Brussels Sprouts with Pancetta and Onions

This is another change I have made for Thanksgiving the last several years.  We have always had broccoli and rice casserole and that is another carby dish along with all the noodles and dressing and potatoes.  So I was wanting to make more vegetable dishes and I tried this one and really liked it. Most of our children like it and it is a keeper.  This is easy and it doesn't have to be the holidays to make it.  I didn't buy pancetta is used bacon.

1 1/2 pounds Brussels sprouts, trimmed and halved
4 ounces pancetta
1 large onion, quartered and sliced thinly
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 teaspoon pepper
2-3 tablespoons red wine vinegar

Bring one inch of lightly salted water to a boil in a large deep skillet.  Add sprouts and simmer until crisp tender, 6-8 minutes.  Drain and run under cool water to cool.  Wipe out skillet.  Add pancetta and cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally until crisp 5-7 minutes.  Transfer to a paper towel when crisp.  Add onion to drippings and cook stirring occasionally until tender and golden 8-10 minutes.  Increase heat to medium high and add sprouts, salt and pepper and cook, tossing until heated through about 3 minutes.  Add pancetta and vinegar and toss to combine.

Pumpkin Espresso Tiramisu

This was good and I will make it again but I will put more brandy and coffee on the ladyfingers that are inside the tiramisu. Some recipes soaked the ladyfingers, this recipe had you to brush the ladyfingers.  I also thought it needed more pumpkin.  The flavor of pumpkin could have been a little stronger.  Thought next time I might a the whole can.  It was a l5 oz. can and you use one cup which is close to the whole can.  Next time I'll use it all.

This is easy to make and the presentation is lovely I think. Also, you can make this two days ahead and keep in the refrigerator.

1 cup granulated sugar
1 tablespoon flour
2 large eggs
2 large egg yolks
3 cups heavy cream, divided
1 teaspoon vanilla bean paste
2 (8oz.) pkg. cream cheese, softened
1 cup canned pumpkin
1/2 cup brewed espresso or dark roast coffee
3 tablespoons brandy
3 (7oz.) packages crisp ladyfingers, divided
3 tablespoons powdered sugar
Garnish: ground nutmeg

Whisk together sugar and flour in a large heavy saucepan.  Whisk together eggs, egg yolks, and 2 cups of heavy cream in a bowl.  Whisk cream mixture into sugar mixture and cook over medium-low heat, whisking constantly, 15 minutes or until very thick.  (Mixture will come to a simmer during the last 2 to 3 minutes.)  Remove from heat, whisk in vanilla bean paste and transfer to medium bowl. Place plastic wrap directly over warm custard (to prevent a film from forming).  Cool completely about  11/2 hours.

Beat cream cheese into cream mixture until smooth, whisk in pumpkin.

Stir together espresso and brandy.  Brush flat sides of about 24 ladyfingers with espresso mixture.  Stand ladyfingers around edge of a 10-inch spring form pan, placing rounded sides against pan.  Line bottom of pan with additional ladyfingers, cutting if necessary to cover bottom of pan completely.  Brush espresso mixture over ladyfingers on bottom of pan. 

Spread one-third of cream cheese mixture over ladyfingers on bottom.  Repeat layers twice with remaining ladyfingers, espresso mixture, and cream cheese mixture, ending with cream cheese mixture.  (Reserve any remaining ladyfingers for another use.)  Cover and chill 4 hours to 2 days.

Beat remaining 1 cup of heavy cream at high speed until foamy; gradually add powdered sugar, beating until soft peaks form.  Remove edging from around spring form pan and put on a serving platter leaving the bottom of the pan in tack.  Top with whipped cream and garnish with nutmeg if desired.

A Message From My Grandma Ellen

Here are the pictures of the buffet before dinner loaded with desserts.  As you can see, I did make a pumpkin pie especially for one of my children who couldn't believe we were not having pumpkin pie. I explained in an earlier post that I was trying to not make so much food and since I was making a pumpkin tiramisu, I decided not to make a pumpkin pie. I woke up early Thanksgiving morning and decided to make the pumpkin pie before I started down my list of other preparations. 

While I was making the pumpkin pie, I thought of my grandmother and thought to myself, I'm glad I did make a pumpkin pie because it made me think of my grandmother.  When I was a little girl she always made the pies for our holidays.  I remember her little chubby hands cutting three thin slices of butter and always putting them in the middle of the pumpkin pie.  I always put three slices of butter on my pumpkin pies because that is what she did.  As I was putting the butter on the pumpkin pie that morning, I thought to myself, Grandma I wonder if you can see me making this pie and putting on the butter the way you did. 

