Entertaining Ideas
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Our tech team has launched updates to The Nest today. As a result of these updates, members of the Nest Community will need to change their password in order to continue participating in the community. In addition, The Nest community member's avatars will be replaced with generic default avatars. If you wish to revert to your original avatar, you will need to re-upload it via The Nest.
If you have questions about this, please email help@theknot.com.
Thank you.
Note: This only affects The Nest's community members and will not affect members on The Bump or The Knot.
Thanksgiving Questions
Okay, I just got married in Feb and we moved to Chicago shortly after that. Unfortunately we cannot get Thanksgiving off of work so we will be driving to Memphis to celebrate with my parents the week before Thanksgiving. I want to take something to be able to help my mom out but I am not sure what would travel well... Any ideas?
Also, what are some of your favorite Thanksgiving dishes? I want to make a nice dinner for my husband and brother (who also lives in Chicago) on the actual day of Thanksgiving since we all have to work that morning..
TIA!
Re: Thanksgiving Questions
Well, can you either make it once you get to your Mom's or heat it up once you're there? I guess what you take will depend on what she's having and will need. Did you ask her to see what you can bring? Things that come to mind are green bean casserole, sweet potatoes, some sort of dessert (pies???), you could do an appetizer. I would check with her first so you can see what would help her the most (there may be some things she prefers to make herself...I know I'm like that)!
As for your DH and Brother....I would do a small T-giving dinner. You could easily pick up some turkey breasts (or do cornish hens) and roast them like you would a large turkey. It'll be easier on you, take less time but still taste the same. Of course, I would want buttermilk mashed potatoes, rolls, green bean casserole, etc. as well! Oh and stuffing...cannot forget the stuffing!
I only live 2.5 hours from my Thanksgiving dinner, but I like to bring quick breads. I would imagine they would travel well to another state too.
Or you could just help out when you get there, or take the lead on clean up.
I like this cranberry bread
CLASSIC CRANBERRY NUT BREAD
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Read Reviews (62)
INGREDIENTS:
2 cups flour
1 cup sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
3/4 cup orange juice
1 tablespoon grated orange peel
2 tablespoons shortening
1 egg, well beaten
1 1/2 cups Ocean Spray? Fresh or Frozen Cranberries, coarsely chopped
1/2 cup chopped nuts
DIRECTIONS:
Preheat oven to 350?F. Grease a 9 x 5-inch loaf pan.
Mix together flour, sugar, baking powder, salt and baking soda in a medium mixing bowl. Stir in orange juice, orange peel, shortening and egg. Mix until well blended. Stir in cranberries and nuts. Spread evenly in loaf pan.
Bake for 55 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool on a rack for 15 minutes. Remove from pan; cool completely. Wrap and store overnight. Makes 1 loaf (16 slices).
PER SERVING (1 slice): Cal. 211, Fat Cal. 54, Protein 3grams, Carb. 37grams, Fat 6grams, Chol. 18mg., Sodium 313mg.
OceanSpray.com
you could also do lemon bread or pumpkin bread
I also modified this cranberry bread recipe into a blueberry bread by doing milk rather than oj, leaving out the orange peal, trading cranberries for blueberries, leaving out nuts, doing butter rather than shortening and cooking a little longer. but that seems more summer.
Thanks for all of the ideas! I think I am going to go with some sort of pie and maybe some sort of bread. I can remember my Mom transporting casseroles a few hours away but I don't know.. I am nervous about transporting them 8 hours!...
For those of you who have baked pumpkin pies, would I make the pie and then bake it when I got to her house? I have never made a pumpkin pie before but I can't wait to try it thise year!
Pumpkin pie is pretty soupy until it's cooked, you might be able to put a crust in a pan and the filling in another container on ice and assemble on site, but you could bake the pie at home and put it on ice for travel.
However, pumpkin pie needs to be refrigerated after two hours according to http://www.stilltasty.com/fooditems/index/18122
But there are pies that can live on the counter for a while that might be a better choice. Fruit pies for example:
http://www.stilltasty.com/fooditems/index/18155
If you want to go pumpkin something then I would do pumpkin bread, muffins, or cookies.
http://www.stilltasty.com/fooditems/index/18155
LOL! They're so easy and my favorite way to have them...
Boil your potatoes like you normally would for mashed potatoes. I like to cut them into big chunks so they cook faster and are easier to mash. I also throw some smashed garlic cloves in with the water to give them a little garlic flavor but if you don't like garlic, you can leave that out.
In a small saucepan, mix together 1/2 cup of milk and 1 stick of butter over med. heat until it's heated through (don't let it come to a boil). Set it aside until the potatoes are done.
Drain the potatoes and begin mashing them (I use a hand masher but you can do it whatever method you prefer). Once they're mashed to your desired consistency, pour in the milk/butter mixture and stir in. Gradually add in buttermilk/heavy whipping cream until it becomes creamy. Season with salt and pepper to taste...voila!
Super easy and traditional Southern style mashed potatoes!