what are you baking/makng for the holidays? what will your holiday celebrations look like?

I saw a pretty cool tree mold for baking on evil cake genius' web page the other day when I was looking up that edible fabric stuff she has -- would stand about eight inches tall --so of course that got me to thinking...but hopefully that's as far as that will go -- hahahahaha

I make/prepare 95% of my food -- I mean I make my own ketchup for baked beans --kwim-- so I'm kinda out of that makey/makey crafty/cutey loop sorta --

and without grandkids... and a pandemic  for the cherry on top...

I am putting up a tree this year, for the second time in a long while --got some new ornaments & stuff -- I got leopard ornaments, pink glittery ribbon picks, glittery 3-d rose clips, so we shall see -- I need some strings of pearls.... > calling out < "oh hobby lobby".....

y'know what though, I've gotta a pan that makes six mini bundt cakes w/out the middle hole -- if the baking bug bites (is there a vaccine)  I could use one of those for the base and make tree cakes out of that -- maybe 'bout could get 'em to five or six inches tall --

whadayou got going?

I'm here boss! For the holidays...I just want to hug my family and tell them how much I love them! I think this year a simple family meal will suffice! As for baking... a pumpkin Saint Honoree maybe. I'm done with 2020, but seems 2020 is not done yet with us! Take care and be safe boss!

love you, sweet friend, reginacb!!! 

rcb ~ wow, pumpkin st honore! hum a few bars for me I don't know that one

I’m check in here 1-3 times a day B ... U...T ...  nuthin goin on :( 

And nuthin’  for either holiday... being alone doesn’t make for any interest  in celebrating :(    Think I’ll see if I can find  a nice thick slice of ham to go along with the sweet potato & cranberry sauce I have 

lynnie, that sounds absolutely delicious! no ooey gooey desserts?

I thought I was of the hook for Thanksgiving, but now that my mom's cousins fridge died, looks like I'm it.  

My mom's sweet potato casserole, my grandmother's cranberry relish, ham, turkey breast and southern cornbread dressing. Then I think I'm gonna make an apple cider caramel cake for dessert. Not big pumpkin fans, so I wanted to make something different. 

Then I start production of my chocolate for the holidays. 

Well, I made a pecan pie this afternoon, does that count?  The only family we have is my sister and her adult children and grandchildren.  Because of first one and another is in quarantine from being in contact with someone who tested positive, it is unlikely we will be able to get together this  year.  We may get together with our neighbors for a meal. 

rychevamp  -- whoa that got the taste buds twitching  -- can I invite myself over? hahahahaha ~  while you had me firmly at sweet potato casserole, by the time we got to apple cider caramel cake I melted -- aka drooled -- mmmm sounds So Good! 

what kinda chocolate production?

geez if I was your mom's cousin I wouldn't put it past me to have 'accidentally' unplugged the fridge to get a meal like that whoo hooo -- but you gonna make 'em bring rolls or something?

sandra, pecan pie always counts!!! yum yum yum -- yeah, the virus is a mess isn't it -- hope your loved ones are otherwise unaffected and the isolation is a huge success -- 

meal with neighbors sounds lovely lovely -- but that one pie won't last till then! hahahaha 

Haha, no, it was not intended to.  It's all Mike's and mine!  Whenever we have a get together, I always bring tons of food, most of it really.  Mike and I are the cooks in our community.  If we do get together, for sure there will be a turkey and a ham, sausage cornbread dressing (naturally), probably sausage balls and baked brie, cranberry-orange relish, a couple of yeast breads, you know, the whole cast of characters!

We decided we had to opt out of Thanksgiving hosting here.  When I invite my brothers and sisters that live in New York it's just 11 of us but it's 5 different households and ...well...it's a no around here. It's super sad to have to skip it,mostly because way back in March we said at least it's not the holidays and now here we are!  The up-side? I'm the one responsible for all the food anyway!  There's no reason for ALL the same food so I'm looking at my usual list to see what to make.  My sisters still want to figure out how they get some stuffing from me so there will probably be a stuffing-drop. My current favorite dessert is a cranberry crumb bar.  It's not overly sweet because of the cranberries but you can jack up the sugar with a citrus sugary glaze if you want. And I want!   And let's say my husband and I don't eat the whole thing, it can be cut into squares and frozen for an I-need-it-now-snack.

Since it's just me and hubby and our 2 3/4 cats, we're just doing a baked chicken this year.  Of course, we have to have the cornbread dressing and pumpkin pie.  I'm thinking I'll probably do my special salad (has everything green I can find) and cranberry sauce of course. The leftovers will get us mostly through the weekend so that will be my time to really clean before Christmas. 

Hubby has a major woodworking project going at work so he'll probably be sawing/sanding/staining/routering and just take time out to eat. After he did barn doors in the conference room to cover the TV they've been finding all sorts of things for him to do.

Hope everyone has a wonderful Thanksgiving!

I'm still here, I come by a few times a week. Miss old time CC. I dont have any plan for the Holidays yet. It seems so far away, but I know it's just around the corner. With all the covid restrictions, there will probably be no festivity at all this year. Pretty sad. A piece of pecan pie would probably cheer me up though...

More the merrier

Oh, well, nothing I posted from the above one showed up

Anyway, @K8memphis, I will be making bon bons to give as gifts and to sell what's left. I just got a new airbrush and compressor, so I'm hoping it will make decorating the molds easier. I tried posting a photo, but it didn't show up.

As far as my mom's cousin, she's very generous, she always brings plenty of champagne! And it's for the best if I cook, she would just do Costco if it was up to her.

sandra, sounds like a lovely time! mmmm sausage balls, brie, relish, yeast breads...whole cast of characters 

theresaf ~ yeah being careful /respectful is on everyone's 2020 christmas list -- 

the cranberry bars sound quite tasty -- I love the "stuffing drop" not a dessert per se but how.sweet! 

