I’ve got some pretty exciting news here at Creative Kitchen, and I hope this awesome giveaway will make up for my absence of late. I was contacted by Macy’s to do this special holiday post. Share a favorite family holiday recipe, a unique story and offer you guys a chance to get involved too. Isn’t that cool? I thought so!
Over the years I’ve celebrated Thanksgiving many different ways….as a kid with extended family (the BEST kind!), as a kid at a local restaurant (NOT my idea of Thanksgiving!), with friends while overseas in the Navy, with extended family as a young adult and finally the long-awaited Thanksgiving with my very own family. When our babies were little it was really fun to establish some of our own holiday traditions as I mentioned in a recent post, but still my VERY favorite Thanksgivings involve many family members milling about, stories being told, kids running around, football on the tv, and the anticipation of a great meal (whether I’m in on the action or not).
Over the years those extended family memories (of family members all traveling in from their homes far away) are the BEST ones. Now that I’m older I realize and appreciate how much work goes into planning those gatherings and preparing the food and other small details.
I’m blessed that in each of my families (my husband’s and my own)….we realize the significance of family, spending time together making memories and being together. I’m blessed that despite the fact we’re spending this year in our own home….we had TWO other Thanksgiving invitations extended to us. Hopefully next year we’ll be back on the road, but this year my Thanksgiving got a whole lot sweeter when we found out my mother-in-law will be visiting us. Yay!! You know I was disappointed when I realized we weren’t going to be able to travel to family this year.
One year in particular stands out in my childhood memories. It was 1978, we’d recently moved to Salisbury, Maryland and I had been in a Thanksgiving play. I was a pilgrim and my mom made my costume herself. I wish I still had it for my girls to wear!! Here I am wearing the pilgrim dress in a photo taken in our dining room with my grandma and brother.
Anyway, it was the only year we had family travel to us to spend Thanksgiving at our house. Up until this point we had always traveled out to my grandparent’s house in the country singing over the river and through the woods to grandmother’s house we go……
This year my grandma swooped into my mom’s newly renovated kitchen,
and all the women set about making all grandma’s pies from scratch….homemade crust and all. There was pumpkin, apple, pecan and that elusive mincemeat pie that I loved and adored. As a kid you know you think there really is “meat” in that pie, and it was beyond my belief that it still tasted so good and sweet. I loved everyone coming to our house. I loved all the commotion and people milling about. I still do! Nuts were always set out, and Thanksgivings of my youth are when I learned to use a nutcracker and a small metal pick to pick the nut meat out of the shell to eat. Walnuts were my favorite.
I grew up in a quiet calm house….and because of my dad, quiet was really held to a high standard. So as a kid you can imagine how much fun it was to have a house full of people and action filling those normally quiet halls. This house in Maryland was my favorite. The three years we lived here felt like Norman Rockwell Americana at it’s finest. I have some of my best childhood memories here!
We lived in a 2-story house with a huge front porch and a big back yard. Upstairs we had a really neat balcony off my parent’s bedroom that I loved to sit out on. We had an old-fashioned attic with real stairs and real windows overlooking our street. I biked and ran all over that neighborhood with my friends, and we lived right across the street from my elementary school. We played on our school playground after hours unlike today where the schols are fenced off much like prisons. 🙂 We walked to school and the crossing guard was the retired mayor of the small town. See…very American!
About the cranberry apple pie. I ripped this recipe out of magazine years ago wanting to try it, but you know a lot of those recipes sit in a file for awhile. I finally made it in 2007? and it has made an appearance ever since! The tartness of the fresh cranberries pairs so nicely with the sweetness of the apples.
It’s my favorite pie during the holidays, and my girls as well. My mother-in-law and sister-in-law love it too. I’ve made it in pie form (crustless), but I’ve also doubled the recipe and made in a 9 x 13 dish so there would be leftovers for breakfast. It’s amazing by itself or with homemade whipped cream or vanilla ice cream. I hope you’ll try this pie and it makes it onto your “must make” list.
Macy’s is inviting fans to submit their favorite holiday recipes at their Facebook Page for a chance to win a dinner with a renowned Macy’s Culinary Council chef, including Emeril Lagasse, Wolfgang Puck, Cat Cora or Todd English! WOW!! That’d be amazing to win!
