Its Thanksgiving! What kind of wine should we drink?

I am so thankful for my sister Sandi. Not only is she an amazing sister and awesome friend, she is super talented in all things culinary. She has a degree in culinary arts and works as the wine buyer for Whole Foods in Dublin OH. We have affectionately dubbed her the head wino, and  if you really want to know about some wine folks, go and talk to her. Chances are she will pull a bottle right off the shelf and let you taste it on the spot. This lady knows her stuff. She can tell you why a wine tastes the way it does, what it is about the soil that the grapes are grown in that give it such a distinct flavor, the different process that the fruit goes through to become wine, what year is a good vintage and why. Its like having an encyclopedia of awesomeness right at my fingertips.I love to pick her brain about the "good stuff". One day, I am going to have her write a guest post all about the wonders of wine. Until then we will all have to settle for her 2011 Thanksgiving wine picks.Last night I called her to ask about some wine selections that will pair well with a traditional Thanksgiving meal. Of course she did not disappoint and the following are her selections.

FireSteed  Pinot Noir

http://www.firesteed.com/wines/pinot.htm

This is an Oregon Pinot Noir and is silky smooth with a fruity flavor. The purchase price is roughly $15.00 per bottle. For vintage of your choice and availability visit the website.

Anne Amie Pinot Noir

http://www.anneamie.com/2009-anne-amie-annahala-vineyard-pinot-noir

This Pinot is a 2009 vintage and has a black cherry, vanilla flavor with more complex notes of black tea and chocolate combined for a rich flavor. This wine retails for approximately $50.00 per bottle.

Flowers

http://flowerswinery.com/ 

Flowers pinot is a deep ruby color with fleshy bright red fruit aromas accompanied by notes of thyme, spices and black pepper. Ripe black cherry and blackberry flavors are complimented with accents of black peppercorns. This wine retails for approximately $30.00 per bottle.

Peninsula Cellars Hot Rod Cherry

http://www.peninsulacellars.com/pages.php?tabid=2&pageid=12&title=Fruit+Wines 

Hot Rod Cherry is described by Peninsula cellars as a high octane blend of Montmorencies, Ulsters, and Balatons, (all types of Traverse City Cherries) resulting in a great cherry flavor, with a hint of ginger spice.This wine retails for $12.00 a bottle.

Well there you have it folks, Sandi's 2011 Thanksgiving wine selections. I know that if you try them you will enjoy! I posted a few more links to some of Sandi's favorite local wineries and breweries.

http://www.cgtwines.com/

http://www.brysestate.com/

http://rockmillbrewery.com/cheese.php

Remember to support you local economy and shop small business for Small Business Saturday November 26, 2011.

 XOXO

The Mrs.

Gobble Gobble

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Turkey day is only a few short days away, are you ready?  If you have not yet make sure that you take the turkey out of the freezer and put it into the fridge to thaw. There is nothing worse than dealing with a still frozen turkey Thanksgiving morning. Its enough to send a hostess with the mostess into a full fledged panic attack. 

I have put together a few tried and true tips that have helped me through more than a few Thanksgiving meal preparations. First things first you need to purchase your bird. I am not going to debate the merits of free range, grass fed over frozen Butterball. Another topic for another day. Buy what suits your budget best. A good rule of thumb is to buy a pound and a half  per person. If your having 10 people you need a 15lb bird. Not everyone will eat a pound and a half, but a few things to consider are, you will loose some weight as the meat cooks, everyone has that family member who eats way more than their share and you will most likely want to have leftovers. Also if your family prefers white meat over dark you may want to consider buying an extra turkey breast. If you have a small family you may just want to do a turkey breast its much more economical, and way less hassle.

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Once you decide the perfect bird for you the next step is preparation.You can brine and roast or deep fry. One word of caution NEVER brine then deep fry. You will end up with a splattering mess and quite possible start a fire. If your family is like mine, you will never live it down! It will go down in infamy as the Thanksgiving everyone ate Chinese. 

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 When I make turkey I always brine it. It is sort of like a salt water marinade for the turkey. The salt acts to help hold in moisture so the turkey doesn't dry out as it cooks. If you decide to brine, check out this recipe from Alton Brown at the Food Network. Its simple and the results are fabulous.  http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/alton-brown/good-eats-roast-turkey-recipe/index.html

I have never deep fried a turkey myself, so I really cant tell you too much about it. I have eaten them though and I must say they are tasty.  My sister, the chef, abhors using the injection method that is often accompanied with deep frying. Her reasoning is that it is difficult to control cross contamination. No one wants to make their dinner guest sick so if your using this approach make sure that you clean that sucker well every time you use it. 