I marvel at my former self -- I did four stuffings, fruit, sausage, cornbread and regular, a couple salads, veggies, creamed potatoes, giblet gravy, the turk, a couple two or three pies, a couple breads, tea rings, pecan sassies, cranberry something -- by serving time  the turkey I would have completely deboned and cozily reunited with the juices that cooked out -- I made tons because we loved all the leftovers --

I always had a big slice of my extra deep dish apple pie for breakfast hahahaha

let me know what time to get in on the "stuffing drop" -- I need to get the gluten free this year 

cakefan92 -- I get the two cats but a three/quarter cat? I agree, the leftovers are the best! baked chicken is so good -- sounds lovely -- 

your everything, all things  green salad is intriguing -- my son and his wife were here from california recently especially when the air quality got so bad from the fires -- and he made a delightful Kale salad! I hated fresh kale but he "massaged" it -- tossed it with a lovely creamy lime cilantro dressing and big juicy spiced pecans was So Good --

but all that to say he told me to literally put the stemmed washed kale into my kitchen aid mixer for the massaging -- I can't believe how great that salad was! how often do we got for seconds & thirds on salad!! hahahahaha never heard of massaging kale before -- oh gosh I want some now!

happy warm cozy thanksgiving, wood shavings and all to yous!! 

laetia -- no doubt at all quite a challenging year in so many major and various ways -- but I still want to reach out and say happy thanksgiving 

laetia— sandra’s is certainly tastier but nonetheless

rychevamp -- bonbons and champagne for the win!!! 

Kate, that looks exactly like my pecan pie, except with more ice cream (for me)!  I've never heard of massaging kale either!  I gave up on it because it is so tough.  I will give that a try .  Thank your son for the tip.

cakefan92, I am wondering about the 3/4 kitty too????  What?  I have 27 kitties, but all of them are whole, except Georgia who only has one eye.

What a shame we can't all get together and put all of that lovely food on a long table, like in the olden days at church suppers, and just dig in.  We would be sure to include lots of gluten/sugar free food!

 sandra -- yay for gluten and sugar free food!!! that would be awesome to have a big spread like a lot of us are used to --

that kale salad was awesome -- i even made it after that -- first i just kneaded it in folded uber clean toweling --then jon said put it in the ka -- it doesn't wilt either -- it keeps for days -- dressing and pecans and salad all separate -- i cheated and used eggs in my dressing --

so i guess with georgia  you actually have 26 and 95/100ths kitties  

Of course here in Canada we’ve had our Thanksgiving. And I’m so glad hubby and I have stuck strictly to our family bubble. No other friends, zip, nada, nothing. That made thanksgiving away possible. We just went into red zone here in our region. One step away from full lockdown. Numbers have risen dramatically.  This is partly due to many who gathered in large groups for thanksgiving in October. The restaurant owners are really freaking out. I cannot imagine owning a restaurant right now. But unfortunately many, many restaurants have been flaunting the rules. Large amount of patrons over the limit, no masks, holding large parties. So the legit restaurant owners are now suffering with even tighter restrictions for those who didn’t comply with the rules. Hoping that these new tight restrictions over the next 2 weeks will bring down the numbers. Or there won’t be any Christmas celebrations with family. This will be the first time in 43 years we will not be celebrating Polish Christmas Eve together. My children have never missed. There are 30 of us, so not happening all squished into a small space. So we have no idea what we’re cooking/baking??? Whose hosting??? Will we bother with traditional Polish foods?? Will we keep it simple and just do turkey and trimmings?? I told hubby just this morning....I’m NOT hosting and I ain’t doing all the cooking. I did that for 30 people last Christmas!!! And on top of all this, my son/daughter-in-lw are selling their house. They will most likely be in there new house probably mid December. Maybe, just maybe son/d-in-lw could host in their new house and we all chip in to bring food/desserts....that would be sooooo nice. 

june, it's truly it's a very crazy time -- while we're all -paddling/splashing in un-chartered water I'm trying to keep it and me uncluttered and simple, keep it light, and just thank god for how good He is and how great I've got it -- if a few of us get together great -- if we text and talk on the phone instead great -- no expectations, all flexible ~

we're getting our first organic turkey -- I used to always poo poo organics but wow was I wrong -- the taste differences are usually worth the price -- but then central barbeque has some kinda deal on smoked turkeys -- be still my beating heart -- gobble gobble for real hahaha

I'm not really cooking a meal -- I just cook things and portion them into ball jars for the fridge and freezer -- thaw and go -- 

best to you and yours from across the border!  

Ooohh heaven ms this conversation has me SOOO SOOO hungry.   I come from a very small family— no grandparents just one aunt, uncle & their son (who almost never came) a bro & sis — the total of my family so never had big gatherings.  hubs also came from similar family & never saw any of them.  

I’ve heard of massaging kale -tried a couple times but didn’t seem to make a difference so forget that!   

No plans here at all   New lockdown rules back again yesterday after having been lifted some just less than a month:(    Since reading this I think I’ll get me a lobster tall & some stovetop stuffing:)  I’m not supposed to have  any wheat, dairy or sugar  — daughter read me riot act the other day again as she blames an ear infection on my eating:(   Not easy to change 80 yrs of eating habits in just a couple of days which is what she is expecting but then to be truthful I’m not trying very hard.  

I’m working on a couple of cake orders— not going well as I don’t have the right equipment:(   I’ve spent probably $75-100 on equipment/supplies already for 2 free cakes & still need more things.    How am I ever going to roll out a strip of fondant long enough to wrap around an 8” cake when the only counter space is about 20”x28”??