i made my first thanksgiving 5 years ago this year. my son was born 3 weeks before and i was convinced i could do it. i did, kind of. i can look back and laugh now but then, wasn’t so funny. this was really where this whole “cooking” adventure started. for those of you who are unsure or nervous in the kitchen, this story is for you.
i lived in a very small apartment in brooklyn and we were entertaining 6 other people as well as the newborn. we had moved in a couple months before j was born. since i was a new mom and i was still really nervous about leaving the apartment for long periods of time i decided to make thanksgiving. during those first couple weeks of sleepless nights and boring days i researched everything there was to know about making thanksgiving.
i had a whole menu planned but the most terrifying to me, cooking the turkey. i am still not sure why but to this day i am still nervous about under cooking it and slicing open a raw bird. i had this whole plan. i brined it (the easiest part), smothered it in butter and herbs and stuck it in the oven. 4 hours later i still couldn’t figure out why the popper wasn’t popping and why the meat was not cooking (it was an 8 pound bird). 1 hour later i took the turkey out to try to figure out what was happening.
you know, in all these articles i read, and no matter how much research i did, i still forgot to take the bag out 
i reached my hand in and bam! there it was…the plastic bag. melted, inside a raw turkey. we ate 3 hours later.
that whole bag in the turkey thing didn’t stop me though. year after year, either with a newborn or pregnant and sick i made thanksgiving. no matter what happens, it’s not the food that really matters, it’s the people you are sharing your day with now onto desserts…
to me desserts are the best part of the meal. i am really not necessarily a dessert person (maybe because i stink at baking) but during a holiday like this, i can’t help myself.
every year i make this chocolate silk pie. it’s one of my favorites (see pict above). i am not a baker. really, i’m not. this recipe is easy to make and tastes like you have been working for hours on it (it takes about 15 minutes to prep). another dessert i make every year, pumpkin cheesecake.
some other desserts that might interest you: tiramisu, chocolate chip cookies, apple pie crumble.
some other recipes i have seen around (not only desserts):
my baking addiction. you can not go wrong with one of jamie’s recipes. check out her pumpkin cheesecake trifle or pumpkin ale cupcakes.
donuts dresses and dirt. i love sheri and i adore all of her recipes. i made sheri’s buttermilk country cake a while back for the jewish holidays and it was a hit. if your looking for a quick app, try these parmesan tuiles.
the hungry house wife. i found this idea the other day on twitter. it so happens my kids were with me playing on the computer and they screamed when they saw these cute little oreo turkeys. this is going to be the keep them busy project thursday morning while i am getting last minute things done.
it’s time to sign off for a couple days. i have a ton of work to do, the kitchen is calling.
have a great thanksgiving everyone! eat well and be happy
