My Thanksgiving Must Haves for 2011

Am I the only one that can’t believe Thanksgiving is less than one week away? Where has the time gone?! I just honestly can’t believe that we’re past the middle of November! There is already so much holiday stuff up, but after Thanksgiving it just all gets out of hand. I really enjoyed the holidays when I owned a house, but it’s a bit depressing now that I’m in a small apartment. All we really put up is a Charlie Brown Tree.

But in the spirit of the upcoming holiday, I wanted to share my Thanksgiving Must Haves (in no particular order) from everyone’s favorite store, Williams-Sonoma!

Spiced Pecan Pumpkin Spice Quick Bread Mix

I absolutely love Spiced Pecan Pumpkin Spice Quick Bread. It’s so easy to make and it makes a delicious breakfast for early on Thanksgiving morning after you throw the turkey in the stove.

Made with fresh pecans and an aromatic blend of spices, this mix makes an autumn classic easy to prepare. The quick bread emerges golden brown from the oven, ready to slice and serve warm with butter or jam.

 

Fall Piecrust Cutters

There’s a new item available for Bakers, and they are super cute! The Fall Piecrust Cutters come in a set of four including a Leaf, Pumpkin, Turkey and Acorn.

These cutters are an easy way to create piecrusts with decorative appeal – without overhandling your dough. Just press firmly to cut the edges, and then depress the spring to release delicate shapes embossed with fine detail.

Layer the shapes on top of a pie, or use the cutters to make cutout patterns in a pie’s top crust. This is the perfect decoration for your Apple & Pumpkin Pie!

iSi Gourmet Whip

Thanksgiving Dessert always involves Pie at my house! So the iSi Gourmet Whip is the perfect addition to your arsenal! Don’t buy any of that Cool Whip, Reddi Whip, or Whipped Topping. Make your own!

Dispense whip cream, soft cheeses and buttercream frostings in seconds with this powerful tool. Three different dispenser nozzles let you add a decorative flourish for garnishes, cake toppings and festive borders.

Crafted of dishwasher-safe brushed stainless steel. I love when things are dishwasher-safe! I don’t want to stand around and do dishes all night!

I love that you can dispense buttercream frosting out of this! I’ll definitely get my moneys worth!

Microplane Herb Mill

I love to make an Herb Butter to put all over the Turkey before it goes into the oven. So instead of having to stand there and chop up all of the herbs, this handy Microplane Herb Mill will save me time. And I can use it throughout the year!

Place mint, oregano, sage and other fresh green leafy herbs in this mill, then just twist the handle – the ultra-sharp scissoring blades quickly mince even large quantities of herbs for flavorful salad dressings, sauces and more.

And…it’s dishwasher-safe!

Acorn Twine Holder

I don’t know about you, but whenever I need Twine to tie up a Turkey or a Chicken, I can’t seem to remember where I put it. This super cute Acorn Twine Holder would solve my problem.

Borrowing the autumnal shape of an acorn, our Italian-made polished alder-wood holder keeps twine handy for kitchen and household tasks. It comes with a ball of sturdy linen twine that won’t turn brown or char in a hot oven.

 

 

 

My Five Thanksgiving Must-Haves

Somehow the end of November is upon us and tomorrow is Thanksgiving. I’ll never know how the time went by so fast that Christmas is about a month away.

I wanted to share my five must-haves for Thanksgiving 2010 – these are products and/or ingredients that I’m loving for this holiday season. They are in no particular order.

1.  Williams-Sonoma Brining Bags – These things are seriously the best. They come in a box of 4, and you get 2 small and 2 large.  The small bag holds a pork loin or 5-lb. chicken.  The large bag holds up to a 23-lb. turkey. All for $16. You can’t beat that! Last year I paid about $8 just for one from Amazon!

photo courtesy of Williams-Sonoma2. Williams-Sonoma Essential Oils Collection, Spiced Chestnut – I’m totally obsessed with this scent. I was waiting for a friend and I figured I’d browse around in Williams-Sonoma. I came across this hand lotion and immediately fell in love. The next day I went to pick some up, and I purchased the Hand Lotion / Dish Soap / Hand Soap combo. I’m hooked! I’m eying up the candle now…LOL! It’s a wonderful scent. If you are looking for a gift for someone – this is perfect!

