Almond Frosting

1 stick butter, softened
1/2 bag powdered sugar
4TBS milk
1-2tsp. almond extract

~ Beat butter until creamy. Slowly add sugar and milk until you reach a desired consistency. Add almond extract and mix well.

Sugar Gems

1c. powdered sugar
1c. sugar
1c. oil
1/2lb. real butter
2 eggs
1tsp. vanilla
5 1/2c. flour
1tsp. cream of tartar
1tsp. salt
1tsp. soda
sugar
frosting

~ Cream powdered sugar, 1c. of sugar, oil, butter, eggs, and vanilla. Add flour, cream of tartar, salt , and soda. Mix well. Roll into balls and place several inches apart on cookie sheet. Mash down with a glass dipped in sugar. Bake at 350 for 12-15 minutes. Frost after baking. {see frosting category}

Brine Tutorial

For any of you out there that need some help on cooking your turkey this year, I happen to have a few pointers.
I did a brine on my turkey last year and it turned out so scrumptious and moist. For those of you who are going "What the freakin crap is a brine?" That's what I said too.
A brine is a salt water mixture that you leave your turkey in overnight. It is usually 1 cup salt to 1 gallon water and let it dissolve. Then you add 1 cup of sweet substance such as sugar, brown sugar, or honey. After you've dissolved these you then add spices, whole peppercorns, garlic cloves or whatever you want. Then add your thawed, rinsed, and cleaned out turkey. Don't forget there are 2 cavities!! I only emptied out one my first year making a turkey:)
I put my mixture in a stock pot in the fridge or you can put it in an oven bag in your cooler and for all you Idaho folks just set it in the garage.
after you've brined overnight MAKE SURE YOU RINSE THE TURKEY OFF COMPLETELY before putting it in the oven. You will have a very moist and delicious turkey. You can check out a delicious brine recipe under my Thanksgiving category on the right hand side of my blog.

Lil' Smokies

2 pkg. lil' smokies
1 small jar grape jelly
1 medium size bottle bbq sauce
*Cook all ingredients in crock pot and serve with toothpicks.

Give Your Stuffing Some Spunk

When you make your stuffing, a great way to give it some pizazz is to add some Craisins( dried cranberries) to it. It gives it some great flavor.

Thankful Jar

Here's a fun little idea for the Thanksgiving table~

Find some type of jar and decorate it cute with ribbon scrapbook paper or whatever you like. Then as your guests arrive have them fill out a little piece of paper with what they're thankful for. As you sit around after dinner you can pass the jar around and have each person take out a piece of paper and read what others are thankful for.

Maple Brown Sugar Brine

4 quarts water
2c. brown sugar
1c. soy sauce
1c. maple syrup
3/4c. sea salt
8-10 whole garlic cloves
6-8 whole bay leaves
3 large sprigs thyme
2tsp. whole peppercorns

*Place all ingredients in large pot and bring to boil. Dissolving sugar and syrup. Remove from heat and allow brine to cool completely before using.

Gramma's Whole Wheat Bread

This recipe will make 5 loaves in a Bosch mixer.
5 c. warm water
3tbsp. yeast
1/2c. brown sugar
1 tbsp. salt
1/3c. oil
3tbsp. dough enhancer(you can get it at the preparedness store)
5c. whole wheat flour
7-9c. white flour
~Put warm water in Bosch bowl. Add brown sugar and yeast. Let ferment. Add salt, oil, and dough enhancer; mix. Add whole wheat flour and mix about 5 minutes. Add white flour a little at a time.
~Let dough rise in greased pans. Bake 35 minutes @ 350 or until done.