The Cheap Gourmet

Thanksgiving Menu Ideas, Recipes, Cooking Tips and How-To Video Resources

Tired of the same ole' Thanksgiving menu? Ready to venture out and try new and exciting recipes? In need of cooking tips or searching for how-to videos that provide step-by-step cooking instructions? If so, you'll love the following Thanksgiving menu ideas and cooking resources!

For years, our family Thanksgiving menu consisted of roasted turkey, mashed potatoes with gravy, noodles, the infamous green bean casserole, freshly baked rolls along with at least one pumpkin pie and one pecan pie.

This year we are joining friends for a Thanksgiving feast and I have been searching for unique dessert and side dish recipes. The following holiday cooking resources have helped me locate a variety of delicious, nutritious and healthy recipes. My biggest problem now is deciding which ones to prepare! I hope these resources help you locate recipes to complement and enhance your Thanksgiving meal!

Thanksgiving Menu Ideas, Recipes, Cooking Tips and How-To Video Resources

Every Day with Rachel Ray – Rachel Ray is infamous for creating recipes suited for home cooks who don't have a lot of time to spend in the kitchen. Her website is packed with recipes for all occasions and includes a special section devoted to Thanksgiving.

At Every Day with Rachel Ray you'll find recipes for starters, sides, turkey, stuffing, soups, desserts and drinks. How-to videos are available and include: How to prep a turkey for roasting; how to carve a turkey; how to make stuffing; how to make gravy; how to make easy mashed potatoes; how to make an easy lattice pie; and much more!

Cooking.com – Here you will discover a vast database of recipes for every occasion. From breakfast, lunch and dinner to party planning and holiday fare, Cooking.com is a one-stop resource for recipes, cooking tips, kitchen gadgets and more!

Click on the Holidays and Parties link to locate complete menu planners or individual recipes. Wow your guests with unique pumpkin recipes such as Pumpkin Maple Crème Brulée, Pumpkin Walnut Cake or Pumpkin Gingersnap Cheesecake. Go beyond traditional Thanksgiving casserole dishes by whipping up Pear and Red Onion Gratin, Whipped Sweet Potato Bake, or Canadian Bacon, Potato and Swiss Chard Gratin.

Campbell's Kitchen – Manufacturer of America's favorite soups, Campbell's Kitchen provides 115 holiday recipes certain to please even the pickiest eaters. From Skinny Mashed Potatoes to Sausage Walnut Stuffing and Herb Roasted Turkey to Brie en Croute, Cambell's Kitchen offers affordable and easy-to-prepare recipes practically guaranteed to make your Thanksgiving feast memorable.

Be certain to download Campbell's Kitchen Free Holiday Planner which includes all the recipes you'll need for the holidays and the leftovers to follow!

Eat Better America – Locating healthy holiday recipes can be challenging, but Eat Better America provides a vast assortment of great tasting, nutritious recipes that are low in calories while bursting with flavor.

Indulge in French classics such as Turkey Ratatouille or Italian favorites such as Turkey and Spinach Manicotti. Savor the intoxicating flavors of Thyme-Roasted Turkey Breast or save time by preparing the Slow Cooker Turkey Breast Stuffed with Rice.

Eat Better America recipe selections include: breakfast and brunch, appetizers and snacks, dinner, sides, breads, desserts and drinks. Take a moment to subscribe to their newsletter and receive diet, nutrition and fitness tips; discover simple ways to eat healthy; and obtain a variety of money saving coupons.

Cooking Club of America – Discover dozens of Thanksgiving Potluck Dinner recipes perfect for sharing with family and friends. Recipe categories include: Appetizers, Breads and Rolls, Cranberry Sauces and Relish, Salads, Stuffing and Dressing, Sweet Potatoes, Mashed Potatoes and Vegetarian Side Dishes.

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Best Thanksgiving Turkey Recipe Resources

Thanksgiving is rapidly approaching and many of us are in need of outstanding recipes that will impress our guests and provide a moist, tender turkey. Today, I'd like to share my favorite Thanksgiving turkey recipe resources and hope they help you find the perfect recipe for your holiday feast.

Top Five Thanksgiving Turkey Recipe Resources:

Food Network – The Food Network provides dozens of turkey recipes, along with appetizers, side dishes, stuffing and dressing, side dishes, salads and desserts. Thanksgiving turkey recipes include: Roasted Turkey with Citrus Rosemary Salt; Oven Roasted Turkey Breast with Leeks; Paula Deen's Turkey with Maple Cranberry Glaze; Bobby Flay's Apple-Sage Glazed Grilled Whole Turkey; and Alton Brown's Turkey with Stuffing.

