Thanksgiving 2008

Hope everyone had a very

As you can see, I'm late getting my Thanksgiving blog up. It seems like all I've been doing is running lately and today I feel like a zombie!!

This will be mostly pictures of course. I forgot to take pictures of all the food!! I was only asked to bring my green beans and I threw in a banana cream pie.

This is Carlee, Kaitlyn, Collin and Peyton



Carlee was enjoying her food!!


Kaitlyn didn't mind getting stuck at the kids table!!


Wow! Collin ate most of his food!!!

It was great to have Peyton there with us!! He was taken away from his daddy about a year ago and was returned just before Thanksgiving!! We are all so grateful!!

The gang gathering around for the food!!

My daughter Kami and her hubby Eric. Thank you both for letting us use your house all of the time!!! I LOVE YOU!!!

The pie table!!! YUM!!

On Tuesday, the 25th, I was asked if I could make some sugar cookie for an order!!! Ummm...only if you don't want fancy ones!! The glaze takes two days to dry!! I was gone all day Wednesday and Thursday and the order was for Friday morning. Whew!! The lady that ordered them was fine with just plain ones. She loves our sugar cookies and just wanted them for her grand kids that would be visiting. I really didn't have time to do these, but I baked them Tuesday night, iced them Wednesday night, and stamped them Friday morning. I hope they liked them because they weren't my best!!!

Now on to the Christmas holiday cooking!!!!

Shoe Cake

A client asked me to make a cake for a baby shower with shoes on it. I was thinking baby booties. Nope - the shower was for a friend who has a serious love of stylish shoes, especially those designed by Christian Louboutin. These shoes are famous for their red soles. I found an online tutorial on how to make gum paste shoes. It was a challenge, but I love to try new things.

Dribbling Dolphins

My twin nieces are on a soccer team called the Dribbling Dolphins. Their mom asked me to make a cake for their end-of-the-season party. The dolphins are modeled from fondant. They were actually easy to make and turned out really cute. The cake is chocolate with buttercream icing.

21st Birthday

I did another version of the cake from the Pink Cake Box website. This cake was for a 21st birthday. It was very colorful, the client wanted primary colors. This cake always turns out great.

I Am Thankful for...COOKIES!!!!

These are my family's favorite sugar cookies!!

We make them for almost every holiday that comes along.

I'm not sure I want to share the recipe though!! I have shared with a few people in the past, but the way these cookies are made is a major undertaking!!! And...people don't want to pay for them either because I charge $1.00 and up for each cookie. They are very large and a lot of work! But they are the best cookies you will have ever had!

These were the only cookies that I was able to finish for Halloween. Things got really busy for me. I let Kami have these to her office party for her work. I usually make tons so that I can send some to my son that lives in Florida, but I didn't get any finished for him! Sorry Ryan!!!!

Now on to Thanksgiving!!



My daughter Kami and I made these for her Activity Day girls and to send to Ryan!



Yes...make sure you give thanks and appreciation to everyone around you, family, great friends, the gospel, our jobs, our homes and belongings, our health!

Gobble, gobble!!!

And Ryan...Kami made this one especially for YOU!!!

Chicken Fricassee with Chive Dumplings

Don't eat this if you're afraid of calories!!

I did replace the milk with skim milk and the oil with EVOO (extra virgin olive oil in case you didn't know that!)

