WILLARD started going out to everyone’s email boxes today; it takes two days for the whole list to go, and even though you might have just read yourself practically silly, you know there could be a surprise for you here, and of course, there is! ♥ But perhaps we need a little mood music? Here’s a song to dance you down the page; great soundtrack from the movie French Kiss . . .
This is a photo of my heart-shaped Lemon Pepper Tea Biscuits, just out of the oven, still warm, ready for someone to slather them with butter and Cranberry-Orange Marmalade. They are one of the recipes featured in a new cookbook I’m very excited about — it’s from Where Women Cook Magazine, and it’s called CELEBRATE!
I am one of the twenty-eight women featured in this book; honored to be included with such luminaries of the food world as Ree Drummond (The Pioneer Woman), Angie Dudley (Bakerella) and Molly Wizenberg (Orangette). One of the special things about this book, besides the obvious, is that each woman is pictured doing her thing in her own kitchen; there are tons of wonderful photographs, sixty recipes, and lots of tips for celebrating life, with cooking as the magical ingredient. My chapter is called “Kitchen Table Tea.” The kind of everyday celebration we have in the kitchen with our girlfriends. ♥ Each contributor chose a different theme to focus on.
(Do I like tea, really, or is it just the dishes? That’s the question!) Anyway, I have the first copy (still warm off the press) of CELEBRATIONS that was sent to me here on the island. I’m going to sign it and send it to one of YOU as a Thanksgiving present! Just leave a comment at the bottom of this post, and on Friday we’ll let the RNG (Random Number Generator) pull a name out of our hat and see in what corner of the world this book ends up. But for all of you, my girlfriends, scroll to the bottom of this post, and I’ll give you the recipe for the Lemon Pepper Tea Biscuits. ♫ Do I love you, Oh yes I love you . . . ♪
For me, the Thanksgiving countdown has begun . . . I started making my shopping list this morning . . .
Taking center stage is my grandma’s stuffing, which requires real bread that has to be air-dried for three days. Two days won’t do it. Don’t even think about putting it in the oven to dry. Those are the rules. So, I need to be ready. My ironing board does double duty as drying rack for the bread, spread out on cookie sheets in the pantry.
Plus, right now is gravy-making time; I need it for dinner, but I also need it for leftovers, so I start early and make extra. I learned to make gravy when I was very young, but still tweak it a little bit every year; a little of this a little of that; vermouth? Red wine? Plain this year? Joe always has his family’s 2¢ to add to the pot; sometimes requiring a restraining hand on his pouring arm. Shall we have sage? A teeny bit of cloves perhaps? Perfect gravy is the mark of distinction in our family — no one can describe exactly what makes it perfect, but we sure know it when we taste it!
I’m already done making the butters:
One for each biscuit plate (the baking powder kind). Yum.
I use leaves for place cards at Thanksgiving (as long as there isn’t snow on them!). I made these from rhododendron leaves, which are the perfect size, especially if you have a “Marjorie” coming to dinner, because her whole name fits on one! Plus they’re smooth and flat and don’t break too easily. I pick the leaves the day before and keep them in the fridge so they stay fresh, then write the names on as big as possible with a correction pen (after first practicing on a paper towel!).
OK, so would you like to go to the grocery store with us? This was yesterday!
We’re almost there, I kept thinking the leaf would jump off, but apparently it really wanted to get to the supermarket parking lot, and wasn’t going to give up until we were there!
OK, that’s enough of that. It’s been a red letter week for me, a feature in a new book, and another really nice article in the winter issue of Cape Cod Home Magazine. ♥ You guys must be spreading the word, something crazy is going on; so much to be grateful for. Plus, we have best friends coming from England next week! And to top it off, I already figured out what I’m giving you for Christmas! And I’m excited because I think you’ll like it!
So I am off to the City (that’s Domesticity City of course); I’m taking the day off to play with my house, nurk around in the guest room, organize the pantry, play ball with the new Kitty, hug Girl, kiss Joe, watch old movies, nap, and so on. But before I go, I want to give you that recipe and remind you to leave a comment to enter the drawing for the book — tell us the strangest, most quirky, or favorite thing you ever had at Thanksgiving — for me it’s always the same, Rainbow Jell-O, not very strange, but definitely quirky, and also a favorite. How about you?
LEMON PEPPER TEA BISCUITS
If you want your biscuits to be heart–shaped you will need a miniature muffin pan with hearts! I have this cast-iron one and I love it. This easy quick recipe makes one dozen delectable biscuits.
- 1-3oz pkg. cream cheese, softened
- 1/4 c. butter, softened
- grated zest of one lemon
- 1/2 c. sour cream
- 1 c. self-rising flour, sifted
- 1/3 c. either chopped dried cranberries or currants
- coarsely ground black pepper
- sanding sugar (opt.)
Preheat oven to 400°F. In a deep, medium-sized bowl, beat cream cheese, butter and zest with mixer on med speed until smooth. Scrape down bowl. Stir in sour cream. 
Gradually beat in flour until well blended. Stir in cranberries or currants. Put a heaping tsp. of dough into each cup of an ungreased miniature muffin pan, filling the space completely and leveling the surface of the dough. Grind pepper over the top. Sprinkle with sanding sugar (if desired). Bake for 15 min. or until light brown. Pop out muffins into a basket lined with a tea towel; cover to keep warm. ♥
Guess what? A foghorn is blowing, I can hear it sounding out up from the water. Later gators. ♥ have a wonderful day! xoxo
Our quirkiest turkey dinner was when my mom in law cooked the turkey frozen (as usual, really, just don’t think about the rinsing thing, ok?). It was falling apart and I was picking the meat out of the broth and fishing around in it and a grasped a bony part and came up with the beak grasped in my fingers! And there was an empty eyesocket staring at me! I shrieked and dropped the head back in the broth. We fished it out but fro some reason, no one had any appetite for turkey that day…… Needless to say, the turkey is now thoroughly thawed and rinsed!
You had the head? I would not like that!!! 🙂 LOL!
