Butter Flavored Olive Oil
by jillbcooks 10/25/2010 12:34:00 PM

This weekend we visited Stillwater, Minnesota, a town once known for lumber milling located on the St. Croix River.  The town, no longer a central point for milling and shipping lumber, retains the charm of yesteryear as its skyline is dotted with the beautiful Victorian mansions that were former residences of America’s lumber barons.  The town now offers many shops and restaurants in a scenic setting and is perfect for browsing on a fall day.  We happened into a shop called Stillwater Olive Oil Company, a lovely shop that sells many, many varieties of olive oil and vinegar.  The shop is visually striking...

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Tags: butter, Thanksgiving, olive oil, YouTube, cakee, gourmet oils

You Could Win $1,000 by Entering Our Recipe Contest
by AndiatBettyCrocker 1/8/2010 12:59:00 PM

It’s really cold here in Minnesota. It was 2°F in the Twin Cities at 5:00am today when my alarm went off. The wind chills were -20°F to -30°F. Brrrrr. What is there to do when you don’t want to go outdoors? My answer always, is to head to my kitchen to do a little cooking or baking (on a non-work day, that is). If you do the same thing and bake up a delicious new recipe this weekend, you could win some money. Did you see my post on November 18th when I encouraged you to send in ...

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Tags: Thanksgiving, recipe contest, 000.00, win $1, fall baking recipes, recipes Christmas cookie recipes

Making New Holiday Traditions: Red Velvet Cake Cheesecake
by jillbcooks 12/3/2009 9:14:00 PM

My younger sister lives on the East Coast, and my side of her family is scattered all around the country. Her husband’s family lives in the South.  With just a day off from work at Thanksgiving, it is difficult to travel a long distance to see family.  This year they spent their Thanksgiving at home.  With the luxury of a day home from work, they spent time together refining their new holiday tradition: Red Velvet Cake Cheesecake.  They are still newlyweds—married only a couple years ago.  They wrote their own wedding vows, and hers included vowing to learn how to make his mother’s Red Velvet Cake.  Inspired by a dessert they saw on ...

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Tags: Thanksgiving, cheesecake, red velvet cake, newlyweds

Thanksgiving Dinner Post Game Show
by jillbcooks 11/29/2009 9:19:00 PM

Inspired by all of the sports shows on television and radio that have been reviewing and discussing the Thanksgiving Day football games, I have decided to invest some effort in reviewing my Thanksgiving dinner and carrying forward the lessons I learned to make my upcoming holiday entertaining all the more successful. We had a great dinner with great company, but in the process of preparing and entertaining, I made some observations that might be helpful hints for you, too: Set your table the night before.  I tried this for the first time and it made a huge difference.  I was able to relax and have fun while cooking without worrying about the finishing touches, plus...

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Tags: entertaining, Thanksgiving, tips, Peanut Butter Buckeyes

Hostess Gifts
by jillbcooks 11/20/2009 5:22:00 PM

I am a big fan of hostess gifts—flowers, wine or little treats are my favorites to give for casual get togethers.  When invited to someone’s home for more formal meal, a hostess gift is customary.  I never expect them, but am delighted when I receive one.  The point of a gift is to show appreciation for a host’s thoughtfulness and to “give back” an experience that the host can enjoy later.  My favorite things to give are homemade muesli or granola, a book or a plant.  My favorite hostess gift that I have ever received was a drawing made by a 4 year old tucked into a frame.  Of course it is displayed in a place of prominence in my...

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Tags: cookies, scones, truffles, Thanksgiving, danish, hostess gifts, wine

Black Friday Eats
by jillbcooks 11/17/2009 8:00:00 PM

Are you a Black Friday shopper?  Up at the crack of dawn to snag unimaginable bargains?  I’ve always loved the thrill of holiday shopping and on the day after Thanksgiving, especially.  Being out and about, we’d usually catch lunch or dinner someplace, especially if one of us was in from out of town and wanted to go to an old favorite haunt.  So, I have only recently discovered the joy of leftovers.  As a kid and teenager, I’d rather have pizza than leftovers, but as an adult, I understand the joy of turkey piled on leftover dinner rolls slathered with mayonnaise.  When it comes to leftovers, I gu...

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Tags: soup, Thanksgiving, turkey ala king, leftovers, Black Friday, turkey

Do you have the right stuff?
by bethsdish 10/28/2009 11:06:00 AM

It doesn't take much to put together a pretty table, but now is the time to be on the look out for little pumpkins and tiny gourds. They will keep for a while, so you can use them in your entertaining now AND save them for Thanksgiving.  Play with the wonderful varieties of colors and match the flowers as well.  Be on the look out for antique napkins at estate sales and stock up on hand and dish towels. Go through last years and relinquish the ones that are stained and ratty looking to the rag bin or just throw them out.   It's also a ...

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Tags: Thanksgiving

Are You Ready to Tackle Thanksgiving?
by bethsdish 10/25/2009 8:56:00 AM

 THINKING THANSGIVING               Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday. No presents, no parties, no pressure. It’s all about the turkey and the great stuff that goes with it. It’s a day devoted to cooking beloved comfort food; a day to kick back and eat. ...

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Tags: Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving: A Recap
by Heidi at Betty Crocker 12/1/2008 12:00:00 PM

I don’t know about you, but I'm still full from Thanksgiving. My holiday was a bit untraditional this year. On the actual day of Thanksgiving, I vegged out on the couch and watched movies with friends and ate frozen pizza. Having spent nearly every waking moment of my time off working on refinishing my built-in, it was nice to be off my feet and good to be in the company of friends. For those of you following along with my project, here’s currently where I’m at:  ...

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Tags: Heidi's Wrong Potatoes, Fresh Herb-Topped Rolls, Thanksgiving

Happy Turkey Day!
by Heidi at Betty Crocker 11/26/2008 1:21:00 PM

Since my Dad and Helen were doing their own thing with Helen’s family for Thanksgiving, they invited me, my sisters and their families over for a pre-Thanksgiving get together. Once again, decorating cookies and cupcakes was a pre-dinner activity. This recipe--with yellow instead of devil's food cake--was used as inspiration for the cupcakes). Abigail, Claire, Greta, Morgan and Ian just beginning to decorate:...

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Tags: turkey cupcakes, Thanksgiving