Thanksgiving...relax & enjoy!

Almond Brittle Topped Pumpkin Pie

Don't think ill of me for saying this, but two of our favorite Thanksgivings have been spent at our own home with just the two of us. We LOVE spending time with our families; maybe I should 1st explain why I say what I'm saying. Cory & I live in a different state from our families. We have 5 and 8 hour drives to get home. When you put the holidays of Thanskgiving & Christmas back-to-back for driving, it can be exhausting and we found ourselves not fully enjoying our time off. Three years ago, we decided to give ourselves a holiday from the driving and enjoy our time off at home.

It was truly some of the most relaxing and best time to enjoy as a couple. It also gave me a chance to cook my own Thanksgiving meal! We started our own Thanksgiving traditions of sleeping in, not getting dressed up (even no makeup for me!), watching the Macy's Day Parade then the Dog Show (my favorite group is the toy group) and then going on a hike before the big meal. That night, if there aren't any good football games on, we'll pick a favorite classic movie to watch, while curling up to snuggle and enjoy the fireplace!

What our Thanksgiving food prep timeline looks like:
The weekend before: go grocery shopping for our meal (going the week of is pure agony)  

2 days before: we start brining our turkey

1 day before: Cory makes the roll dough & I prepare any breakfast items or casserole items that refrigerate well and are easily heated the day of

The day of: Enjoy a yummy (but easy) breakfast ( our favorite is biscuits, bacon, eggs & mimosas) then work on the big meal. We usually eat around 2 or 3 pm

Last year, we brought out the china & crystal. So fun!

Our delicious menu, updated but traditional:

Shoe peg corn casserole (my family's tradition) 

Green bean casserole (my personal favorite) 

Jalapeno Cornbread Dressing

Truffled Pommes Anna (in place of mashed potatoes)

Parkerhouse Rolls 

Homemade cranberry sauce (it's actually really good!) 

2-day brined then oven-roasted Turkey

Spiral sliced & glazed Ham (we get the Sam's Choice brand at Walmart)

A look at the full spread from our 1st Thanksgiving at home. I love getting out my crystal glasses!

Desserts:

Almond brittle Pumpkin pie

Dark rum pecan pie 

Both finished with homemade whipped cream

Prep Tips:

The hardest part of Thanksgiving meal making for me is the timing: getting everything ready to be served at the same time, warm, with one oven can seem like an act of magic! My tips on making this work while cooking a huge bird in the oven at the same time:

• Geometry (shocker right)! It all comes down to the dish puzzle and predetermine get which dishes will fit best together in your oven will save you a lot of frustration. 
• You can prep and bake some dishes (like corn or potatoes) then place them in a crockpot to keep them warm, then transfer to a nice bowl for serving. 
• The rolls can be baked right before the meal, after most of the food can be taken out of the oven. 

Hosting tips:

• Breakfast the day of: do not put yourself through the ordeal (in, more dishes to clean! No thank you!) of making two big meals the same day. Instead, the day before prepare any of these items so that they can be popped into the oven easily for everyone to enjoy: 

Overnight Creme Brûlée French Toast

Buttermilk Biscuits (make them ahead of time, freeze them unbaked, then make some bacon/scrambled eggs quickly while they bake in the oven) 

Monkey bread 

Or store bought seasonal-flavored muffins work great, I won't tell! ;) 

• The last 30 - 45 minutes before meal time can reveal a terrible Hangry-animal in all of us. Keep some light snacks on hand to take care of the hunger pangs: baby carrots & dip, roasted almonds, Greek yogurt. 

If you would like any of the recipes, let me know! One of my best places for recipe inspiration has been Cooking Light.

This year we are very excited to be enjoying Thanksgiving with our whole immediate family!

What is your favorite part of the Thanksgiving meal?

More photos of our meal are below:

One year, we had pull-a-part bread for breakfast

Truffled Pommes Anna

Cory's amazing Parkerhouse rolls

Everyday Feels Like Christmas

Going on a walk in TN

Having a baby, was something Cory and I took our time to experience. We have enjoyed being married so tremendously much as we have been going on our adventures around the world and in Arkansas. Also, I have never been the baby type. Instead of baby dolls, I played with horses when I was little. I didn't babysit growing up, except for older kids I could take out to eat dinner at Moe's & rent videos from Blockbuster (#throwback). I even only volunteered in the nursery at church to spend time with one of my good friends.

