The Early Bird Gets The Worm!

…or just gets to panic and freak out about Thanksgiving Dinner a day early!

Since Justin is on call, I’ll begin cooking tonight! I’m going to go visit with some friends tomorrow late morning so I’m going to try to get quite a bit done this evening in order to have some relaxation tomorrow before Justin gets home (exhausted and zombie like after a 32-hour shift in the NICU with no. sleep.).

On the agenda….
- Peel, dice and roast sweet potatoes for Sweet Potato Souffle
- Bake my Bourbon Pecan Tart
- Make Cranberry Relish
- Peel and dice 6lbs of potatoes for mashed potatoes
- Make Sweet Potato Souffle (after the sweet potatoes have cooled)
- Maybe make the Green Bean Casserole (minus the crunchies on top…don’t want them to get soggy!)
- Brine my turkey

I’m going to leave the stuffing, pumpkin pie, rolls, mashed potatoes and broccoli with hollandaise until tomorrow!

My mouth dropped and drool fell onto the ground when I saw the November 2007 cover of Cooking Light magazine. On the front was a DELICIOUS looking pecan tart! I’ve been waiting to try it until now and I’m excited! Here’s the recipe and what it’s supposed to look like….I’ll let you know how mine turns out either later tonight or tomorrow! Wish me luck!

Bourbon Pecan Pie With Chocolate Drizzle

Ingredients:
- 1 cup packed light brown sugar
- 3/4 cup dark corn syrup
- 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 2 tablespoons bourbon (Plus additional 3 oz. of bourbon, 7 oz. of ginger ale and a squeeze of lime poured over a glass of ice for the chef! ;) )
- 2 tablespoons molasses
- 1 tablespoon butter, melted
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 2 large eggs
- 1 large egg white
- 2/3 cup pecan halves
- 1/2 (15-ounce) package refrigerated pie dough (such as Pillsbury)
- Cooking spray
- 1/2 ounce bittersweet chocolate, chopped

Preparation:
Preheat oven to 350°.

Combine first 10 ingredients, stirring well with a whisk. Stir in pecans. Roll dough into a 13-inch circle; fit into a 9-inch removable-bottom tart pan coated with cooking spray. Trim excess crust using a sharp knife. Spoon sugar mixture into prepared crust.

Bake at 350° for 45 minutes or until center is set. Cool completely on a wire rack.

Place chocolate in a microwave-safe bowl; microwave at HIGH 1 minute. Stir until smooth. Drizzle chocolate over tart. I may leave this part out…Justin isn’t a huge fan of chocolate.

Nutritional Information:
(Makes 12 servings. One serving = 1 wedge)
Calories: 277
Fat: 10g
Protein: 2.4g
Carbohydrate: 45.2g
Fiber: 0.7g
Sodium: 156mg