Thanksgiving Tag

Gingersnap Pumpkin Pie - TheMessyBaker.com If I could eliminate one emotion. It would be fear. I'm not talking the "Don't go down that dark alley" kind of fear where your Spidey senses are tingling for good reason. I'm talking the joy-crushing, "This not going to work" kind of fear. The type that keeps you from trying something outside your comfort zone. The type of fear that prevents you from offering to bake the Thanksgiving pie, even though you know the host will be busy battling the bird. The type of fear that has you making the same dish over and over and over again because you don't want to upset the apple cart — even though no one has  so much as bumped that cart for such a long time its wheels have sunk deep into the ground. Well, this is for the Pastry Paranoid and the Apple Cart Dwellers.
I'm a big advocate of knowing your limits. While I'm very good at producing stellar individual dishes (Cranberry & Apple Cake aside), I'm not as gifted when it comes to co-ordinating large, multi-course meals. Want chicken curry on rice with a veggie? No problem. Drop by anytime for a soup, salad and savory scone. And I'm always happy to whip up a batch of ginger cookies. But ask me to produce a stuffed bird, three sides, sauce and dessert? I channel my inner hypochondriac and start searching for the thermometer. Expect me to serve this to a dozen people while wearing heels? Well, let's just say I play the "Small House with an Eat-In Kitchen" card as often as I can. And thanks to my parents, with their large kitchen and even larger dining room, this excuse works every time. All I have to do is show up with a Pumpkin Pie and I'm golden. But I realize not everyone has this Get-Out-of-Cooking-Thanksgiving-Dinner-Free option. So, to help those who are flying solo with the holiday hosting, I'm acknowledging my limits and handing the reigns over to the pros. Knowing the challenges of organizing and executing a holiday dinner, the good people at Rouxbe Online Cooking School have created a Step-by-Step Holiday Guide to get you through Thanksgiving (or Christmas for that matter).

A while ago, Cari from Dinnervibe suggested I make a Halloween-themed ice cream. As you know, it doesn't take much to persuade me to whip out my Cuisinart, so even though the weather is turning cold, I accepted her ice cream challenge. Perhaps I'm in a...