AllRecipes.com– Here you will discover how to make the infamous deep-fried turkey, along with recipes for BBQ turkey, smoked turkey, classic stuffed turkey, the best "Ugly Turkey", easy herb turkey and the "World's Best" turkey!

Butterball provides the Turkey Talk Line each weekday between the hours of 8am to 8pm. The Butterball website provides tips and how-to ideas for roasting, broasting, grilling and baking whole turkeys, turkey legs, wings and breasts. Butterball is currently offering a $2.00 discount coupon for any fresh or frozen whole Butterball turkey. Offer expires 12/31/09.

EatTurkey.com offers a wealth of turkey recipes and resources to create a successful holiday meal. Here you'll find prep tips and cooking times, holiday menu planners, roasting procedures, how to choose the proper roasting pan, how to carve a turkey, and storage and preparation safety guides.

Real Simple is one of my favorite resources for obtaining all types of recipes. In the spirit of the holidays, Real Simple offers a vast array of turkey recipes including tips for how to host a Thanksgiving Potluck dinner.

Real Simple offers more than 50 Thanksgiving recipes including: Basic Roast Turkey, Maple Glazed Turkey, Roast Turkey with Sage Stuffing and Gravy, and Turkey with Molasses Butter. You'll also have access to recipes for homemade gravies, stuffing, dressings, breads and biscuits, cranberries, beans, spinach and greens, salads, squash, potatoes, sweet potatoes, vegetables and desserts.

Take a moment to subscribe to The Cheap Gourmet mailing list to receive more holiday tips and recipes, along with future giveaways. We have lined up some amazing sponsors who will be offering exclusive giveaways to The Cheap Gourmet readers.

Simply enter your email address in the subscription box on the right sidebar. We never sell, rent, trade or giveaway your contact information and only contact you when new articles and announcements are published.

Thank you for being part of The Cheap Gourmet family. We wish you a happy holiday season and a wonderful Thanksgiving!

P.S. Don't forget to download your complimentary "Healthy Holiday Thanksgiving Menu Planner" below:

Download Healthy Holiday Cooking Thanksgiving Recipe Collection 2009

How to Make a Cupcake Cake for any Occasion

How to Make a Cupcake Cake for any Occasion

Last weekend my husband and I attended a birthday celebration for friends who were both turning 60. Being such a milestone birthday, friends and family organized a semi-surprise party and planned a feast for royalty.

In July, I ordered mini cupcake pans from Easy Bakeware, which I had not had a chance to try out. Several years ago, another friend of mine taught me how to make cupcake cakes. The guest list included several children and I thought mini cupcakes would be a great way to keep them away from the "grown-up" cake until it was ready to be served.

I was preparing several dishes for the party and needed to save a little time, so I purchased boxed cake mixes and canned icing. Overall, I baked about 225 mini cupcakes. Although I only had two 12-cupcake mini muffin pans, the Easy Bakeware made the process a breeze!

I used mini muffin paper baking tins and filled each about 2/3rd's full of batter. Baking time per batch was 13 minutes at 425 degrees Fahrenheit. I used three types of cake batter - French Vanilla, Dark Chocolate and Butter Chocolate. The Butter Chocolate was by far my favorite; although all of them were quite tasty and addicting!

Next, I cut a cardboard moving box into a 24"x18" rectangle and covered it with foil. I had purchased decorative letters and colored sprinkles at the store. For the cupcakes used for the mini cupcake cake, I spread the icing evenly using a small icing knife, then placed one letter on each mini cupcake.

 

As  you can see, I used white frosting for the cupcakes with letters. It reads: "Happy 60th Birthday Maeme and Carl". I alternated flavors on each row. The first, third and fifth row are French Vanilla cupcakes, while the second and fourth rows are chocolate cupcakes.

Using some of the extra mini cupcakes, I created little islands on the sides to fill in the extra space. I purchased paper palm trees attached to a toothpick. These palm trees gave me fits because they had this teeny-tiny square adhesive covered in paper. The paper had to be removed and the palm trees stretched out and attached to the other side. Considering it was 4am when I was finishing up this cake, not all the palm trees came out uniformly. As they say, it's the thought that counts!

 

I used the butter chocolate mini cupcakes to create the islands and used a piping bag to swirl the icing. I placed 3 to 4 "island" cupcakes together and then placed one on top of the stack to create the illusion of an island. I then used white icing to pipe around the edges of the cardboard and topped with colored sprinkles. 

