Thanksgiving was coming, and again I would be delivering babies instead of hanging out at home, but Adam (whom I have to thank for the pink Cuisinart) and his family decided to get a little creative with the holiday celebration. So, from the southwest corner of Michigan arrived two more Winkels, and while I was working on the actual Thanksgiving holiday, they ate pizza, watched football, and prepared for a delayed feast.
Here are Jim and Jo Ann Winkel, getting to work in our kitchen.The first step was making the Bourbon Pecan Pie, which comes from a recipe from the Home Restaurant cookbook. Having too much filling for one pie, Adam and his parents made two, and tested out the first one, just to be sure that it would make the grade for our feast. They even tested out different vanilla ice creams to eat with the pie. (Ronnybrook farm, as usual, was the winner.) This is the kind of dedication the Winkels brought to our holiday celebration. The pictures of this pie got blurred, but it was truly yummy. Here's the recipe:
Ingredients:
3 large eggs
1 cup corn syrup (dark preferable)
1/2 cup light brown suar
3 tbsp unsalted butter, melted and cooled
3 tbsp Kentucky bourbon (as my dad says, most desserts are better with a little booze)
1 tsp vanilla (use the delicious one from Madagascar that Anna gave me)
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
3 cups chopped pecans
1 9-inch pie shell (or 2 smaller shells)
Preparation
Preheat oven to 325 derees. In a large bowl, whisk together eggs, corn syrup and brown sugar. Addmelted butter and combine thoroughly. Whisk in bourbon, vanilla and cinnamon. Then stir in pecans. Pour into pie shell and bake 50 min or until filling set. Allow to cool before serving. Eat one pie to test ASAP.
When I came home on the morning after Thanksgiving, I fell promptly asleep. When I woke up from my sleep, I found these elves working hard in the kitchen.
As I helped with the finishing touches of our dinner preparations, our other guests - my parents, started to arrive. Here is my mom, who arrived right on time!
Not losing a beat, we put her to work as well. Look at the feast this new family has put together.
Our simple Thanksgiving menu included:Salad
Scalloped Potatoes
Stuffing
Cranberry-orange sauce
I made the stuffing and scalloped potatoes (hurrah for the pink Cuisinart), and was amazed how easy both were. I honestly can't remember what mishmash of stuff I threw in the stuffing, but I know that in addition to the usual onions and celery, there were some apples, and it came out pretty well.
The potatoes were amazing and so easy: saute shallots in butter, toss with the sliced Yukon gold potatoes and some white cheddar, fill the pan with milk and bake until golden at whatever temperature the turkey's cooking at. So simple and so yummy. What did I expect from butter, cheese, milk and potatoes?
And I was particularly impressed by Adam's turkey. For the second year in a row, he seems to have made a glorious gigantic Turkey. (Yes, we are still eating our way through the leftovers a week later). Maybe he will post his secrets in the comments?
It was such a treat for us to have all of our parents together for this holiday (plus one day). Here are the dads, hanging out in the living room. (NB the trivial pursuit game in the background which we abandoned once we tied the game up by pitting everyone else against Adam and his mom, who were starting to dominate...)
After all that work, we finally let the guests enjoy some of their creations.
Our simple feast in our home was one of the most memorable Thanksgiving meals I have had.
Full bellies and big smiles all around. I felt so very grateful for the blessings in my life. I think this is what Thanksgiving, whenever you manage to sneak it into your schedule, is all about.
In typical American fashion, the day after we celebrated Thanksgiving, we threw the doors wide open to Christmas. Here is our goofy tree, which is surrounded by presents that we are giving to our loved ones, and decorated with our favorite charms (see Clara and also William the Hippo, along with some large bulldogs and a Chicago Bulls globe). The Christmas Workshop is in full stride in the Winkel/Ford household, and we are happily awaiting a chance to be together again with our families. Wishing you all a warm and bright holiday season!!
