Friday, November 28, 2008

The afterglow of a well-prepared meal


I don't consider myself a good cook, so I was surprised at the feeling of overwhelming pride that came over me whilest I surveyed the bountiful spread of food on our Thanksgiving table.
So this is why they do it! This is why some people put so much time and effort and thought into their food. I now understand the mind of the Foodie. (Why do I feel like watching a "Top Chef" marathon? Has Anthony Bourdain always been that handsome?")
Thank you, everyone, for your recipes and encouragement. I will definitely try them over the holidays.
Here (above) is an example of Martha's Magic Rolls. Not "The" Martha, "my" Martha, my mom. It was the first time I attempted them on my own. They were wonderful.
I also followed some of your advice, my dear readers, and made my own cranberry sauce. I used Cranberry Sauce II from allrecipes.com. So little effort for such a big pay off. Who knew?!
And now on to the next holiday. I hope you like pictures. I am going to flood my blog with them. A little teaser for up-coming posts? How about, "Anniethology's Week of Humanity"?
Hurry back!

10 comments:

  1. Glad to hear it was so successful for you! And your blue/white gingham is beautiful. I thought about sending this recipe to you earlier, but figured you'd already bought everything for Thanksgiving Dinner, so I didn't. But it works especially well for Christmas Dinner, or a big Sunday Feast.

    Spinach and Pear Salad (aka Candy Salad around our house)

    Dressing:
    1/4 minced onion
    4 cloves minced garlic
    3 TBLS. Apple Cider Vinegar
    3 TBLS. White Wine Vinegar
    2 TBLS. Sesame seeds
    1/4 tsp. Paprika
    3 TBLS. Sugar
    1/2 cup Light Olive Oil
    Salt and Pepper to season

    Combine onion, garlic, cider vinegar, white wine vinegar, sesame seeds and paprika in a small bowl. Mix in 3 TBLS. Sugar. Gradually whisk in olive oil. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

    Sugar Almonds
    2 TBLS. Butter
    3/4 cup slivered almonds
    2 TBLS. Sugar
    1/4 tsp. Salt

    Melt butter in skillet over medium heat. Add almonds. Stir until almonds begin to color (about 2 minutes). Sprinkle sugar and salt over almonds. Cook until sugar melts and begins to turn golden (about 2 minutes more). Transfer almonds to bowl and cool. (Dressing and Almonds can be prepared 4 hours before.)

    Salad Ingredients
    1 Pear (thinly sliced)
    1 Apple (thinly sliced)I prefer Braeburn for this salad, but it's up to you
    1 10 oz. bag ready to eat Baby Spinach
    1/4-1/2 cup Craisins
    1/2 cup Feta Cheese

    Combine salad ingredients, add dressing and mix in almonds right before serving. (Serves 6-8 people.)

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  2. You know how some people swoon over vampire boys?
    I have been swooning over Anthony B for quite some time. I know he's a bad boy, but that is what fantasy is all about, right?

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  3. the look of buttery baked goodness. Yummmmy!!!

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  4. Thorny- That sounds amazing! I'll put it on the Christmas menu.

    I made a Spinach and Cranberry Salad yesterday. I got the recipe off of allrecipes.com.

    Fresh Spinach
    Dried Cranberries, not cranraisins
    Romano Cheese
    Sliced Almonds, the recipe called for pecans, but I went another direction
    and
    Raspberry Vinagarette, from a bottle, remember, I was going for easy.

    It was tasty, but yours sounds better, more time intensive, but better.

    Kate-Love the profile pic. Love!

    E-dub- I love Anthony. I read him, before I watched him. He is a fantastic writer.

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  5. Speaking of great food, I just got my Sunset magazine. There is a recipe for Cranberry Obession Snow Cake (pictured on the cover) and Eggnog Cheesecake. Guess where my next 5 lbs. are going come from?!

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  6. Speaking of great food, I just got my Sunset magazine. There is a recipe for Cranberry Obession Snow Cake (pictured on the cover) and Eggnog Cheesecake. Guess where my next 5 lbs. are going come from?!

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  7. I love Sunset magazine... hmmmm... maybe I need a new subscription for Christmas this year.

    I'm so glad you've discovered foodiness! It really is fun to make beautiful, wonderful food and have your family oooh and ahhhh over your hours of hard labor... kind of like childbirth.

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  8. Couldn't agree more. I was strutting my stuff on Friday - I could do no wrong. How can a turkey do that to me?

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  9. Great job! I enjoyed cooking our Thanksgiving meal, because Lauren was there to help with so much of it...and make her to-die-for rolls! :)

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