And now onto my very first GIVEAWAY here at Creative Kitchen…..
Macy’s is generously offering my readers a chance to win their choice of one of three Martha Stewart Professional Cookware items:
Ceramic Covered Casserole Dish
Hand Anodized Fry Pans (set of 3)
Stainless Steel 15″ Roaster with Roasting Rack
To enter to win:
Leave a comment below with the answer to the following question,
“What makes your Thanksgiving special?”
You can get up to 2 extra entries:
By following Creative Kitchen on Facebook and Twitter and leaving a comment below stating that you’re now following. If you already follow Creative Kitchen on Facebook or Twitter make sure you leave a separate comment stating that fact. If you have 3 separate comments, you will have 3 chances in the drawing!!
The contest is only open to U.S. residents and the winner will be chosen randomly MONDAY November 21, 2011!!
- Pie crust, optional (I don't use ~ I prefer crustless)
- 2 cups apples, peeled and sliced thinly
- 2 cups fresh cranberries, rinsed
- ⅔ cups sugar
- 1 Tbsp lemon juice
- 1½ Tbsp flour
- FOR TOPPING~
- ½ cup flour
- ½ cup sugar
- ½ tsp cinnamon
- 4 Tbsp butter sliced and diced
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
- In a large bowl, combine apple slices, cranberries, sugar, lemon juice and flour.
- In a separate bowl, combine topping ingredients flour, sugar, cinnamon and butter by hand till mixture is crumbly and butter is well dispersed. Set aside for later.
- In a pyrex pie pan, add cranberry apple mixture. (if using crust follow crust directions first)
- Bake pie for 30 minutes.
- Lower oven temperature to 375 degrees.
- Remove pie and add crumb topping.
- Bake pie for an additional 25-30 minutes or until top is golden and filling is thickened.
If you enjoyed this post, won’t you consider sharing it with others? Handy share and “Facebook recommend” buttons are below. It really makes my day when you pass things along! To make sure you don’t miss a post or recipe you can either follow Creative Kitchen on Facebook or subscribe by Email in the sidebar. Thanks for reading….I love having company in the kitchen!
What an awesome giveaway!
What makes Thanksgiving special to me is the time spent with friends or family!
This Thanksgiving will be special special!! This is the first time I have lived in the same city as my family in about 30 years!!
“What makes your Thanksgiving special?”
What makes my Thanksgiving special could be the wonderful homemade turkey, stuffing, creamed onions, cranberry sauce (OK, NOT homemade!), green beans Almondine, and pies that my mom used to make, and that I have taken over for my own family now that she’s gone. Or it could be the delicious little dishes and trays of family-favorite appetizers and snacks to keep us busy until the main meal. Or it could be the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade always playing in the background, amidst the chatter and excitement of catching up with family members. Or just knowing that it’s a day to relax, having nothing to do, and doing nothing, with NO guilt!
But really, I think it is the moments we take to really think about and talk over all the things in this life that we are truly thankful for … all our blessings, love and loved ones. That the Lord has blessed us with yet another year filled with His plans, His purposes, and His people that He put into our lives to show His love to.
Thanks, God!
And I do follow Creative Kitchen on Facebook, but I don’t Twitter. Just don’t have the time for another computer time temptation! 😉
That pie looks fantastic!!! I’m going to a Thanksgiving dessert party and this is what I’m going to bring!!!!!
First let me say that I love anything with cranberries! Your pie looks beautiful!
My Thanksgiving is special because I get to spend it with family and friends. It gives me a chance to cook for everyone and that makes it extra special for me.
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Thanks for sharing those memories from Salisbury. It was a good time for us. It was good hearing your recounting of our times there, as well as your memories of that one special Thanksgiving. We were blessed.
My favorite thing about Thanksgiving is the time we spend with family – whether we travel to them or they come to us – and focus on the blessings that God has given to us!
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My Thanksgiving is always special because of my Momma’s cooking! It’s her turkey and her AMAZING stuffing. I look forward to it all year! 🙂
That pie absolutely looks amazing!
My dad is Chinese and my mom is Caucasian, so we combine our cultures on Thanksgiving to make a really unique cornbread stuffing. My mom uses a special cornbread stuffing recipe that her dad used to make, and we add Chinese sausage to it. It sounds strange, but it is absolutely amazing and I can’t imagine eating stuffing any other way. I think this makes my Thanksgiving pretty unique and special!
