What Do You Wear on Thanksgiving?
Remember that episode of Friends where Joey wore Rachel's maternity pants as "Thanksgiving pants"?
That's always the problem with Thanksgiving for me. It's a holiday, so I want to look nice. But, it's a holiday built around carbohydrates and football. I don't want to wear a dress if everyone else is super-casual. And, you know, a more forgiving pair of pants sure wouldn't hurt.
I don't want to dress like I'm headed to yoga...
Dressy Thanksgiving by heathercwatson
I find that, at least for my holiday purposes, dressing down is the key. I wind up playing outside with the dogs a lot on Thanksgiving. I try to layer up and stay comfortable. And hopefully not venture too far into "Outdoorsy Ralph Lauren-ish costume" territory.
Casual Thanksgiving by heathercwatson
Ok, sometimes I may fail on that endeavor, but I sure am nuts about those Winchester Shell earrings. (In case you're wondering, Santa...)
What do y'all wear to Thanksgiving Dinner?
Love in a Pan
My grandmother was the best cook in the entire world. The woman would put butter on toast and I would basically die over how she got the exact perfect ratio of butter to bread. It was so beautifully melted without being mushy. No one will ever top that woman in the kitchen EVER.
So many of her recipes weren't written down anywhere. I tried a few times to watch her make mashed potatoes, because hers tasted like creamy goodness and heaven and love all stirred together in a crock pot, but she never seemed to make them the same way twice and I finally gave up.
"made an out of this world mess"
Her handwritten notes are the best.
When she died last year, I inherited her recipe collection. It's an enormous mess of newspaper clippings, recipes cut from boxes, recipe cards, and hastily written notes on the back of whatever she had handy, such as receipts, envelopes, and shopping lists. I've been going through this pile for the last two days, trying to find some of her recipes to make for Thanksgiving this year.
Her best recipes- the magic she performed on green beans, the unbelievable macaroni and cheese, and of course, those mashed potatoes- aren't anywhere in my stash, but I finally picked one that I know she'd love. She was a firm believer in the power of cream cheese. I thought you guys would like this too. Enjoy.
There's no title. So let's just call it Love in a Pan.
What you need:
2 pkgs crescent roll dough
2 bars of cream cheese, softened (you can use light, but Granny is frowning on you for it)
1 cup sugar
1 tsp vanilla
1 stick butter, melted (I refuse to allow you to use anything but real butter here)
Cinnamon-sugar
Directions:
Preheat oven to 350.
Spread one package of crescent roll dough across the bottom of a 13x9 dish. Press all the seams in the dough together, and press it into the ban and a little up the sides.
Mix cream cheese, sugar, and vanilla.
Spread cream cheese mixture on top of crescent roll dough.
Place the other package of crescent roll dough on top. (This can be tricky. I usually spread it onto a cutting board, press all the seams together and roll it out a bit before laying it on top of the cream cheese.)
Pour butter on top. (Oh sweet Jesus YES.)
Sprinkle with cinnamon sugar. Do enough til you think it's too much and then do a little more. Trust me on this.
Bake for 30 minutes. Let them cool before you cut and eat them--it'll be hard, because that cinnamon smell is going to destroy your willpower, but they're easier to handle when they're not quite so soft.
When Do You Put Up The Tree?
Thanksgiving Traditions
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| Spode Woodland, via Belk |
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| via Louisville Stoneware |
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| via Hadley Pottery |
College Colors
This
week, my social media feed has been full of expressions of collegiate pride.
Monday and Tuesday, the Big Blue Nation was out in full force; we hate Duke allday every day, and we weren't about to let anyone forget it. Wednesday was We
Are Marshall Day, as alumni and fans remembered the tragic 1970 plane crash that claimed many of the Thundering Herd's players, coaches and boosters. By Thursday morning, we were all gearing up for U of L and UK's weekend
games. 
Because
so many Kentucky families are from rural areas that don't necessarily have a
long history of college attendance, we have a lot of pride in our alma maters.
We follow our schools' sports teams, their academic achievements, and their new
developments. I keep up with new happenings at Transy, and I never miss the
UK-TU exhibition game. All the Morehead State alumni in my family are pumped
for next Wednesday's game at Rupp. It's a bit of nostalgia for simpler times in
our own lives and a connection with a longstanding tradition.Turkey Day - One Week Away
One week from now, most of us will be cooking, searching for our holiday sweatpants or eagerly anticipating Thanksgiving Day football. For me, I'll be staying as far away from the kitchen as possible - in my sweatpants, watching the Macy's Day Parade and ready to eat copious amounts of food.
No one wants me in the kitchen unless it's time to do dishes. Every year, I somehow magically disappear when it comes to dishes time! If my family is reading - I swear it's not intentional. Of course it isn't!
I listened to a fascinating NPR interview of chef Alton Brown yesterday and realized that people really get into Thanksgiving. Traditions are important to people, that much I know, but I guess I never realized that some people feel pasionately that there is a right and wrong way to cook a turkey. Who knew that stuffing preparation (inside the bird or out?) could be such a divisive holiday issue?
I pretty much just show up to eat and nap. I do remember the year someone forgot to make the mashed potatoes. That was terrible.
That's why I decided to consult my sister to bring you some tips for Thanksgiving that are actually useful. I'm pretty sure my tips on the best strategy to maintain your comfy couch seat in the face of would-be seat stealers aren't very helpful! I can attest that she knows her way around a kitchen.
Turkey Day is a week away. Here are my sister, Kate's, best tips to make it a day that your family AND you can enjoy. It sounds like she feels there is a right and wrong way to go about Thanksgiving, too.
- Plan ahead of time and be organized. This allows you to spend as much time with friends and family and out of the kitchen!
- Fresh turkey is the best, but frozen will do. Just make sure to plan enough time to defrost!
- What is that saying, “Butter is better”? Well, it’s the truth. Fat equals flavor and there’s no better tasting fat than butter. I usually have a pound (or two) of softened butter sitting on my counter top ready to go. I use it on my turkey (flavors turkey and drippings used for gravy), in my mashed potatoes, in corn, on bread, in desserts, and anywhere else I can think of. Last year, I even used it on my son’s arm when he got it stuck in between the chair rungs.
- Nothing makes better gravy than the turkey drippings. Pour drippings into a large measuring cup. The fat will rise to the top while the dripping settle to the bottom. Skim off fat and use to make a roux. Add strained drippings and chicken stock (if necessary) to make gravy. Season to taste. Nothing is better.
- Pumpkin pie screams Thanksgiving, but it’s nothing without whipped cream.
- Thanksgiving Pantry Must-HavesButter
Sage
Kosher Salt
Fresh Ground Black Pepper
Chicken Stock
Poultry Seasoning
Black Friday in KY