I am so excited about the cookbook, its going right on my list (well after your kind draw, I might be the big winner!). The strangest food I’ve had at Thanksgiving? It was the year my Aunt was bringing mashed turnips and she decided they were too pale and the dish didn’t looking very appetizing. So she added some red food coloring aiming for an orange shade but she kept adding, and adding, and adding until the turnips were as bright red as Rudolph’s nose….and really looked unappetizing!
Happiest Thanksgiving Susan!
Can’t wait to give this receipe a try. 🙂
I am quite positive that my most unusual, quirkest and strangest Thanksgiving is just about to happen!! This year my husband and I are taking our 4 boys camping!! Yes…you read that right…. C A M P I N G for Thanksgiving! We are planning on getting those gigantic smoked turkey legs (yummie) and everything else will have to be cooked over the campfire or on a small propane stove!! Brave…YES, Adventurous…MOST DEFINITELY, Crazy…OH YEAH…out of our minds!!! But just think of the memories, the magic and the fun family time!! We are so, so, so looking forward to it!
Thank you for the chance to win such a neat prize! Love you and your blog! Keep doing what you do!
xoxo donna marie
You are about to make a wonderful memory!!! Love it!
The freaky thing for me at Thanksgiving was Jello with a can of mixed vegatables in it…nasty!!!! I still like jello though!!
We’ve always had triple orange jello salad at Thanksgiving, and Christmas too. It’s easy to make and we always “fight” over who will get the last serving. The recipe is easy: mix a package of orange gelatin with one cup of boiling water and dissolve. Cool a while, even refrigerate for a half hour, then pour into a blender, add 1 cup of orange juice, 3-4 onnces of cream cheese at room temperature, 1/3 cup of miracle whip, (and the zest of one orange, but we never put it in). Blend well in blender, pour into jello mold, tap the filled mold a few times on the counter to get the air bubbles to come out, then chill until set and enjoy. I make it the night before. Happy turkey day everyone! Blessings and love to each and every one of us.
Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday! I cannot wait to cook our old favorites for our family! I’m new to your site but your recipes look delicious.
I love the tea time recipes. You can never have too many of those! Our family expects scalloped oysters for every major holiday but especially Thanksgiving.
Thanks for all the great ideas you share with us.
I love the blog. I really enjoyed the video of Margaret Datz. I am a docent at the Toledo Museum of Art here in Ohio and love anything that involves art. I am excited about seeing the cookbook too. Love cooking at Thanksgiving. Have 4 daughters and a son and we all cook together. It is the greatest. My favorite food at Thanksgiving is the cranberry salad. Loved watching my mother grind up all the fruits especially the whole orange. I thought it was so weird to grind up the peel and all. It is so delicious. It just brings back such good memories of my family and creates memories for my children as well. Thank you for this wonderful blog I know it must take you a long time to create this as well as Willard. I really appreciate all you do.
Thank you Janet!
Wow a cookbook with three of my favorites in it, you, PW, & Bakerella . Would love to win it, my Bday is Sun. that would make my day. If I don’t win, I will probably take my BDay $$ & get it. Love your blog. No quirky food. But a Thanksgiving we will never forget. We live out in country about 8 mi. from a town of 12,000. My sis & her family live outside of a small town of about 100, about an hour drive for us. We were going there for lunch. It was 1976 & they had just moved to a new home. This was before everyone had cell phones, & GPS. We were driving there & couldn’t find it, tried a couple other roads. We did not find it. So decided to go back home. When we got home called one of my best friends & she invited us to join her family. Come to find out if we had driven about another 1/2 mi. farther we would have found it. We all had a good laugh about it. Happy Thanksgiving to you & Joe.
I would love the Celebrate cookbook! I have to start drying bread for the stuffing, too.
Hi Susan! I noticed your silver dish from the Red Lion Inn in Stockbridge. I have been there several times. It’s so pretty… I love the decor which is so different from FL. I have also been to the Norman Rockwell Museum which was pretty awesome- I couldn’t believe the size of some of his paintings! Have a wonderful day – I would love to try the stuffing! XOXO Jacquii
I even took photos in the bathroom at the Red Lion Inn! It was so beautiful, the wallpaper especially! But the woodwork too! 🙂
Oh the biscuits, the song, sing me anything in the french language, and you have my attention. Something to read, heres a great read for you The Book Thief by Marcus Zusak. Could not put this down.
Thank you, wrote that down!
I enjoy your blog and the bright spot it makes in my day! Our Thanksgiving quirky food tradition is “Fluff”. 🙂 We call the story “the evolution of fluff”. My husband’s siblings, children and grandchildren get together each Thanksgiving. We take turns hosting and when it is our “off” year, we each bring a side dish to share. On my off year, 30+ years ago when my children were toddlers, I was asked to bring a gelatin salad – a tradition in my husband’s family. I found a recipe called “orange delight”, which involved orange gelatin, orange sherbet, whipped cream, mandarin oranges, etc. I thought I’d convert it to “peach delight” because I don’t like orange jello. The kids liked it but requested “strawberry delight” for the next year. I again adjusted the recipe. The kids preferred the strawberry, but wanted the frozen strawberries omitted, so again the recipe was adjusted. The recipe, without fruit, was quite creamy and fluffy – more like a dessert – which the kids loved. They began to call it “fluff” and insisted on it each year. Now it is not only a source of family humor, it is a must at every Thanksgiving. “Got fluff?” is the first question asked as people arrive on Thanksgiving Day. 🙂 Fluff: 6 oz. box strawberry jello
1 pint vanilla ice cream
1 pint cream, whipped
Add jello to 2 c. boiling water. Stir in pint of ice cream till melted. Chill slightly and fold in whipped cream. Chill till set. Cut in squares for serving. (Calories don’t count on Thanksgiving Day!)
Well, that sounds just wonderful!!!
Hi Susan,
Love your blog! I was first introduced to your writings by my sister-in-law many years ago when she gave me one of your books for my birthday! From then on we shared your calendars and books and I encouraged her to subscribe to your Willards last year! This spring she passed away very unexpectedly. She was only 58 years old, but I want you to know that you brought joy into our lives and gave us something special to share with each other. Your message of appreciating family, friends and the little things in life provides that warm, homey feeling that makes our lives richer. Thanks for that!
