The Maples Club

There are so many things to love about Thanksgiving, but one of my weaknesses is dessert-it’s the focus of my meal time Thanksgiving Wishes! This is a special day and I refuse to deny myself this annual pleasure. While the dinner itself fills ups one’s stomach, dessert buffets brings pleasure to the eyes that one simply can’t resist.

I like to serve dessert for Thanksgiving buffet style. It looks pretty, and everyone can enjoy the sweet treat they like best. Pumpkin Pie with fresh sweetened whipped cream is a must. It really isn’t the holiday without this. I’m torn between two favorites: Carrot Cake with cream cheese icing and Marbled Pumpkin Cheesecake that can be prepared with a basic graham cracker crust or jazzed up with ginger snap and pecan crust. The versatility of cream cheese seems almost endless. You could also consider making a few individual desserts like a cranberry triffle where you use individual dishes like a parfait, wine or martini glass. Line the bottom with pound cake drizzle with cranberry sauce and top with sweetened whipped cream. If there is room, layer one more time with cake, sauce and whipped cream and place a cranberry on top for garnish. The color makes this a show stopper. All of the desserts can be prepared in advance. This seems to be one area where people seem to enjoy getting their “assignment” of something to bring. At our house aunt Nancy always brings the Pecan Pie as this is “her area”. I’m happy people like to contribute the desserts they like best, and when Thanksgiving is over who isn’t happy to eat left over dessert while watching football on one of the biggest football weekends of the year.

This year if you are invited over to someone’s home for Thanksgiving dinner and are not assigned a meal item to prepare, go ahead and bring a gift of appreciation. I like any of the Thanksgiving Gift Baskets you can find over at HomeCookingConnection.com.

How many times have you found yourself in need of a good gift?  You may want to get your friend something unique and festive or maybe something to enjoy right away.  Maybe you need a quick and inexpensive gift to welcome a new neighbor to the neighborhood or a gift for the baby shower.  Cookie bouquets make great gifts for any of these occasions. Read more…

I don’t imagine there are many people that have never owned a piece or two of CorningWare cookware. CorningWare has been around for generations and with good reason! This classic stoneware cookware has been know for it’s versatility and simple styling as well. I still have a few pieces of my mother’s CorningWare in my kitchen cabinets that I use quite frequently. I have since added a couple of more pieces to my kitchenware collection because I needed some different sizes than what I currently had. I bought this elegant 6 piece CorningWare Cookware Set since it fit my needs perfectly. Read more…

I recently had dinner at a friend’s house and I couldn’t believe house moist and delicious the roast tasted. When I asked her how she had prepared it to make it so tasty, she told me that the key was that she had cooked it in her clay baker. So when I had time over the weekend I did some research about clay cooking and was surprised to find out how long it had been around and how popular the cooking method is. After doing some more research, I decided to purchase one for myself. I chose a large contemporary clay baker since I liked it’s modern styling and I though the size would best suit my needs. Read more…

I love traditional beef stroganoff.  All that creamy sauce, tender beef, and mushrooms poured over hot buttery egg noodles… what’s not to love?  Well, maybe having to watch it bubbling on the stove, being careful that it doesn’t stick to the bottom of the pan and scorch.  Problem solved!  A simple and delicious crock pot beef stroganoff is just the ticket!  Even though this is a crock pot recipe, there really aren’t any short cuts to making this stroganoff, which I appreciate.  I don’t think beef stroganoff should drift too far from it’s original form – beef, mushrooms, and onion drenched in sour cream and served over egg noodles. Read more…

In my kitchen I find myself reaching for a lot of the same things each day. For instance, there is my favorite licorice spice tea in the morning and chamomile in the evening. My husband is a big coffee drinker so we always have a least one or two containers of his favorite French Roast on hand. And of course there are the kids, always looking for bags of fruit snacks or mini pretzels in the afternoon.  It felt like I was always digging around the pantry or into the back of the cabinet for things. Then I saw this beautiful Ceramic Canister Set in my friends kitchen and I knew I had found a solution to my storage issue. Read more…

I’ve had a bag of dry black beans sitting around my pantry for months now. I picked it up on a whim at the grocery store and never quite knew what to make with it once I got home. That was until I stumbled across this black bean soup recipe last week. This past weekend, when I had some extra time, I gave it a try. Saturday night we had black bean soup and a batch of sweet corn muffins for dinner. Very yummy and there was enough soup leftover for lunch after church on Sunday. Read more…