Happy Thanksgiving Ina!

  I've watched two Thanksgiving episodes of Barefoot Contessa this week and her meals come out so beautifully.  My mom is making the turkey and stuffing, my mother-in-laws is making a few veggie dishes.  I will be making riced potatoes, mac&cheese, since my husband and I don't eat turkey, but I am thinking about it, and for the cousins, rice crispy treats and polenta cake.  And for today's Ina recipe, roasted vegetables, her whole meal looks amazing, but I'm only doing the veggies this year.  I'm excited to decorate my table, I just got my parents wedding china (they're divorced) so I'm excited to do a fancier table than I'm use to.

Thanksgiving Oven-Roasted Vegetables


Ingredients
2 small fennel bulbs, tops removed

1 pound fingerling or small potatoes

1 pound Brussels sprouts, trimmed and cut in half

Good olive oil

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

Directions

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F.

Cut the fennel bulbs into 6 wedges each, cutting through the core to keep the wedges intact. Place on a sheet pan. Cut the potatoes in half lengthwise and place them on the pan with the fennel. Drizzle 3 tablespoons of olive oil over the fennel and potatoes and then sprinkle with 1 teaspoon salt and 1/2 teaspoon pepper. Toss with your hands.

Place the Brussels sprouts on a separate sheet pan and drizzle with 3 tablespoons of olive oil. Sprinkle with 1 teaspoon of salt and 1/2 teaspoon of pepper and toss with your hands.

Roast the vegetables in the same oven for 35 to 40 minutes, until the potatoes are tender, tossing once while cooking.

Combine the vegetables in a large serving bowl and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Serve hot.


Has anyone gotten her newest cookbook?  I flipped through it at Costco and I seemed like a lot of meat dishes, which isn't ideal for me.  I thought I might ask for it for Christmas.

Pecan Squares

Can't decide what to make for dessert on Thanksgiving, but these are one the maybe list.  They look so

much better than pie.  Maybe it's the chololate.

Ingredients

Crust:

nocoupons

1 1/4 pounds unsalted butter, room temperature

3/4 cup granulated sugar

3 extra-large eggs

3/4 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

4 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1/4 teaspoon salt



Topping:
1 pound unsalted butter

1 cup good honey

3 cups light brown sugar, packed

1 teaspoon grated lemon zest

1 teaspoon grated orange zest

1/4 cup heavy cream

2 pounds pecans, coarsely chopped

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.


For the crust, beat the butter and granulated sugar in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, until light, approximately 3 minutes. Add the eggs and the vanilla and mix well. Sift together the flour, baking powder, and salt. Mix the dry ingredients into the batter with the mixer on low speed until just combined. Press the dough evenly into an ungreased 18 by 12 by 1-inch baking sheet, making an edge around the outside. It will be very sticky; sprinkle the dough and your hands lightly with flour. Bake for 15 minutes, until the crust is set but not browned. Allow to cool.


For the topping, combine the butter, honey, brown sugar, and zests in a large, heavy-bottomed saucepan. Cook over low heat until the butter is melted, using a wooden spoon to stir. Raise the heat and boil for 3 minutes. Remove from the heat. Stir in the heavy cream and pecans. Pour over the crust, trying not to get the filling between the crust and the pan. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes, until the filling is set. Remove from the oven and allow to cool. Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate until cold. Cut into bars and serve.

Sent back

I ended up send the French Linen bedspread back.  It wasn't quite what I wanted.  I was so bummed.  It was a little dark, or dirty in color and it was very rough.  And then I realized that it was dry clean only.  So the search for a new bedspread continues.  Also, I think we might have found a bed. 

  I love that it doesn't need box springs.  For a bed right now, we have a futon base, that is about one and a half feel off the ground.  It works fine, but we're looking for a permanent bed.  The futon doesn't need a box spring either, because it has slates built into the base.  It is from canvas and the only down side is you can't return it and we can't look at it in person until we buy it.  But it looks exactly what we were imagining.  So we'll see.

I have a tone of pictures of projects and painting I have done.  So stay tuned.