Happy Thanksgiving, Susan!
Oh, that is so nice; I’m so sorry to hear of your loss, but love the heart that shines through your comment.
I haven’t had a Thanksgiving dinner in many years, I moved to Australia 35 years ago, and I hadn’t really missed it until I started reading all these comments. The last Thanksgiving I celebrated was 15 years ago when we managed to have a trip home at that time. My dad had passed away but we took my mother and drove to my brother’s in Las Vegas. Sadly it was the last time we were all together but what a wonderful last memory. I always loved my mother’s molded Jello salad with celery and pineapple. My family thought it was a disgusting combination. Thank you for bring back some lovely memories .
And thank you for your wonderful blog. I get a warm feeling when I read it. And it usually brings back some lovely memory for me.
Thank you Debby!
Happy Thanksgiving Susan!
I love reading your blog, always makes me smile. One of our main stays on our Thanksgiving table when I was growing up was what my Mom called a relish tray. It included gherkin pickles as well as whole spiced peaches. To this day, I have to search for whole spiced peaches because without them it just wouldn’t be Thanksgiving. Thank you for being so generous. Looking forward to reading the new Willard. Sending smiles your way. 🙂
The Celebrate cookbook looks like a real treasure! Can’t wait to read the newest Willard! From the time we were young, we always celebrated our birthdays at Thanksgiving. (My two brothers and I have birthdays within two weeks of Thanksgiving!) So, we would always have candles in our three birthday pies: pumpkin, apple, and pecan. We’ve continued this special tradition to this day… and we are in our fifties now! It has become a very special part of our Thanksgiving celebrations.
I just have to say I love your blogs, they are the highlight of my emails. I am so excited for Thanksgiving this year! I love to cook and bake, and this year I am doing Thanksgiving “lunch” for my Husband’s side of the family. His mother is getting older, and lives alone, so this will be a very special time for her. I have been married for almost 18 years, and have 2 beautiful girls. I am planning that this Thanksgiving will be the start of “our family” tradition. I remember my childhood Thanksgiving Day’s with my Mother cooking while I watched the Macy’s parade on TV. I can almost smell the turkey now…lol. Anyway, I am rambling now, so i will just end in saying, I really do love all of your ideas and blogs. I enjoy reading each one. Thank you so much for your thought and care that goes into everything you do!
Thank you Jada!
My most memorable Thanksgiving dinner was when visiting my brother at college. His friends had never cooked a turkey and their half-size oven had to be held closed with a piece of duct tape. About one hour before everyone wanted to eat they put the turkey in. Needless to say it wasn’t cooked at all and we only ate side dishes.
Our first Thanksgivings alone are the best of all!
My mother stored her pies on the back porch to keep them cool until ready to be served. One year the cat decided she needed to walk through the pies to get somewhere–I guess the other side of the table. Mother found her key lime and white chiffon pies with a few paw prints through them. She scraped the imprints down a little, added whipped cream, and no one was the wiser. In fact, I think my dad said, “Your best pies yet, Hon.” Of course, he always said that. Thanks, Susan, for many varieties of inspiration.
The book looks lovely! The thing I wouldn’t want to be without at Thanksgiving is homemade cranberry sauce! I hope you have a nice day off & a blessed Thanksgiving!
This is my third post of the day (are there limits?) but I’ve thoroughly enjoyed the 800+ posts! On the off chance you ever publish a cookbook for children, I’d like to share my granddaughter Lily’s recipe for a Thanksgiving Turkey (she was 5 years old at the time)
1. Stuff it
2. Put candies in your stuffing
3. Push it into the hole
4. Salt and Pepper
5. Put in corn on the cob
6. Oven it 50 degrees
7. cook it 12 minutes
8. Watch the time and then its done – listen for the beep.
She even drew a picture of this turkey! Hmm… loves writing and illustrating cookbooks, tells delightful stories… sounds like someone else we all know and love!
That’s definitely a keeper!
Susan,
Thank you for another wonderful blog post. Your posts are just what I need after a long work day to make me appreciate home and the little things that make life enjoyable!
My husband grew up eating oyster casserole on Thanksgiving so I make it for him — canned oysters, soda crackers, pepper, salt, worcestershire sauce, evaporated milk, and butter. He LOVES it so I make it out of love for him (whilst plugging my nose) 🙂
Our favorite, must have dish is Sentor Russells Sweet Potatoes!!! YUMMY!! As my Aunt would say, “It makes your tongue wanna slap you brains out!”
Wow, what a wonderful book! I would love to get my hands on that! Those lemon-pepper tea biscuits look yummy! Gonna have to try some! I guess a quirky thing for our Thanksgiving Dinners would have to be the green pistachio pudding.
Our quirky Thanksgiving dinner “dish” is Corn Spaghetti. My grandma used to make it for us. Pretty simple, cook a pound of spaghetti, add a can of corn (drained) a can of cream corn, a tablespoon of dried onion flakes and about 1/2 to 3/4’s a box of velveeta. Pour into a casserole dish and top w/crunchy chips, crackers or whatever you have on hand. Bake 350 for 30-45 min’s.
MMMMM…..home 🙂
Love your leaf place card idea!!!
Let’s see the strangest thing I’ve had for Thanksgiving had to be my mother-in-law’s “Broken Glass.” I had never heard of such a thing & really never thought of myself as a jello fan but my MIL’s “Broken Glass” changed my mind. Yummy & so pretty to look at!!! She always made it for Thanksgiving or Christmas. She passed away last year at the age of 96 but continued to make her broken glass until just the last couple of years. I have her hand written recipe & think maybe I’ll give it a try for Christmas.
Happy Thanksgiving to you, Joe & the kitties!!
Laura
Susan,
I have all your cookbooks and would love to add this one to my collection, even though it’s not “all” yours. I love to cook and cook at a faith-based home for women recovering from addictions. Every once in a while I get to make something out the ordinary and sometimes it’s one of your recipes! My favorite Thanksgiving dessert is my mother’s (she is alive and well at 93) Concord Grape Pie. There’s nothing like it and most people never heard of it. If I can find those grapes here in Pennsylvania, I will surely make one this year for “the girls.”
