Engaging stories of love, joy, comfort and friendship with proven scrumptious, healthy recipes, we celebrate LOVE as the secret ingredient for wonderful food!

The big day is coming – Thanksgiving 2014

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I just LOVE Thanksgiving!! My favorite holiday and right around my birthday. This year, my birthday is the day before. My boys with their girls and my husband always plan something great (no pressure guys, if you’re reading this). And this year, once again we get to have all of them at our home in the country along with a dad of one the girls. We are all so excited!!Thanksgiving recipes and process in an e-book format, beautifully designed to give you a magnificent feast.

The turkey has been ordered and cranberries have been bought but that’s it. Ever since I wrote the cookbook, that has a schedule, process and my favorite recipes for the big day, I can relax, because honestly I have it all written down now and can just follow my own e-cookbook! It’s really great. You can download it to your Kindle here. I’m super excited for the cornbread apple stuffing I make, as well as the cranberry ginger sauce and the giblet gravy, all surrounding the big bird.

Thanksgiving centerpiece to make with kids out of vegetables.I was recently invited to a special lunch at Bill Telepan’s new Telepan Local restaurant. It was all about encouraging folks to eat vegetables, especially local vegetables. Just take a look at this centerpiece.

You too can make this – especially a fun project if you have younger kids! Cut 2 flat sides perpendicular to each other on an acorn squash and use toothpicks to put in the other vegetables. Use cloves for the eyes. Enjoy!!

Thanksgiving e-book is out!

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ebook-Thanksgiving

Dear Food Loving Friends,

I did it. (the very famous line from Presumed Innocent – great movie!) But no, really, our Thanksgiving e-book is out! I wrote our first e-book on how to make a fantastic Thanksgiving meal. I have collected and put together my favorite 13 recipes, along with a process guide on how to get everything accomplished on the days leading up to the big day. This makes it easy for you. Understand that I have been making Thanksgiving dinners for quite some time now and this is a collection of my very best recipes. It was only last year, that I discovered the perfect side dish of Brussels Sprouts with a Fish Sauce Vinaigrette. Yes, really! I know it sounds weird but this dish works really well in the pairing with the other rich dishes that surround the turkey.

Of course, you don’t have to make every recipe that is there. Pick and choose to suit your taste. But in this book you’ll find the very best way to roast your bird to achieve moist, melt-in-your-mouth white meat that doesn’t even need gravy. But don’t worry, I give you the best giblet gravy to make as well, seasoned with thyme and the crushed roasted vegetables that formed the rack for roasting the bird. My appetizers are great too – light and just right and you won’t need a second oven to prepare them in, because I don’t have one at our country house, which is where we’ll be celebrating. My stuffing has become globally famous and the cranberry sauce is just sweet enough, punctuated with fresh ginger and orange zest. Believe me, I’ve tried dozens of different recipes for all of these dishes and in this book, I only present the ones that made it to stardom.

The process guide combats intimidation and will keep you organized and sane. (So will a glass of wine.) We’ve even included little check boxes for you to appreciate your accomplishments along the way. Of course, the book is beautifully designed by our team here at PM+CO, because that’s what I do in my day job.

Check it out here with a full listing of recipes. Please share your experiences with me. I welcome your input!

With LOVE,

Mary Frances

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