Tuesday, November 24, 2009

Turkey Links, Sausage Links & Macy's Links!!

Hey all, just a quick note ... I found out yesterday that I'm working on Thanksgiving! Yes, I'm happy, because I get to ride on a float in the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade!!! Something to tell the grandkids, eh? Joining me on the float will be fellow Food Network hosts, Anne Burrell and Claire Robinson. Just look for the Food Network float amidst the ballons, clowns and marching bands. I'll have pics of the float up tomorrow so you'll know what to look for, check back in...

Now for some links that may help you with some flavor profiles on Thanksgiving...

Bacon Wrapped Turkey Breast Stuffed with Pear Hash - Great for just a couple joining you. yummy turkey sandwich the next day, stuffing is on the inside! Also, the easiest ingredient list.

Roasted Turkey Breast with Peach Rosemary Glaze - Yummy, fast and the glaze is great in lieu of cranberry sauce.

Mini Pecan Pumpkin Pies - Perfect to take if you are a guest or have a party at work.

Baklava Cups - Like baklava, but not all the work it takes to make it? Need a tiny bit to take as a guest and want to impress? This is so easy, I promise. Thing is, they look so difficult that you'll surely get compliments and questions. Find the mini filo cups in the freezer section close to the puff pastry and other frozen pie crusts and such. Sub with nuts you like, but the blend I have is pretty yummy.

Cheesy Mushroom and Broccoli Casserole - This is something you can try instead of the typical green bean casserole. I'll give you a permission slip to use canned cream of mushroom, but with this recipe ... you'll never want to again.

Crunchy Sweet Brussels Sprout Salad - This is a break from tradition, but I like things like this, it's bitter, sweet, crunchy, great spice. Plus this cooks up in just 5 minutes, yes ... not that long. The bulk of the work is slicing the brussels.

Spicy Macaroni and Cheese - This is my go-to recipe for mac and cheese. Perfect for the family that doesn't have an official M&C person. It's more than mac and cheese though, the custard is so flavorful.

Vegetarian Southern-Style Collard Greens - People always ask me about greens, this is one of my favorite recipes because it doesn't call for a hamhock or fatback, that being said ... I always plan for a vegan in the bunch, give this a try. No flavor is missing here, I promise and many of my non-porkers agree, it isn't just me tootin my horn :-).

Apple Toddy - Wanna put the relatives to sleep?

Second Day Fried Stuffing Bites with Cranberry Pesto - Don't throw out the stuffing or let it sit in the fridge until it dies, give this a try ... it's all made with leftovers so no shopping!!

Second Day Turkey and String Bean Pot Pies - I'd roast a turkey and make a green bean casserole just to have this for leftovers the next day. It's so comforting and yummy, and cheap!

Ok, thoses are a few turkey links ... now lemme show you what I'm making for Thanksgiving ...

Sausage links!! Ok, well that's not all I'm making, but I plan to put these in the bottom of the roast pan. What am I roasting???? Well, not a turkey. My guy's fam is out of town, my family is spread out and none of our friends are joining us. That means I have to make Thanksgiving for two and make sure I hit all the important parts. For my guy that means Pernil. It's roasted pork shoulder that in many parts (my parts) they call it the pork "butt", total misnomer. In his parts, it isn't even pronounced like it's spelled ... it's more like saying the word "benign" with a long "e" sound where the "i" is. Go ahead, give it a try aloud. Well, it was one of the first Spanish words my guy picked on me about because I could never get it right, but I know how to eat it!!! Anyway, I'm putting those links in the bottom of my roasting pan along with some other stuff, but here's my pork shoulder fresh from the market today!

Look at THAT!!! OOOOOWWEEEEE!!! Can't wait to bite into the crispy skin. My meat spot changed butchers and the new one takes off the skin, so I had to take a trip into the city for this baby. I covered the price tags to eliminate the logo of the biz, but if you are curious, the links and the pork shoulder cost me 18 bucks!! Good stuff if you ask me. Ok, I'll take pics during the parade and share them, until then take care and Happy Thanksgiving!

This just in!!! Check the previews of the float!!! Click to enlarge!
This is a schematic drawing of the float and how it will appear. It even tells us where people are standing on the float, nice. Then take a look at the mock-up of the float ....
Looks real, huh? Well it is kinda, it's a flick of an old float with our logos super-imposed. Good ol Tom the Turkey neva looked so good! Alright, hope to see you in the crowd if you are here, if not, hope you enjoy the tradition in the warmth of your home with family and friends. Thanks for all the support this year, I totally can't believe I'm going to be in the parade! It reminds me of the first party I hosted in Times Square when I moved here back in 2001, I said to myself ... look at what I've done. Now, I can say ... look what I've done with your help. Thanks for watching and supporting, it isn't lost on me. :-) Eat well!