I love your Blog!
Marianne
When my husband (Scott) and I first married and moved to California almost 11 years ago, I was just so homesick for our first Thanksgiving. So we decided to start our own traditions, which included skipping the turkey and serving prime rib and horseradish cream sauce. The last couple of years we have also added a lovely turkey smoked by my husband. We invite many friends and neighbors. You reminded me, I need to start our shopping list. Can’t wait for the book!!
Thanksgiving used to be 25 to 30 family members, but times change. My father always insisted on mashed turnips, and there was a special cabbage salad dish that was served by the time we got to my great-aunt’s home when we used to go from house to house to see all the relatives.
The Thanksgiving I do remember was when we went to our youngest daughter’s mother-in-law’s home, not too long ago. She doesn’t cook so she had ordered out and had everything sort of ready to go………except before we could get ready, the power in the oven went out. Lordy, how do you warm the turkey? We finally figured out that by carving the parts we could actually fit the parts piece by piece into the microwave. Dinner finally got ready with a hot, medium and cold range, but we were grateful to be together so it didn’t matter so much.
The biggest surprise was when our oldest son said that Thanksgiving wasn’t Thanksgiving without the Lime Jello Salad (see above) that he remembered from forever. He who is such a health and good eating guru, I would never have guessed, still wanted all those marshmallow and cottage cheese and lime jello ingredients.
This time all the youngest daughter’s in-laws will be at our home from Cape Cod, La Jolla, San Diego and Oakland, plus others and we will join together, Christian, Jews and a Bhuddist to thank God for blessing us all here in Newport Beach.
Thank you Susan for making us all sensitive to the little and large parts of life. May God’s blessings fill your home and all your followers’ Thanksgiving too.
Love that, thank you Judy!
Susan,
Thank you for your post today! It got me so excited for next week with our family celebrating Thanksgiving!! What a treat WWC: Celebrations would be! My mom and I attended The Creative Connection and saw the book and it looks beautiful!! Enjoy drying out your bread! Can’t wait to help my mom do this!
Hi Susan…look at you, right smack dab in the middle of the Celebrate Cookbook cover…love it! We should celebrate cooking in this fast food world we live in! Can’t wait to get my Willard! My quirky Thanksgiving tradition is Scalloped Oysters…I make them every year ,but I don’t care for oysters…good thing I don’t live at the shore…lol…and I always bake a turkey every year even when we are going to other family homes, nothing like leftover turkey sandwiches… Gobble Gobble…
Susan,
I have all your cookbooks and would love to add this one to my collection, even though it’s not “all” yours. I love to cook and cook at a faith-based home for women recovering from additions. Every once in awhile I get to make something out of the ordinary and sometimes it’s one of your recipes. My favorite Thanksgiving dessert is my mother’s (she alive and well at 93) Concord Grape Pie. There’s nothing like it and most people have never heard of it, let alone tasted it. If I can find those grapes here in Pennsylvania, I will be sure to make one this Thanksgiving for “the girls.”
I love your Blog!
Marianne
Susan, I have enjoyed the replies to this blog post. I have often been the friend invited over to share Thanksgiving with a friends family. I love seeing what different dishes families serve for their traditional dinner. I especially love all of the desserts.
I am excited about the new cookbook. I love having tea with girlfriends too. I agree the dishes are the best part!!
~Happy Thanksgiving girlfriends!
Thank you Janie!
Quirkiest Thanksgiving food was Pineapple Cassarole out of the Mayberrry Cookbook and I have seen different variations pop up around home. It’s VERY southern. Layered and baked: crushed pineapple, Ritz crackers, butter, cheddar cheese and lots of SUGAR! It’s sweet, salty, gooey and crispy. People around here love it.
I adore cooked pineapple!
First let me say, I enjoy your blog so much! It makes me smile when I see it in my inbox….you make me feel like you have sent it special, just to me and even though I know it goes out to all your girlfriends, it makes me feel special all the same! Thank you for that! I have made your grandmother’s stuffing before, it was delicious! I loved my mom’s gravy most of all at Thanksgiving, that and her fig bars. Yum! Happy Thanksgiving to you my friend!
All anyone has to do is read through these comments to know just how special the girlfriends are! xoxo Happy Thanksgiving to you too!
love… love… LOVE tea… and all the goodies that come along with it! though we don’t get many “gotta-snuggle-up-with-a-cup-o-tea-and-a-good-book(cookbook or otherwise)” way out here in the middle of the pacific… its always a welcome respite from a crazy day! mahalo (that’s “thank you” in hawaiian), susan… for all the warm and fuzzies you share with us through your blog… your art… your willards! i’m always looking forward to “susan branch” in my email inbox! aloha!
Aloha Joanne!
The strangest thing I ever had at Thanksgiving is lasagna.
Oh my gosh, all these stories remind me of a little turkey mishap I had a few years ago. I was making Thanksgiving dinner for the first time for my in-laws and, of course I was a little nervous about making everything just right. I had seen on Martha that the way to have a really juicy turkey was to place it in the roasting pan breast side down. I had never done that before, but I thought if it’s good enough for Martha, it’s good enough for me! Everything was going along swimmingly until I called my husband into the kitchen to carve the turkey. In my last minute jitters of trying to get everything prepared and on the table I had completely forgotten that the turkey was “upside down”. My husband whispers…”this turkey is all bones and no meat!”. I completely have a panic attack….the family is waiting as civilized as you please in the dining room and we will be serving BONES….OMG!!!! It took a few minutes of sweating and staring blankly at the bony turkey with the kitchen spinning before it finally came to me that I had cooked the turkey “upside down”….we turned it over and there was the meat….thank goodness….I was saved! We still laugh about that every year!! Happy Thanksgiving Susan and Girlfriends!!!
I can totally see that happening!!! LOL!
Living in Canada, I always associate Thanksgiving in America with the birth of my older daughter – who turns 14 next week. Her birthday often falls on Thanksgiving. I am thankful for the gift of her presence in my life.
