skip to main |
skip to sidebar
It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas! My mother would sing that song over and over and over again as she decorated our house each year. Christmas was a blast at our house cause my mother turned it into Christmasville. Even the bathroom was decorated more than most people's living rooms.
Over the 25 days leading up to Christmas I will share with you all the fun, wonderful things my mom has done to make Christmas so special for us. I hope you will find something special from Karene for your family as well. I'm looking forward to hearing from you too, as to what special things your mom or grandmas did to make Christmas special.
Oh, and if this blog gets a bit Christmasy you'll know why - Karene's Kitchen has to look like Christmasville!
I do not like pumpkin pie, but my hubby and kids just love it. My hubby loves it so much he actually makes the pumpkin pie. He even makes it quite frequently throughout the year. He's a great pumpkin pie maker because he even makes his crust from scratch.
Of course the only pumpkin pie recipe used in our house is my grandmother's. Enjoy!
Pie Crust
2 C sifted flour
1 tsp salt
10 2/3 tbs crisco and add a little extra
7 tbs ice water
Put all the ingredients together except water.
Cut the crisco into the flour to make small pieces.
Add the water.
Mix.
At the end you will have to use your hands to get the flour all mixed together.
Divide in half and roll out of a floured board.
You should have enough for two pie crusts.
`For pumpkin pie do not cook the pie crust until the pumpkin ingredients are put in.
The Pumpkin Pie
2 C pumpkin
2 tsp melted butter
1/2 tsp salt
1 C sugar
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp ground cloves
1/2 tsp mace
1/2 tsp ginger
1 C milk
1/2 C arnation milk
2 eggs
Combine salt and spices with sugar and add pumpkin.
Add all other ingredients.
Pour into unbaked pie shell.
Bake 15 minutes at 425 degrees.
Then lower oven to 350 degrees and bake about 35 minutes or until knife inserted comes out clean.
I always thought my grandmother made the best stuffing for the turkey. I cannot believe someone actually was able to one-up my grandmother on anything. Turns out my mother-in-law did with her stuffing. Even my sister (the one that never cooks) likes my mother-in-law's recipe better than my grandmother's. I can't believe it. So I don't even make my grandmother's anymore. That last sentence actually makes me sad.
So here is the beat all, end all, greatest stuffing recipe on the planet. And you HAVE to put it in the turkey. We are all still alive after eating much stuffing cooked in the turkey, so have at it.
Betty's Turkey Stuffing:
Fry up one pound of mild sausage. Sprinkle a little bit of ground sage into it as you are frying. Make sure you drain the grease.
Prepare one box of Stove Top Stuffing with Herbs. (I cannot believe I am telling you all to use Stove Top Stuffing - but trust me, this is great!) Where it calls for the amount of butter, put one full stick of butter in. My mother-in-law put two in! I think that is a bit much.
Once the Stove Top Stuffing is done, mix in the sausage. Then mix in chopped walnuts. You have to add the right amount of walnuts to your tasting. Usually if you get at least a walnut piece or two into each forkful after you've mixed it up good, you're good to go.
Go ahead and stuff it into the turkey and cook it. I love to baste the turkey so I baste ALOT! The part of the stuffing that gets all that basting is SO good!
Enjoy! I think the best Thanksgiving I ever had was the first one my hubby and I spent together. His parents came to visit and Betty made the stuffing (first time I ever had it). We had such a wonderful time that Thanksgiving - I think it was the first Thanksgiving I truly enjoyed.
OMG! If you can make these like my grandmother did you will be in Heaven! My grandmother always made the BEST homemade rolls to go with all our holiday dinners. My aunts and mom and myself make them well, but no one makes them like my grandmother did. I wish she were still around to find out her little "secret" to the rolls. Unfortunately she died before I ever attempted to make them myself. I have played and played with the recipe, but I have an electric oven so I don't think I will ever quite get it.
Here they are! Enjoy! (and YES, they are worth the work of making them from scratch)
Ice Box Rolls -
Mix half a cup of sugar, half a cupr of crisco and one fourtch cup milk together.
Heat until crisco is melted.
Let cool.
Add 2 well beaten eggs.
Disolve 1 1/4 oz. packet of yeast in 1/2 cup tepid water.
Add to the above mixture.
Stir in thoroughly 4 cups of sifted flour and 2 tsp salt.
Turn out on well floured board and roll in flour enough to keep it from sticking to hands.
Place in greased bowl and place in refrigerator at least over night.
Roll into balls and place in muffin pans. Put three balls into each muffin cup.
Let raise.
Bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes.
(Don't forget to grease the muffin pan)
One thing I love about these rolls is that you have to break them apart in three pieces. That way you get to butter all portions of that roll, and they are so delicious that way.
Thanksgiving was never one of my favorite holidays. I like it so much more now because it is my husband's absolute favorite day of the year. He LOVES that turkey! And he LOVES that turkey grease that settles at the bottom of the turkey pan! ICK!
Good thing I had many wonderful Thanksgiving dinners cooked by my grandmothers, aunts, and especially Karene, my mom. Dear hubby just loves everything I make, except the baked corn. I love the baked corn!
Over the next days leading up to Thanksgiving, I will post the recipes that I serve at our great Thanksgiving feast. My hubby refuses to go anywhere else for Thanksgiving dinner so you are in for a treat!
I will start with the baked corn since I already spoke of that. The baked corn is something I always remember being served at Thanksgiving dinners so my grandmother must have always made it. It is such a simple recipe (even my sister who has not turned her oven on in 13 years can make it when she visits for Thanksgiving). You can make it the night before and put it in the fridge (covered). Take it out in the morning to warm up and then cook it when the time it right to have it ready for dinner.
Baked Corn
2 eggs
1/2 tsp salt
2 cans cream style corn
dash pepper
Combine above ingredients. Roll 30 saltine crackers into cracker crumbs with a rolling pin. Cut into corn to thicken the above mixture. Pour into casserole dish (I save on dirty dishes and make the whole thing in the casserole dish itself). Dot with butter and sprinkle with paprika. Bake at 350 for 45 minutes to an hour.
It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas! My mother would sing that song over and over and over again as she decorated our house each year. Christmas was a blast at our house cause my mother turned it into Christmasville. Even the bathroom was decorated more than most people's living rooms. 