This was my first attempt at making a cupcake cake and while it isn't perfect, it was certainly a huge hit at the party. I placed the remaining cupcakes on dessert trays and when we departed the party, I noticed only 3 were left. The cupcake cake was completely devoured.

Not only was the cupcake cake a lot of fun to make, it didn't take much time and the guests absolutely loved it. Homemade gifts are always a great way to make people feel special. Even though I used boxed cake mixes, I could not have been more pleased with the final product.

If you are wondering how I transported the cake, I simply covered it loosely with foil. The palm trees helped keep the foil off the icing. I drive a Toyota Rav4, so the cardboard platform fit perfectly in the tailgate area. We drove extra careful to make certain we didn't need to make any sudden stops or take corners on two wheels ;-)

The possibilities of cupcake cakes are endless. Grocery stores, dollar stores, and party stores carry a wide range of novelty items that can be used to create all kinds of theme cakes. If you don't own a pasty bag and piping tips, you can place icing inside a sandwich bag and snip one corner off. Piping the icing on the cupcakes is considerably more efficient than using an icing spreader.

After using the EasyBakeware muffin pan, I can honestly say that I will be converting ALL my bakeware to this brand. The pans are made from silicone (I think!) and are super easy to clean. The muffins popped out easily and there was little mess to clean up.

EasyBakeware is currently offering FREE bakeware. You can receive any piece of bakeware for free, but will have to pay the shipping cost of $7.95. I've seen this type of bakeware in stores and the average retail price is $19.95 to $24.95 per piece!

If you're like me and love to bake, I highly recommend giving EasyBakeware a try. Click on the banner below and take advantage of the free offer before it's too late.

How to Read a Recipe

Last week, I asked my teenage daughter to look up a recipe for me. She was attempting to read the ingredients, but unfamiliar with the measuring abbreviations used. Shocking, I know! However, it dawned on me that if my own kid didn't know how to read a recipe, there were probably lots of other folks who don't know how to read one either.

That prompted me to write a step-by-step guide to preparing any recipe, which I have published at my Associated Content Portfolio. If you struggle with reading recipes, "How to Read a Recipe" will take you by the hand and help you understand the jargon. You'll learn about different cooking techniques, cooking equipment, cooking measurements, food preparation terminology, cooking and baking temperatures, and more.

Click here to read the full 6-page "How to Read a Recipe".

I invite you to peruse my entire Associated Content writing portfolio at www.KathyBrowning.com. You'll find additional recipes and cooking articles that are not available on The Cheap Gourmet blog. Thanks for reading! I hope you benefit from the articles.

Rules for Healthy Eating

If you are confused about what to eat, you are not alone! Every day we are bombarded with ads about the latest fad diet and conflicting information about what is healthy and what is not. In today’s fast-paced society, it’s easy to get sucked in to the fast-food lifestyle because we simply do not have the time or energy to prepare our meals.

On the flip side, by living this lifestyle we are robbing our bodies of precious nutrients, which will give us the vibrant health and energy we desire. Eating well is not difficult and the benefits of taking the time to properly fuel your body is worth the investment. By following a few simple rules, you can experience a wide range of benefits including more energy, better sleep, and less stress.

I invite you to read "Rules for Healthy Eating"; an exclusive article I wrote for Associated Content. Feel free to browse my entire Associated Content writing portfolio at www.KathyBrowning.com. You'll find a variety of recipes, cooking tips, nutrition and health articles and restaurant reviews.

A Guide to Coffee and Tea Condiments

If you like to alter the flavor of your coffee or tea through the use of sweeteners, creamers, or flavored syrups, check out "A Guide to Coffee and Tea Condiments"; an article I wrote for Associated Content.

A Guide to Coffee and Tea Condiments discusses the various types of sugar, honey, artificial sweeteners, natural sweeteners including stevia and agave syrup, creamers and flavored syrups.

I hope you enjoy A Guide to Coffee and Tea Condiments, and invite you to peruse my entire writing portfolio consisting of recipes, cooking tips, kitchen gadget product reviews, coffee and tea product reviews and much more. 

My writing portfolio is located at www.KathyBrowning.com. I hope you benefit from the information presented there. If you enjoy writing and would like to be paid for your work, sign-up to be an AC Contributor at AssociatedContent.com.

Red, White and Blue Recipes for the 4th of July!

