranberry Dish

I know it is a holiday staple on most American holiday tables on Thanksgiving, when I think about it there is a certain twinge of a cringe in my shoulders. I think it is a scar from childhood of the infamous, canned-shaped, dark red congealed mound resting on a bed of lettuce that makes me make the face I am making now. The face of... "you can't possibly make me eat that and by the way what is it?!"

I didn't attempt to even eat cranberries until adulthood and to my surprise I loved them. Now I eat them dried and juiced and adore making breads and muffins with them. But the congealed version... still not a fave.

I now wish to pass on my Thanksgiving version that I'm almost certain has replaced the indented, rimmed version that used to grace our table. I have realized that there is a certain twang that a cranberry dish adds to a homemade turkey dinner and I personally enjoy the taste... even if not many others do. Huh.. that's probably what the canned eaters think too!


Cranberry Relish

1 orange
1 bag of cranberries
orange peel from orange
3/4 cup sugar
1/2 cup chopped pecans

Dice all up. That's all my recipe says!

I use a mini food processor to do the dicing for me. Chop up the cranberries and peeled orange. Using a lemon zester, scrape off the orange part of the orange peel if that makes sense and add it to the cranberries and oranges. Next add the sugar and pecans. Refrigerate and serve in a pretty bowl. No lettuce bed needed.

It's super easy and is truly better if made the night before. I love this medley so much I could just eat it with a spoon!