Thanksgiving Turkey Fruit & Veggie Platters

First of all, thank you to everyone that participated in this year's Saint-O-Lantern Link up!  If anyone missed adding their link, or didn't have enough time, let me know and I can open it up for a few more days.

With Thanksgiving coming up in a couple weeks I thought I would share a fun veggie platter that I made with my kids last year, along with an Caramel Apple fruit platter (inspired by a pin on Pinterest, I couldn't find the original link) from this afternoon.   They were both very easy to make and the kids loved them!  They were gobbled right up!  ;)

Turkey Veggie Platter

Ingredients:

• Leaf Lettuce
• Cucumber, sliced
• Red, Yellow and Green Bell Pepper
• Baby Carrots
• 2 Black Beans (or Black Olives)
• 1/3 of Celery Stalk
• Toothpicks

Directions:

Slice the bell peppers crosswise and then cut each circle in half.  Set aside the bottom part of the green pepper and 1/2" piece off of both the red and yellow peppers to use for the face.  Slice the remaining peppers to use for the body.

Cover a platter with lettuce leaves.   Start with making the turkey's feathers by forming a circle with the cumber slices at the bottom of the platter, followed by semi-circles of the yellow, green and red peppers.   Place the baby carrots vertically above the last row of peppers.

Break two toothpicks in half. Put two of the toothpicks where the eyes will go. Push the black beans onto the toothpick making sure that the toothpick doesn't go all the way through. Cut a triangle out of the leftover bottom from the yellow pepper. Attach with a toothpick below the eyes. Attach the reserved red pepper piece to the left of the yellow pepper "beak".

Cut the piece of celery in half lengthwise. On each piece, carefully slice lengthwise from the end of the celery piece to almost the center. Do this twice on each piece. Place the celery in ice water and place in the refrigerator until the ends curl. (I didn't have time to do this step.) When curled, nestle the un-curled end under the cucumbers.

Serve with hummus or other dip of choice.

Caramel Apple Turkey 

Ingredients:

• 4 Apples (Red and Green)
• Caramel Sauce
• 1 Candy Corn
• 2 Chocolate Chips

Directions:

Pour Caramel Apple Sauce into round serving dish, top with candy corn (beak) and chocolate chips (eyes) and place on platter.   Cut apples into wedges.  Cut one wedge in half to use as feet and arrange the remaining apple wedges in a semi circle. 

Thank you, Father, for having created us and given us to each other in the human family. Thank you for being with us in all our joys and sorrows, for your comfort in our sadness, your companionship in our loneliness. Thank you for yesterday, today, tomorrow and for the whole of our lives. Thank you for friends, for health and for grace. May we live this and every day conscious of all that has been given to us.  ~  From The Catholic Prayer Book, compiled by Msgr. Michael Buckley

Pin It

St. Kateri's Indian Corn Cookies

A couple days ago I shared a recipe for Edible Indian Corn and mentioned that my family was planning on making Indian Corn Cookies for the Canonization of St. Kateri this weekend.   We just finished making them for tomorrow.  Adapted from a Family Fun recipe, these cookies are really easy to make with just a few supplies, and fun for the kids to help decorate!

St. Kateri's Indian Corn Cookies

(adapted from Family Fun)

Ingredients:

Sugar Cookie Dough

(homemade or store bought)

Spread

  (frosting, melted chocolate, peanut butter, cream cheese, Nutella, etc.)

Reese's Pieces

Green & Yellow Fruit Leather or Fruit Roll Ups

Directions:

Roll out prepared cookie dough to a 1/4" thickness. Using a knife, cut out corncob shapes about 4" long.  (I used my small St. Nicholas cookie cutter to get a general idea, adding a rounded end at the bottom, but that isn't necessary.)  Bake according to directions or just until the edges brown. 

Cool completely on a wire rack.

Frost the cooled cookies with spread of your choice such as chocolate or vanilla frosting, melted chocolate, peanut butter, cream cheese, or Nutella.  Basically any type of spread that pairs well with peanut butter Reese's Pieces.   Originally I was going to use chocolate frosting (which is pictured above) but then changed my mind and used melted white chocolate.  This held the Reese's Pieces in place wonderfully!

