This giveaway is now closed. Thank you!

Today’s giveaway is FUN FUN FUN. Please tell me you’ve heard of Cake Wrecks…if not, you are in for a treat, literally and figuratively. See what I mean? Don’t tell me you didn’t laugh.

If you haven’t been to the Cake Wrecks blog, I suggest you check it out stat! I discovered Cake Wrecks when they won a BlogLuxe award for Funniest Blog…and then they linked to all the other BlogLuxe winners and WOWZAH I got a lot of traffic that day and realized everyone and their dog had already discovered this wickedly funny site. It fast became a favorite of mine.

Jen Yates, the mastermind behind Cake Wrecks, recently published her first book, and it’s just as funny as you think it will be. {Although, I probably shouldn’t admit how long it took me to figure out why the cake on the cover is so darn funny.}

Anywhoooo….I did say there was a giveaway, right? Yes there is! Cake Wrecks is giving away THREE copies of the Cake Wrecks book (a New York Times bestseller, might I add) to THREE randomly-selected This Week for Dinner readers! Same drill as always, just post a comment and you’re in the running!

Comments need to be posted by Midnight, Monday December 7. Winners will be announced on Monday, December 7.

And while I hope you win the giveaway…this book is a great holiday gift idea, so you can also buy it here!

GOOD LUCK and enjoy the wreckage!

I have to begin my post tonight with Ode to the Frozen Turkey, by Yours Truly.

How I love you, Frozen Turkey. Your ability to arrive in my kitchen pre-brined is unparalleled. Your little poppy-out-thingy informing me of the exact moment that you are perfectly cooked is a gift. You always come out just how you’re supposed to. You rule, Frozen Turkey. Okay, that Ode is BAD. But seriously, the BEST turkeys I’ve cooked have always been pre-brined and frozen, with the little poppy-outy-thingy. I’ve tried all kinds of turkey techniques. The dummy-proof frozen turkey is my favorite. This was one tasty bird, let me tell you.

I actually just finished cooking our second Thanksgiving Feast for the week. I simply wanted more leftovers…and an excuse to make more Sweet Potato Souffle, by far my favorite dish from our menu (thanks for sharing the recipe, Mindy!).  Enough Thanksgiving chatter…on to the menu with leftovers galore!

MONDAY:
- Leftovers

TUESDAY:
- Leftovers

WEDNESDAY:
- Paninis

THURSDAY:
- Pasta of some sort

FRIDAY:
- Leftovers

SATURDAY:
- Eat out

SUNDAY:
- I’m actually going to consult with Cate on this…but she’s in bed, so I’ll fill in the plan later on.

I hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving weekend!  And now that the holiday is over…get back in the groove and get your menus up here!

PS…I’ve got a REALLY fun giveaway lined up for tomorrow…don’t miss it!

Have a happy thanksgiving, filled with great food and even better company!

And, no, I did not make this beautiful pie. I happily handed my money over to my friend Faye the pastry chef. Word on the street is that she has perfected the pumpkin pie. We can’t wait to dig in later today!

(If you live in Silicon Valley and are interested in buying one of Faye’s pies sometime, email info@thisweekfordinner.com. The apple pies she was baking yesterday I swear were 10 feet tall and unbelievably scrumptious looking. Aren’t I lucky to have Faye in my life?)

Thanksgiving and cranberries go hand in hand. Today I thought I would share two of my favorite cranberry recipes with you.

The first is Cranberry Slush, a drink that is a Thanksgiving staple in my family.  Click here to read about it and see the recipe. The slush needs to be frozen, so don’t forget to make it a day or two before! Also…go for the quick version. That’s what we ALWAYS make. Sorry I don’t have a picture of the finished product…every year we drink it all up before I remember to snap a shot!

Now, we like canned cranberry sauce as much as the next family, but I really do need to share this next sauce/relish recipe with you, in case you’re looking for something different. It’s easy to make…but everyone will be impressed when you come out with homemade cranberry sauce. Trust me, I know from experience.

