Vision Forum Won!

OK.  I’m late, but I’m awake now.  I’m showered, and my decaf cocoa-mocha is gone.  If you were here earlier, you probably visited the other 3 moms, and came back to see if I got my act together.  If you saw my earlier post, you can laugh at me.  If you didn’t see it, you’re probably wondering what in the world I’m talking about.  Maybe you should get up earlier.  ;)  That’s a joke, my friends, and only those who were up earlier will see the full irony in it.

At any rate, Cocoa Mocha is a nice way to start any crisp fall morning, including Thanksgiving.

Cocoa Mocha

• 1 tsp. cocoa powder
• 2 tsp. sugar
• 1 tsp. instant coffee (regular or decaf)
• pinch of salt
• 1 Tbs. water
• milk

Combine dry ingredients in a coffee mug.  Stir in water and microwave for 20 seconds.  Fill mug with milk, stirring again to combine.  Microwave to desired drinking temperature.

This year we will be guests in the homes of Perry’s extended family.  We’ll be the out-of-towners, so I don’t know exactly what will be on the menu though I’ve been in the family long enough to be reasonably sure we’ll see all the regulars: turkey, cornbread dressing, green bean casserole, corn, rolls, mashed potatoes, gravy, fruit salad.  We will probably try to provide a few dishes that can be made ahead or prepared easily without presuming upon someone else’s kitchen facilities.

Lately we’ve been canning our own apple pie filling, so I’m thinking we might bring that and use  store-bought crusts to make apple-cranberry pies.  We could also make our homemade cranberry sauce, which has become a tradition over the last few years.  We’ll never go back to the wiggly stuff.   We could do brown-and-serve rolls, though I suspect the road trip would leave them badly smushed.

We really enjoy trying one or two new recipes each Thanksgiving, and although we won’t necessarily be able to serve them on Thanksgiving Day this year I really want to keep doing so.  Here are the first two on my list of new recipes to try.

Pecan Raisin Pie – My sister’s mother-in-law made this for a family gathering, and it was surprisingly delicous: sweet like a pecan pie, but with a subtle fruity flavor and a heavy richness.  Not what you would expect.

• 2 eggs, beaten
• 1 cup sugar
• 6 Tbs. butter, melted
• 1/4 cup milk
• 1 cup raisins
• 1 cup chopped pecans

Combine all ingredients and pour into a 9″ unbaked pie shell.  Bake 40-45 minutes at 350.

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Cranberry Orange Relish – I had this once when I was about 14 and have planned to make it myself ever since.  The recipe looks very simple.  I’d say it’s time to quit procrastinating and really do it this year.  I’ll bet we could make it ahead of time and take with us. What do you think?

• 12 oz. cranberries
• 1 whole orange
• 3/4 – 1 cup sugar

Rinse and sort cranberries, culling the bad ones.  Wash orange.  Cut in quarters and remove seeds but do not peel.  Grind or finely chop orange and cranberries.  (A food processor is usually recommended, though it can be done with a hand chopper.  I’ll be using my tiny little electric chopper and doing it in several small batches.)  Add sugar, adjusting to taste if desired.  Refrigerate at least 2 hours before serving.

Do you have a favorite recipe you’d like to suggest for us?

Link up below with any post relating to your Thanksgiving plans this year and your link will appear on the blogs of all 4 Moms.  Remember to play by the rules and link back to at least one of the 4 Moms.