Ho Ho Ho What to Get a Decaf Coffee Drinker

 I love flavored coffee but I am a decaf drinker.  Not by choice mind you, but by necessity. So when I go to the grocery store and get all these great flavored coffees for my family, I sadly get plain decaf for me.

This time of year the number of great coffee flavors increase exponentially.  Just this morning I was doing my weekly shopping and I found and bought, pecan pie, maple flavored and pumpkin spice flavored coffee.  I bought them.

But wait!  Very very soon, I mean within the next week or so the Holiday Blend by Starbucks will be available.  Pure bliss if you are a regular coffee drinker

I refuse to have a pity party for myself. So I was thrilled when I went to  amazon and lo and behold I found this  Decaf Variety Sampler.  I ordered it and was extremely please with the flavors.They all are good. So if you have a decaf only drinker or if you love a good cup of decaf in the evening with your Christmas cookies then click on the link above and check it out.  It is a 30 count box so it is a very good deal!

Thanksgiving Delites

  I am not a good cook.  In fact, I come from a whole line of women that were not good cooks.  To be fair, my Grandmother was a decent cook.  She had a repertoire of recipes that were down right delicious like her pot roast and her chicken fricassee.  In fact, her chicken fricassee was the appetizer served for Thanksgiving every year. One year my Mom decided to serve something else and there was so much protesting that she promised that she would serve it the next year and for as long as she hosted Thanksgiving.

My Mom wasn't the best cook either but Thanksgiving was her thing. She and my Dad would set the table and it always looked incredible.  Turkey basically cooks itself.  She would baste it in an orange cranberry sauce so that the outer skin turned a beautiful  crispy golden brown while keeping the turkey nice and moist.  She always had green bean casserole.  What self respecting New Yorker didn't serve green bean casserole?  Just in case you are not familiar with the recipe.  It is the one with Campbell's cream of mushroom soup and the crispy onions crushed on the top. Classic.

 I still think it is the best, however, I usually serve sauteed green beans sans the soup. I know, the Thanksgiving police are always citing me. There was also one other side dish that she made and that was pineapple rings in red gelatin.  I LOVE this dish but you don't see it anymore and my family hates gelatin and pineapple.  So unless I eat the whole thing this will not be on my table. Am I the only one who knows about this dish?

So Thanksgiving is  fast approaching and I am making it this year.  Sadly neither my Mom or Grandmother will be there.  I love cooking Thanksgiving dinner and this year I think I will mix it up a bit.  My one stipulation is that the recipes don't have a million ingredients and the ingredients are easy to find. I think I found the perfect book.

I was surfing Amazon and found this cookbook " Betty Crocker Complete Thanksgiving Cookbook".  I didn't even think twice since I grew up with Betty Crocker cookbook's on our bookshelf.  It did not disappoint.  So I am going to share my menu with you. Mashed sweet potatoes o white potatoes are a given.

Savory Apple-Onion Turkey  the recipe has bacon, apples and onions need I say more?

Vegetable Herb Stuffing  I have my own traditional recipe for stuffing but I am considering this one instead.  There is also a Cranberry Stuffing that looks delish.  It is going to be a hard decision.

Roasted Autumn Vegetables Brussels sprouts, parsnips , carrots and butternut squash.  This may be a tough sell because of the brussels sprouts but I'm going to take a chance. 

Broccoli with pine nuts and cranberry relish and corn bread pudding I am thinking about making these sides but I am on the fence.  Feedback from you may help.

Dessert. I am THE WORST baker so I am buying Junior's cheesecake.  Why mess with perfection.

So that is my Thanksgiving dinner and if you are interested in any of the recipes click on the link above and check out the book.  Bon Appetit!

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Lincoln a Most Fascinating Man

American History is a particular interest of mine. There are two Presidents from the past that have always interested me, Thomas Jefferson and Abraham Lincoln. I have been to Monticello many times and have read several books on both Jefferson and Lincoln.

Lincoln's Last Trial is written by Dan Abrams and David Fisher.  If you watch Good Morning America, then you are familiar with Dan Abrams since he is the shows legal analyst.

 The book centers around a trial Lincoln accepted around the time he was considering running for President of the United States. It is a local murder trial and what makes it very interesting is the fact that the murder victim had trained in his law office.  The accused man was the son of Lincoln's good friend and loyal supporter. In this day and age with all the legal mumbo jumbo going on, Lincoln would never have accepted the case since it would definitely be seen as conflict of interest. Times were very different then and practice of the law was evolving and extremely fluid.

At this time he had an untarnished reputation and taking this case was very risky for him especially since he was considering a run for President.

The book gave great incite into Lincoln the man.  It captured all the drama in the courtroom. In fact, I actually felt like I was in the court room. In addition it discussed how the law was interpreted at the time.  The comparison of the law then and now was extremely interesting.

I would highly recommend this book if you want to get a good feel for Lincoln's character and for his prowess in the courtroom.

Jefferson, One of my Favorite Guys in History

Thomas Jefferson has to be one of my  favorite figures in Colonial History. He was a multi-faceted individual. At sixteen, he entered the College of William and Mary and graduated two years later. In addition to being a politician, he was an inventor,architect, horticulturist,and a musician (he played the violin).  That is why when I was on the hunt for a non-fiction book this one stood out.  If you are ever in the Charlottesville, Virginia area go see Monticello his home where many of his inventions are on display.

Jefferson, as you may well know was the second Vice President under John Adams and then went on to become the third President of the United States. He was one of the Founding Fathers and one of the principal authors of the Declaration of Independence.  He held many positions in the United States government including the first Secretary of state and the "ambassador to Europe" which lead him to take up residency in France. 

Jefferson had a love for cooking with fresh ingredients. France was a perfect place for someone with a more discerning palate such as his. He took his slave James Hemings with him and paid for James to be an  apprentice in a French kitchen.  His hope was to bring the cuisine back to the colonies and incorporate it into everyday dishes.

The cuisine of Virginia during Jefferson's lifetime was more comfort food with very little done to develop the flavors of the food. My foodie friends probably would reject the food served as being to boring.

The gentry and some of the middle class had plenty to eat and it was not uncommon to be served a Huge breakfast and dinner.  A common breakfast according to this book was freshly baked bread, corn pone, pancakes, cold ham, chicken and several types of hash. Coffee and tea were both served. My breakfast of toast and coffee pales against the early colony breakfast. Dinner was lots of meats, veggies from the garden, salad etc.

Jefferson enjoyed experimenting with different varieties of plants.  He imported many of them from Europe. Monticello was a "laboratory" for his many species of fruits and vegetables.  Grapes were grown for wine making.  Should you choose to visit his home, there is a the Jefferson Vineyards that you may want to swing by on your way home.

When the French added their might and army to assist during the Revolution they brought with them their cuisine which Jefferson immediately enjoyed.  Sadly the colonists did not share his love.  It wouldn't be until years later that Americans would accept French cooking.  In fact, Americans can credit Julia Childs for making it popular in the 1960's and to this day it is incorporated into many of the dishes eaten here in the US.

I have gone on and on but really if you are looking to read a little history of Jefferson and his time  that is not bogged down with a lot of talk about politics than this might be your book. It focuses of course on cuisine and the relationships between the people of his times. It also gives an account of life in Paris before the French Revolution.

If you are looking to read about Jefferson from a different perspective than this is your book. And if you are interested in the first American Cookbook click on the book below.