It's not too late to plan a bodacious red, white and blue menu for your 4th of July celebration. The Recipe Zaar offers an abundance of deliciously delightful concoctions that are certain to please your family and guests. You'll find everything from 4th of July Margaritas to Red, White and Blue Burgers and plenty of tastebud exploding desserts!

If you've never been to Recipe Zaar, you are missing out! Not only will you find thousands of mouth-watering recipes, you'll also be able to interact with other home cooks and chefs in the Recipe Zaar community, share your own recipes, and save recipes in a personal cookbook. Go check them out at www.RecipeZaar.com and sign-up for your free account today!

Photo by RecipeLink.com

Cooking Terms and What They Mean

The following "Cooking Terms and What They Mean" is a video produced in the 1950s. Although it is rather comical, it also provides much-needed cooking knowledge. As a child of the 50s, watching this brought back many memories. Ladies, we truly have come a long way!

Oatmeal Pancakes Recipe

Oatmeal Pancakes Recipe

Just because you have a passion for food, doesn't mean you can't stay fit. As we've discussed before, gourmet food can be healthy and provide your body with the necessary fuel to get you through the day. If you're interested in staying healthy while enjoying food, check out Warrior Fitness World.

There's a wealth of information presented on the topics of exercise, diet, and health. You'll also find a Forum where you can connect with like-minded people. 

Oatmeal Pancakes

 

photo: Courtesy of eHow.com

Founder of Warrior Fitness World, Akanke Birmingham, is a personal trainer in Atlanta. She is drop-dead gorgeous and has the physique we all desire. I'm jealous! She shares her recipe for Oatmeal Pancakes that look quite delicious and I'm definitely going to give them a try.

What's unique about these oatmeal pancakes is they provide a great deal of protein. She shows you exactly how to make them in her easy-to-follow cooking video. Click here to learn how to make these protein powerhouse pancakes.

All-Foods-Natural.com Review

All-Foods-Natural.com Review

One of the best things about writing this blog is conducting research and locating gourmet food resources. I don't know which I love more -- cooking or researching about cooking ;-) Today, I stumbled across All Foods Natural at www.all-foods-natural.com.

Their slogan is, "Gourmet meals using natural herbs, spices, condiments and flavorings". Caught my interest, so I spent time digging around. It's a fabulous website. You should check it out.

They offer a free newsletter and when you subscribe you receive a free copy of "Tea Tips and Advice". If you're a writer, you can submit food articles which might be selected for publication in their newsletter or on their website. They invite readers to submit their favorite recipe. If your recipe is selected for publication, you win a prize.

In addition to all the free goodies, you'll find sensational recipes, practical cooking tips, and sound nutrition advice. They have an article library and newsletter archive where you can find valuable information. For instance, here is one article I found of particular interest...

Six Essential Points to Improve Your Brain Power Through Diet.

If you don't have much time right now, visit their site and subscribe to their newsletter. The Tea Tips freebie is quite enjoyable!

Saveur Magazine

Saveur Magazine is one of my all-time favorites. Not only will you find magnificent recipes, you'll also learn about the history of foods, discover secret cooking tips, and read food articles that will spark your imagination and inspire you to create new dishes in your own kitchen.

Order a one-year subscription to Saveur Magazine by clicking on the link below. Doing so will net you an annual savings of 56-percent. You will receive 9 issues of Saveur Magazine, with a fresh issue delivered straight to your mailbox every six weeks. To learn more about Saveur Magazine or to start your subscription, click on the link below.

Order Saveur Magazine

Eating Well Magazine

Introducing Eating Well Magazine

Oftentimes people associate gourmet cooking to rich, calorie-laden foods. While this can be true, gourmet cooking can also include delicious, healthy foods. Eating Well Magazine is an excellent resource for learning how to incorporate healthy foods that actually taste good into your diet.

A one-year subscription of Eating Well Magazine is a mere $14.97. This consists of 6 issues for about $2.50 each. Quite a bargain, wouldn't you agree?

Each issue is packed with healthy recipes, cooking tips, product suggestions and more. Give it a try. If you don't like it, you can cancel your subscription, so you really have nothing to lose.

To start your subscription and begin eating well click on the link below.

Eating Well Magazine

Ten Things I Love About the Food Network

If you love cooking as much as I do, chances are good you are familiar with the Food Network. If not, be sure to visit their website at www.FoodNetwork.com. Not only do I spend way too many hours watching their incredible line-up of cooking shows, I also spend too much time at their website.

The problem is the Food Network is addictive. There is an abundance of good stuff and from the look of things, they update their website on a regular basis. There's always new stuff to learn and new recipes to try. I'm certain you'll find an abundance of things to love about the Food Network too. To help you get started, I've compiled a list of my ten favorite things...