3. Penzeys Pumpkin Pie Spice – If you know me, you know I love all things Penzeys.  Their spices are wonderful. And they truly are a great company. I’ve always had a very pleasant experience with them – whether it’s in their store or ordering from their web site. They usually throw in a free little jar of something when you order online. Their shipping is very affordable and it always comes quickly. Pumpkin Pie season is upon us and it’s tradition that Pumpkin Pie is at least ONE of the desserts! So Penzeys Pumpkin Pie Spice goes great in the pumpkin pie. I also like to add a little on top of the whipped cream to finish it off.

Photo courtesy of Penzeys 4. Penzeys Turkey Soup Base and Seasoning – As you’ve probably seen in some of the recipes I’ve posted, I love Penzeys Soup Bases. They have so much flavor and I love not having to go out and buy cans and cartons of chicken, beef and turkey stock. I keep many jars of the soup base on hand so that I never run out. They say that each jar has 45 servings in it. Not bad for the price that you pay! I highly recommend that you try this. I know it’ll be going in my roasting pan when my Turkey Breast goes in to the oven tomorrow.

5. Mimosas – It’s not Thanksgiving at our house if there aren’t any Mimosas! I have my coffee first thing in the morning and then shortly after that we start with the Mimosas! And that goes on until all of the champagne is gone!

What’s your favorite product/ingredient this holiday season?

Silly kitty cat

First, let me say that I totally forgot to take pics of my very first turkey! It slipped my mind. Oops. I will say that it turned out great!!! Brining was the way to go, and I’ll definitely do the Williams-Sonoma Apple & Spice brine again. Worth. Every. Penny! Carlos even raved about how juicy it was 5 days after Thanksgiving.

Thanksgiving was a very busy day. I spent ALL day long cooking. Yeah, remind me to never do that again. Next year I’ll definitely bake the pies the night before, and prep what I can the night before. I was exhausted by the time dinner was over. I was almost too tired to have dessert. And for those of you that know me, you probably wouldn’t believe that! But I had a tiny sliver of each pie (sweet potato pie and apple pie) shortly before I passed out for the night in my bed.

Can y’all believe it’s DECEMBER already? Seriously?! Where has the time gone?

I want to leave you with a few pics of my kitty cat Myssy. He’s so silly. He lives a rough life, I tell ya!

Check out his eyes. Carlos is convinced he’s possessed! LOL



Fourteen Pounder

I can’t believe that Thanksgiving is in less than a week. How did it get here so fast? Seriously. I swear it was just the 4th of July. The time is just flying by.

So I already bought the bird for Thursday. It’s a fourteen (14) pounder. Wow. For two people. Talk about leftovers for days! And please let me note that this will be my first time roasting a turkey. Ever. So I will definitely have to report back how it goes.

I got the brine from Williams Sonoma and I’m so excited to try it out. It’s Apple & Spices Turkey Brine.

I figured if I’m going to do this, I should just go all out! :) Everyone gave this brine great reviews, so I figured it couldn’t hurt to try it.

I’m kinda bugged out about the whole Stuffing thing though. I can’t bring myself to actually stuff the bird. It kind of skeeves me out. It’s not actually stuffing it, but it’s EATING the stuffing that was in there.

Stuffing is my FAVORITE. My Mom’s stuffing is the best. But this year I won’t be able to have it. What is your favorite Thanksgiving food?

Aside from eating Thanksgiving dinner, my favorite thing about Thanksgiving is looking through all of the circulars for Black Friday. I just love to see what sales are going to be offered. I don’t even leave the house on Black Friday, so I never go shopping! I just like to see what everyone gets up at the ass crack of dawn for.

If I do any shopping on Black Friday, it’s online!

Inquiring minds want to know: Do you go out shopping on Black Friday?