Tuesday, November 23, 2010

Thanksgiving Manifesto 2010

Welcome to the Hostetter Thanksgiving Manifesto 2010
I couldn't resist using this wonderful photo taken by friend *Jessica of Zac's beautiful family to illustrate the Thanksgiving Manifesto for 2010! (To see even more great photos be sure to jump over to that darling pinkpeppers girl blog.  You'll just love all their super posts http://www.pinkpeppers.com/)
And here's the line up of foods, decorations and activities for this year, hot off the press:
Food and Stuff
Appetizers-Marilyn and Rebecca Jo
*Organic Turkey (duh!)surrounded with roasted baby beets, Brussels sprouts and baby carrots-Becky
*Grannie Rices' Cornbread that'll Knock the Stuffin' Outta Ya!-Becky
Tart Cranberry Salad-Christi
*John Cope's Baked Corn Supreme-Becky
Marvelously Mashed Potatoes-Becky
Candied Sweet Potatoes-Marilyn
*Best-Ever Batter Bread-Christi
*Chocolate Truffle Pie-Christi
*Aunt Edna's Pumpkin Pie-Christi
Apple Cranberry Crumb Pie-Christi

The Recipes
Grannie Rices' Cornbread that'll Knock the Stuffin' out of Ya
5 C corn bread crumbled
2 eggs beaten
3/4 C onion
1/4 tsp salt and pepper
1 lb. sausage links
1/2 tsp poultry seasoning
1/2 C chopped celery
 1 C. pecans1 cube bouillon 2/3 C water

Directions: Melt butter and saute onions and celery, set aside in a small bowl. Saute sausage. In a large bowl add salt, pepper and poultry seasoning to breads and then add eggs. Next, add the sauteed vegetables. Dissolve bouillon in 2/3 C hot water and add to stuffing mix. Mix sausage and pecans in and you are ready to stuff that bird.
*The Best Batter Bread
1 pkg yeast (2 T)-don't need to soak first if using Saf Yeast
1/2 C water
1 c warm milk
1/2 C butter (melted in milk)
1/4 C sugar
2 t salt
3 eggs
5 1/2-6 c flour
Directions: in bowl dissolve yeast, add milk, butter, sugar,salt and eggs. Add three cups flour, beat til smooth. Add enough to the rest of flour to make soft dough.  Cover and let rise for an hour(this dough does not need kneading) until doubled. Spoon into greased tube pan and let rise again.  Bake 400 for 25-30 minutes.
*Chocolate Truffle Pie
Crust-1 1/2 C flour
2 T sugar
1/2 t salt
1 stick cold butter, cut in small pieces
1-3 T ice-cold water
Filling-12 oz bittersweet chocolate, chopped, or 1 bag bittersweet chocolate chips
1 stick butter, cut into small pieces
3 large eggs
3/4 C heavy cream
1/2 C sugar
2 t vanilla extract
1/2 t salt
Whipped Cream
Directions:
1. Crust-In a food processor, combine the flour, sugar and salt. Add butter and pulse until mixture resembles coarse crumbs.  Add water, 1 T at a time, pulsing until dough begins to come together.  On a lightly floured surface, shape dough into a 1 in thick disk. wrap in plastic and refrig at least 30 minutes or up to 3 days.
2. Heat oven to 350*
3. On a lightly floured surface, roll disk into a 13-in round.  Transfer to a 9 in pie plate, easing onto bottom and sides of the plate.  
4. Prick bottom of dough all over with a fork.  Refrig 15 minutes. Line dough with nonstick foil or parchment paper; fill with pie weights or dried beans. Bake until crust is firm, about 15 mins.  Remove foil and pie weights, return to oven and bake until crust is golden brown, 15 6o 20 mins more.  Let cool completely.
5. Filling-In a 2 qt heavy saucepan, melt chocolate and butter over medium-low heat, stirring, until smooth.  remove from heat and let cool for five minutes.
6. Meanwhile, in a large bowl, whisk together eggs, cream, sugar, vanilla and salt.  Add the chocolate mixture, whisking until fully incorporated.  Scrape into cooled crust and bake until filling is puffed and set but the center still trembles slightly, 30 to 35 mins.  Let cool completely (filling will set as pie cools).  serve with whipped cream, if desired.
The "Plugs"
*Carrie Gerber's Organic chickens, turkeys, pork in Elgin, Oregon are wonderful!
*Thanks to Mick McDonald for her wonderful batter bread recipe.  With 5 small children she's the queen of easy yet, delicious!
*John Cope's Dried Corn Company,Farm Stand Foods LLC, PO Box 445,Hanover,PA. 17331.  This company is located in the heart of the Pensylvania Dutch Country and named after its owner, John Cope.  My late brother was an executive with John Cope, before forming his own company. This wonderful recipe is a staple at all our holiday feasts. Every year Mike made sure I had a case sent to me. One year, I shared it with my UPS driver, who now orders it on her own!
I especially love Baked Corn Supreme at Thanksgiving; I actually feel it's the closest we get to "being there" on that first Thanksgiving where the native's contribution to that feast was really dried corn!
*Hope Blooms Florals, Enterprise, OR
*Triple Toe Touch Photography (see Jessica Buck's Facebook page!)

