We Had a Beautiful Thanksgiving, You?

Big Red Kitchen was buffed and shined ready to receive guests for the big show- Thanksgiving. Our neighbors who are from the UK and Germany were our guests of honor which was incredibly special to me since it was their first ever American Thanksgiving. I was determined to serve them the most authentic and traditional American fare.


This is the first Thanksgiving meal I have ever cooked entirely from scratch by myself. I usually have Ma or Wegman's to help me.

Our Menu:
Cream of Peanut Soup- a traditional Williamsburg, VA dish
Rosemary and Orange Turkey and gravy
Virginia Spiral Honey Ham
Boursin Mashed Potatoes
Savory Corn Pudding
Lime Jell-O Fluff
Stir-Fried Green Beans with garlic and orange rind
Stuffing
Golden Harvard Beets
Sweet Potatoes
Company Bread
Cranberry Sauce


For dessert I served a Bûche de Merci or a Thankful Log. This is my Pumpkin Roll with its end cut off and placed on top of the log to look like a knot. I made mushrooms out of mini marshmallows and candy corn Hersey Kisses and held them together using a toothpick, then stuck them decoratively on the cake. I dusted the entire log with powdered sugar to look like snow. It was simple and cute and the children loved it. I also served Hot Cocoa, Egg Nog, Tea, and Wassail. My neighbor brought two wonderful pies, pumpkin and sweet potato.

What made cooking for Thanksgiving so easy this year:
1. All groceries were purchased by Tuesday
2. My kitchen was clean and clear before I began cooking.
3. My dishwasher was empty.
4. Every ingredient I needed was pulled out and put on the counter them promptly put away when I was done with it.
5. All recipes were printed out along with a list of all dishes I was cooking.
6. I cleaned up as I cooked.
7. My photo shoot area was ready with lighting and tripod.
8. All dishes were par-cooked on Wednesday and reheated on Thursday except for the green beans, turkey and ham, and bread.
9. I made the turkey breast in the crockpot. So moist.
10. For clean up after the meal I had every sized plastic storage container ready for all the leftovers. Plus takeout containers so that our guests may take home some leftovers too.

It all went off without a hitch except for being full until Saturday.

So tell me your triumphs (or disasters!)

Robin Sue

PS- the Newsletter goes out tomorrow, December 1, and can you believe that 768 people are signed up for it!

Happy Thanksgiving!

Kitchen tip: put your little Turkeys out early to defrost. Have a wonderful and blessed Thanksgiving. I am thankful for all of you who read Big Red Kitchen daily, without you I would feel empty. Thanks for teaching me so much, sharing your recipes, laughing with me, and cheering me on.

A sample of what will be on my Thanksgiving table:
Harvard Beets
Boursin Mashed Potatoes
Corn Pudding
Company Bread

Here I go again- Sign up for the newsletter over there on the upper right, it comes out Dec. 1 chock-full of Holyday ideas. Sneak Peak- "How to Host a Children's "Cookie" Decorating Party Without the Fuss." You will be amazed at how I do this.

Robin Sue

Andouille and Sweet Potato Kebabs

My calender seems to be filling quickly! Not only with social events but things like, "Hey mom I need to bring a treat for my class' Thanksgiving feast- tomorrow." I have spent the last two days in various grocery stores gathering for our own feast this Thursday. There will be a bounty on our table for sure. One little nosh you may want to add to your menu are these full-of-flavor Andouille and Sweet Potato Kebabs with Lemon-Garlic Mayonnaise. Simple to make ahead and have ready when your guests arrive looking for a little bite before the Big Show.

Andouille and Sweet Potato Kebabs
2 sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into one inch dice, about 32 pieces
olive oil
Kosher salt
black pepper

4 links andouille sausage cut into 32 pieces

1 cup mayonnaise
1/2 tsp Kosher salt
black pepper
1 T. minced fresh parsley
juice and zest of one lemon
2 cloves garlic, minced

In a medium baking dish toss sweet potato cubes with a drizzle of olive oil and pinch of salt and pepper. Bake in 425 degree oven for about 45 minutes or until fork tender. While the sweet potatoes are roasting, cook the andouille sausage until browned on each side of each slice. Turn off heat and set aside. To make the Lemon-Garlic Mayonnaise, mix mayonnaise with salt, pepper to taste, lemon zest and juice, parsley, and garlic. Chill until ready to serve. Once the sweet potatoes are done. Place a piece of sweet potato on a toothpick then a piece of sausage. Place all on a pretty platter and serve with the mayonnaise. You may serve this at room temperature. Makes 32 pieces.