Reading the paper with Dad

What I learned from the church nursery experience though, is babies truly are precious and the relationship between parents and their children is a sacred gift from the Lord. Although I outwardly poo-poo'd the idea of having a baby, inwardly, I wanted it to happen eventually if the Lord willed it to. Thankfully, we became pregnant last August and welcomed our son, William Corwin Fox IV to our family on June 2 of this year. Nothing compares to this gift from God.

Our little "laundry elf" helper with a BIG smile

My Recent Ah-Hah:

As it has turned colder this month, I've woken up each chilly morning with a big smile in my heart. Having William here and my husband home before he leaves for work, makes it feel like Christmas every morning. 

Attending William's first football game in TN

Christmas is a time to celebrate the arrival of an innocent babe, unwelcome by the world he came to save. It is a time to remember how much our Father in Heaven loves us, treasures us and gave his son to die for us, so that we could be with him for eternity. I am so thankful to have the opportunity to share a human-limited portion of that love, with our family and to experience all of that love by being a Christ follower and knowing I will be in eternity with Him.

William loves watching his Daddy read to him

Snuggles with my precious lil boo

As I continue to reflect on the last 5 1/2 months, I now have experienced how precious becoming a parent is. I thought it would be fun to share parts of our journey and what I have learned along the way, in a series of posts. This is definitely the Walmart buyer coming out in me, to plan a series!
Here's what you have to look forward to:

• How to register (the world of baby stuff is crazy confusing!)
• Preparing for baby's arrival (emotionally & mentally, packing your hospital bag, preparing baby's room, what you need at home)
• Weekly Activities for Mom and Baby
• Meal Planning
• Baby's Schedule: Eat, Burp, Outing, Play, Diaper Change, Sleep, Repeat...in no particular order...

Fall in Arkansas

Becca Kitchen Fail, Pizza Pie & Guy Fieri, Oh My!

A beautiful slice of our homemade pizza. Makes my mouth water right now.

Well folks, I hate admitting when I mess up in the kitchen. I would really like everyone to think that I make everything perfectly...but that would be untrue! In fact, the reason I like cooking so much and keep trying new things is that's how I learned how to cook originally and keep learning.

Back to the story at hand. I have a nickname for my husband Cory "the doughboy," because he makes such delicious doughs! He can whip up pizza dough, pasta dough, parker house roll dough, like he's been doing it all of his life. This means that I get to sit back and enjoy the yumminess but it also means I have very low dough confidence myself.

While Cory was out of town last week, I decided I would whip up his Neopolitan pizza dough, no problem. I thought I did everything correctly for the dough but when I baked my pizza, it just wasn't quite right but I was almost certain it wasn't due to the dough but instead, the baking process. I decided since it was a weeknight and late (8:30 is late for dinner for me!), that I would cut corners and not use our trusty pizza stone and instead, use our regular baking sheet. It turns out, the preheated pizza stone is a MUST! I repeat, learn from my kitchen fail, it is a MUST! The next night, we used the remaining dough and voila! the perfect pizzas emerged from the oven, as a result of using the pizza stone.

This is my not-so-perfectly baked pizza from last week & yes, I still ate it! 

Lesson learned and pizza was still enjoyed on both nights! Below are our tips on how to make an excellent homemade pizza and our favorite recipe (click here to go straight to the recipe).

Helpful hints - some of our best hints came from Guy Fieri & our local celeb friends Meridy and Eric:

1. Flour: Use double "00" flour for your pizza (Guy Fieri gave us this tip when he visited us in Bentonville and he was spot on...to prove we met him, photo is here). We ordered this flour from Amazon, as our local grocers did not have it available: Antimo Caputo Chefs Flour

   