CRANBERRY ORANGE SAUCE
A recipe I found online somewhere, easy to make and very very yummy alternative to normal cranberry sauce on Thanksgiving
- 1/2 lb cranberries
- 1/2 C sugar
- 1/4 C orange juice
- zest of 1 orange
- 4 oranges separated, pith and membranes removed

Bring 1/2 C water to simmer. Add cranberries, sugar, OJ and zest. Simmer & stir until sugar dissolved and berries begin to pop, ~15 mins. Remove from heat – add orange segments

You ask, I deliver. Here is the recipe for the sweet potato souffle that my friend will be making this week for our feast. A nice alternative to the usual marshmallow concoction. My friend got the recipe from her sister who got it from a friend who got it from…well, you get the picture.

Sweet Potato Souffle
Base – mix together and put into a buttered glass cake pan:
- 1/2 c. sugar
- 2 eggs
- 3 c. mashed sweet potatoes
- 1 Tbsp. vanilla
- 1/2 stick melted butter

Topping:
- 1 c. brown sugar
- 1/3 c. flour
- 1 c. chopped pecans
- 1/3 c. butter (softened)

Note from reader Matty: Use softened butter and mix with the flour and brown sugar (like a crumble). Once that is sprinkled over the sweet potatoes, cover with chopped pecans.

Bake for 30 minutes at 350 degrees.

I finally have a Thanksgiving menu plan put together (with the help of my friends who we’ll be eating with). Can’t wait to see what you will all be eating this Thursday as well!

This is a picture of our turkey from last year. We cooked the turkey in an oiled paper bag and it came out nicely. Click here to read more about this technique.

Here’s our menu for this year. We’re going to be eating with two families on Thursday and are dividing the cooking tasks, so I don’t have to do it all this year. Yea!
- Turkey & Gravy
- Mashed potatoes
- Stuffing
- Cranberry sauce
- Cranberry slush
- Broccoli casserole
- Sweet Potato souffle
- Green salad
- Rolls
- Desserts: pumpkin pie, apple cranberry pie and something chocolate

Please share your Thanksgiving menu!

If you’re looking for the usual weekly menus, please click here! (I put up two posts today…sorry if it’s confusing!)

Today I’m venturing into the world of Indian cooking for the first time. I started gathering all the spices I will need for the two dishes I’m preparing. This isn’t even all of them! I have a feeling it will be a very flavorful and fragrant dinner.

MONDAY:
- Leftovers (enchiladas & Indian food)

TUESDAY:
- Spaghetti

WEDNESDAY:
- Paninis

THURSDAY:
- THANKSGIVING!

FRIDAY:
- Leftovers

SATURDAY:
- Eat out

SUNDAY:
- No idea…hopefully leftovers!

I know, menu planning this week is kind of funny, but if you have a plan, please share it!  And if you have a Thanksgiving meal plan, please click over to this post and share. Thanks!

If all fruits and vegetables were this cute, my kids would gobble them up!

For the record, Cate looks grumpy because I forced her to pose with the apple. The apple actually made her very happy. Apparently, the camera has the opposite effect. Little stinker.

We picked up a few Lady apples at a local market this week. Anna was very excited about the “baby apples! baby apples!” Turns out they have an interesting history. The Lady apple is an heirloom variety that is also the oldest known apple variety. How about that? Click here if you want to learn more!

Thanksgiving is only 1 week away! I think it’s time we start our preparations, don’t you?

Let’s talk mashed potatoes. What’s a Thanksgiving feast without them? I thought I would share my various mashed potato recipes with you…some of them can do the twist, some of them like to keep it straight. Whatever your taste, one of these options should tickle your potato fancy!

All of these recipes use russet potatoes. To cook, cut into similar sized chunks about 2 inch-square, place in cold water, boil over medium/medium-high heat until soft enough to mash, then drain the water.  For all of these recipes don’t be shy with the salt! That said, add a little at a time so you don’t oversalt your potatoes…but adding enough salt is key to successful mashed potatoes.

Classic Mashed Potatoes: For my classic fluffy mashed potatoes I use cream (milk can work if that’s all you have), butter, salt & pepper. Peel the potatoes before cutting up. Cook as described above. Warm the cream and butter prior to adding to the potatoes. Add cream a bit at a time to achieve the right consistency, as well as butter (4 Tbsp per 2 large potatoes), and salt & pepper to taste. Blend well with hand mixer.