Layer the Reese's pieces in horizontal rows, working from the top to bottom. 

Finish off cookies by cutting corn husks out of the fruit leather/fruit roll up, to fit the sides of each cookie. 

Wrap the husks around the cookies and press in place.

A Child's Prayer to St. Kateri Tekakwitha

St. Kateri, loving child of God and Lily of the Mohawks, I thank God for the many graces He gave you. Help me to be more like you in my love for God and for people.

Give me a great love for the Holy Eucharist and the Mother of Jesus. Make me ready to make sacrifices for Jesus that I may save my soul and be happy with you in heaven.

St. Kateri, I love you. Always be my friend. 

St. Kateri Tekakwitha, Pray for us!

Pin It

Thanksgiving Treats and Celebrations Link-Up

Yesterday afternoon my girls and I spent a little time in the kitchen making some Edible Indian Corn. What Thanksgiving Treats (or other favorite Thanksgiving recipes) have you been making this week?  We'd love to see them! 

(The linky will remain open until this coming Saturday night.)

Thank you, Father, for having created us and given us to each other in the human family. Thank you for being with us in all our joys and sorrows, for your comfort in our sadness, your companionship in our loneliness. Thank you for yesterday, today, tomorrow and for the whole of our lives. Thank you for friends, for health and for grace. May we live this and every day conscious of all that has been given to us.
~ The Catholic Prayer Book

Pin It

Thanksgiving Prayers and Greetings

Father all-powerful, your gifts of love are countless and your goodness infinite. On Thanksgiving Day we come before you with gratitude for your kindness: open our hearts to concern for our fellow men and women, so that we may share your gifts in loving service. We ask this through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever.

Amen.

During this season of thanksgiving we would like to thank you for your support of this blog.

We wish you a very happy Thanksgiving day. Enjoy the bounty!

Pin It

From Thy Bounty Fair: Holiday Foods and Feasts!

As the autumn starts to fade so comes the long winter. Around here, in Southern Oregon, we get a blanket of fog every morning to remind us of the cold season ahead. I used to live up north in Washington state and every year we would drive down here for the holidays, especially Thanksgiving. Those long drives speckled with hazardous road conditions were always an adventure, but ultimately worth it.

There is nothing better than being surrounded by family, some of which you may not have seen since the last holiday gathering. It is a time of joy and expectation. A time of sharing family news and reflecting on the blessings God has gifted us with over the year.

But there is more to the holiday season than simply gathering together… there is, of course... food.

Holidays are not just any meal or any feast. They are a trip down memory lane. A time to remember those that have passed away, like great-grandma as you bite into her famous pumpkin pie or Uncle Ben as you sample his recipe for stuffed mushrooms.

These feasts are more like a family album of memories, both good and comic. Remember that time grandma forgot to pit the cherries before she made that cherry pie?

For every family there are usually a few recipes in particular that simply mean holidays. They are the dish you only make once, maybe twice a year. It is the only time that you get all the best ingredients and work your best magic in the kitchen.

For my family there are many which are always served at every Thanksgiving and Christmas. One of which is broccoli casserole. Most people make a funny face when this dish is mentioned. Even those who think broccoli is simply "ok" think this sounds odd. Trust me, this is the best holiday dish and one way to get the kids to eat broccoli. It is also super easy to make!

Broccoli Casserole:
2 Packages frozen broccoli (cooked slightly)

2 Cans cream of mushroom soup

3 Cup of fresh mushrooms or 2 small can of mushrooms

2 Cups of grated cheddar cheese

2 Beaten eggs

1 Small package of slivered almonds

2 Cubes of butter or margarine

2 Cups of pulverized Ritz crackers

Melt butter and mix with crackers. Mix rest of ingredients and pour into 9X13 inch dish (maybe larger!! I can’t remember). Top by sprinkling with Ritz and butter mixture. Bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes.