Susan,
I have all your cookbooks and would love to add this one to my collection, even though it’s not all yours. I love to cook and cook in a faith-based home for women recovering from addictions. Every once in awhile I get to make something out of the ordinary and sometimes it’s one of your recipes! My favorite Thanksgiving dessert is my mother’s (she is alive and well at 93) Concord Grape Pie. There’s nothing like it and most people have never heard of it, let alone tasted it. If I can find those grapes here in Pennsylvania, I will be sure to make at least one this Thanksgiving for “the girls.”
I love your Blog!
Marianne
Thank you Marianne and bless you for the work you do!!
A couple of years back I made two of these – It was delightful, however, never made them again. I found the recipe from Paul Evans author while he was in Italy writing one of his books and had never heard of them. I had a huge concord grape vine growing and producing and figured why not try it. Will warn you. It is work though!…………Good luck to you.
It is still so nice back there! We just got our first real taste of winter-and naturally the heat decided to take a hike in my pick-up-hoping it is just the thermostat, but to get that checked it is a 60 mile trip to town with no heat. We grow em tough out here!!
Alas. I’m sure it’s not gluten-free. Looks like a lovely book though!
I have your Autumn cookbook and just a few days ago I did the recipe for the cocoa mix. Then, I decided to make the marshmallows and I must say that it is a real treat to sit down with a good book and a cup of hot cocoa with a homemade marshmallow!
Makes a little heaven out of the moment doesn’t it? xoxo
Now who doesn’t need a new cook book? – Especially from such admired women? Thanks for the chance to win a copy. I’ll have to put this on my wish list!! Love your blog and daily emails. It’s almost as good as having you right next door.
Happy Thanks Giving to you Susan Branch!
What a privilege to sit in the front seat with you while ‘we’ go to the store and see a glimpse of fall on the island (I’ve never been to Martha’s Vineyard)! I love that the leaf didn’t want to leaf (ha!) leave either. It reminded me of my favorite e.e. cummings poem~
l(a
le
af
fa
ll
s)
one
l
iness
My most memorableThanksgiving was in 1967 when I gave birth to a little 5 lb baby girl (same as a sack of sugar!) at 3 a.m. on Thanksgiving day. I didn’t get Thanksgiving dinner though (maybe that was a good thing). Susan, we are so very blessed by your generosity and genteel spirit by drawing each of us together as one through your blog. You grace cyberspace with thankfulness through your words, art, movies, songs . . . what a contribution you have made and for that I am thankful. ♥
Thank you back Diane!
I love your recipes and have made many of them. I am definately making your lemon pepper bisuits. I wonder if hot pepper jam might be ummy on them?? Hmmm. My brother-in-law’s mother was from England. He was accustomed to having yorkshire pudding with roasts and birds. So, it has become a wonderful tradition that my sisiter and he make the yummiest “yorkies.” Some of us eat them with gravy, others with butter…I love them just the way they are…warm and straight out of the oven. I am thankful for the joy you spread and my heart leaps whenever I see a Willard in my inbox. Hugs.
One of our family favorites is sour cream & onion dip with potato chips. Some think it’s not fancy enough for a holiday, but my husband won’t let the day go without it!!
My favorite oddball dish is the Cranberry Cream Cheese mold salad we’ve had at the holiday tables since the 60’s. My mom got the recipe out of the newspaper…it involves a red jello/cranberry relish layer and the white cream cheese/whipping cream/mayo/crushed pineapple/lemon jello layer. It tastes like dessert and is a really big pain to make. We love it……Happy Thanksgiving to all….arden
You are adorable! Your books have made me happy for years. I love to draw, love tea and cooking, so I could look at and read your works over and over. We have a lovely spring of water at our house. It flows from a cave…just lovely. Watercress grows in it and it’s such a treat. I made”pesto” from it one Thanksgiving. I substituted watercress for basil. I drizzled a little over pumpkin soup. We also used a little in the gravy and some combined with olive oil for dipping bread.
Yummy!!!
Loved the leaf name cards! Wonderful idea!! Really liked the ride to the store too! That was fun. I don’t believe I have ever had anything quirky for Thanksgiving. It has always been very ordinary traditional Thanksgiving fare! Kind of sad I guess, Congrats on the book! Woo-hoo!! You’re famous now!! (Tee-hee)
Hi Susan!
Have to have the Tofurky for my daughters who are BOTH “vegetarians”(aka non-meat eaters)!! The best part of Thanksgiving and Christmas is that my husband ALWAYS makes the turkey and dressing/stuffing plus awesome gravy! In 27 years I have NEVER cooked the holiday main course because he does it so well. When we were at my Mom’s for either holiday she would always defer to my husband to do the honors. In Oct my Aunt asked if we were coming back for Thanksgiving so that my husband could cook the turkey! Would love to win the book since it has you in it and would be sent a & signed by you!!! LOVE the blog and all things Susan Branch!!! xo Melissa R.
I’m looking forward to sharing Thanksgiving with all my in-laws. We all bring some of the dishes so no one has to do all the work. It is just a wonderful time. I’d love to celebrate with the Where Woman Cook cookbook!
I have been making the same stuffing my mother made when I was a child. Sometimes I think I will try something new but come Thanksgiving morning I always revert back to the traditional stuffing. That is the only way I know it IS Thanksgiving. I’ll be making it ’till the day I stop cooking. Hope that is way off in the future.
Looking forward to more of your posts. I sure do love Willard and the new kitty!
I thought the post would complete without a mention of Jack. We do want to know how he and Girl Kitty are adapting.
For many years we celebrated Thanksgiving with my inlaws. We have wonderful memories of good food and fun times. Some of our favorite foods were sausage balls, party pizzas, pecan tarts, and my mother-in-laws cinnamon rolls. Since she passed away in 2005 and my father-in-law in 2009, we haven’t always been able to be with my husband’s family every year, but wherever we are we still have some of those favorite foods. For Christmas in 2005, I put together a cookbook with my mother-in-laws favorite recipes, including all the Thanksgiving ones, and presented it to my husband’s brothers for Christmas and our children also have one with their Grandma’s favorites. I have many happy memories of Thanksgiving and I feel very blessed to have them.
