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Thanksgiving is two weeks away and I've begun planning my dinner. My daughter will spend the holiday with her husband's family as will my son who will spend the holiday with his future in-laws. With just my husband and I home alone, I'll still make a Thanksgiving dinner for the two of us.

As I don't know my work schedule yet for Thanksgiving week, I already started my holiday food shopping. On the menu is Butternut Squash-Apple Soup, Great Grandma Freid's turkey dressing, hotel style turkey breast, sweet potatoes (I'm not sure on the preparation for those yet) and perhaps some Brussel sprouts. For dessert, pumpkin cheesecake crumble squares.
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Today my husband and I were invited to a turkey fry at my daughter's brother-in-law and sister-in-law's house Thanks to social media, I know that this is the tenth year of their turkey fry. Co-workers, family, friends, friends of friends, extended family members and surprise guest show up each year.

Last evening our host began brining four turkeys that he keeps chilled in four coolers. He told me that his brine mixture consists of water, sugar, some salt, low sodium soy sauce and a bay leaf.

He also injects his turkeys with his own hot sauce creation. The hot sauce ingredients include teriyaki sauce, lime juice, hot sauce and ground black pepper. I didn't see a measuring cup or measuring spoons, so it's safe to say that after all these years he has the proportions down pat. Also, he's discovered the spots on the turkey where the injection works bests. He fries the turkey
​3-1/2 minutes per pound. Today, he was frying four 20 pound birds. I must say the meat was moist and tasty. I had one piece where the hot sauce was concentrated in one spot of the meat.

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I'm off from work today, so I decided to whip up a batch of pumpkin cranberry bread. I found this recipe in issue of Gourmet Magazine in November 1996. It's a quick making recipe, but instead of baking it in a loaf pan, I decided to make a dozen muffins instead. I baked the muffins for approximately 30-35 minutes at 350°. This recipe will make a great addition to your holiday table. Can you make them ahead and freeze for the holiday. 
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As my husband and I don't eat much red meat, I like to find recipes that emulate beef. One of those items is a boneless turkey tenderloin, which for some reason reminds me of London broil. I found this recipe on a package Shady Brook Farms Breast Tenderloins. However, I purchase boneless turkey breasts at Wegmans for $5.49/lb. 
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there were pressure cookers. My mother made her gravy (what non-Italians call tomato sauce) in a pressure cooker. She also made beef stew using a can of Veg-All. About five years ago, I purchased a Fagor pressure cooker from Williams-Sonoma. I searched their website for a recipe for beef stew. What I found was a recipe for 20-Minute Beef Stew. ​It made for a great supper the other night as I could make it ahead and my husband only had to reheat it.
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What a beautiful Wednesday! I went to the gym this morning to stretch out my back. Luckily I'm not working today and can take advantage of some "me time."  

Every once in a while, I like to have pancakes. It's not something I normally make when I get up, which can be between 5 and 5:30 a.m. So today, after the gym, I thought I would make some pumpkin walnut flapjacks. I came across this recipe on the website Epicurious.com, which stores recipes from Gourmet Magazine, Buon Appétit and other sources. This recipe appeared in the October 2003 issue of Buon Appétit magazine. It most likely came from their column where readers request recipes from restaurants, bakeries etc. This recipe is from Mirror Lake Inn in Lake Placid, NY.
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It has  been a busy month for me. My part time job has me averaging about 30 hours per week. The first and third week of this month I've been working the last shift of the day. It doesn't leave me a whole lot of time for doing things around the house, squeezing in the gym and preparing supper for my husband and I before I leave for work. However, I have been cooking. 
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Last evening my husband and I had the pleasure of having dinner with a business associate of his and his wife. We met them Yvonne's in Neptune. What an expected surprise to find this little gem! Yvonne's relocated to Neptune following a fire in Ocean Grove back in February 2015. Yvonne's is located on the southbound side of Route 35 just before the Headliner.

We started the evening at the bar, which was quite lively for a Tuesday evening. They have Happy Hour Monday through Friday from 12 noon to 7 p.m. Appetizers are 1/2 price, house liquors are 1/2 price, glass of wine $5 and discounted draft beers.
After settling in at a table in the dining we perused the menu for appetizers. Our host started off with the soup of the day which was a cup of French onion. I must say it was a rather large cup of soup,  an over-sized coffee cup. The table shared tuna nachos with yellow fin tuna, seaweed salad, atop wonton crisps garnished with spicy mayo and sesame seeds ($15) and  the Seashore Salad that had scallops and shrimp with avocado, red onion, tomato, lemon juice, olive oil and balsamic vinegar atop a bed of fresh greens ($20). It was more than enough for four people. By the way, the warm bread that is brought to the table is accompanied by delicious herb butter...yum!

I was almost full from enjoying the appetizers. I decided to try their classic 10 ounce sirloin burger that was served on a brioche bun along with fries ($12). Our host had the 14 ounce bone-in center cut Grilled Pork Chop served on top of bleu cheese mashed potatoes and topped with sautéed mushrooms, onions and cherry peppers ($27.00). His wife tried Brazilian pacu fish ribs with citrus-tequila BBQ sauce, sun-dried tomato polenta and asparagus ($30.00). Our waitress said that pacu fish is related to piranha. Our hostess raved about how delicious this dish was. The only down side was she had to be careful of the bones. My husband had Thai sea scallops pan that were seared with green curry sauce, served with mushroom clam risotto and Thai veggie sauce ($32.00), which he thoroughly enjoyed. We were too full for dessert.

Overall, it was a wonderful dining experience. The food was creative and had a wonderful presentation. The portion sizes were more than adequate and the waitress was very patient and efficient. I must say, they do not offer nightly specials. However, I noticed on the chalkboard opposite the bar, that on Sunday evening's the chef does prepare some special entrees. Below is a listing of their nightly offerings. Sunday evening was not included in the online listing. I can't wait to try their nightly specials.

Monday - 1/2 Price Pasta Night. 
Tuesday - $12 Burgers & Brews, all day long! 10 oz. burgers with your choice of select draft beers. 
Wednesday- $25 Steak Night, Enjoy a cute of Rib-eye, NY Strip or Filet Mignon paired with two sides of your choice to enjoy!
Thursday - It is a Date Night, $50 Prefix Menu for Two, Includes a House glass of Wine Red or White, a Soup or Salad, Entree, And Dessert.
Friday - Happy Hour & LIVE Entertainment!
Sunday- 1/2 Price Wines! 

Photo from Yvonne's website/Google Images



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Last week our son became engaged to a wonderful girl. We are so delighted to have her join our family. To celebrate their engagement, I had them over for supper this evening.

As the weather is turning cooler, I thought Caribbean Pork Casserole would be great for supper this evening. I had purchased a family pack of pork tenderloins at Wegmans ($2.99/lb. for two twin packs) and would use one of the two packages. I was working until 4 today, so I did a bit of prepping last night by marinating the meat. When I came home this afternoon, I only had to do the veggies and brown off the meat. 
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It's quite chilly this morning at the Jersey shore. What better way to warm up your kitchen than with a quick and easy supper today. Another go to meal for me is Shepherd's Pie. Wegmans in Ocean Township carries Colmans of Norwich Shepherd's Pie seasoning mix along with several other seasoning mixes.


​meet donna

A former teacher, shop-a-holic, empty-nester redefining quick, family approved dinners.

​If you have questions or comments, click on the envelope icon above to contact me directly. 

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