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Denise, the photo is beautiful….. but, it doesn’t do justice to this pie recipe! Yup, I’m the Sister-in-Law that loves this recipe! An added bonus is that I have found you can substitue raspberries or other summer berries when you are unable to find the seasonal cranberries! Once your readers try this they will be freezing extra bags of cranberries to use during the months they aren’t in season. You all will be missed here this Thanksgiving, but that just means twice the fun next year! Mom is so looking forward to her holiday visit! Happy Thanksgiving to you all!
Your pie looks delicious!!
What makes my Thanksgiving special is, of course, spending the holiday with my family. Even better than that though, is each year after our dinner prayers everyone states what they are thankful for. It really helps to bring back the meaning of the holiday rather than just the delicious food (which is in abundance). 🙂
Knowing that God loves us and family is what makes Thanksgiving special to me.
The platter in the photo reminded me of my grandmothers platter that I still have, we use it for special occasions. Your pie looks delicious too!
Judy@Savoring Today recently posted..Thanksgiving 301: The Act of Giving Thanks
Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday ~ it is all about family and being together – no gifts or stress- that is what makes it special for me.
The chance to cook iconic foods with a twist–plus spending time with friends and family, of course.
Angela recently posted..Cinnamon-Rubbed Sirloin Salad with Fresh Pear Vinaigrette
I love spending time with family but what is a family favorite is my grandmother’s stuffing. It’s just not Thanksgiving without grandma’s stuffing!
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That pie looks delicious
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Awesome giveaway I tried to see it on facebook there was no like on it so I just liked it … I love all the giveaways. My favorite part of Thanksgiving, is making one of each loved one that has long passed on, so they are always at the table with us. Last year, I mistakening set the table for my mom, couldnt believe it, so they really never leave us in our hearts…. have a great thanksgiving and thank you for the oppportunity.
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Thanksgiving is special now that I have my own family to cook for and have taken over the hosting from my Mom for the last three years. I like the new tradition. : )
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your pie looks great.
Being with family makes Thanksgiving great as well as all those mashed potatoes!
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That pie looks AWESOME (I’m going to print that one out NOW), and I enjoyed seeing the pics from your childhood!
After having spent about 37 Thanksgivings in GA and AL, what is special about Thanksgiving to me NOW is spending it in SW FL! I enjoy time off work and on the beach with my husband & dog, and my brother & sister-in-law and her parents. Love time with them and the kick-off we will have on Friday for the Christmas season!
And I’m a Facebook follower, too! (I don’t tweet… Not enough time for that, too!!)
Love your old pictures! And this combination is awesome. I love apples and cranberries together. What makes my Thanksgiving special – being with my family (and eating lots of pie!). This year will be especially important to us for many reasons.
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What makes my Thanksgiving special is the food of course! A day full of amazing food and family.
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Thank you so much for offering such a lovely and generous giveaway. My Thanksgiving is special because of family, friends, good food and great wine. 😉
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what is going to make Thanksgiving especially meaningful for me this year is that our son just got home from iraq this week.
That’s awesome Terri!! Bet you’re making all his favorites. 🙂
Loved reading about your Thanksgiving when you were a kid. I have my mom’s platter that is very similar to yours. Your pie looks amazing.
Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday. What makes it special is spending time with my family and making new traditions.
I follow Creative Kitchen on Facebook.
I follow you on twitter too.
I follow Creative Kitchens on Facebook.
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Your Cranberry Apple Pie is beautiful. The recipe has the perfect combination of sweetness and tartness. I would love and appreciate winning the cookware. I promise I would put it to good use. I will share pictures of my creation on my blog : )
Linda Rogers recently posted..Mini Chocolate Tiramisu Cakes
this pie sounds wonderful!
I loved reading this – the style of the photos remind me of some of my own old photos, and take me back!! that is what makes our Thanksgiving (and other holidays!) – remembering the old times and telling fun stories of my grandparents.
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Time with family makes my Thanksgiving special!
littlegray88 at yahoo dot com
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Thanksgiving is special when we go bowling as a family after our big meal.
