Thanksgiving Prep

Monday, we made our cranberry sauce, sausage and mushroom dressing, and one of our desserts.  The dessert was Cranberry Pie.    It looked more like a coffee cake than a pie and we just had to try it!  I mean, really, we have enough cranberries and sugar to make another one if we like it!

I wish I had a picture.  Cuz we liked it.  We really liked it.  I can't believe we ate the whole thing!

I got the recipe from a blogger that "friended" me on Pioneer Woman's Tasty Kitchen site.  You've got to check it out.  If you're looking for a recipe, it's a great site.

Yesterday, Tuesday that is, TMax (Alton Brown's devotee) made the brine for the turkey.  I made a pumpkin pie and another dessert that I discovered through the Tasty Kitchen.  This time it's an Italian nut cake. 

Paula says you can use walnuts or pecans, but I chose to use almonds since that's what I had on hand.  Okay, I have walnuts, too, but I don't like the idea of a walnut cake.  I added a capful of almond extract, too.  (Someday maybe I'll learn to follow a recipe as it is written the first time, but I don't know.  After all these years of cooking it hasn't happened yet, so don't get your hopes up.)  ANYWAY....it expanded so much that I had to cut the top of and turn it over, so it's not as pretty, but let me tell you... the taste is out of this world.  O my merciful heavens!  It was wonderful.  I can't wait to cut it open and eat the whole thing.  With a cup of coffee....To. Die. For.

Today, I think we'll cook the sweet potatoes and roast some garlic for the garlic mashed potatoes tomorrow.  That will leave just turkey, mashed potatoes, and asparagus to prepare tomorrow after the marathon.

KT is totally stoked for her marathon after picking up her race number and goodie bag yesterday.  She's been taking lots of vitamins to ward off the cold that she was getting.  It will be an exciting morning!  I've never been to a marathon before, so this is new for me.