Our Thanksgiving Day Menu 2011

Here is a list of the items we will be preparing for Thanksgiving. If you would like the recipes for any of these dishes (Each recipe comes with its own shopping list), please click the link and you will be taken to the appropriate page. If you have any questions on preparing any of the following recipes, please let me know in a comment.

Have a safe and Happy Thanksgiving!



I decided to make rolls this year...



White Dinner Rolls


Appetizers...



Cheesy Bread




You've got to have potatoes...



Whipped Potatoes




How about some gravy to go with those potatoes...

Lump-Free Thanksgiving Gravy



Yes, we are doing stuffing as well. I just sauté celery, onions and add the stuff from the box, so I don't have anything written-up on it.




...And still in his bag, the star of the show...



Thanksgiving Turkey




Now, for dessert...





Spiced Pumpkin Cheesecake



and finally...

Apple Pie with Crème Fraîche and Black Pepper


Happy Thanksgiving, everyone!!

Finger Stakes

Before I get started blowing sprinkler lines and assisting in biology and chemistry labs, I needed to make something special for my wife's Halloween party at work. So, I decided that the easiest (Yep, I'm lazy) thing to do, would be to make my Cheesy Bread and try and make them look like fingers.

 What you need:

• Cheesy bread recipe
• A batch of my Garlic Sauce
• Olives and cut them into fourths (These will become the finger nails)
• Red food dye

Putting it together:

• Make a batch of the garlic sauce
• When that is made, reserve about 1/4 of the sauce and add 2 Tbsp of red food coloring to it (This will make the sauce appear to look like blood)
• Make the cheesy bread recipe
• Once the bread sticks have risen and are ready to have the garlic sauce applied,  cut a slit in the end of each bread stick  and placed one of the olive slices
• Slather each one with the regular garlic sauce
• Cover with cheese
• Using the garlic sauce with the red food dye, paint the end of the bread stick (the one without the olive)
• Bake at 425° for 12-15 minutes

Here they are before being covered with cheese... 

Ready for the oven... 

Once baked and cooled, I placed a stick (stake) up the middle of each one, which is why I can call them: Finger Stakes :-)

Boxed-up and ready to go...

My Version of Papa Murphy's Cheesy Bread

As you may know, I am a huge fan of Papa Murphy's Pizza. I believe that they have some of the best pizza around (minus my old favorite Chicago Connection). However, during these tough economic times, it is not always feasible for us to go out and grab one of their take-and-bake pizzas and cheesy breads to enjoy, so I do the next best thing and make my own. So, enough of the blathering and on to the recipe.



What you need...

• Garlic sauce...1 recipe ( you may not use the entire amount, but it will come close). Also, be sure to make the garlic sauce at least 2+ hours in advance. Here is My Version of Papa Murphy's Garlic Sauce, that you can use

...and for the Pizza Dough

• Warm water...1 ½ cups (about 110 degrees)
• Flour...3-3 ½ cups
• Yeast...2 ½ tsp.
• Brown sugar... 1 tsp.
• Salt...1 tsp.(I use onion salt for more flavor. If you do this, you can omit the onion powder)
• Garlic powder...1 tsp.
• Onion powder...1 tsp.
• Oregano...1 tsp.

Putting it Together
• Set your bread machine to the "Mix Dough" setting and then add the brown sugar, water, and yeast. Let proof for about 5 minutes
• Add 1 cup of flour and then olive oil, salt, garlic powder, onion powder, and oregano
• Start the machine and add the remaining flour ½ cup at a time. Let the machine incorporate the flour before adding more. Once all flour is added, make sure the dough is not too wet or dry (add flour or extra water as needed)
• Once the dough cycle is complete (about 1 hour 40 minutes), remove dough and gently roll into a ball
• OR remove dough from machine after it is finished kneading- about 20 minutes- and place in a large, oiled, bowl. Cover with oiled plastic wrap and place in a warm area until doubled- about 1 hour), then remove dough and gently roll into a log-shape

• Using a knife or dough cutter, slice even pieces from the dough (about 10-12 slices)
• Take each slice, place on counter, and roll out lengthwise into a rope (about 12 inches)

The first tray...

• Place 2 inches apart on parchment-covered baking sheet and repeat with each slice
• Using a pizza cutter, cut each piece in half

• Cover with lightly oiled plastic wrap and let rise in warm area for 30 minutes
• Shred cheeses and mix together
• Set oven to 425°
• Once doubled, slather each piece liberally with garlic sauce
• Cover liberally with cheese

Dough is covered in sauce and cheese is being applied...

• Bake for 12-15 minutes, until lightly browned
• Enjoy!

These store well in the refrigerator and also freeze very well. To reheat, pop in the microwave on high, for 20 seconds. You might also want to try putting a slice of salami on them.