Note- You may use whatever sausage you wish. Kristi, Himself's co-worker, made these for us last Saturday using hot Italian sausage, very tasty indeed. Thanks Kristi for telling me how to make these, I love them!

Other tasty noshes:
Tiny Brie Bites
Brie and Fig Appetizer
Canapes

Robin Sue

Harvest Chicken and Biscuits

A super simple and delicious one-dish dinner to warm your chilly nights. While reading some of my favorite blogs and looking for inspiration for dinner one night, I came across Debbie's Mocha Me and found that she made this terrific Chicken Recipe. It was so simple and having all of the ingredients, plus some, I thought to try it out. Trying desperately to get as many fruits and vegetables in my family as I possibly can I added celery, sweet potatoes, and apples to the mix then topped it all off with biscuits for a comforting, Autumn, one-dish dinner.


Harvest Chicken and Biscuits- based on Debbie's Chicken Recipe
3.5 pounds boneless skinless chicken thighs
1 package Good Season's Italian Dressing Mix
1/2 cup brown sugar
2 stalks celery, sliced
1 sweet potato, diced small
3 small gala apples, cored and sliced

One 12 count bag Pillsbury frozen buttermilk biscuits

In a large bowl mix sugar and dressing mix well. Add in chicken, vegetables, and apples and toss until well coated. Pour into a large greased baking dish being sure that the chicken is on top. Bake for 1 hour in a 375 degree oven or until veggies are fork tender. Top with biscuits and bake another 18 minutes. Serve in bowls. Serves about 8.

I think I would like to try the sugar and salad dressing mix over wings some time for a quick and tasty appetizer.

Other Autumn Meals:
Creamed Chicken
Chili Mack!
Easy Hungarian Goulash

Don't forget to sign up for my newsletter that will come out on Dec 1.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY Ma!

Robin Sue

Where Was Robin Sue?

I was missing in action over a long weekend last week. My parents were gracious enough to watch our children so that I could attend a business retreat with Himself down in the Florida Keys. Himself is a Financial Life Planner and this retreat was designed to reconnect his Life Planning study group, update their case studies, catch up on each other's lives, and make firm plans as how to move forward in living their own dreams as well as helping their clients achieve theirs. I was welcomed into this group as if I were one of them and enjoyed their company immensely. Our hosts were the most gracious people I have ever met and I hope to see them again soon!

The view from our balcony.




While the group worked on confidential case studies my Life Planner's husband Tim and I escaped to Key West all the way at the end of Route 1. We walked the famous and lively Duval Street, ate at Sloppy Joe's, which does make the best Sloppy Joe's in the world, and did a little shopping and site-seeing.





Here are some Carpentaria Palm Trees with pretty red berries.


We dined on the water one day at The Hungry Tarpon and enjoyed watching the pelicans eat their own lunch.


I had the Matecumbe Sandwich which is blackened fish with bacon, lettuce, tomato, melted provolone cheese, and thousand island dressing on grilled sourdough bread. The fish had been caught that morning!


The trip was a welcomed break for me, I needed it.


Not so much a retreat but a reload- nice people and warm places do that to me.

More Travel Articles:
The White House Christmas Tour
Boston's Italian North End

Robin Sue

Spiced Cider "Mulling Minnows"

This time of year we start purchasing apple cider for drinking on those cool mornings- we especially like it spiced. The aroma of spiced cider wafting through the air brings everyone running. I have tried various mulling spice blends all of which were pretty good but one day while reading some of my favorite blogs, I came across Katie's, of Chaos in the Kitchen, way of making spiced cider. She makes these adorable Cider Beetles.


She simply dries hulled orange peel shells, fills them with brown sugar, and designs a beetle on them using nutmeg, cinnamon sticks, allspice, and whole cloves. You see I did mine a little differently and made little "Mulling Minnows!" Instead of a whole nutmeg I did grate some fresh nutmeg into the orange peel shell and then filled it with the brown sugar. Like Katie I designed mine with whole cloves, cinnamon sticks, and allspice berries. I wrapped these with clear cellophane and tied them at the "tail" with red raffia. One Mulling Minnow added to 1 1/2 quarts of cider and heated through makes a terrifically spiced cider with a wonderful orange flavor. The longer you leave the orange shell in the cider the more bitter it will become, so be sure to only heat it with the cider for about 10-15 minutes. I do like bitter orange but some may not. Go on over to Katie's to see exactly how she made her Cider Beetles.

