Tuesday, November 27, 2007

The Ultimate Holiday Entertaining Giveaway


One of my favorite design/entertaining blogs is hostessblog.com and they do a lot of giveaways that I have never entered...but this one is too big to pass up. It's a huge giveaway with more than $7,000 worth of entertaining prizes from vendors like Jonathan Adler, West Elm, Red Envelope and more. It starts today and ends December 10. Go to this page to see how you can enter your name. Since all you have to do is answer a short quiz, it's worth a shot.

Grand Prize - worth over $5000!
Second Prize - worthe over $1500!
Third Prize - worth over $700!

Good Luck!

We didn't Blow Up our Kitchen!


We hope you all had a wonderful Turkey Day! Duke and I made two turkeys with all the fixings for the Cranleys. We had a great time and best of all, our turkeys didn't turn out like the turkey in National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation! We also made the winning stuffing from Good Morning America's Stuffing contest and it was the best stuffing ever! I posted the recipe below for anyone who may be interested in trying it next year. Also, here's a pic of our neice and nephew, Conor & Julia.

Good Morning America Stuffing Contest - Winning Recipe
1½ pounds sweet Italian sausage cooked and drained
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 extra-large yellow onion, chopped
7 large celery ribs, chopped
4 garlic cloves, minced
6 ounces pancetta, diced
6 cups day-old, finely diced French bread
3 cups crumbled unsweetened cornbread
½ cup butter, cubed, cold
1 tablespoon ground sage
1½ tablespoons poultry seasoning
1 teaspoon salt
2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
1 cup Parmesan cheese
1 cup toasted pine nuts
4-5 cups chicken or turkey broth
2 tablespoons chopped fresh sage
large Parmesan shavings

Directions:
Get Stuffed: Emeril's Stuffing Recipes Heat oil in large skillet on medium. Sauté pancetta for 2 minutes. Add onion and celery and cook until translucent. Add garlic and cook another 3 minutes. Mix together breads and ¾ cup toasted pine nuts in a large mixing bowl. Add cheeses and cooked sausage to the breads. Mix together with the dried seasonings. Add sautéed veggies with any pan drippings. Slowly add broth and stir until mixed thoroughly. The consistency should not be soupy, but very moist. If not, add more broth. Test for saltiness and add a dash more if needed.
Place in an extra deep 9-inch-by-13-inch greased pan. Dot the top with the cubed butter and cover with foil. Bake at 375° for 45 minutes. Remove foil and bake another 15 minutes or until slightly crusted on the edges. Top with remaining toasted pine nuts and chopped fresh sage. Add shaved cheese just before serving.

Friday, November 16, 2007

Happy Turkey Day


Just wanting to wish everyone an early Happy Thanksgiving! This weekend we'll be getting ready to host Thanksgiving for Duke's family next week. It's our first time cooking a turkey, so I'm sure that will provide some entertainment for the crowd. We hope everyone is able to be with family and friends this Thanksgiving. Gobble Gobble!

Tuesday, November 13, 2007

Hilton Head


We just returned from a wonderful weekend in Hilton Head to visit my brother, Kelly and our new nephew, Grayson. We had so much fun and a lot of laughs. We visited several cute little towns right around where they live in Bluffton, had some great food and even played Mexican Dominos (although, Duke is never allowed to play again after a few drinks!). Their home is adorable and in a really nice community. It was so nice to go to the beach with their dogs - they LOVE the beach. Grayson is so much fun. He was smiling a lot at Aunt Sarah and Uncle Duke and even helped us cheer on the Steelers and the Bears. We can't wait to see them again! Thanks so much Adam, Kelly and Grayson.