I also love picking out a Christmas tree thanksgiving weekend.
Yes, I follow creative kitchen in Facebook.
What makes my family special is family! This year, in particular, family is fun. My aunt is hosting all the “little” girls for a sleepover the night before…4 little girls between 6 and 8 years old. How exciting for them to connect with family!
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I think being with family is what I love most about thanksgiving. 🙂 that recipe looks wonderful, I may try it next week!!
Our Thanksgiving is made special by the faces gathered ’round on that day. We share stories of gratitude, remember those who have passed and enjoy laughs. Many, many laughs. Thanksgiving is not just a day on the calendar, but a life choice I try to live out each day.
anytime we pause to give thanks is special 🙂
I “like” you on Facebook!
following you on twitter. @MarcyKY
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Hi!
I was just directed to your blog/website from a mutual friend here in VA (Suzanne S.) and I love it! I made the cranberry apple pie this morning and although, I’m sure it’ll taste great it didn’t quite come out with the same look as yours. 🙂 As soon as I finish this post I shall go like you on facebook! 🙂
“What makes your Thanksgiving special?”
Thanksgiving is such a wonderful special time of reflecting on all the Lord has done in our lives. I love the various traditions that we have – designing our own table cloth with fabric markers (everyone draws something or several things on their section of the table where they sit that they are thankful for along with a Bible verse), playing games all afternoon, and just being together. 🙂 The best part about this Thanksgiving is that I’m thankful for our first new little one we have on the way and looking forward to starting our own little family traditions with him next year!
Hi Heather!! Happy to have you here. I will admit that for the slice of pie…I had to double stack 2 slices in order to make a pretty pie slice for the photo. It is a rather thin pie. 🙂 I love Suzanne! She’s a great friend. Hope you’ll visit often. I have some tasty soups you might be interested in.
I liked you on facebook. 🙂
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I like a big noisy Thanksgiving too. It’s really the people that make it special. Of course, great food always helps!
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Ooh…I’d love that roasting pan. I need to figure out how I’m cooking my turkey THIS year because I don’t have one.
Anyway….our Thanksgiving is very special because though there are only two siblings, me and my brother, when you put all our kids together, that makes ten kids. After our housefire a couple of years ago, we bought an extremely long table and had a special section built on our kitchen counter that runs between the kitchen and the dining room. With all the chairs around the table and the three stools around the raised-up counter table, we have seats for my family, his family, and my mom all in the same room. I love that. Because to me, all being together and loving each other and sharing how we’re thankful to the Lord is what makes Thanksgiving so special.
I already am a part of your fb world 😉
Hi Denise!
This is a great blog! The pie looks yummy 🙂
I now “LIKE” you on Facebook. Thanks for the giveaway opportunity!
Thanksgiving means family and friends. Every year is different for us; sometimes we are with my family in NJ, sometimes with my husband’s here in FL and still others we have spent with friends when family was not around.
For the first time in our marriage, my husband will be apart from us for this holiday. We will miss him for sure! He is celebrating with our good friends at our home, and he is cooking the Turkey!!!
This year will be extra special though as the rest of us celebrate my grandmother’s 100th birthday in NJ. Most of the family, and extended family as well, will be together for this momentous occasion. Since Nana’s health is failing, this will probably be the last Thanksgiving with her, though we said that 3 years ago when she first was diagnosed. She is an amazing woman!
Be sure to keep your recipe posted. I may just make this for our holiday meal!!! Thanks so much and Happy Thanksgiving!
Thanksgiving is special this year because my husband gets to spend it with our daughters. Two out of three years he spends it saving someone’s loved ones or living through a nightmare that some selfish idiot thought he should force on others. please thank your local police and frefighter for being available rain, snow, sleet, hail, hurricane, wind, heat, fires, wrecks, bullets, holidays and miscellaneous dangerous situations every thanksgiving, christmas and september 11th.
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I love time with family – all together in one place!
What makes my Thanksgiving special is time spent with family and friends. Sitting around the table sharing what we are thankful for and reviewing how God has blessed us even through the difficult times.
I follow Creative Kitchen on Facebook!
I love spending time with my family!!
Thanksgiving will be special again this year because we moved closer to family and will get to be with them again. We lived away from any family for over 10 years. It’s nice to be home.