Dirty Garlic Mashed Potatoes (pictured): Same recipe as the Classic, but don’t peel the potatoes and add some garlic cloves when you start mashing. For 2 large potatoes I added 2 garlic cloves, using my garlic press.

BLT (Bacon, Leek, Tomato) Mashed Potatoes: This is an idea from Rachel Ray and they’re yummy. Chop up some bacon and cook on the stove, then sautee in some chopped leeks with the bacon. When mashing the potatoes, add the bacon, leeks & some chopped tomato as well as milk or cream, salt & pepper. Hand mash with a potato masher instead of with a hand mixer.

Butternut Squash Mashed Potatoes: Cate and I sampled butternut squash mashed potatoes at Williams-Sonoma last week and Cate loved them! They also are a nice complement to a traditional Thanksgiving meal. Simply make classic mashed potatoes and add a bit of the Williams-Sonoma butternut squash puree. If you want to make your own puree, the ingredients are squash, brown sugar, broth, cinnamon and nutmeg…I have no idea the amounts since I just read the ingredients off the jar!

I know these recipes aren’t very exact. I never measure when I make mashed potatoes, but if you have any questions please let me know!

Also, if you have your own mashed potato tips or another recipe to share, please do!

Recently Nate’s lab at Stanford went on a team building trip with Parties That Cook. They went on a special tour of the Ferry Building, including a behind the scenes look at Acme Bread. The day ended with a cooking class and then they got to eat all the amazing food they cooked. I was SO jealous all day, knowing what Nate was up to without me! He did bring home some yummy goodies to try to make me feel better. It kind of worked. He also came home with a great kitchen tip!

The chef who taught the cooking class said that he breaks up his garlic bulbs as soon as he buys them. It helps the garlic keep fresh longer by airing it out and reducing the chance of moisture getting between the cloves. Basically, it will take longer for the cloves to turn green (green cloves = bitter garlic).

I’m really excited about this tip…I HATE cracking open garlic cloves only to find they’ve turned green. Hopefully that will happen less often now!

I think it’s time we announced the five winners of the Pioneer Woman cookbook giveaway!

Drum roll, please…

Diane {createdbydiane}, who said, “Thanks for the chance to win, It’s really the perfect gift.”

Spitfire, who said, “I’d LOVE to get my greedy little hands on one of these babies. Thanks!”

sara, who said, “oh I would LOVE one of her cookbook’s…pick me!!!”

Becky G., who said, “How sweet is Ree!!! I’d love to win one of the books! Thanks!”

Brandi Z., who said “I have loved all of her recipes that I have prepared. The pictures are so helpful for a non-cook like myself “

Congratulations, ladies! I’m sure you’ll all love the book! Thank goodness for the random number generator…you all made such nice comments, I could never have chosen myself!

If you didn’t win, you still need to get this book. Click here to purchase The Pioneer Woman Cooks on Amazon. It would make a great holiday gift, and of course you can always just buy it for yourself! Be sure to check Ree’s book trip schedule to see if she’s coming to your hometown!

Yesterday we drove to Muir Woods, a national monument consisting of a beautiful Redwood grove. It was really lovely. Here are a few forest treasures we discovered on our walk. The trip was very spontaneous and we ended up driving all the way to Point Reyes. Cate fell asleep during the drive…when she woke up, the first thing she said was “I could come here everyday.” I asked her why that was, to which she responded, “Because it’s just so beautiful.” Four-year-olds sure do get it sometimes, don’t they?

Why do I share all this with you? Because that spontaneous trip completely threw off my whole weekend, which is why menu is going up so late tonight! But no matter, here we are!

I have to apologize…there are LOTS of carry-over items from last week’s plan. It was just one crazy week, so not a lot of cooking happened…and I was able to stretch a lot of leftovers. So, please share your menus to inspire one another!!

MONDAY:
- This steak that I don’t know the name of right now that you get a Stanford shopping center that I promise to write about (how’s that for a run-on sentence?)
- Butternut squash mashed potatoes
- Caesar salad

TUESDAY:
- Chicken and avocado paninis

WEDNESDAY:
- Enchiladas

THURSDAY:
- Leftovers

FRIDAY:
- Gobi Matar Sabzi

SATURDAY:
- Eat out

SUNDAY:
- Grilled sausage, pepper & onion subs

Oh man, that is almost exactly last week’s menu. SORRY! Time to share, time to share! Bring on the menus, folks!

