Herb Smothered Roasted Turkey

*Warning: Images may be disturbing to some viewers especially turkeys. 

So the bird. I was kinda sort of unsure about cooking the turkey. This was my first time roasting a turkey and I was nervous about timing, moistness, crispyness, of it being flavorful... I had a whole laundry list of doubt. So I googled and youtubed and scoured the internet for recipe ideas, tips and advice on how to cook the most delicious turkey. I ended up settling on a mix between Sandra Lee's Herb Roasted Turkey and Bobby Flay's Traditional Turkey Recipe and a spin of my own making. As a turkey roasting virgin, I was pretty pleased with the end result. 

Here is the recipe for my Herb Smothered Roasted Turkey.

Strawberry & Cream Stuffed French Toast Casserole

So I figured I would start with Thanksgiving breakfast. My husband and I have a tradition of always having a special breakfast on holidays. French Toast for Thanksgiving and Cinnamon Buns for Christmas morning are the two we never miss. Both are great because they can be made the day before and stored in the refrigerator till the morning where you just stick'em in the oven to bake and then you stuff your face before a full day of stuffing your face. We figure if we are going to eat bad, we might as well make a full day of unhealthiness. 

So we began our day with Strawberry & Cream Stuffed French Toast Casserole, coffee, and the Thanksgiving Parade.

Our Thanksgiving Table

A belated Happy Thanksgiving to all my readers! As the host of this years Thanksgiving dinner I was quite busy preparing everything the last few days and haven't had a moment to update the blog. I took a ton of pictures throughout my prep and the day of which I will be sharing with you in the next week. Our Thanksgiving table is something I had been thinking about for a while now, I even shared some of my inspiration images with you here. This is what I created for our Thanksgiving table this year.

Kitchen Reveal

I thought I would never write this post. It seems years ago I first shared with you that we were going to be redesigning our kitchen...and now it is finally finished! It really has only taken us 4 months from start to finish, not years like it feels, but I couldn't be any happier with the end result. We have taken our drab, outdated kitchen and turned it into a chic farmhouse inspired cucina.

Soakin' up the Sun

Eva and I had a photo shoot. She didn't know it was a photo shoot, otherwise she would have not participated and by participated I mean sat still and looked so darn cute. When she the sees the camera it is her cue to turn her butt towards me and walk away. But nonetheless, on this particular day I was able to get a few worthwhile pics as she sunned herself on the top of our hot tub cover during my lunch hour. 

Mini Apple Cream Cheese Pies

This was such an impromptu recipe; I had so many apples left that I just had to find ways to make use of them. I really didn't even take many step-by-step photos to follow along with but the end result was so delicious, I just had to share. This is a great personal sized dessert for Thanksgiving, you can make one for each guest and I promise they will thank you.

Perfectly Worded

So I came across this blog today, Delicious Days, and I wanted to share it with you because it not only has some inspiring recipes on it, but I thought Nicky's quote was a perfect description of why so many of us like to eat and on the same token like to cook.

 "I eat merely to put food out of my mind." N.F. Simpson

Perfectly Worded

Sundried Tomato and Goat Cheese Saucy Shrimp

Who's ever gone to a restaurant and wanted to recreate a dish they add at home? I think just about everyone. Well thankfully with the internet these days you can pretty much find the recipe for anything. Hubs and I love the Saucy Shrimp from Bonefish and I decided that I wanted to try to make it at home. Found the recipe online an voila, delicious dinner in less then 30 minutes! Now thats my kind of meal. Thought I would share this one with you since it came out so good.

Turkey Day Decor

The tickets have been drawn and I picked Thanksgiving as the holiday that we will host at our house this year. This leaves me less then a month to prepare a menu, decor, and finish our kitchen reno. The kitchen reno is thankfully almost finished, but decor and the menu are now weighing on my mind like a ton of bricks.  Knowing that I need a tablecloth and ideas for a tablescape, I've been scouring the internet for decor inspiration. I'm hoping to use mostly items I have in my house already, just adding some natural elements such as nuts, sticks, leaves, and fresh vegetables as part of the display.

Here are some inspiring table settings I am loving at the moment.

Spring Prep

Is anyone else excited for Spring? I can't wait! I'm giddy with the thought of it!! I know, I know, your thinking Jackie, spring isn't for another six months. And your right, but this is the time of year where you must begin preparing your spring blooming garden and it's such a tease. It's a tease because you don't get to see the benefit of your labor for another six months! But let me tell you that if there is ever a season that you would want beautiful, colorful blooming flowers in your yard, it would be spring. Not only is planting spring blooming bulbs one of the easiest things to do, but seeing those buds peek out as the last of the snow is melting in the early days of spring will have your heart skipping a beat. Because one, you did it; you planted and willed them to grow. Two it means that winter is finally over and life does go on and three for the next month and half your yard will be filled with colorful and beautiful flowers.

I Wish For...

...oh you do not want me to get started with that list, but I did want to share with you my latest discovery regarding lists. You know I love a good list. I've already mentioned my lists in a previous blog, but there is one time of year when most of us make lists whether we are list people or not and that is Christmas time. Ahh the joys of giving and of course receiving (my personal favorite).

Apple Caramel Coffee Cake

This coffee cake will have people eating out of your hand, not literally of course, tell them to eat off a darn plate. But honestly I can not tell you how many compliments I received after bringing some of this delicious coffee cake to work. People loved it! Maybe it was the sugar high they were on afterwards, but who cares, sugar makes things delicious!