I took the easy out yesterday; we had Thanksgiving Day leftovers for dinner!  It was the first time for the leftovers, so I enjoyed them!  

However, the day after Thanksgiving, while my company was still here, I wanted to have a completely different menu.  I always enjoy Italian food after a rich meal of turkey and dressing, so I tried a new pasta dish; Company Baked Ziti.  I was able to make the whole dish ahead of time and put it in the freezer.  It made two 10 pie plates full!  So all I had to do while my family was here was take it out of the freezer to thaw, then pop it into the oven.  I added a salad and rolls and we were set!  It was very good and indeed Company worthy!

Picture – My Recipes

Company Baked Ziti
Ingredients
1 lb. ground beef
1 lb. sweet Italian ground pork sausage
1 onion, chopped
2 (26-oz.) jars spaghetti sauce
1 (16-oz.) pkg. ziti pasta, cooked
1 (16-oz.) pkg. sliced provolone cheese
1 cup sour cream
1 1/2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese

1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Preparation
Brown beef, sausage and onion in a skillet over medium heat; drain. Stir in sauce; reduce heat to low ad simmer 15 minutes.
Layer in a greased 13″x9″ baking pan as follows: half the pasta, provolone cheese, sour cream, half the sauce mixture, remaining pasta, mozzarella cheese and remaining sauce.
Top with parmesan cheese. Cover and bake at 350° for 30 minutes or until hot, bubbly and cheeses are melted.

This roll recipe is from Taste Of Home and is so good, and is such a time saver!  Confession:  My rolls didn’t look as pretty as the picture below.  More on that story on Wednesday’s post!  

Picture – Taste of Home

Make-Ahead Butterhorns
Ingredients
2 packages (1/4 ounce each) active dry yeast
  1/3 cup warm water (110° to 115°)
  2 cups warm 2% milk (110° to 115°)
  1 cup shortening
  1 cup sugar
  6 Eggs
  2 teaspoon salt
  9 cups all-purpose flour, divided
  3 to 4 tablespoons butter, melted

Are you eating leftovers from Thanksgiving?  Or do you opt for a totally different flavor like Mexican or Italian after the holiday is over?

With love from my Country kitchen,

Congratulations!  You made it passed the BIG cooking/eating day of Thanksgiving!  Now, straight ahead are many fun baking days as we are now plunging into the terrific Christmas season.  I love, love, love to bake!  One thing I have found sooooo helpful, is to create a “Baking Station,” if you will.  By that I mean to make one area of your kitchen where you keep most everything you need to get your baking done.  You save so many steps when you can stand in one place and simply reach for something.

On one counter of my kitchen beside the stove, I have my Kitchen Aid mixer.  That seemed like the logical place to keep everything else pertaining to baking needs.

Baking Station

As you see in the picture below, I have all my cookbooks and my recipe box in the cabinet below.  I also have some mixing bowls and my food processor down there.

Above the counter are my spices, seasonings, cookie decorations, cookie cutters and baking ingredients like vanilla, baking soda, baking powder and cocoa.

The drawer in front of my mixer is long and a little deep.  I have my pastry blender, biscuit cutters and several sets of measuring cups.  I adore the porcelain ones…aren’t they pretty?  A sweet friend gave me those for my birthday.  Utensils like that just make baking FUN.

If you find you’re going from one area of the kitchen to another to accomplish your baking, why not freshen things up by creating areas where those items are all together. You might just need to move a few things around; it will be worth the effort!  If you’re lacking cabinet storage put the most frequently used baking items in a basket on your counter.  You’ll probably enjoy your baking days a whole lot more – and you won’t be racking up miles in your kitchen!

Happy baking!  What are you planning on baking first for the Christmas season?

Be refreshed,

My list is very long, but it would also include YOU! Thank you for reading my posts and encouraging me to keep writing.  I love this part of my ministry and I thank the Lord for each of you dear readers!  I pray you have a wonderful, blessed Thanksgiving Day today!

Happy Thanksgiving!
With love,

Though I made this for Friday after the holiday, this is recipe that would also be a great tradition on Thanksgiving morning as I suggested yesterday.  Hope you’ll try it!

Is it Friday yet?  =)

From my country porch,

Things can be very, very busy on Thanksgiving day, and if you’re going away to have dinner with your extended family, you may not have the opportunity to have a time of reflection and true thanksgiving as a family.  Why not find a great recipe for breakfast and make that every year.  Then while you’re seated at the breakfast table, have everyone write (or draw) three things they can thank God for from the past year.  Read a psalm, sing a song and end with a time of prayer.

There may be years that your children won’t “love” doing this, but that’s why you are the parent.  Plug on.  Do it and sweetly ask them to participate.  They will look back on this tradition with joy one day,  and you will have created great memories!

How about a suggestion for a holiday breakfast?  One recent morning my husband, knowing my LOVE for French Toast, said, “Guess what Cracker Barrel is featuring on their breakfast menu right now?  Pecan Streusel French Toast!”  Oh my!  My stomach was growling and I was ready to eat!  Talk about a craving!  I adore this breakfast treat!  However, I didn’t want to get ready and drive to Cracker Barrel at the moment.  So, instead, I went to my pantry and improvised.  Here’s what I came up with:

 Oh. My!  It was so yummy!  Here’s how I made it:

In a shallow bowl mix:
1 cup (or so)  milk
1/4 cup canned pumpkin (not pie filling)
1/2 tsp pumpkin Pie spice
1 egg

Dip bread in the milk mixture.  I used my homemade sour dough bread – French bread works well too. Place in hot skillet sprayed with cooking spray.  I tossed my pecans in the pan at the same time to toast them.  This brings out their nuttiness and makes them even better!  Flip bread when it gets browned.
Serve with warm maple syrup.

I hope you’ll start a Thanksgiving Family Breakfast tradition!

With love,