Byrd and I wish you all a blessed Christmas! Have a warm, spice-filled, fir tree scented, candlelit, loving time with your families this holiday season.
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Thanksgiving Recipe Ideas
The students have all closed their novels and packed up their supplies for Thanksgiving Break, so it’s time for me to take a deep breath and relax — until the baking begins tomorrow, of course! Because I enjoyed reading Jillicious‘s list of things she’s thankful for this year, here are a few of my own:
- Jesus, who made the greatest sacrifice for me.
- My family — they’re crazy, wonderful, and so supportive.
- Mike, who has never disliked anything I’ve ever cooked, whether overseasoned, underseasoned, burnt, or weird.
- Cake.
- Friends, for joining me in ridiculous escapades.
- My students, who make me laugh every day and (usually) make me feel like I’m making a difference through my teaching.
- Writing.
- Byrd and Squirt, my poodle and red-eared slider. One is fluffy and hyper, the other is scaly and . . . frowny; nevertheless, they’re both the sweetest pets anyone could ask for, and have made my little apartment a home.
- My snuggie. Shut up; it’s comfortable!
- Food, which is one language through which history, family, culture, and emotion has been communicated to me. I love joining the conversation.
On that note, here are some dishes that have warmed the pages of Willow Bird Baking in the past months that would be lovely on your Thanksgiving dinner table. May you enjoy the sharing of mirth, love, and calories with your family this year!
Mini-Pies: Pumpkin, Peach Crisp, and Sour Cream Apple — Add some variety to your Thanksgiving pie choices! Everyone gets to choose their own flavor. The pumpkin and peach pies are especially scrumptious.
Jack-O’-Lantern Whoopie Pies — These cakey cookies are hearty, moist, spicy, and addictive. Whoopie pies should be part of every family’s Thanksgiving tradition.
Peach Crisp Pie — Delicious, gooey peaches and crispy oats fill a tender, flaky crust. This is my favorite pie of all time!
Best Ever Cream Cheese Pound Cake with Easy Caramel Frosting and Spiced Apples — This moist, dense, finely-crumbed cake is heavenly with or without some spicy cinnamon apples on the side. “Best Ever” is not an exaggeration!
Chocolate Tart — Tired of pumpkin? If you’re a chocolate lover, this tart is a must-eat. Rich, indulgent chocolate fills the buttery tart crust, and a pile of freshly whipped cream accompanies each bite. This post also includes a bright and tangy Raspberry Cream Cheese Tart.
Overnight Yeast Rolls — These fluffy, delicious, buttery yeast rolls are part of my family’s annual Thanksgiving tradition. When I realized I was old enough to make them myself (and at any time of year, too), it was one ecstatic day in the kitchen!
Cardamom Pumpkin Macarons — Having an elegant Thanksgiving? These gluten-free cookies combine cardamom with traditional Thanksgiving pumpkin. Macarons are the perfect bite: crisp on the outside, chewy on the inside.
Barefoot Contessa’s Carrot Pineapple Cake — Looking for a big, beautiful cake to adorn your Thanksgiving table? Barefoot Contessa’s Carrot Pineapple Cake is brimming with hunks of pineapple, carrot, walnut, and raisin. With cream cheese frosting slathered on in a thick layer, it’s an elegant and decadent Thanksgiving dessert.
Green Chile TURKEY Enchiladas — Okay, these don’t quite fit on the Thanksgiving dinner table, but maybe you find yourself wondering what to do with all your juicy turkey leftovers? These Green Chile Chicken Enchiladas can be transformed into turkey-filled treats, and what a great way to spice up leftovers. The recipe is so seductive, yet very simple — it won’t take up all of your Black Friday!
Share this post with friends!Memories, Tests, and Cakes
I’m bustling around like Mother Hen this evening, clucking over the laundry, packing, and planning last minute details. Tomorrow I drop Byrd off at her grandma’s house and pick Mike up to drive to Greensboro, NC. In G-boro, he’ll take the test he’s spent months preparing for: the math GRE.
The sunset Mike and I watched after the Christmas Show in 2008.
Being with him during his culminating assessment is such a blessing, having seen him working passionately to reach this moment. Mike actually withdrew from college over a decade ago after struggling with boredom and frustration in high school. School wasn’t meeting his needs, and he wasn’t sure what path to take.
Mike helps a not-so-enthusiastic Byrd stand next to our pitiful snowman for a picture.
Even if I take off my girlfriend glasses, I can honestly say he’s a stunningly brilliant person. He’s one of those people who can weave tapestries with collections of thoughts — whose shining, meticulously crafted gears are always whirring in sync (in contrast, every now and then I feel like one of my gears needs an oilcan . . .). Eventually, he realized he needed to cart this intelligence back to school and earn it a certificate of legitimacy. Thus, in just 3 short years, he has rocketed through his undergraduate degree in Mathematics. In December, I’m going to be absolutely beside myself with pride and tears as he walks the stage and receives the college degree — with honors and lots of laudes! — he so deserves.
Mike ate his first funnel cake during our trip to Gatlinburg, TN in December 2008.
Back to the point at hand: this weekend, and this test. This weekend probably doesn’t feel like a celebration to him, but it is to me. First, it’s a celebration of how hard he’s worked to prepare himself for a test that’s really a harbinger of a new life (graduate school) on the horizon. But it’s also a celebration of us. As long as I’ve known Mike, I’ve known he was capable of great things. I’m so thankful that I’ve gotten to watch as he’s taken each step of of his journey: from a retail job, to work in a dental lab, to college, and soon off to grad school. Tonight I’m sifting through those steps, thinking about the people we were, have become, and will become. I’m brimming with memories of our eleven years together — which perhaps finally explains why I’m scattering photographic artifacts of those years throughout this entry.
Blurry Photobooth Photo of us in our element: Mike and Byrd work on math while I grade papers in my snuggie.
It’s in this splushy state of reminiscence that I’m baking a sweet, modest cake and wrapping it up for the trip. Last December we shared a special moment sitting by the fire and drinking hot chocolate. Tomorrow I hope to recreate that special feeling, but in the place of hot chocolate, I’ll substitute hearty hunks of cake and a pluff of cinnamon whipped cream. And really, who knows? I might manage to smuggle some cocoa and a couple of mugs into my travel bag along with the mounds of papers I have to grade.
The lovely fireplace where Mike and I enjoyed hot chocolate on a frosty evening in the mountains.
To Mike, I wish you clear thinking, quick reasoning, and accurate arithmetic on your test. You’ve already impressed so many people, from family to scholars, and I emphatically believe that you’re about to knock the academic socks off of some graduate admissions committees. I can’t wait to celebrate this rite of passage with you, and I’m so glad to join you on your journey.
Recipe Index and Posh Pilfer
We interrupt our regularly scheduled programming for this brief announcement: I added a recipe index to the site for easier navigation. I always have different motives when visiting a food blog. Sometimes I just want to peruse the updates and see what’s new, but sometimes I’m looking for a specific recipe. The index will hopefully make Willow Bird Baking more useful for folks who want to find a recipe quickly.
Also, while this isn’t cooking related (at first, I typed “cookie related,” so you can see where my mind is), it is craft and style related, and I’m sure many of you are interested in that as well. My mom has opened her new shop on Etsy: Posh Pilfer. She has hand-sewn and hand-crafted, quality offerings for kids, babies, pets, and family. My personal favorite is the dog kerchief that threads onto your dog’s collar to stay in place. Byrd loves hers, as you can tell; she even got to model for some of the shop’s photos. Please hop on over to Posh Pilfer and take a look!
Byrd lounging in her Posh Pilfer kerchief