Chicken Fricassee with Chive Dumplings



1 cup all-purpose flour


2 teaspoons salt


2 teaspoons paprika


1/4 teaspoon pepper


4 ~ pound chicken, cut up (I used thighs, since that was all I had)



Shortening or vegetable oil


1 cup water


3 tablespoons all-purpose flour


Milk


Chive Dumplings (recipe below)

• Mix 1 cup flour, the salt, paprika and pepper. Coat chicken with the flour mixture. Heat thin layer of oil in a 12-inch skillet until hot. Cook chicken until brown on all sides. Drain fat from skillet: reserve. Add water to chicken. Cover and cook over low heat for about 45 minutes.
• Remove chicken; keep warm. Drain liquid from skillet; reserve. Heat 3 tablespoons reserved fat in skillet. Stir in 3 tablespoons flour. Cook over low heat, stirring constantly, until mixture is smooth and bubbly; remove from heat. Add enough milk to the reserved liquid to measure 3 cups; pour into skillet. Heat to boiling, stirring constantly. Boil and stir for 1 minute. Return chicken to gravy.
• Prepare Chive Dumplings; drop by spoonfuls onto hot chicken. Cook uncovered 10 minutes; cover and cook for 20 minutes longer.

Chive Dumplings

3 tablespoons shortening

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

2 teaspoons baking powder

3/4 teaspoon salt

3 tablespoons snipped chives

3/4 cup milk

• Cut shortening into flour, baking powder and salt with pastry blender until mixture resembles fine crumbs. Stir in milk and chives. Drop by spoonfuls onto hot meat or vegetables in boiling stew. Cook uncovered 10 minutes. Cover and cook 10 minutes longer.
• Makes 10 dumplings

Recipe says that it serves 8 and is around 460 calories!! This is a "once you start eating, ya can't stop" meal!! It is Oooooh So Yum!!!

Indiana Jones Birthday

The next week was my other nephew Zack's 7th birthday. He was Indiana Jones for Halloween and had an Indy party. This is a chocolate cake frosted in buttercream with fondant pieces. The palm tree trunks are cereal straws. They worked great! My favorite part of the cake is the crocodile waiting for Indy's rope to break, so he can have a snack.

Star Wars

My nephew Caden asked to have a party with his cousins for his birthday. His family came up to Vegas and celebrated his 5th birthday at Pump It Up. Caden's new favorite thing is Star Wars Clone Wars. He asked for a Star Wars cake and was very specific about what he wanted and what color light sabers the characters had to have. The cake is chocolate with buttercream icings and fondant decorations.

No Time to Cook!

This is just some food pics that I haven't posted.

Not a big deal, but fun and delicious!!

Homemade pizza night!!

Kami and the kids were here. Collin loved making his own pizza!

Turkey Cutlets a la Me!!

Plain turkey cutlets that I smothered in a concoction of olive oil, parsley, finely chopped onions, tarragon, McCormick Garlic Pepper Seasoning Grinder.

Baked at 325 degrees for 30 - 40 minutes.

Sliced it and served it with mashed potatoes and sauted brussel

sprouts in butter and bacon pieces.

Sausage Potato Stir fry served in an acorn squash ring.

Eggless Pumkin Pie

It turned out good!!

Trout from the neighbors! Thanks!!!

I made it so late at night that we just had sliced tomatoes and cucumbers with it.

That's it for now! I've been very busy working on other things and

haven't had much time to do anything fancy!!

Halloween 2008

Yeppers!! We have a lot of fun on Halloween!!

This is Kami, Collin and I. We were missing one witch, but she was really sick!

We missed you Tina!!!

I think I'll use this picture for my profile pic on MySpace next year!!
I'm going to eat you!!



We were trying to look scary, but....

Kami and I had matching stockings.

Little Miss Dorothy (Carlee) had just woke up from a nap and wasn't being very cooperative.

At the high school Trunk or Treat.

Oh...she looks a little happier!!

There ya go! Just give me candy and I'm a happy girl!!

Out trick or treating at the houses. Kami's witch hat was in the way!!

Now on to Grandma Brewer's!!!

Grandma Brewer makes THE best homemade suckers!! Collin's daddy (Eric) took most fo them!!

Um...I'll take these!!

Yum! Sprinkles!

Tauna with Carlee.


Carlee was chasing Grandma Brewer's dog all around the house.

That's our pretty girl!!

Kaitlynn and Collin showing off their suckers.

The kids sure had a fun night.

Time to go home!