19 comments:

Mary | Deep South Dish said...

Oh how exciting!! It's a tradition for me to watch this - on tv of course - maybe once in my life I'll make it up there before leaving this earth. Will definitely be watching for y'all - what a cool looking float!

Thanks for the recipes. Love pork butt so hope to see that one sometime too. :)

Have a great Thanksgiving!

Sunny Anderson said...

mary, i can't wait! going out to stimulate the economy and buy a new scarf and hat set! you should make the trip up at least once! i have the pork butt coming up on a show that i haven't even taped yet, but the menu and recipes are approved by my culinary producers! i'll post pictures of us making it over the weekend. enjoy your spread!!!

LaDivaCucina said...

Hi Sunny, thanks for coming by my blog and also for the holiday well wishes. Backatcha sistah!

Congrats on the parade, how exciting!!! I hope you guys have a nice day for it, it always looks so darn cold! (by the way, I love that you are cooking pork for Thanksgiving and your boyfriend is Latino! No wonder you love Miami, mami!)

Tell Snoopy La Diva says Hello!!!

LaDivaCucina said...

PS: GREAT IDEA with the recipe links by the way. I like the idea of the mini baklava, I have those pastry cups in my freezer right now. Byeeeeee....

jen @ one curly fry said...

We watch the Macy's Thanksgiving Day parade. It's so much better than Philly's! So I'll be sure to look out for you! :)

Have a wonderful Thanksgiving!

I watched a few of the Food Network Thanksgiving specials, and now I'm confident to roast my first turkey tomorrow!

Ruthy said...

Sounds like you'll have a fantastic time on the tukey float, Sunny!

Hope your meals turn out well. I too am planning a Thanksgiving meal for two. However, I can't seem to find a turkey that's less than 10 lbs! Oh well, I guess I'll have to get more creative with leftovers! Have a great Thanksgiving! :)

p.s. I love your show. Keep up the GREAT work! :D

Reyna said...

That is pretty sweet....I'll be watching out for you on the TV!! Go Sunny go!

That Pernil sounds and looks amazing....I love pork! Cant wait for your pics and upcoming taping on it.

Have a HAPPY THANKSGIVING!!!

P.S: Hurry with the cook book...lol.

Mary | Deep South Dish said...

I hear ya! It's supposed to finally get cold down here this weekend - like mid-30s cold. It's been pretty mild so far. I have peppers, eggplant and a few scattered tomatoes in the garden still!

I'll be getting that recipe from you on down the line because I love the pork!!

Have a great time in the parade, stay safe and enjoy your intimate Thanksgiving meal with your fella.

Nikki said...

I hope you had a great time at the parade =) I just discovered your blog and of course it's awesome. Look forward to reading more.

Mausi said...

Hi Sunny,
Happy Thanksgiving. I was eating a lot yesterday and missed watching the parade but I hope you had a great time there! This year, I invited some of our friends and had potluck party for Thanksgiving. It was great. Hope you also had a great Thanksgiving.

Sunny Anderson said...

mausi, back atcha! i ate plenty too and it's not over! potluck sounds fun!! happy holidays!

nikki @ blasian baby, yaaay!! glad you found me! take a look around and enjoy. i try to post a couple of times a week. thanks so much for the support!!

napa valley wife, i had such fun! i'll post some pic later...the meal was yummy. my guy took pics because i was too busy cooking. i made 9 dishes! crazy ambitious, but i got it all done by 4pm! check my 'second day' links. then this a.m. i saw a guy on the today make a casserole of chopped turkey, gravy, pasta and veggies. not a bad idea. thanks so much for watching! i go back into the studios in february to tape more shows until then i hope you enjoy the new ones that debut on sats @ noon. welcome to the blog!

jen, i saw the one in philly from a hotel room eating a philly cheesesteak one year, the best! i have to agree with you though, macy's is just much more iconic and traditional. i had so much fun! hope the turkey turned out well!

reyna, hope you caught us! it was so much fun. the pernil was grrrreat. i just cut it off the bones and chopped half of it for pernil sandwiches. the chicharrones to sooooo good! we were crunching all night! happy thanksgiving to you too!! cook book is on the way.

mary, ooohhh nice, i like cold weather! love to layer up! the pernil is in a show i call "san juan and beyond", i've already pitched the menu and we tested my recipes. all lights are green, just waiting to tape in feb. i'm making mofungo and a red bean gravy to pour over it along with some agua fresca. very nice menu that is super easy. i think i will have more people eating mofungo with my shortcut too, which is all i want to do ... get people to cook and try new things. hope you catch it, it'll be months from now, but i'll post a reminder.

la diva cucina, the parade was pretty exciting, i'll put uo some stuff about it soon. it wasn't too cold. actually pretty nice considering the hour and time of year.