With this post, I have joined my friend Shirley of Gluten Free Easily in the Holiday Food Fest event under the category Gifts of Good Taste which is featured on Phoebe's site- Cents to Get Debt Free. See what other homemade treats others have come up with.

Thanks Katie, these will make perfect hostess gifts throughout the HOLY-day season!

For More gifts from the kitchen try these:
Hot Chocolate Pods
Peanut Butter Bars
Caramel Apple Kit
Peanut Butter Candy

Only 2 more weeks until my Holiday Newsletter comes out. Sign up now.

Robin Sue

Banana Split Pie

Way back when, when I was a waitress at a local family restaurant in NJ, a fellow waitress made for us the most delectable pie- Banana Split Pie. It had us ooh-ing and ah-ing and even mmmm-ing. The owner of the restaurant liked it so much, she asked for the recipe and put the pie on our dessert menu. I don't think the waitress made a red cent off the sale of those pies, and we sold them like hotcakes. Funny thing though, the pie had raw eggs in it and back then we thought nothing of it, didn't even alert the customers to that fact. To remedy that little problem, I used pasteurized eggs and served this pie with confidence. My family LOVES this pie and to tell you the truth, they liked the story about the raw egg version better and thought it would be far more fun to eat a pie with a little risk. Wackos.

Banana Split Pie
2 sticks butter
2 cups powdered sugar
2 pasteurized eggs*

purchased Oreo pie crust
2 bananas sliced thinly
8 ounce can crushed pineapple, drained very well

1 1/2 cups whipping cream
2 T. powdered sugar
1 tsp. vanilla extract

2 T. melted butter
1/3 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

maraschino cherries
Optional toppings: wet nuts, marshmallow cream, strawberry sauce

In a stand mixer bowl place the first three ingredients and using the paddle attachment on medium speed, beat for 20 minutes until smooth, light yellow, and fluffy. Spread into pie crust and top with sliced bananas and pineapple. Wash mixer bowl and place in it, whipping cream, 2 T. powdered sugar, and vanilla. Using the whisk attachment beat until just stiff, careful not to make butter. Spread the whipped cream over the entire pie. To melted butter stir in the chocolate chips until smooth and melted, then drizzle over the entire pie. Gently cover or place in a pie holder and refrigerate for 8 hours. When ready to serve slice pie with sharp knife being sure to cut all the way through he crust. Place the pieces on plates and drizzle with your other favorite Banana Split toppings like strawberry sauce, marshmallow sauce, or wet nuts. Top each with a cherry and serve. Serves 8.

*Note- When using pasteurized eggs, you may want to crack them in a separate bowl first as pieces of the shell tend to end up in there with the innards. To get shell pieces out of your eggs, use the empty shell half to scoop out the pieces. The pieces won't "run away" from the shell like they do your spoon or finger.


Hint- When cutting pie from aluminum pans, use a kitchen shears to cut through the sides of the pie pan. This makes lifting the pie piece easier. A perfect piece every time. I do not recommend doing this with glass plates though.

Other nice desserts:
Famous Wafer Dessert
Oatmeal Cake
La Dame Blanche
Rice Pudding

This pie has been entered in Frigidaire's Recipe Page!

Robin Sue

Super Fast: Company Bread

Time to start throwing the Super Fast recipes at you. This time of year we are all so busy getting ready for the holidays. Here is a recipe taught to me by my old Army pal, Anne. We met in Germany and she had me over many times for lunch. One of my favorite things that she made for me and some of the other girls in our group was Company Bread- at least that is what I have dubbed it. Now I don't want to hear it, "those are canned biscuits Robin Sue." Canned biscuits schmiscuits. So what? I probably only buy these things three times a year, so once in a while it is ok to cheat a little. Anyway this makes a beautiful and tasty loaf, super fast.


Company Bread
2 cans Pillsbury Grands! jr. Golden Layers, Butter Tastin' biscuits
2 T. melted butter
1 tsp. fresh rosemary, chopped fine
few stems of thyme leaves, leaves only
pinch kosher salt
pinch fresh ground black pepper

Remove biscuits for the cans and separate each biscuit in two layers. Stand the layers up in a 9x5 inch loaf pan. Place the halves three across and continue to fill the pan that way until full. They will be squished in there tightly. To the melted butter add the seasonings, mix well and spoon over the bread. Bake in a 350 degree oven for 25 minutes or until golden and no longer doughy in the center. You may have to cover the loaf with foil in the last 5 minutes. To serve, let cool for a bit and then cut with a serrated knife. Serves 8.

Note- You may use any fresh or dried herbs that you desire. I have even added Parmesan cheese before.