When I opened the oven door to take out the pie and saw that heart, I almost cried.  I wanted to run in and wake up Gary and tell him what happened.  I have made a hundred pumpkin pies and put butter on every one of them and not once has a pie ever came out with a heart on it.

My family was thrilled to have a pumpkin pie and they all loved the story that my grandmother had sent her love and wished us a Happy Thanksgiving.

With Thankful Hearts

We had a wonderful Thanksgiving with our family and once again we had too much food.

We are so thankful this year to have the addition of our new little grandson to our family.  He is truly a blessing and we have all fallen completely in love with him.  He smiles and we all have our cameras clicking, he makes one little whimper and we all start for him to pick him up......laughing.  Honestly, my husband and I thought grandchildren were just not in the picture for us and we had accepted it.  But Dutch has been such a wonderful surprise and we are so thankful to get to experience being grandparents. 

As we count our blessings of friends, family and good health our hearts are filled with gratitude and much thankfulness.

Thanksgiving Eve

The house is as clean as it's going to get. :)  My hub helped me this year and I finished up about 3 hours earlier than I normally do.  Wow, was I glad.  The food is ready for the finishing touches in the morning.  I made a pumpkin espresso tiramisu instead of our normal pumpkin pie.  One of our children has found out and is pretty upset that there is not going to be pumpkin pie.  Depending on my time table in the morning, I may make one.  We have too much food and I was trying to cut back a little.  But you know how that is, everyone has there favorite thing that they want.  :)

I took some pictures of our Thanksgiving table.  I used pieces of pewter that I have collected over the years.  A piece of old burlap as a runner and the pieces of pewter with some flowers in them arranged up and down the table.  It's hard to see them but I hope you can get some ideas from the arrangement. 

The last picture is of the buffet.  At one end is my mom's carnival glass.  I have put dessert forks in one piece and after dinner mints in another small piece.  And placed all this on a silver tray along with dessert plates.  I'll post another picture later of the entire buffet when I get all the desserts on the buffet.

Wishing you a good nights rest......xo

Beautiful Sunset

Nothing like the wide open spaces!

Skillet Hash Browns with Wilted Spinach

First, let me say this was not hash browns. It is fried potatoes.  This recipe is for hash browns and this makes a wonderful brunch dish but I decided to add the ingredients to our fried potatoes to go along with the big pot of brown beans I made for Sunday dinner.  These potatoes are so hearty, they are a meal in themselves.  I'm going to tell you what I did on Sunday but the recipe for the hash browns is what I will give you.  The week of Thanksgiving is so busy for me, that I have every day before Thanksgiving planned so Thanksgiving day runs very smoothly.  I don't have time to cook meals the week of Thanksgiving so this year I thought I would make a big pot of beans and we could eat on the beans every night.  Last night, we had bean burritos and we will probably have that again tonight.  :)

I fried the potatoes until they were almost done then added the diced red pepper and the sliced green onions and garlic.  I let this cook for about 4-5 minutes then added the chopped spinach.  I stirred it into the potatoes, turned off the heat and put the lid on the pan and the heat wilted the spinach.  The potatoes tasted great with the beans.

This is the recipe:

6 large potatoes, scrubbed and quartered
1 teaspoon salt and pepper
1/2 cup canola oil
1 pound tofu, drained, pressed and cubed
1 cup onion, chopped
1/2 carrot, diced
5 large garlic cloves, minced
1 red bell pepper, diced
3 cups coarsely chopped fresh spinach
6 green onions, sliced

Cook potatoes in boiling water until barley tender, about 10-12 minutes.  Drain and rinse with cold water and drain again.  When cooled to the touch coarsely grate into a large bowl and toss with salt and pepper.
Heat 2 tablespoons oil in skillet and saute tofu, gently stirring occasionally, until brown, about 10-15 minutes.  Transfer to small bowl.  Divide remaining oil between two skillets.  Heat skillets.  Divide potatoes between two skillets and saute, stirring occasionally until they begin to brown.  Combine potatoes into one pan and stir in onion, carrot and garlic.  Cook and stir until onion is tender, about 5 minutes.  Stir in red pepper, spinach and tofu.  Cook stirring occasionally, until spinach is wilted and red peppers are tender.  Toss with green onions and serve.

Good with ketchup or salsa.