K.I.S.S. Sweet potato casserole

I guess one of the reasons my Mom's food was so delicious was because she always kept things simple....

One of the most popular items on our family's Thanksgiving menu is the Sweet Potato Casserole. My sister has to make 2 of them just to have enough! It's is delicious, cheap, and oh, so easy to make!

Thanksgiving 3 week checklist

Don't panic, but 3 weeks from today, most of you will be putting Thanksgiving dinner on the table :)

Here are some things you should be looking for sales on that you can buy ahead of time:

• Turkey 
• Cheese 
• Butter 
• Ham 
• Baking Supplies (Sugar, Flour) 
• Day old bread you can freeze for stuffing 
• Plastic Plates/Cups 
• Soda 
• Canned soup for casseroles 
• Frozen Pie Crust 
• Frozen Roll Dough 
• Nuts 
• Table Decorations 

Make your guest list and write out your full menu. If your guests are pitching in by bringing some of the food, then you can just cross those items off your master shopping list.

Now is also a good time to start your deep cleaning. It will make things much easier when things start getting crazy!

I would love to hear your ideas and recipes. You can leave them in the comments box below.

Shirley's Famous Potato Salad

When my family does Thanksgiving, there are 5 phases of eating...Appetizers, main course, dessert, sandwiches, then more dessert. It truly is an eating marathon!

 The sandwich course would not be complete without my Mom's famous potato salad. The recipe is so simple that it really still surprises me that people say it's "The best potato salad they have ever eaten". The photographer from my grandson's 1st Birthday party even mentioned it in her blog:

" I absolutely LOVED all of the decorations, and the food was fabulous ... from "Donald & Daisy's Delicious Desserts" to "Hot-Diggity Bar-B Dogs" & "Pluto's Pizza"... and the best potato salad I have ever had ... hands down!"

Stephanie (LIFEShots Photography) did a great job including the photo of the potato salad above.

Here is the post from LIFEShots Photography's Blog

Ok, so back to the recipe...here it is:


5 Lbs. Red Potatoes

1 Dozen Eggs

1 Small Onion

1 Jar Mayo

Salt & Pepper

Boil the potatoes (whole) until firm-tender (you don’t want them to overcook, or they will get mushy).  Remove from pot to a cookie sheet lined with paper towels to cool.  Hard boil the eggs.  When the potatoes are cool enough to handle, peel the skin off and dice into around ½ in. cubes.  Peel the eggs and chop them up into the same bowl.  Chop the onion finely and add to bowl.  Add salt & pepper to your personal taste.  Add the entire jar of Mayo in and mix it up with your freshly washed hands.  Refrigerate.

Note: Sometimes I will have to add a little extra mayo.

Ball Gravy

Hahaha...I knew that would get your attention! Of all the Thanksgiving memories I have, I think the funniest was the fact that when I was little, I would call the cranberry sauce "Ball Gravy".  In fact, I can barely contain myself while I am typing this.  Man, I was soooo cute!

Well, enough about me, let's talk cranberries shall we?  One of the most popular staples at Thanksgiving dinner has to be the cranberries.  Although I couldn't get enough of them as a child, I am not a big fan, but  the people who DO like them, though, REALLY like them, so I make them :)

Some prefer the jellied kind, you know the ones that come in a can with the handy cutting marks down the side...

Photo provided by Flickr user busbeytheelder

My  Mom always served these, and the whole cranberries, which she made from scratch.  Super easy, just buy a bag of fresh cranberries, rinse them, then put them in a saucepan with 1 cup of water, and 1 cup of sugar.  Turn the heat to med-high, stir, and keep an eye on them.  When the berries start bursting, wait about a minute and then turn the heat off.  Sort of like popcorn, the berries should continue to burst.  When they are cooled off, put them straight into your serving dish and refrigerate.

I will have to say, though, my favorite version of Cranberries has to be my Friend Terri A.'s Portofino Cranberry and Jell-o mold.  It is so delicious, but unfortunately I don't have a photo, so you will just have to take my word for it!  Here is the recipe:

Portofino Cranberry and Jello Mold

Ingredients:

2-  3 oz Packages Raspberry Jello

1 ¼ Cup Boiling Water

1 Can (20 oz.) Crushed Pineapple, undrained

1 Can 1# Whole Cranberry Sauce

¾ Cup Port Wine

1 Cup Chopped Pecans

8 oz. Package Cream Cheese

1 Cup Sour Cream

Directions:

1. Dissolve jello in boiling water

2. Stir in pineapple, cranberry sauce and wine

3. Chill until slightly thickened

4. Fold in nuts and turn into a 9X13 Pyrex.  Chill until firm

5. Beat softened cream cheese and sour cream until smooth.

6. Spread over set Jello mold and chill

Cut in squares and serve.

Thanks Terri!

If you have any recipes to share, just click on the "Thanksgiving Recipes" tab at the top and put it in the "Comments"

Stay tuned for more Thanksgiving recipes, tips and tricks from now until Turkey Day!

Thanksgiving Pre-Planning Guide

Thanksgiving is just 4 weeks away!  Can you believe it?  Since we are only in the planning stage, I felt it appropriate to start the series off with these tips:

Whether you are an amateur or a seasoned professional, planning and preparing a Thanksgiving feast is not as difficult as it sounds.  Most of the foods you will prepare are similar to any other meal.  The only difference is you will be doing it on a larger scale.  When you have cooked as long as I have, you get a feel for how much food to make.  Sometimes, I refer to a little cookbook I purchased years ago at my daughters school.  In the back of the book it lists quantities to feed 100 people.  I just do a little math according to how many I will be feeding.

Take a deep breath and follow these simple guidelines.  You will be surprised at how easy it will be to produce a delicious meal for your family this Thanksgiving.