Tis' The Season

Goodbye turkey! Hello Santa! Yep, all the pumpkins are in the trash can and the house is now a paradise of lights and tinsel. 

Let me back up though. I hope you and yours had a very Happy Thanksgiving. Did you eat yourself into a food coma? Was every bite worth the wait? After so many being separate last year, I know the hugs from family gathered around the table meant so much more. 

I can't like though, by the time the turkey leftovers were in the fridge, I was itching to put up the Christmas tree. Oh, who am I kidding? I was ready to put it up November 1st, but refrained to make sure Thanksgiving got the attention it deserved; but by 6:00 Thursday night, my mom was helping me take down the fall decor and I was humming "It's Beginning To Look Like Christmas" in my head. 

What do you serve for your big Christmas meal? While I know most think of ham as being the most traditional, and what my family is having this year, I think Christmas brings out a little more creativity than Thanksgiving. Many families seem to have their own Christmas dinner traditions, and don't feel as adamant about what it should be like they do with turkey on Thanksgiving. 

If you are one of those who want to think outside of the ham box, have I got the recipe for you! This Crock Pot London Broil is holiday worthy, but SO easy on the cook! It is delicious alternative to ham or turkey for your Christmas dinner! 

I had never cooked the London Broil cut of meat before this, and wanted the help from my slow cooker for almost guaranteed success. Take a piece of meat and cook it all day in its own juices, plus some other ingredients for flavor, and it is almost 100% fool proof! 

Tender, filled with flavor, juicy...this has everything you want in a tasty beef roast. I know lots of people who do some sort of beef for Christmas, so when I made this for a Sunday supper last month, I instantly knew it would be perfect to share for Christmas inspiration.

I hope your holiday season is off to a merry, festive start! Grab some peppermint hot cocoa, find White Christmas on Netflix, sit by the tree and enjoy every single minute!

Crock Pot London Broil

3-4 lb. London broil beef roast

3 TBS vegetable oil

1 medium yellow onion, sliced

5 cloves garlic, minced

1/2 tsp. dried thyme

1/4 tsp. dried red pepper

2 dried bay leaves

1/4 cup butter, sliced

2 TBS Worcestershire sauce 

1 (10 oz.) can cream of mushroom soup

3 cups beef broth

Salt and Pepper

Pat roast dry with paper towels. Season well on both sides with salt and pepper. Heat oil in a large skillet on medium high heat. Brown roast on both sides for about 5 minutes. Spray Crock Pot with non stick spray. Lay sliced onions in bottom. Place roast on top of onions. In a medium bowl whisk together soup, beef broth, garlic, thyme and red pepper. Pour over meat. Top with sliced butter and bay leaves. Cook on LOW for 8-10 hours. Carve roast and serve with sauce spooned over top. Garnish with a little dried parsley if desired.

 

Shared at Weekend Potluck

Happy Thanksgiving From The EMM Family

I hope your turkey is in the refrigerator thawing and your shopping list has been conquered. It is almost time! Thanksgiving is only a few days away, and I'm starting to drool! 

After last year's holiday being very different for many of us, I pray your gatherings involve more family, hugs and laughter this year. I know I'm looking forward to hosting again and have my to-do lists made!

What lists you ask? Let me tell you, making lists for every step of the Turkey Day process can save your sanity. Here are the lists I currently have:

• Things to make ahead
• Times things need to go into oven
• Serving dishes I need for every course
• Order of preparation day of

I'm telling you, out of all of them the oven times is the one I will rely on most! Since my turkey will take up most of my oven space, I need to time other things to fit and then to finish once the turkey is resting. No guess work when it come time for that Green Bean Casserole- just check the list!  

I tested this recipe over a month ago and as soon as I shared the picture with friends they were going nuts over it! "Is that squash with a PRALINE topping??" Yes, yes it is! 

This side dish is as easy as can be, and is a real showstopper coming out of the oven. Now, in full disclosure, if you are serving a huge crowd, making a half for each person would never work, but if you just have a few coming to dinner, I love serving them just like this, giving each person a pretty squash half on their plate. 

If you do need to serve many, the preparation would still be the same, except when they came out of the oven, I would carefully pour the pecan topping from each into a separate bowl, scrape the cooked squash into a large bowl and then top with the reserved praline topping. 

This is the perfect autumn pairing of sweet and savory. We love squash, and the addition of brown sugar and pecans takes it over the top. 

I hope you and yours have a truly Happy Thanksgiving! Take a minute between the cooking and entertaining to look around and thank God for all the blessings you have in your life. And for our family, you, my faithful fans and followers, are definitely on that list!

 Praline Roasted Acorn Squash

2 large acorn squash, halved and cleaned

4 TBS butter, room temp

1/4 cup brown sugar

1/2 cup chopped pecans

Salt and Pepper

Preheat oven to 400. Once the squash is halved, cut a small piece of flesh off bottom of each halve. This makes them more stable to sit without falling over. In a bowl combine softened butter and brown sugar until smooth. Rub mixture over each squash halve, covering edges and middle. Equally divide pecans into each squash. Line a large baking sheet with foil. Place squash on baking sheet. Bake for 1 hour- 1 hour 20 minutes until squash is tender when poked with fork. Serve as is.