One more thing…be sure to enter the giveaway for The Pioneer Woman Cooks cookbook here. Please enter and get your husbands/wives/friends/anybody in on it too! My OCD side is REALLY wanting to break the 1000 comment mark…one more day, we can do it!

Want to know how to make this cranberry chutney and goat cheese appetizer?

Then make sure you click here to read my recent post on Snackpicks.com, which includes a few of my recipes (one of them is so easy I don’t think you can call it recipe, actually!). The cranberry chutney is so000 good…I think I’m hooked! My dear blogging friend Vanessa Druckman also contributed to the article and included some very delicious-looking recipes. Don’t miss it!

Today I’ve got a quick, tasty meal idea for you, thanks to my dear friend Angie who shared this non-recipe-recipe with me recently. It’s her go-to meal and it’s a winner!

In honor of The Pioneer Woman giveaway we’ve got going this week, I did this post Ree style, photographing every step of the cooking process. Thought it would be funny to finally do that with the easiest recipe on my site. Funny, right? A-ha-ha-ha-ha!

Easy Peasy Bean Tacos
- Flour or corn tortillas, smaller size
- Shredded cheese
- Can of refried beans
- Toppings you like on tacos…tomatoes, salsa, sour cream, guacamole, lettuce, etc.

Preheat your oven broiler. Heat up the can of beans in a saucepan.

Place the tortillas on a cookie sheet. Sprinkle some cheese on half of the tortilla (you can also heat them up on the stove, whichever you prefer).

Pop the tray in the oven, broil until the cheese melts. This is seriously the hardest step of the process. You still with me?

Schmear on the beans.

Add your favorite taco toppings.

Fold. Eat. Enjoy.

We really liked these tacos, and I loved how simple they were to make. But I’ve gotta say, I think a few grilled peppers and onions would give the tacos nice flavor and crunch…but yeah, that involves chopping stuff AND dirtying another pan. So don’t worry too much about it. These are Easy Peasy Bean Tacos, after all.

This giveaway is now closed. Thank you!

I hope you won’t be upset with me, but I’ve got another giveaway for you. I know, have I just stopped cooking and gone full-time pursuing cookbook giveaways for you guys? Nope, I haven’t. But the holidays are coming and these giveaways ROCK and I just want to get them out to you before life gets too crazy! I promise to serve up some food later this week…until then…let’s talk about The Pioneer Woman, shall we?

If you have not yet discovered The Pioneer Woman (also known as Ree Drummond), please give yourself a little time and explore her website. It’s a whole lot of fun…great info, great photography, great food, great humor. I’ve had the opportunity to meet her a few times and I just love her to pieces! (Oh, and did I mention I made it onto her blog once? Woo-hoo!)

Enough gushing. Ree just published her first cookbook. And it’s just what you think it’s going to be – full of great recipes, step-by-step photos and a lot of life from the ranch. Oh, and it’s already on the New York Times bestseller list.

Ree has been kind enough to offer TWO copies of her book for a giveaway! So get your comment on here to enter! Please post a comment on this post before Midnight PT on Monday, November 16. Two randomly-selected winners will be announced next Tuesday, November 17 and will each receive a copy of Ree’s book.

Good luck!

STOP THE PRESSES! NEWSFLASH! Ree is just so sweet she wants FIVE of you to win. That’s right, five winners instead of two. Haven’t entered yet? Hop to it!

I’m sure you’re all dying to know who is getting this great book!

And the {random} winners are…

Amy Worthington, who said, “I would love to have anything helpful to make simple, delicious meals!”

and

t sara, who said, “i love real simple!”

Congratulations! You will each receive a copy of Real Simple Best Recipes. Enjoy! Big thanks once again to Real Simple!

And here’s a quick recipe from the book. It’s actually part of one of the recipes in the book. I love it because it tastes good, is healthy and super easy!

