How to Set the Table -- Properly

Feel like impressing the fam at your holiday dinner?  Follow this guide from the November 29, 2011 issue of Family Circle to set your table the way it's supposed to be set {who knew?}. 

Charger, dinner plate and salad plate are stacked in the center of the place setting.  Dinner fork is placed directly to the left of the plates, and salad fork is to the left of that {on the napkin, if the napkin is not folded on top of plates}.  The knife is placed, sharp side facing in, directly to the right of your plates; the soup spoon {only if needed} is placed to the right of the knife.

The top left of your place setting is reserved for the bread plate, with a butter knife laid across it.  Directly above the plates, place your dessert spoon and dessert fork horizontally.  And finally ~ feeling thirsty?  Place the water glass, red wine goblet and white wine goblet in the upper right section of the place setting.  {Again ~ only if you are serving all three.  Extraneous glasses can be removed when you know what your guests are drinking}.


Bon appetit, darlings!

xoxo
Bean

Mint-Chocolate Brownies {7th 12 Days Recipe}

Chocolate and mint ~ what a great winter flavor combo!  Impress your friends with these from scratch Martha Stewart brownies, complete with a cool and refreshing mint center!

Mint-Chocolate Brownies

Ingredients

• 8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter, plus more for pan
• 8 ounces semisweet or bittersweet chocolate, chopped
• 1 cup sugar
• 3/4 teaspoon salt
• 3 large eggs
• 1/2 cup all-purpose flour, (spooned and leveled)
• 1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
• 25 small (1 1/2 inch) peppermint patties

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line an 8-inch square baking pan with aluminum foil, leaving an overhang on all sides; butter foil. Set aside.
2. Place chocolate and butter in a medium heatproof bowl set over (not in) a saucepan of gently simmering water. Stir occasionally just until melted, 4 to 5 minutes.
3. Remove from heat. Whisk in sugar and salt until smooth; whisk in eggs. Gently whisk in flour and cocoa powder just until smooth (do not overmix).
4. Spread 1/3 of batter in prepared pan. Arrange peppermint patties on batter in a single layer, leaving a narrow border on all sides. Top with remaining batter, and smooth surface. Bake until a toothpick inserted in center comes out with moist crumbs attached, 45 to 55 minutes.
5. Cool completely in pan. Use foil to lift from pan; peel off foil and discard. Cut into 16 squares (4 rows by 4 rows).

xoxo
Bean

{photo credit:  marthastewart.com}

Turkey Cupcakes

Looking for a last-minute dessert idea for Thanksgiving?  Perhaps something to keep the kids entertained while you're busy in the kitchen?  Try this one from Family Fun on for size!  {Pulling this together super-last-minute?  Grab some already-frosted cupcakes in your supermarket's bakery section!}

 

Turkey Cupcakes

Ingredients 

24 frosted cupcakes

24 Nutter Butter cookies

2-3 Tbsp white frosting {or decorator's gel}

Mini chocolate chips

Fruit leather {various colors and flavors}

Toothpicks

Directions

• To make each turkey, press the lower portion of a Nutter Butter cookie into a frosted cupcake for the bird's head.
• Use tiny dabs of frosting to stick on mini-chocolate chip eyes and a red fruit leather wattle.
• For each turkey's tail, use a butter knife to cut out a dozen feather shapes {about 3 inches long and 1 inch wide} from fruit leather.
• Lay 6 of the feather shapes on a flat surface and place a wooden toothpick lengthwise atop each so that one end of the toothpick extends about an inch below the feather.  Layer another fruit leather layer atop each of the 6 shapes, sandwiching the toothpicks between them.
• Press the 2 layers together to make them stick, then fringe the edges of the feather with a butter knife.  Stick the colored feathers into the cupcake behind the cookie head.

Gobble, gobble folks!  Have a great Thanksgiving!

xoxo
Bean

{photo credit:  Family Fun}

Kids Table versus Grownups Table

Thought this comic from The Oatmeal was too funny ~ and too relatable! {Click here to check out the entire post ~ warning:  some "adult" language}.  Does anyone else find the grownups table so boring sometimes?  Sure, I like catching up with siblings, parents, grandparents, aunts, uncles, etc.  But if I wanted to sit around and discuss politics and current events, I'd join a CNN roundtable.  The kids table may be a whole lot noisier, and messier, but at least they chat about interesting, entertaining, and varied topics!

This Thanksgiving, I'll be at my dad's house.  No kids table and adults table there ~ we're all adults {sort of} and no one has started having kids, so we'll be at one long table together.  Luckily, we tend not to discuss politics and such anyway; we'll talk about what's going on in our lives, and seeing as how I have four brothers, a dad, and a husband, sports {another topic that would send me straight to the kids table to talk about dinosaurs, school, and iCarly, if I could}.