Cheema said...

hmmm what did my grandma's thanksgiving meal contain... Turkey of course seasoned with garlic, butter, and adobo. A roasted pernil (pig) smothered in garlic and MORE ADOBO! Arroz con gandules (yellow rice with pigeon peas), pasteles (which i don't touch).

Capito said...

Ciao Sunny..Happy belated thankgiving..How was yours?..I haven't been on in a while caught up in work weight training an traveling...I like your new hair..I caught one of your new shows today it was the one about the chicken stuffed potato puffs..ahh madonne I wish we had some at the family dinner on Thanksgiving..it looked good...Did ya's ever make it to San Gennaro??

ChiTown Momma said...

Hey sister! Hope you and yours had a wonderful Thanksgiving! The float for the Macy's parade looks fantastic! I love a Thanksgiving theme, especially when commercialization calls for making everything "Christmas like" well before Thanksgiving(this year it was on Halloween, girl! We went to Sam's Club to 'trick or treat' with the kids and they had all the Christmas crap up...trees, decor, music...you NAME it. Oy Vey..) and I feel it buries Thanksgiving, which is a very important holiday given to us from one of the best US Presidents ever....we need to reflect on what we have and be thankful for that. So aside from us being thankful for what we have(great family, food, a roof over our heads, FoodNetwork on cable) but we thank you, Sunny for being there for us, for making my autistic son happy as well as us w/your groovy recipes(groovy? Too much Woodstock music listening....LOL) and buoyant attitude that just makes our day.

Hugs to you, blessings and thanks again!
Love,
Us from Chicago

LisaC said...

Hi Sunny, I recently discovered you and became an instant fan!! I love your show and blog. Do you have a cookbook out or one in the making? I would love to put it on my wish list this Christmas. I made your Chicken 'N' Waffles....F-A-B-U-L-O-U-S!!!

Reyna said...

You looked so festive in the Parade. Loved the outfit =)

Cant wait for "san juan and beyond" it is sounds amazing...love mofungo!!! You definetly got some hispanic taste buds in you =)

Btw, my husband loves your "Easy BBQ Short Ribs" and "Spicy Pork Roast with Rosemary Potatoes", I have made it sooooo many times per his request and I can go on and on on how many other receipes of your I have made that he loves, such as your "Bacon, Onion and Cheese Stuffed Burger". Their delicous everytime...THANK YOU!

Sunny Anderson said...

lisa c, so glad you found me and us, really. we are just a bunch of foodies hanging out in comments. i started the blog back when i first started at the network to chronicle the inside path because it wasn't available to me when I was trying to get on the network. i kept thinking, could someone please tell me what it's like??? so now, hopefully i'm telling someone that wants to know ... what it's like doing what we do. welcome, take a look around and i hope you like the new shows on the way!

reyna, thanks! i was actually asked by susie fogelson our marketing director to dress festively, i worry i was the only one that got the memo :-(, lol i was like ... hey i look like an elf if i'm the only one in red and green! teeheehee. well i don't tape until february, but it's the first show i pitched and so hopefully we'll tape in order and it will air in order. give your foodie hubby a high five! those short ribs r my go to quickie when i see them on sale. thanks for trying my recipes and watching the show!!

chitown momma, hey! we had a blast! just relaxing and eating and then walking all weekend to work it off! your words are so, so sweet momma, so sweet. i just feel the other way around, i am so luck to have you. it's a compliment to me when kind hearted people not only watch, but participate in what I do. hug your son and tell him i said happy new year! (i'm jumping holidays like your sam's club) :-).

capito, mine was grrrreat! long time no seee! yeah, the hair is my most complimented feature now, time to get my teeth whitened lol ...those chicken puffs are crazy delicious like mr pibb and twizzlers lol. and i never made it to san gennaro ... i still get me street food fix in my hood though. love that

cheema, ok first, remind me to slap ya silly when i see you next ... you don't 'touch' pasteles??????????????????????????? ok, so next time you get some home made, give me a call and i'll catch the short train ride to bay ridge and take it home for myself! i mean, really. don't make me develop my own recipe and do it on the show so i can make you eat it at work lol!

The Duo Dishes said...

Apple toddy...put 'em to sleep! Fun-ny. Hope you had a great Thanksgiving!

Sunny Anderson said...

the duo dishes, teeheehee, oops did i type that?? teeheehee, thanks for the well wishes, i had a great day and the days after as well. hope you are enjoying the holiday eating season too!