I love cookbooks and your blog too, I hope I win! Have fun getting ready for the holiday; all that cooking,so much fun!
Well since I have every single book that you’ve ever had published I think I’ll need this one too! You can never have too many great cookbooks! When I was newly married (waaaay back) I cooked my first Thanksgiving dinner. I didn’t realize that frozen turkey had to be thawed for several days before it went into the oven. So I put that almost frozen solid bird in the roaster and baked it for the time that was on the instructions. Well, it wasn’t anywhere near being ready when it said it was supposed to be so we ate all the side dishes instead! Turkey was served for dessert about 3 hours later. I’m sure my new mother in law was a little worried about what her son had gotten himself into. But we’re still together and it’ll be 40 years this January! I surely do enjoy your blog! Mimi
So excited that you are featured in the cookbook. Love the magazine! The Thanksgiving that I remember the most is before I was married and had a family. I was working as a nurse and had to work on Thanksgiving. So went to the store and bought a turkey pot pie. My family was about 5 hours away. Didn’t bother me then but now I think how sad. Hope everybody has somebody to spend the day with. So glad that churchs’ and so on do special meals for special people. Always try to help in any way I can! Have a Blessed Thanksgiving.
Susan,
I love that you have this blog. I look forward to reading all your posts, and love that you make us feel as though we are friends by giving us a peek into your everyday life. I have all of your cookbooks, and I always look forward to any magazine articles or anything else that is Susan Branch. What fun that this modern age of technology can link people together that may have never met otherwise. I am looking forward to Thanksgiving as I always do because I get to spend it with my favorite people which are my children. I have been Blessed with eight healthy children five of which are still at home and three that are married. When we all get together you can be sure it is anything but dull. We are quite a crowd, but I love it! Thank you so much for the inspiration you are, and I am so glad I get to share this with you! Have a very Happy Thanksqiving!
Anything but dull is right! And yes, technology definitely has an UP side! 🙂
Hi Susan
We celebrated Thanksgiving last month here in Canada ~ I’m in Christmas mode now (Where Women Cook will be on my list to Santa) 🙂 Congratulations!
Love the little Maple Leaf butter ♥ adorable, and the recipe for Lemon pepper tea biscuits sounds delish … as soon as I read “cream cheese” I knew it would be good! I like the idea of writing your guests name on leaves. Each Thanksgiving, I gather the largest leaves from our Maple tree and scatter them all down the middle of the table, then top them with salt and pepper shakers, bowls of cranberry, etc… Our place cards are the ones my 22 year old son made for us in kindergarten … they get safely tucked away each year, and brought out each Thanksgiving.
Happy Thanksgiving Susan.
It sounds perfect!
Hello, Susan. Your blog makes me smile daily! Thank you for sharing all the fun moments of your days! Your lovely pictures and stories brighten up the cooler, fall days here in Wisconsin! Take care!
Susan,
YES! We ARE spreading the word! Because you are WONDERFUL!
Why, just this past Sunday at my book club, my friend Pat prompted me to tell our book club about Susan Branch…so I did!
I talked about your recipes books with your beautiful watercolor painting and your inspirational artistry, and your wonderful blog. I believe I inspired them to come visit http://www.162.240.10.175/~susanbs3/susanbranch/!
We are preparing for a wonderful Thanksgiving with family and friends, and we will weave in some of your recipes.
Hugs to you,
Deb
That is so sweet of you Debbie, thank you!
I cannot wait to add this book to my cookbook collection! It looks amazing, and I’m really excited about trying out the recipes!!
The most favorite thing I ever had on Thanksgiving was my oldest daughter, Emily Rebekah, who was born that morning in 1983. My sweet mom was a nurse and convinced the doctor and nurses to let us come home to her house that afternoon so Miss Emily and Mommy (me!) could join the family for dinner. They did and Emily had her first Thanksgiving when she was barely fifteen hours old! Every seven years on Thanksgiving we celebrate her birthday again. This year it will be her 28th!!!
Fantastic!
Susan- Thank you so much for todays posting! Loved every bit of it- especially the background music!
Being a military family, we were not always lucky to be living near family, so very often it was just the 4 of us sitting down to a holiday meal. When our son(who turned 24 today!) was about 2, we decided to make cornish game hens so everyone had their “own little bird”! The look on my son’s face when we put the bird on his highchair was priceless! He must have thought he hit the food lottery! To this day, hens are his favorite Thanksgiving dinner!
Happy Holiday to you and yours!
The quirkiest food my mother used to make at Thanksgiving every year was tomato aspic. It is like a tomato jello with nuts and celery, etc in it and she always garnished it with mayonnaise. I did not care for it and have not continued the tradition of making it.
That’s the good news about when we grow up! 🙂
Hi Susan!……Just catching up on your blog after returning from a two week vacation. Wow, a new Willard and a giveaway!! You are wonderful Susan, and not because you give away fabulous gifts (can’t wait to get a look at this new cookbook!), but because you truly put your heart and soul into this blog for all of us. I read multiple blogs, and I mean it when I say I feel your enthusiasm, excitement, and generous giving of yourself, resources and time. Thank you! A couple of years ago, my daughter brought to our dinner what I thought was pretty quirky, a turducken! I had never seen such a thing, and watched intriguingly as she put it all together. Maybe you already know, but it is a turkey, duck, and chicken, each cut off the bone to lay flat, stacked one inside of the other, stuffed, and rolled up. It was tasty, but nothing I had ever seen in all my years of cooking! A fun memory. Now I’m going to attempt to read through the already 805 posts! Such good reading and kinship.~
My childhood memories are filled with laughter, sunshine and the most darling people ever, my mother’s family. We always gathered at my Aunt Kit’s house and there were 3 birthdays to celebrate. The 22nd, 24th, 26th and the 28th of November were birthdays of an aunt, my mother, a cousin and an uncle. So it was always celebratory. The house always smelled wonderful, the windows would gets foggy and there would be Judy Garland, Frank Sinatra or Tony Bennet on my cousin’s HI-FI record player, quite the thing in the late 50’s. There was the inevitable children’s table and I never did graduate as I was the youngest of the group…There are no photos of those wonderful holidays but the pictures are forever in my heart. I am the last one left from those times and I consider myself truly blessed to have such loving memories. Have a blessed holiday season.