 

Shared at Weekend Potluck
 

Try Something New This Turkey Day

 Is your Thanksgiving menu set? Hopefully it's getting close. We are down to less than 2 weeks and with the way the grocery store shelves have been looking lately, I have fears of fights breaking out over the last package of stuffing mix or can of green beans. 

So that menu you're planning...is it more traditional or are you switching it up a bit with some new dishes? A mix of both perhaps? I think most of us fall into that last category. We want all the favorites we look forward to every year (bring on the cranberry sauce, mashed potatoes and green bean casserole) but love to incorporate some new things to try too.  

This recipe is one of those that is new, but contains familiar flavors in a new, updated way. If you've never eaten raw Brussels sprouts, it might seem a little strange to you, but I promise they are delicious! We love my Pan Roasted Brussels Sprouts with Bacon, and they make a terrific holiday side dish as well, but for this one, I wanted something a little lighter and fresher. 

With the pecans, dried cranberries and golden raisins, this salad really takes on an autumnal flare. The lemony dressing is refreshing and will cleanse your palate after all that heavy Thanksgiving food we love so much!

When using raw Brussels sprouts, you just want to make sure you chop them or shave them as thin as possible. A mandolin works great, but I just use a really sharp chef's knife to achieve the same thing. They are very crunchy, but as the acid in the dressing sets in, they will soften just a bit. 

The only downside to this salad, since I believe in complete transparency, is it doesn't work well left over.  But I guess in the world of Thanksgiving leftovers, that might not be such a bad thing since the fridge will be overflowing with containers of turkey, stuffing, cranberry sauce and more! 

If you're looking for that one new side dish for your holiday this year, I would be so happy if this was it. I love sharing new ideas with all of you and sharing in your holiday memories! 

Autumn Brussels Sprout Salad

1 lb. Brussels Sprouts, ends trimmed and thinly sliced, raw

2 red delicious apples, finely chopped

1/2 cup chopped pecans

1/2 cup dried cranberries

1/2 cup golden raisins

1/3 cup shaved Parmesan cheese

1/3 cup olive oil

1 garlic clove, minced

1 TBS lemon juice

2 TBS apple cider vinegar

1 TBS maple syrup

2 tsp. Dijon mustard

Salt and Pepper 

In a large bowl mix sprouts, apples, cranberries and golden raisins. In a medium bowl whisk together oil, lemon juice, garlic, vinegar, maple syrup, mustard, salt and pepper until well combined. Pour over salad. Add pecans and mix again. Top with cheese and serve. 

 

Shared at Weekend Potluck
 

 

Thanksgiving Dessert

 If you aren't paying attention, Thanksgiving is less than 3 weeks away. So, if you haven't started planning that menu yet, NOW is the time! Seriously, don't wait! 

When it comes to Turkey Day dessert, I know the pies are the star of the show. Pumpkin, pecan, apple, sweet potato...traditional favorites are what we look forward to year in and year out. 

I'm right there with you. My mom's pumpkin pie is all I want after that big turkey dinner. I can smell and taste it now! Just the thought of it gets my taste buds excited. 

With all of the desserts that end up on Thanksgiving tables across the country, I know without a doubt there are those out there still looking to try something new. So, it's my job to give you an alternative. Something a little different, that would make a tasty addition to your holiday spread.

These Apple Pie Parfaits are filled with familiar fall flavors, layered in a whole new way! Not to mention, they use cinnamon rolls for extra sweetness and yum factor! 

I came up with this idea based on ingredients you might already have on your Thanksgiving shopping list. If you're making apple pie, grab an extra can of filling (or use homemade). If you have house guests, refrigerated cinnamon rolls make a quick and easy breakfast, so an extra tube of those can easily end up in your shopping cart. 

With the supply chain issues we are all facing, having recipes that use the same ingredients in more than one way is a great way to stretch your budget and cut down on stress when shopping. 

I noticed some of the basics on my holiday menu were wiped clean from shelves a few weeks back, so I started buying things a little at a time each week. I even found my turkey this past week for less than a dollar per pound! I'm down to needing only a few fresh ingredients come November 25th, and it's a big relief. 

If you are looking for a new dessert to add to your Thanksgiving menu, or just want to make sure you have something that contains simple, easy to find ingredients, Apple Pie Parfaits will be a huge win come turkey time!

 

Apple Pie Parfaits

1 tube refrigerated cinnamon rolls

1 (21 oz.) can apple pie filling

1 small box instant vanilla pudding

2 cups milk

1 tsp. Ceylon cinnamon, extra for garnish

1 (8 oz.) tub Cool Whip

Cinnamon sticks for garnish

Preheat oven according to directions on cinnamon rolls. Bake accordingly. Discard any icing packets. While cinnamon rolls bake, prepare pudding. Once it is soft set, about 10 minutes, add cinnamon and stir well. Return to fridge until ready to use. In a small bowl, add pie filling. Using a sharp knife, cut any large slices into smaller bite size chunks. When cinnamon rolls are baked, allow to cool until you can handle them. Chop cinnamon rolls into bite sized pieces. In 4-6 parfait glasses, layer in the following order: Chopped cinnamon rolls, pudding, cinnamon rolls, pie filling, pudding. Top with Cool Whip and sprinkle with cinnamon. Garnish. Serve immediately or chill until ready. 

Shared at Weekend Potluck