My sister has a fool proof method to achieving a beautiful golden turkey that is not dry. Sandi suggests that you preheat your over to 500 degrees and then take a stick of butter (2 if you have a bug turkey) and throw it into the mixer. Add your chosen seasonings (this year I am using a dry cajun rub) and turn on high. You want to get a lot of air mixed into the butter and seasonings. Taste test to see if your happy with the butter/seasoning ratio. If there is too much seasoning add more butter, not enough seasoning add some more. Once your happy with the mix take your turkey out and put in the roaster pan,  pat dry with paper towel and if your squeamish put on rubber gloves at this point.  Rub the turkey with the butter seasoning mix. Use it all and slather that bad boy up!

Place the turkey into the 500 degree oven until the skin on top is nice and golden brown. Remove turkey from the oven and make a breast plate out of foil and cover just the breast part up. Turn the oven down to 350. Once the temp reaches 350 put the turkey back in and cook for the remaining time. 

Approximate Roasting Times for Stuffed Turkey
Turkey Weight	Hours
6 to 8 pounds	3 to 3-1/2 hours
8 to 12 pounds	3-1/2 to 4-1/2 hours
12 to 16 pounds	4-1/2 to 5-1/2 hours
16 to 20 pounds	5-1/2 to 6 hours
20 to 24 pounds	6 to 6-1/2 hours
Approximate Roasting Times for Unstuffed Turkey
Turkey Weight	Hours
6 to 8 pounds	2-1/2 to 3 hours
8 to 12 pounds	3 to 4 hours
12 to 16 pounds	4 to 5 hours
16 to 20 pounds	5 to 5-1/2 hours
20 to 24 pounds	5-1/2 to 6 hours

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One last little bit of advice from Sandi: NO BASTING! If you  properly brine the turkey there is no need for basting. You will actually dry out the turkey by constantly opening up the oven to baste. It will take longer for the oven to heat back up and consequently it will take a lot longer for the turkey increasing the chances of it drying out. Now that we are done talking Turkey lets talk sides and dessert! The following are a few treasured family recipes.  

Aunt Delores Sweet Potato Casserole

Its easy peasy and tastes fantastic! I sort of modified it from the original to help with time and space. I use one package of Simply Potatoe's buttered and mashed sweet potatoes. Place in a mixing bowl and add 1tsp vanilla, 3 tbs brown sugar and 3 tbs butter. Mix well and spread into a 2 quart baking dish. In a separate bowl mix 1/2 cup brown sugar, 1/3 cup flour, 1/3 cup melted butter and 1 1/2 cup chopped pecans. Spread over top of sweet potato mixture and bake @350 for 30-40 minutes. 

 Aunt Sue's Corn Casserole 

One can creamed corn, one can whole sweet corn and one box of Jiffy corn bread. Mix the contents of all 3(dont drain the whole corn)  in a baking dish with one egg and dot the top with butter. Bake @ 350 for 30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. 

Pumpkin Torte

One pre-made graham cracker crust. 2 small boxes of Jello Pumpkin Spice Pudding, 3 1/2 cups of milk, One super large container of cool whip and pumpkin pie spice (for garnish).  In a large mixing bowl add both boxes of jello and milk and mix well. Add about 1/2 of the mixture to the pie shell (1st layer). Add 2 cups of cool whip to the remaining Jello, mix well and pour over the 1st layer. Refrigerate about an hour until pudding is well set. Top with remaining whip cream and sprinkle with pumpkin pie spice.  

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Hope you all have a fantastic holiday filled with lots of good food, family and love!

xoxo

The Mrs

Getting into the Spirit

       When I was young I was mesmerized by my mom & aunties Christmas trees. They have inspired my love of decorating and they really dress the best trees ya’ll. They have erected glorious examples of the holiday spirit at its best. There have been trees that spin and play music covered in Hallmarks finest, trees sprayed with white flocking with twinkly lights and beautiful silver and white glass bulbs, teddy bear trees, feather trees, old fashion 50’s trees, santa trees, patriotic trees and skinny trees with a country touch. I think there was even a Longaberger tree too at one point, if I am not mistaken. I love their imagination when it comes to decorating for the holidays. We always had the best time helping them decorate and undecorated the trees and I am excited to carry on these traditions with my own family.

         

Today we decided to take a country drive and do just that.

We went to Silver Bells in Dundee MI. 

Did you spot the left over Jack's in the window?

I love little historic towns! The shops are so unique and very quaint. There is getting to be less and less small town America and I think it is so important to support the small businesses that are left. In time like these some are fading fast and could really use our support.

Historic Dundee is a beautiful community. I love these “dam” waterfalls all over the Rasin River. There are a few by our house too. I love the sound of the rushing water. It reminds me of the ocean.

Silver Bells is an old Victorian style house with a small barn and it is nothing but Christmas. 

I was so proud of Tyler for keeping his hands to himself. This place was full of glass and I was afraid it was going to be like letting a bull loose in a china shop, but he was so well behaved. I was shocked to be honest and upon leaving we promptly rewarded his good behavior with his favorite lunch, cheeseburgers.  