Couscous Salad
From Real Simple Best Recipes
- 1 10-oz box couscous (1 1/2 cups)
- 6 scallions, sliced
- 4 plum tomatoes, quartered (I added a bit more)
- 1 seedless cucumber, cut into half-moons (mine had seeds and everything was fine. phew.)
- 3 Tbsp lemon juice
- 2 Tbsp olive oil
- 1 1/4 tsp salt
- 1/4 tsp pepper
- 1/4 C crumbled feta (optional, but a very delicious option)

Place couscous in a large bowl and pour 1 1/2 cups hot tap water over the top. Cover and let stand for 5 minutes. Fluff with fork.

Toss couscous with all the ingredients. Enjoy!

This is what I’m craving today. Too bad I have to fly on a plane 6 hours to get it.

Another week, another menu! Where does the time go? I actually followed my entire menu last week, so no carry-overs. Thankfully I can just steal your ideas from last week!

MONDAY:
- Ravioli

TUESDAY:
- Chicken and avocado paninis

WEDNESDAY:
- Enchiladas

THURSDAY:
- Leftovers

FRIDAY:
- Gobi Matar Sabzi

SATURDAY:
- Eat out

SUNDAY:
- Grilled sausage, pepper & onion subs

Time to share your menu! All kinds of menus are welcome! And, you can tell us what you are GOING to be eating this coming week or what you ate last week! Thank you to everyone who posts – I love each and every one of your comments!

Don’t forget to enter the Real Simple cookbook giveaway by clicking here and leaving a comment.

Also, now that I’m in love with cayenne pepper, I need you to share your best spicy recipes! Click here to share!

I have fallen in love with cayenne pepper.

I must inform you all that until a few months ago I was a total wimp when it came to spicy (as in hot) food. I always bought mild or medium salsa. If I saw the little pepper symbol on a Chinese food menu, I wouldn’t even consider the dish as an option.

That is until we discovered Back-A-Yard, the Caribbean restaurant I told you about a few months ago. Their jerk chicken is pretty spicy, but of course I had to try it, it’s their thing. Boy am I glad I did. Since that day my tolerance for spicy food has increased 10 fold. I’m not scared anymore! I embrace the spice! In fact, at the BlogHer Food after party, there were these chicken kabobs that everyone was saying were too spicy…and they didn’t even phase me. I have officially numbed my taste buds and boy am I proud. I’m not your typical gringo anymore!

Which is why I’m in love with cayenne pepper. It’s such a great spice for kicking up the flavor. And it’s really so beautiful. I just love opening the lid to find this:

As always, if you have any favorite spicy recipes to share, please do! We’re looking for some HEAT today!

This giveaway is now closed. Thank you!

I love Real Simple. I bought the first issue of Real Simple almost 10 years ago and remember thinking that I needed to tell the world how great it was so they would stay in business. I suppose my strategy worked!

In anticipation of their 10-year anniversary, Real Simple just released a new cookbook, Real Simple Best Recipes. They graciously sent me an advance review copy and it was love at first sight. The book is full of wonderful, SIMPLE (go figure), delicious-looking recipes. And every recipe has a beautiful photo, a cookbook characteristic that is important to me.

I know you’re chomping at the bit to get your hands on this cookbook. Now’s your chance! You can buy it here…and of course we have a giveaway right here on This Week for Dinner!

Real Simple is giving away TWO copies of Real Simple Best Recipes. Just add a comment to this post by Midnight PT on Monday, November 9 and you could be one of two lucky winners to each receive your very own copy! The randomly-selected winners will be announced on Tuesday, November 10.

Good luck!

On Halloween I thought it would be fun to have something “pumpkiny” for breakfast. While we are loving the pumpkin-pancakes, we’ve eaten them a lot lately so I needed to mix it up. Our local bagel shop was out of pumpkin bagels. Before we could feel too disappointed, a light bulb went off in my head. Pumpkin cream cheese! It was a simple recipe to whip up, and a big hit with everyone in the family. Enjoy!

Pumpkin Cream Cheese Spread
From Jane Maynard, This Week for Dinner
- 8 oz cream cheese, softened at room temperature
- 1/4 C brown sugar
- 1/4 C pumpkin puree
- 1/4 tsp cinnamon

Blend all ingredients together with a hand mixer. Spread on a plain bagel or equally complimentary flavored bagel.