Will you be at the kids table or the adults table this Thanksgiving?  Which table do you prefer, and why?

Enjoy your holiday weekend, everybody!  Happy Thanksgiving!

xoxo
Bean

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies

What's that, you say?  You'd like me to share with you what might be the world's most delicious cookie recipe? Well, okay.

In 2006 I caught an airing of Ham on the Street's Thanksgiving special on the Food Network {filmed mostly right in my town of Plymouth, MA ~ home of the first Thanksgiving!...sort of}.  One of the recipes from this episode was for these yummy looking pumpkin chocolate chip cookies.  I decided to try them out that Thanksgiving, and I have been making them every year since ~ usually for Thanksgiving, Christmas, and Christmas gift baskets, plus on request from friends and family {I sent Kaydee's fiancee a double-batch for him and his friends when he was on the road for work this summer}.  I made a batch last week, just in time to snap a pic and post them for you before the holiday.  {I didn't take a picture of my step-by-step process, but the end result is what really matters, right?}

Without further adieu...

 

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies

Ingredients

1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened

1 cup white sugar

1 cup light brown sugar

2 large eggs

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 cup canned pumpkin puree, not pumpkin pie mix

3 cups all-purpose flour

2 teaspoons baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon ground ginger

1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg

1/4 teaspoon ground cloves

2 cups {12-ounce bag} milk chocolate chips, not semisweet

Non stick cooking spray or parchment paper

Directions

Heat the oven to 350 degrees F.  Spray cookie sheets with nonstick spray or line them with parchment paper.

Using a mixer, beat the butter until smooth.  Beat in the white and brown sugars, a little at a time, until the mixture is light and fluffy.  Beat in the eggs one at a time, then mix in the vanilla and pumpkin puree.  In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, and cloves.  Slowly beat the flour mixture into the batter in thirds.  Stir in the chips.  Scoop the cookie dough by heaping tablespoons {I started to use a cookie scoop, which is smaller, to make more cookies out of one batch for gift baskets} onto the prepared cookie sheets and bake for 15 to 20 minutes, or until the cookies are browned around the edges.  Remove the cookie sheets from the oven and let them rest for 2 minutes.  Take the cookies off with a spatula and cool them on wire racks.

Enjoy!

xoxo

Bean

The Easiest Pumpkin Pie You'll Ever Make

I realized yesterday that I haven't blogged in a few days!  Sometimes life just gets in the way, and I got wrapped up in "life" this week.  But I'm back, and I have a fantastic Thanksgiving {or Christmas} dessert recipe to share!  This has to be the easiest pumpkin pie you'll ever make ~ probably one of the easiest pies, period.  Why?  Because it's no-bake!  Which means it's that much quicker for you to whip together, and even the little ones can help because there's no oven.  {In fact, my mom has told me that I made this very recipe, by myself, for Thanksgiving one year in grade school}.

I tore this recipe out of a magazine many moons ago ~ five or six years ago, at least.  I can't even attribute it to one particular source ~ it was an advertisement put together by several companies {Cool Whip, Philadelphia, Honey Maid, and Jell-O, among others} with a pumpkin pie recipe and a chocolate caramel pecan pie recipe {also delicious} included to promote their products.  Not only is this recipe easy-as-pie {ha!}, it's unique because of the whipped topping/cream cheese layer under the pumpkin mix ~ it's pretty, and a surprise to guests!  Here's the recipe {with my commentary in parentheses and italics ~ tips and tweaks from years and years of making this recipe}.  Enjoy!

Double Layer No-Bake Pumpkin Pie

Ingredients

4 ounces cream cheese, softened {I use whipped cream cheese ~ it saves a few calories and mixes a little easier.  I also microwave for 10-20 seconds}

1 Tbsp milk

1 Tbsp sugar

1 tub {8 ounces} whipped topping, thawed {regular or lite are fine, but I'd skip fat-free}

1 graham cracker pie crust {I do the "two extra servings" kind ~ keeps the filling from overflowing}

1 cup milk

1 can {15 ounces} pumpkin {not pumpkin pie mix!}

2 pkgs {4 servings each} vanilla instant pudding & pie filling {sugar-free works fine}

1 tsp ground cinnamon

1/2 tsp ground ginger

1/4 tsp ground cloves

Mix cream cheese, 1 Tbsp milk, and sugar in a large bowl with wire whisk until well blended. Gently stir in half of the whipped topping. {Gently is right ~ too much stirring will cause whipped topping to thin out too much}.  Spread onto bottom of crust.  {Place filled pie crust into freezer to firm up, just while you mix the pumpkin layer}.

