Good Press

One way to put a special touch on a holiday table is to mold the butter. I used my collectible Pampered Chef stoneware cookie molds that were just taking up room in my cupboard to make molded butter for Thanksgiving dinner. We set six tables at the community feast and each table got it's own heart-shaped butter. The technique is simple. 1. Place your stoneware mold in the freezer for 20-30 minutes. 2. At the same time, set out a stick of butter to soften for 20-30 minutes. 3. Remove the mold from the freezer and unwrap the butter. 4. Using the heel of your hand or the back of a metal spoon, smoosh the butter into the mold evenly. 5. Refrigerate the mold with the butter until the butter is firm. 6. Run a knife's thin blade around the outside of the butter, then use the tip of the knife to carefully pry up the butter in corner. Turn it out onto a plate. I wrapped my butter hearts individually to protect them from odors. I packed them in a plastic lidded container to store and tr...

This year we are sharing Thanksgiving dinner with at least two others families at our church, as I mentioned in an earlier post. I'm roasting two donated turkeys and bringing the dressing, four blueberry pies and many gallons of iced tea, plus a special touch I'll dedicate the next post to. Another church member gave me the blueberries that he had picked and frozen this summer. Here are the recipes and photos. Traditional Bread Stuffing With Herbs (forefront of photo) on last year's Thanksgiving buffet TRADITIONAL BREAD STUFFING WITH HERBS 1/2 cup margarine or butter (1 stick) 5 large celery stalks, chopped 1 large onion, chopped 1 teaspoon dried thyme 3/4 teaspoon salt 1/2 teaspoon pepper 1/2 teaspoon dried sage 1 14 1/2-ounce can chicken broth 2 16-ounce loaves sliced firm white bread, lightly toasted and cut into 1/2-inch cubes 1/2 cup loosely packed fresh parsley leaves, chopped Preheat oven to 325. In 12-inch skillet, melt margarine or butter over medium heat. Add cele...

by guest blogger Tracy Strother The fridge is mostly empty right now, in anticipation of the turkey and the ham and the other festive foodstuffs that will soon be taking up residence inside it. I'm still trying to figure out where all the sides will go to warm up! Last year I tried to fit casserole dishes full of sweet potatoes, scalloped potatoes, mashed potatoes, brussels sprouts, green beans, and two different kinds of stuffing all together in my little oven with a turkey that was STILL COOKING well after it was supposed to be finished. This year, the turkey and the ham will be done early! I hope. I'm making my Dad's Jack Daniels Ham recipe, because he was always in the kitchen when I was a kid, cooking all kinds of special things for us while the Macy's Parade flickered on the TV in the background. Now that he's laid up and can't cook, I plan to make enough so I can take him some leftovers. Dad's Jack Daniels Ham Ingredients : one ham, whatever kind...

The Lord has done great things for us, and we are filled with joy. -- Psalm 126:3 This year, we are doing Thanksgiving a whole new way. At least it's new to us. We've been talking about doing something like this for a couple of years. Our first Thanksgivings we prepared our share of the big meal and schlepped it 20 miles across the county to my mother's house, where my home-bound uncle also resided. When he died in 2009, we decided she could come to us. Besides, no one really wanted to spend Thanksgiving there without him. On Thursday, we will hold another first: We'll join with two other families and host a free community dinner at our church. We have wanted for a couple of years to serve food at a soup kitchen. This will not be a soup kitchen, nor will it feel like a handout. Organizers have worked hard to make the church multipurpose sanctuary/fellowship hall feel like a home. The tables have centerpieces. Crayons are on the tables for children to color the place ma...

This appetizer is one of my most requested recipes: BUFFALO CHICKEN DIP 1 8-ounce package cream cheese, softened 1 cup blue cheese or ranch salad dressing 1/2 cup hot sauce 1/2 to 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese 2 chicken breast halves, cooked, shredded Heat oven to 350°F. Mix cream cheese, dressing, hot sauce and cheddar cheese in a saucepan. Heat and stir to combine. Stir in the chicken. Pour into a baking dish. Bake 20 minutes or until bubbly. Serve with tortilla chips, slices of toasted baguette or crackers.

I'm fortunate to be virtual friends with today's guest blogger, Kara Glenn, because we share a love of food. I ogled her photos of Thanksgiving dinner one year and sent her a Facebook friend request for that reason (though I had met her in person when we worked for the same company years ago.) And I'm excited to share with you the cooking contests her family holds. Without further delay, meet Kara. Kara Glenn lives in Morgantown with her husband Trevor and Golden Retriever Kelsey. She currently works for the Department of Energy doing design work, and enjoys cooking, reading (mostly Harry Potter), blogging, gaming with her husband and spending time with her family. Here's her story of a recent family get-together over Columbus Day. One of my family's favorite activities is eating. OK, actually it's our favorite. My mom went to culinary school in New Orleans, and good food has always been the centerpiece of our gatherings. With the growing popularity of the Food ...

The cover of the Betty Crocker Christmas cookies supermarket aisle cookbook is disturbing. Why is he winking? And am I the only one who reads it as "bite me" instead of "bake me" on first glance?