The Table

                                          I recently found these lovely April Cornell bird motif napkins at a fraction
                                                        of the cost at good old T J Maxx!

*Hope Blooms Floral.  This little Enterprise
Company always finds the unique and unusual in her arrangements!
We also used these at Anna's baby shower--double duty!
I LOVE my feathered quail friends.  So did Boyfriend, who tried to "kill" them last year. So, I had to trudge back to Simply Sandy's and buy more for this season! These will get scattered between the fresh flower arrangements on a gold table cloth.

I've had these darling beaded acorn napkin rings for ages! 
It was, once again, a Simply Sandy find!  They go perfect with the napkins too.

Naturally, bird's nest name tags for the table!
Scored at "Let us Feather Your Nest" in Pendleton, Oregon.
The Activities

"Settlers of Catan"-award winning German board game and Hostetter addiction. (Played ad-nauseam during Anna and Henry's courtship!)
"Bang!"-A new top rated Italian board game, straight out of a Clint Eastwood "Spaghetti Western".  Its been dubbed highly addictive.  (We'll let you know after we've gotten a few rounds under our belt.)

Movie-"The Castle", a family favorite Australian-made comedy that accentuates the theme that a man's home, however humble,is his castle! (Disclaimer-bad language)

*Homemade Snow Globes by Martha Stewart
*How to Make a Snow Globe
Create a Winter Wonderland in a Jar
The shimmering magic of snowfall is always transfixing, whether it's outside your window or inside this classic toy. Homemade globes let you create a wintry scene straight out of your own imagination.
Almost any jar works for this project: Baby-food, pimiento, and olive jars are good choices. Look for plastic or ceramic figurines (metal ones are prone to rust) at flea markets and hobby or model-railroad shops. Synthetic evergreen tips are available at many floral-supply stores. You will also need oil-based enamel paint, sandpaper, epoxy, distilled water, glitter, and glycerin (available at drugstores).
Add Distilled Water and Glitter
If the jar lids are not in seasonal colors already, paint them with oil-based enamel paint. Sand the inside of the lid until the surface is rough. With clear-drying epoxy, adhere the figurine to the inside of the lid, and let the epoxy dry.
Fill the jar almost to the top with distilled water; add a pinch of glitter and a dash of glycerin to keep the glitter from falling too quickly. Don't add too much, or the glitter will stick to the bottom of the jar when it's flipped. Screw on the lid tightly, being careful not to dislodge the figurine. Turn the jar over and back again -- and let it snow.
Sledding, weather permitting
Colored Hand Turkeys





Happy Thanksgiving! From all of us, to all of you!

3 comments:

  1. I'll be RIGHT OVER!! Sounds like a lovely feast and lots of fun. Thanks for the game recommendations too.

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  2. You are invited! You'll LOVE Settlers! Get the expansion version. Happy T-Day Friend!!

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  3. Beautiful photos! Great menu, fun games and crafts!!

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