I know I’ve mentioned my addiction to Facebook on this blog several times.  I almost think I can dedicate a whole category to “Facebook Inspired” recipes and creations…this one being one of them.

I saw this recipe posted on Facebook last week on Food Network’s fan page and I immediately bookmarked it.  I thought a festive sweet bread like this would make a nice addition to our Thanksgiving meal, and I was right.  The flavor combination of orange and cranberry is just perfect…and it couldn’t have been easier to bake up at almost the last minute – which is why I’m a huge fan of quickbreads.

When I first saw the recipe I didn’t realize that I would need a food processor to make this bread.  It wasn’t until after I got all my ingredients in order that I hit a road block.  I don’t have a food processor!  Actually, I have a mini one (that I purchased a couple of years ago when I was really into making purees)…but the mini one just doesn’t do the job for most recipes that call for a food processor.  So it’s official.  I am asking Santa for a food processor this year.  What kind should I get?  Help!

So how did I get past the “crap, I don’t have a food processor moment”?  Well, I improvised by using my hands.  Isn’t that what they probably did back in the day?  I basically used my fingers to cut up the cold butter and blend it with the flour.  Ann Burrell mentions in the recipe that the mixture should resemble “grated cheese”…and that’s the result I got as I was mixing with my hands so I went with it.  And it worked!

But I still want my food processor.

Cranberry Orange Quickbread

Recipe from Anne Burrell, Food Network

2 cups all-purpose flour, plus extra for loaf pan
3/4 cup sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 stick cold butter, cut into pea size pieces, plus extra for loaf pan
1 orange, zested
3/4 cup fresh orange juice
1 orange, peeled, sections removed and diced
1 egg
1 cup dried cranberries

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

In a food processor combine the flour, sugars, salt, baking soda and butter. Pulse, pulse, pulse until the mixture resembles finely grated cheese. Add the orange zest, juice and the egg. Pulse, pulse, pulse until the mixture is just combined. Remove to a bowl and stir in the diced orange and cranberries.

Grease and flour the loaf pan and add the batter. Bake in the preheated oven for 1 hour and 15 minutes. Rotate the pan halfway through the cooking time to insure even cooking.

When done let cool for about 20 minutes and remove from loaf pan. Let cool completely before cutting.

Is everyone enjoying their long holiday weekend?  We’ve really enjoyed ours so far…lots of family time at the house with the kids… playing games, enjoying the nice weather and watching lots of football and basketball.  Not kidding when I say LOTS of football and basketball…the Magic have played 3 times already since Wednesday and then of course yesterday our Gators had their BIG game in the Swamp!

Now, let’s talk about Thanksgiving…this year I hosted the big meal at our house.  I’ve hosted one time before, but the difference this time was that this time I did pretty much all of the cooking…and loved every minute of it!!  I started my prep early in the week and planned things out so that I wouldn’t be overwhelmed Thanksgiving morning.  I’m happy to report it was all a success…the food turned out great, we had lots of yummy leftovers and I was able to totally relax and enjoy the day with my family!

(Showing off the spread… )

I tried something new at the last minute that I’m excited to share with you…brining.  This may not be new to some of you, but I’ll tell ya, it was new and a bit intimidating to me and I’m so glad I tried it, with the help of my food blogging friend Ninette from Big, Bold, Beautiful Food.  Ninette has taught me so many things in the short time that I’ve “known” her…we keep in touch on Facebook so I’m very often in the know of what she’s cooking for her family and friends.  This woman can cook.  I saw her post something on FB about brining her turkey so I asked her how she did it and here’s what she told me to do:

In two gallons of water dissolve 3/4 – 1 cup salt and 1/2-1/3 cup sugar.  To this I added several crushed cloves of garlic, a quartered onion, sprigs of thyme and rosemary, a few celery stalks and a small handful of whole peppercorns.  I put my turkey in a Ziplock turkey bag (the big one!) and poured the brine solution in it.  We have an extra refrigerator in the garage so that is where I stored the bagged turkey in a roasting pan placed in a baking sheet for extra stability.  If you have no room in your fridge to store the turkey, then place your bagged turkey in a cooler full of ice.  I brined my turkey overnight, for about 14 hours.  I read online somewhere that a good rule of thumb for how long to brine is 1 hour per pound….and not to “overbrine”.  My turkey was a 16lber so 14 hours was plenty.  When ready, rinse turkey very well and discard brine.  Prepare your turkey and cook as desired.