This bread went nicely with Peter's Giouvarlakia Soup or Greek Soup to me because there is no way I can pronounce that fancy name. Most things that I make from Peter's site, Kalofagas, are called Peter's Greek Dessert, Peter's Greek Lasagna, or Peter's Greek Appetizer because I cannot speak Greek... yet. This soup is very comforting and smooth. I loved the freshness that the lemon juice brought to this dish. I found it to be a very hearty and healthy meal. Follow his instructions exactly and you too will be eating this wonderful dish in less than 30 minutes.

More Super Fast Recipes:
Tiny Brie Bites
Cheese Pretzels
Cannoli Bites
Wacky Cake
Mini Baked Brie Cups
Cookie Dough Pie
Taco Soup

Robin Sue

Slice of Life

Family. The most important people in the world to me. In the photo above is the Klause side of the family. My parents came for the weekend because their church had bestowed the honor of "Oaks of Righteousness"* to them for their service to God and the church. The church also had a professional DVD made of my parents telling their love story and about their faith in God. I am grateful to have such great parents, they are an enormous blessing to all who know them.


Above is the original Fab 4- Rob, Ma, Me, and Dad. It was also my Dad's birthday on Oct. 31 and Zuzu's (he is little guy on the far right in the yellow shirt in the top photo) 10th birthday on Nov. 1, so we all went out to dinner after church on Sunday. In the midst of all of this, my own little family is starting to get sick. Doots missed two days of school last week and Himself spent part of the day in bed yesterday. The bugs may get us but don't stick around long.


We have been loading up on immune system boosters on a daily basis. The home cooking helps too. Last night it was chicken fried steak, mashed potatoes and gravy, green beans, corn, and roasted butternut squash.


I must let you know too that I have started a new workout routine at Himself's gym. It is called CrossFit, where we throw buses and bench press mini vans. Just kidding, but that is how my body feels. Last Friday night they had me flipping a stinkin' truck tire. Not a pickup truck tire mind you, but a real truck tire! I got down in a squat position, placed my hands under the thing and went huuuughh- it didn't budge. The other girls with biceps the size of my thigh had to help me. Even today I still walk like I have a load in my pants. My co-workers are starting to take notice. So I will keep you posted on what crazy things these firemen and professional female football players have me doing.

So what are all of you up to? Keeping healthy, I hope?

Robin Sue

* This is the verse in the Bible where Oaks of Righteousness is found. “They will be called oaks of righteousness, a planting of the LORD for the display of his splendor.” Isaiah 61:3

Kielbasa Sauerkraut Buns

Sunday night dinners are a different ball game, aren't they? Growing up we never had a formal Sunday night dinner because Ma made us a big Sunday afternoon dinner with all the fixin's. So Sunday night was always something simple like an omlet, buttered pastina, or Elios frozen pizza then off to eat it all in front of the TV while watching the "Million Dollar Man." Sunday night dinner is the same way in our house now, pretty much a fend for yourselfer. While in Germany, Himself's brother and family lived in the next village over and we shared many Sunday night suppers together. These Kielbasa Sauerkraut Buns made the menu many times and are so delicious. With the temps dropping, I find myself digging into the ole recipe box for warm and comforting recipes like this one.

Kielbasa Sauerkraut Buns- Adapted from an old Taste of Home recipe
5 strips bacon, sliced
1 sweet onion chopped
1- 14 ounce can sauerkraut, drained
1/2 pound kielbasa, chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
1/4 cup brown sugar
one box Hot Roll Mix
1 egg yolk mixed with 2 t. water
poppy seeds

In a large skillet, over med-high heat, fry bacon until crisp. Remove bacon to a paper towel lined plate. Drain off most of the bacon grease leaving about 2 T. in the pan. Add onions and fry until translucent and starting to brown. To the onions add sauerkraut, kielbasa, garlic, bacon, and sugar. Cook about 15-20 minutes, stirring occasionally. While the sauerkraut mixture is cooking, make the hot roll mix according to the package directions. Remove sauerkraut mixture form the stove. Divide the dough into 12 equal balls. Roll each one flat and fill with 1/4 cup sauerkraut mixture. Pull dough together to close bun pinching the seams together. Place seam side down on a greased cookie sheet. Brush each bun with egg wash and sprinkle with poppy seeds. Bake in a 350 degree oven for 16 minutes or until golden brown. Makes 12 buns.

More Stuffed Bread Recipes:
Chicken Packets
Stromboli
Sausage Bread

Newly updated "Blogs of the Month"

Robin Sue