   At 21C, The Hive, with Guy Fieri

2. Oven: Preheat your oven to the highest temperature possible, for us, that is 550 degrees. This will ensure your crust has a crispness to its edges, while being soft inside. 
3. Pizza Stone: Place your pizza stone in the oven while it preheats and let it warm for 1 hour. This will also ensure your crust is baked perfectly. 
4. Cheese: we continue to debate between the deli-fresh mozzarella balls and the dairy department harder mozzarella cheese. At the end of the day, we recommend the dairy department cheese for ultimate meltability. However, if you want to make a traditional margherita-style pizza, we recommend using the small mozzarella pearls from the deli department. 
5. Variety: this recipe will make 3 medium-size pizzas. We always plan for a variety of bases/sauces to go on our pizza: a white pizza with olive oil only, a green pizza with pesto and a red pizza with our home blended red sauce. 
6. Red sauce: an easy and much more delicious way to prepare a red sauce is to get a can of tomato paste, add your own mix of spices and water until it reaches your ideal sauce consistency. 
7. Time: give yourself plenty of time to prep the dough and give it time to become ready to be made into your delicious pizza. This recipe calls for 8 hours of refrigerator time, plus time to sit out and become room temperature, as you are ready to make the pizza, approximately 1 hour. 
8. Prebake: my husband and I like to put our formed pizza crust in the oven to bake about 5 minutes. Once it is partially baked, pull the dough out of the oven and top with your sauce and toppings before putting it back in for its final bake. 
9. Pizza Peel: This item is essential for successfully putting the pizza in/out of the oven. We love this one from William's Sonoma (WS pizza peel).

Pizza Dough Recipe

1 3/4 pound Double "00" flour

Additional flour for dusting (1 - 2 cups)

1/2 teaspoon active dry yeast 

2 c warm water total, separate 1/4 cup for use

1 T salt

In a small bowl, whisk yeast and 1/4 c water, let stand til foamy. 

In a stand mixer fitted with the dough hook, pour in the yeast mixture and add in the 1 3/4 pounds of flour and mix at low speed for 1 minute. Increase speed to medium and mix until all flour is incorporated. It is at this point where I typically have to add 1/4-1/2 cup of additional flour to the mixture to make it come together in the form of a ball, around the dough hook. Add salt and mix until the dough is soft and a smooth ball has formed.

Place your dough in a mixing bowl that has been sprayed with cooking spray. Pour, then brush on a little bit of olive oil on top of your dough, then cover with plastic wrap and let it rise for 2 hours in a warm place. TIP: you can put your bowl in the oven with a freshly boiled kettle of water. Shut the door and this will create a warm environment for your dough to rise. Just make sure you don't turn on the oven while doing this, as I have done once before!

Once the dough has risen, put the covered bowl in the refrigerator to continue the development process for 8 hours or overnight.

When you are ready to use your dough, take the bowl out of the refrigerator to let it sit about 20 minutes. Next, create a well-floured area on your counter to prepare for shaping your crust. You will also want to flour your hands, as the dough can be sticky.

Once your floured surface is ready, separate the dough into 3 balls. Gradually press one ball into the floured surface to gently start forming your crust. Cory and I massage the crust until it forms the shape and size we want it to.

Lightly cover the surface of the pizza stone and your pizza peel with flour, this will prevent the dough from sticking as it is placed on the stone and as you are removing it from the stone. Bake your crust about 3 - 5 minutes (it will start to look baked but not browned) and then remove it and add your sauce/toppings (watching out for the hot crust).

Now, your pizza is ready for it's final bake! Let your pizza bake from 5 - 10 minutes, until the crust is golden and your cheese is bubbling with yumminess.

Enjoy!

Our favorite pizza combinations:

• Pesto, red onion, mushrooms, feta & mozzarella
• Tomato sauce, pepperoni & pineapple (my personal favorite!)
• White pizza with olive oil, pepperoni, freshly sliced tomatoes and mozzarella (Cory's favorite!)
• Tomato sauce with a meatlovers delight (Italian sausage, pepperoni and prosciutto) with mozzarella

I want to hear from you: have you ever had a kitchen snafu? What are your favorite combinations of pizza toppings?

Cravings: Beans & Cornbread

As the temperatures start dipping lower & lower, I start having cravings for fall flavors.

Some of my favorites:

Apple butter 

Pumpkin filled ravioli with brown butter sage sauce (homemade or from bonefish)

Aztec hot chocolate (from Pressroom) 

And the highlight of today's post: Slow Cooker Beans & Cornbread 

This may sound like a simple dish to crave but it is oh, so wonderful. Add a few pieces of cornbread and you have a flavorful, filling and comforting meal. 

