Hi Cooking Moms, Dads & Friends,

Thanksgiving is such a special holiday. We’ll have quite a few around the table this year. I can hardly wait to be in the kitchen cooking up a storm with my daughter Ireland, who is home with us this week. She peels the potatoes. I mash them. