Thanksgiving Tips and Fresh cranberry sauce recipe!

Thanksgiving is just days away and I don't know about you - but I can always use a few tips to make the gathering and meal more enjoyable.



So here are a few:

Do as much prep ahead of time as possible...duh, I know...but here are some examples.

1) Do any deep cleaning several days ahead, people won't be looking at baseboards or behind furniture anyway..
2) Clean oven!  That burnt food on the bottom of your oven will affect the flavor of whatever you are baking
3) Bake turkey the day before the meal, carve and pour juices over, then seal tightly and reheat on Thanksgiving at 325 for 45 minutes or an hour, but test after 1/2 hour...you don't want it to dry out!
4) Peel and slice potatoes the day before and put in pan of water in fridge.
5) Make cranberry sauce the day before-fresh is best and very easy! Recipe below..
6) Pies can be baked the day before as well, or even the week before and frozen


and 7) Take the phone off the hook after lunch and rest for an hour before everyone comes over! I highly recommend this - it helps revive me and can enjoy the evening so much better if I am rested and NOT stressed!

Last, but not least...if everything is not perfect, don't worry - your guests will enjoy the meal and their evening together if they sense that you are, too.  Remember: There is no perfection this side of eternity - but there can be a lot of fun if you maintain a sense of humor!

That's all I can think of for now...here's your fresh cranberry sauce recipe:

Cranberry Sauce

12 oz fresh cranberries
1 cup sugar
1 cup orange juice
pinch of cinnamon

In a medium saucepan, dissolve sugar in orange juice.  Stir in the cranberries and cook until the cranberries start to pop (about 10 min). Remove from heat, sprinkle on cinnamon & place in a bowl. It will thicken as it cools. Enjoy!

Quote of the day: Smile! It's contagious! 
Happy Thanksgiving!

Shepherd's Pie

So Shepherd's Pie was on the menu for tonight's dinner....and here's what happened..
(By the way, you will NOT find perfection on my website....I will daringly show my mistakes as well as my victories in both cooking and sewing so that you know we are all learning together!)  ;0

So this was looking pretty good, right?  I thought so!  However...I deviated from the recipe just a tad...
I tend to think most recipes for Shepherd's pie leave a lot to be desired where the sauce/gravy is concerned.
So I experimented.  Not always a good idea to deviate too far, you know...
I added the beef broth as instructed but wanted more "beefy" flavor so I also added a pkg of dry gravy mix....then I figured it would be too thick, so I added more beef broth.




This is the result....the gravy came over the top onto the cheesy part!  Didn't look pretty, but I must say - it was delicious!

So next time I just need to add less liquid and it'll be perfect, right?  

I won't hold my breath...

Here is the recipe:

Shepherd's Pie Mary Lou's way

4 large potatoes, peeled, cubed

3 Tbsp butter

3-4 Tbsp milk

1 1/4 lbs ground beef

1 cup chopped onion

1 cup chopped celery

3/4 cup chopped carrots

1/2 cup or so of frozen peas

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 Tablespoon ketchup

1 Tablespoon Worcestershire sauce

3/4 cup beef broth

1 pkg brown gravy

salt & pepper to taste

1 tsp corn starch mixed with 3 Tbsp water

1 - 1/4 cups shredded cheddar

Instructions: (Preheat oven to 325)

Bring a large pot of water  to boil. Add cubed potatoes, cook till soft - 15-20 min.  Drain & add butter (to taste) and milk - adding a little at a time to get thick consistency...don't add all at once or it may be too thin.

Brown ground beef and then add onion, celery, carrots and saute till veg are tender, but not too soft. (7-10 min). Add garlic, peas, ketchup, Worcestershire sauce, beef broth and gravy mix. Simmer 3-5 minutes. If it's too thin add the corn starch/water mixture and simmer 3-4 more minutes. 

Carefully pour the ground beef/veg mixture into a  2-Quart casserole dish or a 9 X 13 pan and spread evenly.  Smooth mashed potatoes over the top. Cover with 1/2 of the cheddar cheese, adding the rest of the cheddar about 10 minutes before removing from oven.  Bake at 325 for about 20-30 minutes till bubbly and golden brown.

Hope your's turns out delicious, too!  I welcome comments...but please be kind...I'm sortof new at this!

Quote of the day: "Go and be as the butterfly!" (from Jan Karon's books)