I’m now following Creative Kitchen on Facebook. I recently started a blog FB fan page, you can “like” too if you want. It’s Baking and Boys. 😉
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Katrina recently posted..Mini Chocolate Chip Reese’s Peanut Butter Cup Cookies—12 Weeks of Christmas Cookies
Green Bean Casserole always makes my Thanksgiving, if I don’t have it, it’s not thanksgiving!
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The thing that makes Thanksgiving special to me is that all the extended family makes a point of being together. This year is extra special, because my brother is home on leave from the Air Force!
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Thanks for the chance! What makes our Thanksgiving special is my aunt’s special cranberry stuffing and having the family together! 🙂
Oh your pie looks heavenly! I love Thanksgiving it has become my favorite holiday. I love the anticipation of what the dinner will turn out out like. About 9 years ago we found ourselves in a new home but missing some important family members (my in-laws were out of the country for 3 years) so to fill the void we invited some families from our church who didn’t have immediate family around and who had young children like ourselves. We had everyone bring their favorite traditional Thanksgiving dish while we made the turkey. The day turned out great and the tradition has stuck to invite others who don’t have family around. Everyone who has come has always been so grateful to have a home to come too to enjoy a Thanksgiving feast. The years are hard to keep track of and each year we say “I think this was the best one yet.” Part of the love of cooking is the togetherness it brings and I think that is why I have developed such a great love for Thanksgiving!
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Thanksgiving is made special with family and friends.
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My kids are in their early teens, so it special that they can help prepare Thanksgivinbg dinner with me!
What makes Thankgiving special to me is being 3000 miles away from my family, but having friends in Los Angeles treat me as members of their family and celebrating with them.
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Thanksgiving is special b/c I get to be with family. Family I see often mixed with family I don’t see often enough. Sharing special recipes and traditions is so wonderful.
Being with my whole family would make it special since we haven’t been able to do this in years. I so wish. And if it was at my son’s in sunny Ca even better!!!!
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BTW…I meant to mention in my other comment. This is my grandma and my mom’s favorite pie. I have been given the task of pie making since my grandmother had to give it up. This is first on their list every year. Grandma is 96 and a half and this is all she asked for this year. It is a great pie!
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This pie looks wonderful! I love cranberries in foods. And I love your website/blog.
Thanks so much for sharing,
Deb
What makes Thanksgiving special to our family, is time spent with loved ones……snuggling on the couch watching the Macys parade and waiting to see Santa at the end, standing in the kitchen stirring up treats and chatting, calling loved ones long distance to ask about an old family recipe or huddled around the turkey fryer in the cold. It’s these memories that make Thanksgiving special, and it’s these memories that make you miss those special people in your life that couldn’t make it for THIS holiday. Every Thanksgiving brings new memories to cherish, and it’s those special people in your life that make the day special!
I enjoy following Creative Kitchen on Facebook! This pie is as good as it looks, and easy to make too! Will be serving one at Thankgiving! Happy Thanksgiving!
Simply being able to spend time with family that I don’t see as often.
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I am now following you on Twitter (@mimir557). Thanks for a great giveaway 🙂
My kids, spending time with my dad whenever possible. Without them it would all be meaningless.
I already follow you on twitter.
What makes Thanksgiving special is that there is no pressure: no worry over presents; not kids whining because they wanted more, just healthy, beautiful food and a grateful family.
Thanksgiving has always been special because of family and friends. Our traditions also include watching the Macy’s parade on TV, and if at home, football. My favorite dishes to make are my homemade cranberry sauce, dressing/stuffing, and pumpkin pie (special recipe). Our first 7 Thanksgivings as a couple were spent with our best friends and it was a learning process, but lots of fun. They moved to another state. For a few years we enjoyed hosting the great aunts & uncles, and in-laws. Now our children are scattered so we enjoy Thanksgiving with whatever relatives and friends are nearby.
My childhood through age 11 was spent in White House Heights, Maryland in a 2 story house with 7 huge oak trees. It was a great place to be a kid!
I don’t twitter, but I do follow on Facebook. Thanks for sharing your thoughts and recipes!
I brought one of my boys home on Thanksgiving day that is what makes it special for us.
Celebrating with the family is what makes Thanksgiving special.
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