I don’t believe I have ever had stuffing with oysters in it, I may have to give that a try. I did try a new recipe last year…it had spinach, artichoke hearts and brie.
Wonderful flavors!!
Congrats on being featured in Celebrate!
Happy Countdown to Thanksgiving!
805 comments? Holy smokes! I’ll give it a try anyway, because I love your recipes and your books and Where Women Cook, too 🙂
Hi Susan!
I LOVE the leaves idea-I have a gold pen that would work really well on the darker leaves too! My story involves my Dad. My mom was not feeling well enough to cook one year, so my Dad and I were in charge. Dad had gotten the turkey out of the freezer a couple of days before and thawed it in the refrigerator. It was a great big bird that a hunter friend had gotten that Fall and given it to us. My sister and I had the table all set with Mom’s beautiful china and we had Aunts and Uncles and Grandparents and our beloved cousins coming over around 2:00. About 11 in the morning, Dad asked me to baste the turkey in the oven. I opened the oven door, and a wonderful cloud of turkiness wafted out at me. I got the baster and some tongs so I could move the turkey a little to get at the good juices at the bottom of the roasting pan. Dad joined me in hovering over the stove, watching as I basted the bird. I moved the bird a bit, and noticing the neck, commented to Dad…”This turkey sure has a long neck!” At that moment, it clearly dawned on my Dad by the look on his face that this was NOT the Thanksgiving turkey his friend Tom had given us, but the GOOSE that Tom has ALSO given us! Dad ran downstairs and came back up with a 24 pound turkey frozen to the bone. We looked at each other, and did the only thing we could think of- we threw the whole thing into the microwave oven! Now this was a long time ago, and this particular microwave oven may have been the first one ever made. For controls, all it had was a dial to turn for how many minutes you want it to be on for, and two buttons – “Cook” or “Defrost” We went with “Defrost” for the first hour, then switched it to “Cook.” We cooked that darn turkey for about 2 hours in the microwave and then browned it in the oven, putting it in right as our company was arriving. As we all sat down at the table about an hour later, everyone was SO impressed that Dad and I pulled off the Thanksgiving dinner, with a turkey AND a GOOSE! How creative!!! And believe it or not, I’m convinced soled by divine intervention, did that turkey taste WONDERFULl!!! And I still to this day, can’t get the picture of that long goose neck out of my head! I have never cooked another goose since!
Great story! You and your dad!
I love reading your reflections of life and am so thrilled you are in a new cookbook. Another one for my collection! When you talked about drying your bread for stuffing I think about my mom. My sister and I were taught early that you must crumb your stuffing by hand, never cut with a knife. And my first house had the same range that you have-I loved that thing.
Happy Thanksgiving Susan. Looking forward to your return to the Central Coast and hopefully speaking at our quilt guild.
Thank you Dian!
I love getting a peek into your life on MV! Living in Houston, TX we just do not get the seasons like you do there so I enjoy them vicariously through your blog! 🙂 I cannot wait to try the new recipe! Looks yummy!
Thanks for sharing!
Mischelle
Thank you for the opportunity to win this cookbook! Your heart-shaped cookies look awesome! And thanks for the recipe–I can’t wait to try it. I have a lemon-pepper biscotti recipe and you wouldn’t think black pepper would fit in a biscotti recipe, but it does! I imagine it is great in these, too. XOXO, Donna 🙂
Do you always wear pearls when you bake tea biscuits? I want to thank you also for having such a sweet site to visit. I have always thought vintage items have so much charm and character and prefer purchasing pre-loved things. However I never turn down NEW cookbooks:)
LOL, no!
HI Susan! I would LOVE to win the cookbook, BTW…but my quirky Thanksgiving thing is that last year we realized that we all like to have a sliver of each of Pecan and Pumpkin Pies, with a dollop of whipped cream. I thought I had seen a recipe for a Pumpkin-Pecan Pie and thought it would be a great idea, allowing us to have our combo of flavors without cutting each person 2 slices! Well, the pie turned out great and all, but it just wasn’t the same. Suffice it to say that this year I am making both pies the old-fashioned way, and serving out those 2 little slices to everyone. At Thanksgiving in our house, tradition reigns supreme! Many blessings to you and Joe and all your friends and family! (Oh–and the kitties, too!)
Mine is not quirky, but is my husband’s grandmother’s cornbread dressing which my adult kids have absolutely LOVED their whole lives – I have to hide it before thanksgiving dinner as they will eat it cooked, uncooked, hot or cold and there better be plenty of leftovers to last several days!
Please oh please, let me be the one whose name is drawn!
Mine is not quirky, but is my husband’s grandmother’s cornbread dressing which my adult kids have absolutely LOVED their whole lives – I have to hide it before thanksgiving dinner as they will eat it cooked, uncooked, hot or cold and there better be plenty of leftovers to last several days! And for them to take home.
Please oh please, let me be the one whose name is drawn!
Thank you so much for sharing the beauty of everyday life with us. we often forget how stunning life is. And your generosity with the give aways makes life even sweeter. Thank you Susan for all you do!
Hi Susan- I loved the ride in your car with the leaf. Your new kitty is sooooooooo cute. We used to have a black and white- holstien kitty- named The Emma Cat. She was a wild girl but very decorative- black and white goes with everything.
Our oddest Thanksgiving food is Lemon Meringue Pie. Seems like a summer pie-not warm and cosy but my 28 year old nephew loves it and I can’t deny him!
Have a wonderful Thanksgiving- blessings to you and your family.
This is my first post on your BLOG! Which is so surprising. I have been a fan since you first pubished stickers in Family Circle! I would love love love a signed copy of this cookbook. This is the first of many posts on your BLOG – I have a Dances with Wolves story – you will die. I will post there next, but my computer is going to go to sleep. Til tomorrow!
Another lovely blog, Susan. Thank you! Congratulations on being featured in the cookbook. I add my name to those who would love to have a signed copy!