I was never a fan of cranberry sauce as a kid. The gelatinous mess that came from a can looked about as appealing as cat food to me. One year, however, I ended up with a ton of fresh cranberries and thought… what the hey! So I looked up a bunch of recipes on All Recipies and Food Network before making up my own concoction. Warning! I did end up having to can a lot of it (I think I doubled this recipe)… but then you can give it away as gifts for Christmas.

Amy’s Cranberry Sauce

4 cups cranberries

2 cups orange juice

5 whole cloves in tea strainer

1 Tablespoon Cinnamon

1 teaspoon allspice

3 cups sugar

Place fresh cranberries and orange juice in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Add spices and cloves in tea strainer. Cook until cranberries begin to burst, about 10 minutes. Stir in sugar and reduce heat to low. Continue cooking 5 minutes, or until sugar has dissolved. Remove from heat and allow to cool. Discard spice bag. Chill in the refrigerator 8 hours, or overnight, before serving.

The last dish I am going to share with you is an old family recipe for pumpkin pie. I just buy the canned pumpkin, but if you are brave, go for the gusto and make it like my great-grandma did 100 years ago, with the real deal.

Grandma Norcross’s Pumpkin Pie:

½ cup pumpkin

2/3 cup brown sugar

1 teaspoon ginger

½ teaspoon ginger

1 teaspoon salt

2 eggs

1 ½ cup milk

½ cup cream (or evaporated milk)

Mix together. Before pouring into pie crust, prick all over with fork and brush with a little cream (or evaporated milk). Pour filing into crust and bake at 10 minutes at 400 degrees, then bake at 350 degrees for 40 minutes.

These are staples at my holiday table, what about yours?

Jessica over at Shower of Roses shared some great recipes for Chicken Satay Spring Rolls, Triple Layer Brownies (I am so for that!), and Cherry Cheese Coffee Cake on her post entitled Party Time Favorites. Also, make sure you check out her great idea for making little turkey treats with your little ones: Gobble, Gobble. Jessica also shared this absolutely yummy looking dessert, just right for the coffee lover in us all: Cappuccino Mousse Trifle.

Sarah, over at Sarah’s Musings, shared a bunch links and a recipe for whole wheat cinnamon buns on her post Holiday Traditions.

Don’t forget to check out Jamie’s cooking blog Kitchen Blessings! She has a ton of recipes sure to become new family favorites. I have my eye on that pumpkin swirl cheesecake! She has some other great recipes like: Company salad, lazy cheesecake salad, and Cornucopia snack!

Another great holiday treat was submitted by Gloria in the comments section at Catholic Cuisine.

"Candied" Sweet Potatoes

*6 cups of steaming hot, mashed, sweet potatoes, you would add
*1/4 cup butter,
*3/4-1 cup packed brown sugar
*1/2-3/4 cup Cinnamon Imperials (Red Hots)
*Marshmallows on top (optional)
*All ingredients more or less according to taste.

Set in hot oven after the turkey/ham is removed, to brown the marshmallows about 5-10 minutes.

Other fabulous places to find holiday goodies are staples like Food Network and All Recipes. Food Network hosts a email newsletter coming soon with recipes for Christmas cookies (I don’t see a link up yet for this year, but keep your eyes peeled. It is definitely worth it). They make great gifts in a basket with some of that cranberry sauce!

Don’t forget to also keep an eye on the Pioneer Woman. Last year she posted just about everything you could dream of for a fabulous and gourmet holiday meal. Here is the link to her Holiday Foods, which include: Thanksgiving, Christmas, and even Valentine’s Day!

Of course, the big guy, our dear turkey friend, needs some love and attention. Check out these articles from All Recipes on making the perfect turkey (Pioneer Woman also has a great recipe for turkey up there).

So forget about that diet, that is what January is for, and enjoy some of these fabulous holiday meals. Remember the holiday is not just about the food but about sharing that food and memories with those you love.

I hope that you all have a blessed and wonderful holiday season filled with family, friends, and great food!

GOD BLESS!

Pin It