I’ll let the pictures explain for themselves how cool this place is. They are reasonably priced too. Upon entering you’re greeted by this friendly little guy guarding Santa’s mail.

Here are his buddies, right on the other side of the door. 

They welcome you in and sit atop a beautiful oak fireplace under a table loaded with samples of delicious holiday treats. My diet and the size of the line did not allow me to get a closer shot. It’s hard to exercise self-control here and I did not want to start a downward slide my waist or wallet could not recover from.  

 This first tree is in the room right off the entryway. The tree is hung upside down from the ceiling and decorated in black and silver. Its gorgeous and the pictures don’t really do it justice.

I love the masks!

And the sparkles!

This is such a sweet tree. The colors are so vibrant.

I really like how they did not stick with tradition for the tops of the tree. They are whimsical and sparkly! Just the way I like it!

 At only $6.95 this cupcake is cute and cheap!

 

I love the idea of personalizing your Christmas tree. 

Every year I take my ornaments out, it’s like a little trip back in time to the places and times they have come from. There are baby’s first Christmas’s, Just Married, first home and scores of others that represent our lives, travels and personalities. On our tree you will find Elmo and Homer, Winnie the Pooh, Barbie’s shoe tree, Irish Angels, Czech Santas and Vintage Elves. In addition to sand dollars from Tybee and a cherished inherited collection of Baldwin Brass. The tree has become for us, a collection of our heritage and a sort of time line of our lives. This is the treasure that came home today. 

Here we have the makings of a very patriotic tree. 

The military nutcrackers are awesome. So are these cute bears!

This woodland tree would look fabulous in a modern neutral living room. 

These nutcrackers always remind me of my brother. My mom started him a collection when he was young. Hope his future wife likes Christmas too tee-hee.

A snowman family

A sparkly sandcastle

Chinese take-out and a fortune cookie

Cuban Cigar anyone?

Evles on a shelf, a very cute story and the makings of a happy holiday tradition.

These two guard the parking lot. Who would do wrong with the big guy watching?      

  

I recently came across an idea for I tree I can’t wait to give a try. It’s called a memory tree. The tree is decorated with black and white photos attached to cardstock and hung with ribbon. The photos are from the family collection and represent lost loved ones, births, weddings and precious milestones. I am thinking of doing this on a small table top skinny tree. I’ll keep you posted about the results.

I hope these photos help to get you in the holiday spirit! I know I am like a kid in a candy store I just can’t wait to get that tree out of storage and dress her up in some lights, sparkles, and glittery baubles!

Xoxo

The Mrs.

Fundamiddles

The Fundamiddles of Cupcakes

            It’s almost Halloween! I cannot believe how fast the fall is flying by and soon the Holiday season will be upon us! This means it is almost time for the tree, my favorite~ but first things first. Last week I bought a box of Betty Crocker’s Fundamiddles. 

I had wanted to try them for a while now, but I didn’t want to pay almost $4.00 for 12 labor intensive cupcakes. I had a coupon and managed to snag them on sale so I only ended up paying $1.50 for the box. Not too shabby :-) Since we all had a busy productive week, I decided to reward Tyler this afternoon and when he got home from school we made the cupcakes.

His job was to pour the ingredients into the bowl and mix.  Good Job Tyler!

Once they were mixed Tyler bailed on me. The melodic sounds of Sponge Bob were too hard to resist, he was lured away and I was left to finish up the job.  I started by filling the muffin cups up 1/3^rd of the way full. 

Then it was time to add the crème filling. You’re supposed to cut a corner of the prefilled packet and squeeze the filling into the center of the cupcake. The goal is to keep it in the center of the cupcake (it can’t touch the sides or it will leak out).  Well the filling is sort of marshmallow-fluff like and sticky, the packet was awkward to hold and I really couldn’t control the flow of crème filling to well. Aside from the sticky consistency, the rest was easy enough to fix, I ended up using a Ziploc as an icing bag and had much better results.

After the crème filling was added I used a small melon baller to cover the filling with the rest of the batter and then baked at 350 for 24 minutes. 

After cooling all the way I used my favorite Betty Crocker chocolate frosting to ice the cupcakes. Then I called Tyler back to the kitchen for his favorite part, the sprinkles. 

Once they were properly sprinkled we tasted them. I really wanted to like them. They reminded me of the Hostess cupcakes from my childhood and I was excited to make them.  Betty, I say this with all of the love in my heart, your Fundamiddles are no bueno. They are expensive, labor intensive and dont really taste all that well. That being said, you still make a rockin regular cake mix and my favorite chocolate frosting though,  so we can still be friends ;-)

Xoxo

The Mrs. 

PS Wait until you check out this curvy lady that moved into my house this fall...

Here is a sneak peak.........................................................................

She is absolutely stunning! 

I will be unveiling her soon stay tuned :-)