Pour 1 cup milk into a large bowl.  Add pumpkin, dry pudding mixes, and spices.  Beat with a wire whisk {or electric hand mixer} 2 minutes or until well blended ~ mixture will be thick.  {Remove pie crust from freezer}.  Spread pumpkin mixture over cream cheese layer.

Refrigerate 4 hours or until set.  Top with remaining whipped topping just before serving.  Store leftover pie in refrigerator.  Makes 10 servings {or 12, with the 'two extra servings' crust}.

 Gather your ingredients {only one can of pumpkin is needed ~ I accidentally put two in this pic}

 My much-loved, oft-used copy of this recipe

 Mix the cream cheese layer and spread in pie crust

 Pop crust in the freezer for just as long as it takes to mix up pumpkin layer ~ otherwise, the cream cheese layer can ooze up and over the sides once the heavier pumpkin mix is atop it.

 Now mix up the pumpkin layer of the pie and spread to completely cover cream cheese layer

 The finished product

xoxo

Bean

Pilgrim Cupcakes {P.S. ... Adorable!}

How precious are these Pilgrim Cupcakes from Tonya Staab?  They are adorable and festive, as well as being a great project for your little ones!  Wouldn't these treats make the perfect centerpiece for your dessert table on Thanksgiving Day?  And the best part is there's a lot of "semi-homemade" elements here ~ pre-made cookies, candies and icing are on the list, making it easier for you!  {Simplify even more by buying already-made, unfrosted cupcakes instead of making your own!}

Ingredients

• Plain vanilla cupcakes {even better -- in brown paper cupcake liners!}
• White icing
• Cocoa powder
• Chocolate for melting {I find mini-chips melt the easiest, at 30 second intervals}
• Large marshmallows
• Chocolate-coated cookies {like fudge-striped cookies}
• Wilton Sparkle Gel in white, yellow and black

plus

• Large round Wilton tip with a disposable piping bag
• Toothpicks {or narrow skewer}

Begin by making the Pilgrim hat.  Melt the chocolate in the microwave.  Using a pick to dip the marshmallow, coat each marshmallow in melted chocolate.  Place marshmallow carefully on top of an upside down cookie.  Repeat with the other marshmallows and cookies, and refrigerate until set.  Once chocolate has set, gently remove toothpick.  Using the sparkle gels, draw white bands and yellow buckle on the marshmallow and set aside.

Mix a small amount of cocoa powder with plain white icing, gradually adding cocoa until you have a color you are happy with {for your Pilgrim's "face"}.  Assemble frosting tip and bag and fill bag with icing.  Holding your hand steady, keep the tip just above the surface of the cupcake and pipe the "face" on {see middle picture below for how it should look at this point}.  Push down slightly while piping to get frosting to spread a bit and cover more of the cupcake.

Place the marshmallow/cookie hat on top of the icing face and use black sparkle gel to add facial features.

And there you go!  Easy, adorable, and fun!

xoxo
Jillian

{Photo credit:  tonyastaab.com}

Coming Up for the Holidays...

Woohoo!  It's November, darlings ~ the official kick-off to my favorite time of the year!  This month is all about pretty leaves, cooling weather, cozy sweaters, and utilizing apples and pumpkins any which way we can ~ culminating, of course, with a delicious Thanksgiving dinner!  December will bring fires in the fireplace and wreaths on the door, decorating trees or putting up the menorah, more baking {so much baking!}, and the best music and movies of the year!

To me, the holiday season really is the most wonderful time of the year.  I love each and every second of it, and none of it {the endless cooking, the shopping and budgeting, the crazy family get-togethers} really stresses me out.

I am so, so excited for all the things I have to share with you over the next two months!  I can't wait to share my first annual 12 Days of Christmas {Treats} list with you ~ I'll probably start those posts in December or after Thanksgiving.  {And I'm sure I'll be sharing way more than 12 recipes for goodies with you between now and New Years ~ I just like the ring of the 12 Days title, and those will probably be more Christmas-specific}.

I am also looking forward to chatting with you about all the fantastic holiday movies we'll be watching and the songs we'll be listening to.  I'm pulling together fun seasonal craft and decorating ideas that will be fun and festive, too!

The season is officially upon us, dolls ~ you can choose to embrace it or choose to avoid it or choose to just stress the whole way through.  I am going to choose to enjoy every second of it!

{Holiday} Cheers!

xoxo
Bean

{photo credits: tasteofhome.com;  countryliving.com; closetliving.com; melavilaalarilla.blogspot.com; marthastewart.com; sheknows.com}