The purpose of brining, I’ve been told, is to keep the meat juicy and flavorful.  And that is exactly what it did.  I could see the juices running when my grandfather was carving the turkey…it was awesome.  Bye bye dry turkey…

Now, I’ve also been told that brining is good for everyday cooking of chicken and pork chops…I’ll be experimenting with that soon.

(My brother in law, Nonno and hubby getting ready for some turkey…)

(The kid table…)

Here’s  a little sampling of the rest of our Thanksgiving eats…I’ll be sharing recipes with you throughout the week so check back in!

(Cranberry Orange Quick Bread)

(Roasted Green Beans with Shallots and Almonds)

(Whipped Sweet Potatoes with Pecan Streusel)

(Nonna’s Stuffing)

(Gina and her best friend Amber, Thanksgiving 2008)

Working on my Thanksgiving menu and shopping list today…thought I’d share with you some of the recipes I am trying out or improvising…in case you are still looking for ideas!

Sage Roasted Turkey

Nonna’s Stuffing

(Sammy with his great grandmother, “little” Nonna, Thanksgiving 2008)

Whipped Sweet Potatoes with Pecan Topping
(will create my own version based on this Southern Living recipe I have made before)

7  medium-size sweet potatoes, peeled and cubed (about 7 pounds)
1  teaspoon salt
1/4 cup butter, cut up
1/4 cup pure maple syrup
2 cups chopped, toasted pecans

Bring sweet potatoes, salt, and water to cover to a boil in a large Dutch oven. Boil 15 to 20 minutes or until tender; drain.

Mash potatoes, or press though a ricer; stir in butter, and maple syrup. Spoon mixture into a lightly greased 11- x 7-inch baking dish.

Bake at 350° for 20 minutes. Top evenly with pecans and brown sugar, and bake 8 more minutes or until golden.

Roasted Green Beans with Shallots and Hazelnuts

Roasted Carrots

Apple-Orange Cranberry Sauce

Pioneer Woman’s Pear Crisp with Vanilla Ice Cream

Good Ole Libby Pumpkin Pie

Last year at this time we took a family vacation to the Smoky Mountains in Tennessee.  It was the first time both of my kids saw snow and the first time in a long time any of us felt that cold!  It was a beautiful place to visit.  Since I have no food pictures to share this time around, here are a few photo memories from just a year ago… and in case I don’t get the chance to post again this week I want to wish everyone and their families a very happy and blessed Thanksgiving holiday!!

A few weeks before Christmas, our nephew Ryan graduated from the University of Central Florida and we celebrated by throwing him a graduation party with an Italian/Wine and Cheese theme.

Baked Brie with Pecans

large round of brie (found at Costco)
1/3 cup of brown sugar
1/3 cup of roughly chopped pecans
1/3 cup of butter

Preheat oven to 325 degrees.

Melt butter and sugar together in saucepan. Add pecans and cook for about 5 minutes. Pour over brie round and bake for approximately 20-25 minutes in oven.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line cupcake pans with liners; set aside. In a large mixing bowl, sift together cocoa, flour, sugar, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. Add the eggs, warm water, buttermilk, oil, and vanilla; mix batter until smooth, about 3 minutes. Scrape down the sides and bottom of bowl to assure batter is well mixed.

Divide batter evenly among liners, filling each about one-third full. Bake until tops spring back when touched, about 20 minutes, rotating pan once if needed. Transfer to a wire rack; let cool completely.

Makes 2 dozen cupcakes.

Easy Vanilla Frosting

1 1/2 sticks of butter, room temperature
2 1/4 confectioners sugar.
1 tsp of vanilla
splash of milk

Combine ingredients in a mixer, mix for about 4 minutes until smooth.

Top with crushed candy canes. (To crush, place candy canes or candy cane pieces in small ziplock bag. Using a the handle of a knife gently crush candy canes into small pieces.)