MISTY'S MORNINGS

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The table awaits.  The table is graced. (BTW -I am not really that tall.  I was sitting on a kitchen stool!) The aftermath. The cousins. The turkey and dressing may be gone but the glow of time spent with family and friends remains .  My sister and brother-in-law departed on Sunday after a week of work and play.  They are the best sous-chefs in the universe.  I could not have pulled off the meal without their help in the kitchen and around the house.  My husband and boys were on tidying and cleaning detail and they, too, took care of business effortlessly.  Thank you everyone!   Our guests made the whole process worthwhile - especially ending the evening with howls over the game Balderdash .  We learned words like whisterpoop and baldersnatch and the memories of our invented definitions still make me grin and chuckle.  The kids were angels and finished their evening playing in the yard well past dark.   In my post about brining a turkey I had mentioned

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I simply must urge you to consider brining your bird this year.  I had never done it before.  It seemed off-putting somehow.  Did I have a big enough pot?  Would the turkey taste too salty?  And, most importantly, why bother?  My mother never did and the turkey was just fine.  But as I thought about it, just fine was how I would describe turkey in general.  Never had it blown me away with deliciousness.   Could I be missing something? Then I saw a Good Eats episode by Alton Brown in which he demystified the reasons for brining.  He explained that at first, the salty solution draw moisture out of the turkey (which sounds counter intuitive). But then, the bird magically draws the salty solution back into its cells where it remains trapped and no matter how long you cook your fowl, it will stay moist and flavorful.  I was sold. Last week I did a test run.  I bought a 15 pound turkey and combined the following two recipes ( Alex Guarnaschelli 's Thanksgiving Turkey B

Joining with Ann Voskamp in counting my blessings ...

My mother and sister are deathly allergic to all nuts, nut oils and anything that remotely comes into contact with a nut.  As a result, I had never, ever tasted pecan pie until I got married and my mother-in-law served me a piece at her house.  Instantly I swooned.  For someone who absolutely loves salty and sweet combinations, this was heaven on a plate.   Then it hit me, my own mother used to make a pie that looked similar only it substituted salty sunflower seeds for the forbidden pecans.  Recently, I found the recipe and made a test-run of it to see if I wanted to serve this at my house for Thanksgiving this year .  The answer was a resounding YES!   Warning - if you plan to make this for someone with nut allergies be sure to read the sunflower seed package carefully - many brands roast them in peanut oil!  Watch out! Sunflower Seed Caramel Pie  from mistysmornings.blogspot.com INGREDIENTS 3 eggs, beaten 1/2 cup light b

If you are a Catholic, you have heard about the revisions to the Roman Missal translation for the United States, which will be implemented on the first Sunday of Advent, November 27th.  I admit, I am a person who enjoys change so I feel a little excited about these more eloquent translations.  However, I am not a cradle Catholic, so it has taken me 13 years to follow along comfortably with the liturgical responses as they are now!  It'll be comforting to think that all Catholics will be feeling a little awkward together as we get used to new responses during Mass.  For the members of my family who are not Catholic, they will be thrilled to have something to follow along with when attending church with our family.  Since I am by far not the best resource for the details of what has changed or why, I will share a few resources with you where you can find out for yourself: 1. Pat Gohn has written a four part series at Patheos detailing the new translations.   T his is a great

Have you ever used the instagram app ? (It's free!)  I recently discovered it on the iPhone and have enjoyed sharing  my everyday photos there.  It includes editing tricks that make the photos look unique and also allows you to link your photos to Facebook, Twitter or Flickr with one simple click.  Here is a sampling from this past week. ~PRETTY~ Falling Leaf I took this photo of a leaf falling in the backyard this week.  Now nearly all the leaves are gone. ~HAPPY~ Five Guys Ketchup KC likes a little hot dog with his ketchup! ~FUNNY~ Hummer Limo Night Out   A neighbor turned 40 and her husband organized a limo and dinner out with 17 of her friends.  We had a fun time feeling silly (and old) in this psychedelic ride. ~REAL~ Learning To Write KC is learning to write and I am seeing my three year old grow up before my teary eyes.  I will truly miss the threes. Do you instagram?  I would love to follow you there.   My username is mistysmornin

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*From the archives* If you are looking for an ooey gooey, marshmallowy coated sweet potato recipe then you are not in the right place.  However, if you are looking for a simple, make ahead sweet potato recipe that  lets the sweet potato flavor shine, this is the place.   First of all, let's not worry ourselves with the yams -vs- sweet potatoes debate. Either one will be delicious in this recipe so buy some orange-skinned potatoes and get peeling. Slice them lengthwise and then cut each piece in half again. Tumble them into a large casserole coated with non-stick spray. Dust them with lots of cinnamon and nutmeg and a pinch of salt. Snow them with sugar and dot with butter. Drizzle in some Karo syrup. Mmmmmmm... Cover and place in 375 degree oven for an hour and a half or until bubbly and thickened. They form a delicious syrupy sauce and truly do get better the next day.  To me this dish looks like Thanksgiving and smells l