1. Bobby Flay - The star of "Boy Meets Grill" and "Throwdown with Bobby Flay". I love both these shows, but think Boy Meets Grill must be on hiatus because it hasn't been on for awhile. Bobby is just downright cute and fun to watch. Who knows, maybe someday I'll meet him in person??
2. Everyday Italian - Giada De Laurentiis is the hostess and she is adorable. She offers easy and delicious Italian recipes. You simply must check out her recipe selection on the Food Network website. Marvelous-O!
3. Ace of Cakes - Duff Goldman is the host, but his entire team of bakers are frequently spotlighted in the show. They create the most incredible cakes on the planet. Oh, to have that kind of talent!
4. Unwrapped - Marc Summers hosts this educational and entertaining show that takes you behind-the-scenes to see how stuff is made. They recently toured "Hungry Howie's" which is a pizza delivery company that we order from all the time. Unwrapped features all kinds of crazy stuff, so be sure to watch an episode or two.
5. Challenges - These shows are competitions between chefs who are competing for a large check -- usually around $10,000. The challenges have included gingerbread houses, theme cakes, cakes made from rice cereal, and sugar sculpture competitions, to name a few. It's amazing to see what these chefs and bakers are able to create out of food.
6. Tasty Travel - This section of the Food Network website is really cool. It contains listing of restaurants in major cities around the globe. On each city page you'll find information about various restaurants, travel tips, links to hotels, recipes and more. It's quite informative!
7. Kitchen Design - Currently, we're planning a kitchen remodel and I have spent hours exploring this section of the Food Network website. You can learn everything you need to know - from choosing the best paint color to installing a sink. You can watch how-to videos, read articles, and even purchase products online. It's a beautiful thing!
8. Cooking - Everything you could possibly ever want to know about cooking can be found in this section of the Food Network website. And I do mean EVERYTHING! From cooking with your kids to holiday baking, you'll find recipes, cooking videos, cooking encyclopedia and tons more. Even if you have never boiled water, the Cooking section can quickly turn you into a gourmet cook!
9. Contests and Offers - The Food Network is always offering some kind of cool contest or sweepstakes. The grand prize always involves something related to cooking. It might be a cooking vacation, an opportunity to meet one of the network's chefs, or winning a kitchen remodel or set of professional cookware. The prizes are always great and I hope to win big one of these days!
10. The Food Network Store - Here's an easy place to melt your plastic. Everything you could possibly want can be found in the online store. You can order products offered by your favorite cooking celeb. Love Emeril's spices? You can order them online. How about Paula Deen's recipes? You can order her cookbooks directly from the website. If you're ever stuck for a gift idea, hop on over to the Food Network Store and your shopping problem will be solved.

These are my top ten. Feel free to let me know what your favorite aspect of the Food Network is. I know there are a lot of you who love the network as much as I do. I'd love to hear from you!

Free Sample True Lemon Crystallized Lemon Substitute

For the first time ever, fresh squeezed lemon and lime taste is as simple as a tear of a packet or a shake of a bottle thanks to True Lemon and True Lime, the original crystallized lemon and lime substitutes, in packets and shakers.

Both lemons and limes exude vitamin C; the antioxidant that helps fight heart disease, inflammation, and cancer. Lemons and limes also contain phytochemicals, including terpenes and limonenes, that are believed to play a role in preventing some cancers.

You can perk up nearly any dish by adding a squeeze of fresh lemon or lime juice and a few herbs. True Lemon® or True Lime™ has:

    * 0 calories, 0g carbohydrates, 0 fat;
    * No artificial or natural sweeteners;
    * No preservatives or sodium; and
    * 25% of an adult’s daily Vitamin C requirements.

At the time of this posting, TrueLemon is offering free product samples. To learn more about this convenient, all-natural product visit True Lemon.

Gourmet Cooking Salts

Gourmet Cooking Salts

Do your friends refer to you as a "salt-aholic"? If so, you're not alone. Millions of people love the taste of salt on their food -- me included! I subscribe to the Whole Foods Market newsletter. Their recent issue featured salts of the earth. It's an interesting and informative article that helped me learn more about the various types of salt available. Click here to read "Salts of the Earth."

If you're looking for a place to purchase gourmet cooking salts, check out Faerie's Finest. You'll also find a nice selection of gourmet peppercorns, seasonings, flavored sugars and teas, cocoas, gourmet gifts and more!