Since we have had daughters-in-love added to our family we have two delicious, “desserty” salads that we all now expect with our Thanksgiving meal: a fruit salad with marshmallows and pomegranate berries/seeds and a pretzel salad with strawberries and whipped cream and Jello!
What fun to watch the leaf with a yen to travel and to watch Jack play and to see your pretty tea dishes and the delicious looking biscuits, and on and on!
I love the idea of making the gravy ahead of time; I think I will try that! I remember being so intimidated by gravy when the “baton” of making it passed from Mommie to me. It seems it is difficult to make enough; your idea should solve that problem!
Have a wonderful Thanksgiving and enjoy your friends from England.
Love the look of the new cookbook and would love to win it.
I have only ever had one Thanksgiving and that was the year I spent living in Canada. So the whole thing was a real novelty for me and I just loved it. The school I was teaching in arranged a special Thanksgiving lunch with Punmkin Pie – I had never tasted it before – rather nice!!
We love it! Where are you?
I loved it too! I’m in Western Australia – I guess our nearest celebration would be Australia Day which is in January so is all about beach, barbecues and watching the fireworks over the river.
Sounds like our 4th of July!
My favorite thing about Thanksgiving is just about everything! Two years ago, my husband and I were married on the Thanksgiving weekend, and in 2013, our anniversary and Thanksgiving are on the same day! I love the family recipes, the vintage amber harvest glasses, my grandmother’s dishes, and all the love the holiday holds.
Thanksgiving has come and gone here in Canada, but I must say that I am just so thankful for your little blog and the Willards that you send out. This little spot here in cyber space makes me so happy to come and visit, and my 2 year old boy Noah just loves the little birdie that flies across the top of the page.
Happy Thanksgiving!
I can’t believe I watched four short clips of a leaf clinging to a car windshield but it was actually quite amazing. It kind of looks like a ghostly apparition floating in front of your car beckoning you to some unknown place…. probably more fitting for Halloween. Anyway, I got so engrossed in the leaf clips (that does not reflect my personality, I am not that easily amused …. okay I am) I forgot if we were to write something special. Well, SPECIAL would be winning the cookbook. Happy Thanksgiving, Susan Branch *=)
Heya Susan 🙂 Long time fan, first time commenter, and am I ever so happy to find your blog! I have ALL of your books and have been treating myself every afternoon to the eye candy book that is “Autumn” which makes waiting to pick my children up after school very enjoyable. Then tonight, I made the stuffed pork chops, complete with apples, potatoes, and raisins, and ohh boy, you just made me supermom & superwife!! Everyone raved about it, especially all four of my children — yes, really 🙂 so it’s a definite keeper.
THANK YOU sooo much for everything that you do, for all the beauty you bring into our world. You have no idea how much you brighten my days…
Happy Thanksgiving to you & yours!!
I LOVE those stuffed pork chops! Love it when someone else does too! Thank you Grace!
Can’t wait to see the cookbook and will order one soon but would rather have one signed by you~maybe this is my lucky day!!!
Have a wonderful Thanksgiving, Susan. Many hugs!
My Grandma Art made all the pies for Thanksgiving: pumpkin, cherry, apple, and one called a chess pie. With the leftover pie dough she would make little apple cider vinegar pies. They sound odd, but were tart and tasty.
I would love to see your pantry as well, even though I suffer from pantry-envy. It is one thing I would love in our home (maybe someday!). I also love the pan rack above your sink. Such good ideas from your blog! And I am so excited about your new cookbook, and I can’t wait to get one! They are a work of art…and love…and joy!
P.S. I love your Jack kitty, all fierce and fast and adorable. =^..^=
Hi Susan,
We don’t celebrate Thanksgiving in Australia, although we have much to be thankful for. I love having a Thanksgiving vicariously through your writings
and enjoying the beauty of Marthas Vineyard. Happy Thanksgiving!
Thank you Ann!!
The cookbook looks loverly!~ Right up my alley! I so enjoy the blogs, I used to save the Willards so I could sit down and read them after a bad day, now that I have the blogs to read daily I don’t have to wait! It’s been wonderful. But the book looks really nice, all the different people collaborating. Happy Autumn everyone!
Oh dear, yet another cookerybook I must add to my groaning shelves!! My motto is you can never have too many cookerybooks! Enjoyed the visit to the grocery store with you and the leaf. I kept waiting for it to be blown off. It’s tenacity was inspiring, but your posts always are and they always make me homesick too.
Thanks for being here Marie!
Aren’t you glad it’s almost Thanksgiving? A time when everyone’s heart turns to feelings of gratitude and memories of sweet days gone by?
Thank you for your generosity; your kindness is something else for which to be thankful, all through the year.
It’s a wonderful time of year!
LOL SO many comments already…less chance of winnig this awesome book but I’ll give it a go none the less 🙂
Seems an awesome book to have and use, I like to bake once in a while for my bible study group. Esp during Fall and Winter I do something special every year. I moght find some yummies in the book to try out. LOVE your books but as far as I know they are not here (at least not in MY area!) I bought some while on vacation in the USA in 2007 after mother passed away, AND got one or two older ones from a dear USA friend.
Hugs and have a good Thanksgiving Susan ♥
Happy Thanksgiving to you Marian!
Don’t mind the mistakes 🙁
I just read the latest Willard – it made me cry!!
*deep breath* ok…. I LOVE the Andy Williams song with the Osmonds!! Wow!! I posted it on Facebook 🙂
Your description of Jack was hilarious!!!
Such a beautiful Thanksgiving Willard!! Thank you sooooo much!!
Thank you Mary! That song always makes me cry and then I sing it all day!
lol lol lol 😀
i can’t honestly think of ever having anything funky at thanksgiving dinner — my mom is 75 and still generally makes the meal, and she is such a wonderful cook! have to say, re. the family near the top of the comments going camping for the holiday, that sounds like such a fantastic time! would love to be getting away from it all, and spending time together with my kids and husband for the holiday! thanks also, susan, for the new recipe — sounds delish!
Spending time in nature is when I feel the most grateful! Camping under the stars, heaven!