Recipe for Slow Cooker Beans:

1 lb of dried northern beans

1 lb of chopped ham (I used Burger's chopped ham from the fresh meat section)

6 c water

1 T garlic powder

Salt & pepper to taste 

Rinse your beans and Soak your beans overnight. This way, they are incredibly tender once your dish is done cooking. Once soaked, drain the beans. 

Combine beans and remaining ingredients into your crockpot. Turn on low and let cook for 8 hours. 

What's you're go-to comfort food? I would love to hear from YOU! 

Recipe for the Cornbread (from Cooking Light): 

This makes one iron skillet of cornbread or 12 cornbread muffins
You can also use the cornbread from this recipe to make an amazing stuffing for Thanksgiving. Check out the link here: Jalapeño Cornbread Dressing

1 c all-purpose flour
1 c cornmeal (I use yellow)
1 1/4 c buttermilk
2 T sugar
2 T butter, melted
1 T baking powder
2 large eggs, lightly beaten
3/4 c shredded cheddar cheese

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees and place your 10" skillet in the oven while it preheats.

To make your cornbread, mix all ingredients except cheese, together in a bowl. Once well-mixed, fold in the cheese.

Once your oven is preheated, carefully remove the skillet and spray it with cooking spray. Pour your batter into the skillet and bake for 35 minutes or until a toothpick comes out of the middle, clean.

Enjoy!

William's 1st Visit to a Pumpkin Patch

We took William to his 1st pumpkin patch this past weekend. It was fabulous! We got to walk through the actual pumpkin patch and select then cut our pumpkins from the vine.

It was unseasonably warm when we went (85 degrees & sunny) and I brought an umbrella out into the patch with us to keep the sun off of our lil boo. We may have looked silly but hey! it worked!

Dicky Farms has two patches, one for large pumpkins & one for smaller pumpkins with many varieties/colors. If you don't want to pick your own pumpkin, they have a wide selection already picked under the tent when you drive up. If you want to pick your own, like we did, you can select a wagon (they provide clippers in each wagon) & go in search of your pumpkin. It's a family run operation and everyone there was incredibly friendly!

We look forward to making this a family tradition each year! 

Here is additional information about Dickey Farms in Springdale:

• Mon - Fri: 4 - 7:30pm/ Sat - Sun 9am - 7:30pm
• Charge $.50/lb
• Have varieties of gourds & squash available (acorn & butternut) 

 Link to Dickey Farm's Facebook Page

Seasonal Deliciousness - Apple Butter

One of my favorite fall activities is picking apples off of the apple tree in my parents' back yard. While the apples taste great right off the tree, where they really shine is as the ingredient in recipes. 

A personal favorite of mine is Apple Butter, made in the crockpot. All you need to do is prep the apples, mix in the ingredients and set on low for @ 12 hours! Once it is complete, you can stir the apples to break them apart or put it in your blender to create even smoother butter.  

It holds up great in a mason jar, in the refrigerator (if you don't have canning equipment). This recipe makes about 4 pints, which for me is just enough for our family alone! 

Here is the official how-to: 

Ingredients

6.5 pounds of apples - peeled, cored & sliced

1 C granulated sugar

1 C brown sugar

1 T ground cinnamon

1/2 t nutmeg

1/4 t ground cloves

1/4 t salt

1 T pure vanilla extract

I recommend using apples from the farmers market or a variety of sweet apples from the grocery store.

Once you peel, core & slice all of the apples, put them in a large bowl. Add remaining ingredients to the bowl of apples & mix thoroughly. 

Next, pour the apple mixture into your crock pot & set the temperature on low & your timer for 12 hours. I have let it cook longer than 12 hours before and all that happens is more moisture evaporates, to make a thicker butter. 

After the 12 hours is completed, if you want to smooth your butter, pour the warm mixture by batches, into your blender to smooth. I blend about 1/2 of my mixture & leave the rest slightly chunky for a great texture! 

*I have tried this recipe, leaving the peels on and the flavor is still great. It is only slightly more thick/chunky. 

My favorite ways to enjoy Apple butter:

• Give it as a gift 
• Spread onto toast or biscuits 
• Mix it into a steaming bowl of oatmeal
• Top your favorite ice cream with it (we use vanilla bean)
• You can spread it as a marinade/sauce on salmon before grilling/baking it; top with a little bit of herbs and sea salt too!
• You can incorporate it into your favorite cinnamon roll or quick bread recipe