We had a wonderful, albeit busy, Thanksgiving weekend!
Thursday we had lunch with Annie’s side of the family at Aunt Cookie’s friends’ home in Austin. Several of us were going to the game, so it being in Austin worked out well. I took broccoli & rice casserole as well as pumpkin cake with cinnamon whipped cream. I still haven’t found a broccoli & rice recipe I’m crazy about, nor has any of my mixing and melting (sans recipe) turned out the way I want. BUT, the pumpkin cake & cinnamon whip was a HIT!
Mr. Gray liked the cinnamon whip so much he wore it!
Pumpkin Cake with Cinnamon Whipped Cream
Cake:
1 can (14 ounce) pumpkin
1 can evaporated milk
3 eggs
Cinnamon, to taste
1 1/2 cup sugar
2 sticks unsalted butter, melted
1 box yellow cake mix
1/2 cup graham cracker crumbs (I used honey Teddy Grahams)
Cake:
1 can (14 ounce) pumpkin
1 can evaporated milk
3 eggs
Cinnamon, to taste
1 1/2 cup sugar
2 sticks unsalted butter, melted
1 box yellow cake mix
1/2 cup graham cracker crumbs (I used honey Teddy Grahams)
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees
- Grease a 9×13 pan
- Put ther first 5 ingredients in your bowl and mix well (it will be runny)
- Pour into greased pan
- Sprinkle entire box of yellow cake mix evenly over the top of the pumpkin mixture
- Top with graham cracker crumbs
- Pour melted butter evenly over the top
- Bake for 45 minutes or until an inserted toothpick comes out clean
- Serve warm with cold cinnamon whip on top!
Cinnamon Whip:
Heavy whipping cream
Vanilla
Confectioners’ sugar
Cinnamon
- Pour ingredients (adjust amounts to taste as needed) into bowl
- Whip until the cream stands in peaks
- Serve over warm pumpkin cake or other dessert
After lunch, we got Baby Gray settled with Annie & Aunt Cookie and headed to tailgate. A cold front had blown in, so it was a little chilly outside! It was perfect football weather, but I misunderstood the weather and thought it was going to be rainy & cool rather than windy & cold. Luckily, I had enough clothes to stay warm during the game.
The Aggies pulled out a win in Austin (I’m 2-2 in Austin) for an early birthday present to me! WHOOP!
Thank goodness no one wanted to shop Friday, so we didn’t have to get out and about with all the crazy bargain hunters! We hung around the house and relaxed, and then we headed out to The Ranch. Mr. Gray did a little hunting, and I was scouting out photo ops for the family calendar I make each year.
Saturday was Thanksgiving at our house. We kept it low-key with turkey and tenderloin for sandwiches, potato salad, cranberry cookies, and some more pumpkin cake. I attempted sweet potato fries with my usual recipe, but it didn’t work out too well. They were either soggy and undercooked or burned. I couldn’t get to a happy, edible medium. Oh well! I’ll try again sometime.
Cranberry Cookies
1 box white cake mix
1 stick of butter, softened
2 eggs
2 tbsp water
1/2 package white chocolate morsels
3/4 cup Craisins
1 box white cake mix
1 stick of butter, softened
2 eggs
2 tbsp water
1/2 package white chocolate morsels
3/4 cup Craisins
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees
- Grease cookie sheet(s)–I almost never do, but this dough is STICKY!
- Combine first four ingredients until well mixed
- Fold in white chocolate morsels and Craisins
- Drop by rounded tablespoonful onto cookie sheet
- Bake 12-14 minutes or until golden brown on top
I forgot to take a photo before we ate… oops! The pumpkin cake & whip are bottom right; the cake on the left was made by Suzanne Sexton for my birthday–look her up–her stuff is YUMMY!
We had four generations present on both sides of Mr. Gray’s family and on my dad’s side as well. I orchestrated lots of photos to commemorate such an event. It was so nice to have everyone together hanging out.
We had four generations present on both sides of Mr. Gray’s family and on my dad’s side as well. I orchestrated lots of photos to commemorate such an event. It was so nice to have everyone together hanging out.
I love hosting and having people over, and, I have to say, for my first “event” with Baby Gray, I think it went quite well!
