Sugary Experiments and Other Thanksgiving Fun

I may never eat a chocolate chip cookie again. Seriously.

Okay, not seriously. But it will probably be at least a week. I think I've made a total of 9 batches of cookies in the last couple of days. I've tried every recipe under the sun - the great-texture no-flavor shortening kind, the crispy buttery kind, the vanilla pudding version; I've frozen the dough and melted the butter, taken out the baking soda, reduced the sugar, and added the sugar back in (what's a cookie if it isn't sweet?); I've reduced the flour and swapped up the sugars and still I've gotten no where.

This all started last weekend when my friend Madeline popped some frozen cookie dough in her oven and magic happened. I couldn't stop eating them. How does Pillsbury do it? I had to know.

Well, I'm sorry to report that after hours of grueling mixing and scooping and baking, I still do not know. Maybe I need to buy better ingredients (though I really don't see how Harris Teeter butter could be that different from Land O' Lakes), or maybe I just don't have the dough-boy touch. Whatever the case, I think I'm cookied out.

I'm also pied out. That's right. 3 Chocolate Pie Filling recipes in 3 days may possibly have turned me off to pie for awhile, if that's possible.

The great thing about the pies, however, is that every single recipe tasted De-Licious. After all the trials, this is what turned out to be my favorite (though it's not what I made for Thanksgiving -- Eric thought it was too chocolatey):

Super Chocolatey Pie Filling

Our rating: 8.5 (10 for me, 7 for Eric)

3/4 c. sugar

5 T. cocoa

3 T. cornstarch

Pinch of salt

2 c. milk

3 egg yolks

2 tsp. vanilla

Mix sugar, cocoa, cornstarch and salt into a homogeneous mixture. Gradually stir in milk until liquid is smooth. Cook over medium-high heat until thick. Remove and stir in egg yolks. Heat for 3-4 more minutes. Add vanilla. Add to baked pie crust and refrigerate until set.

Another favorite around the Yates casa that I'm continually getting compliments on is my famous corn casserole. It's pretty much the most fabulous, fool-proof recipe ever, and if you haven't tried it, you should. All you need is one of everything!

Corn Casserole for Dummies

Our Rating: 10/10 (Sometimes I eat the leftovers for lunch. It's that incredible).

1 can cream corn

1 can whole kernel corn

1 stick butter or margarine

1 egg

1 box Jiffy cornbread mix

1 8-oz can sour cream

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Mix all ingredients together in a 1 1/2 quart casserole dish. Bake for 45 minutes.

Chocolate pie and corn casserole were just two of the delicious dishes we enjoyed this past Thursday. Eric and I spent Thanksgiving with some friends from church, and I have to say, my culinary palette was super-satisfied with the array of dishes we came up with. Besides the typical turkey-day dishes made by our wonderful host and hostess (Gretchen & Sandeep), we had meatballs, fried potatoes, and some awesome cheesecake and cookies. I think that, not unlike the Grinch's heart, my stomach grew three sizes that day.

Eric enjoyed the food too, but I think he had the most fun carving up turkey.

I just love how hard he concentrates!

We also enjoyed playing games after dinner, watching a little football, and, of course, I enjoyed looking through the sale papers. Despite my original resolve not to do Black Friday at all, I found myself almost getting up at 3 am to stand outside Belk (don't worry, it was pouring down rain and I opted to sleep a few more hours). I did actually get up at 7 and hit the mall. It wasn't in vain -- I picked up a few presents for cheap, and got myself this cute purse I've been eying the last couple of months.

Oh, and Home Depot had poinsettias for $1. Is there a cheaper Christmas decoration? I think not. :-)

So that was Thanksgiving 2010 in a nutshell. I'm sad to see it go, but we all know what the passing of Turkey Day means... Christmas decorations, fun movies and music, and of course, the best football game of the year!

So until next time... Pig Sooie!!