Frugal Family Tree: Thanksgiving

Sunday, November 20, 2016

Quick and Delicious Hurry-Up Biscuits

I know everyone is busy getting ready for Thanksgiving right now, my family is too. It's really my favorite holiday, filled with good food, family, and friends, and a chance to stop and reflect on all we're grateful for.

This year we moved to Nevada, so now I live very close to one of my sons and his family, which of course is wonderful. But my other son and youngest daughter will be spending Thanksgiving back in Seattle due to their jobs, and they're coming for Christmas.

My other daughter, Laura, who is my co-writer here on the blog, always has Thanksgiving in California. I'm hoping one year I can get all of my kids together around one table and spend Thanksgiving together. That would make me so happy. And I hope I haven't confused you, but as the mother of five grown children, they often confuse me!

Which brings me to these yummy and easy Hurry-Up Biscuits. I know how important side dishes are to Thanksgiving dinner, we have our family favorites that are almost the same every year. But I don't think the biscuits should be overlooked, for me they are important for soaking up that delicious turkey gravy.

So I tried out a couple of different biscuit recipes today, and this one was my favorite. Not only do I love the taste, but they are so easy to make. You could pre-make the dough if you like, and pop them in the oven after you've taken out the turkey and letting it rest for a bit.

Simply put the dry ingredients in a large bowl and add 2 cups of whipping cream. Then drop 1/4 cup of dough on a baking sheet and pop in the oven. Super easy!

Recipe for Hurry-Up Biscuits

Ingredients:

3 cups all-purpose flour

4 teaspoons baking powder

4 teaspoons sugar

1 teaspoon salt

2 cups heavy whipping cream

Directions:

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

In a large bowl, whisk flour, baking powder, sugar and salt. Add whipping cream, stir just until ingredients are combined.

Drop by 1/4 cupful's spaced 1 inch apart on baking sheet. Bake 17-20 minutes, or until golden brown. Serve warm with butter or jam.

Makes 12 biscuits.

-Post by Patricia

Pumpkin Cheesecake Recipe

Ingredients

Crust:

1 3/4 cups graham cracker crumbs
3 tablespoons light brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 stick melted salted butter

Filling:

3 (8-ounce) packages cream cheese, at room temperature
1 (15-ounce) can pureed pumpkin
3 eggs plus 1 egg yolk
1/4 cup sour cream
1 1/2 cups sugar
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon fresh ground nutmeg
1/8 teaspoon ground cloves
2 tablespoon all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

For crust:

In medium bowl, combine crumbs, sugar and cinnamon. Add melted butter. Press down flat into a 9-inch spring form pan. Set aside.

For filling:

Beat cream cheese until smooth. Add pumpkin puree, eggs, egg yolk, sour cream, sugar and the spices. Add flour and vanilla. Beat together until well combined.

Pour into crust. Spread out evenly and place in oven for 1 hour. Remove from the oven and let sit for 15 minutes. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 4 hours.

I don't know about you, but I always have the hardest time deciding what desserts we should have for Thanksgiving. I know that pumpkin pie is always a favorite, but sometimes it can be a little too predicable.

Last year my daughter Samantha made this delicious pumpkin cheesecake and shared it here it on the blog. It's well worth re-sharing, and I'm going to be making it for Thanksgiving this year. The recipe is pretty easy and the results are amazing. It went quickly and our family loved it.

It serves about 10, depending on how you slice it. And your kitchen will smell delicious as it bakes!

Patricia

Corn Pudding Recipe For Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving is my very favorite holiday. It's all about delicious food, gathering with family and friends, and giving thanks for all that we have in our lives. It's a day to remember that though things might not be perfect, there are still many blessings that me must not take for granted.

Thanksgiving used to be mine, where for decades I was the one roasting a turkey, cooking like mad, and making sure I had enough plates, wine glasses and clean tablecloths to accommodate everyone.

It was crazy, expensive, and stressful. And it was some of the happiest times of my life. But after thirty five years of marriage, my husband and I split up, and it was the end of all those lovely Thanksgiving dinners.

The end of a marriage sometimes fills like the end of everything you know that is familiar, and you can end up feeling lost, alone, and asking yourself how did you get into this particular kind of hell. It takes time, a long time to come out of that tunnel and begin to feel like there is hope for a new life.

I'm getting there. And this Thanksgiving we will gather at my daughter's table to give thanks for all that we are blessed to have. I still have my five fabulous kids, four sweet grandchildren, and hopes for a much happier future.

I'm not cooking the turkey, my son-in-law does that, but I will be making this delicious corn pudding. It's creamy and tastes great, and is much fancier than serving plain corn. It's one of my favorite recipes to make for Thanksgiving.

I did publish this last year, and it was quite popular, so I thought I would share it again. I know many people have the very same menu year after year, but I think changing things up a bit can be fun. So give this recipe a try if you are a corn lover.

Recipe for Corn Pudding

Ingredients:

Olive Oil for greasing baking dish
2 cups corn kernels, fresh or frozen
1 small red bell pepper, finely chopped
1/2 small yellow onion, finely chopped
2/3 cup shredded cheddar cheese
2 tablespoons flour
2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
2 large eggs
1 (12-ounce) can evaporated milk

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350. Lightly grease 2-quart baking dish with olive oil and set aside.

In a medium bowl, toss together corn, bell pepper, onion, cheese, flour, mustard, salt, and pepper.

In another bowl, whisk together eggs and milk. Stir egg mixture into corn mixture and pour into prepared baking dish. Bake until set, about 40 minutes.

Makes 6 servings.

Homemade Apple Pie + Adding ZEST to your weekend!

I have told everyone how much I like pie and desserts in general, I cannot pass on a good looking pie, I just can't. And in the beginning of the fall season I shared a recipe for Homemade Apple Pie with Lemon ZEST. It was a huge hit so I wanted to share it again in case you missed it. Not to mention you can wow your Thanksgiving guests with this zesty pie!

This time the recent pie I made was for a charity auction at Liam's preschool. Every year they auction off homemade desserts and treats, it is a smashing hit and brings in hundreds of dollars! Ever need a charity idea? Food always bring in the dough! Here is the recipe, ENJOY!

Ingredients

2 tablespoons all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting
Pie Dough, your recipe of store bought crust, whichever you prefer
10 Granny Smith apples, peeled, cored, and sliced
3/4 cup sugar, plus additional for pie top
Zest and juice of 1 lemon
1 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
Pinch ground cloves
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 egg, beaten

Apple Tree Handprint Project

Cover depicting the tree giving away an apple

With Thanksgiving coming up next week we have been talking about giving, sharing and loving your family and friends. A great way for children to relate to this in real life is to read them a story about the subject. That is why we have been reading The Giving Tree , a family favorite. All this reading sparked the Apple Tree project below! I love it when the story continues into real life, it really seems like the children are understanding and absorbing what we are teaching.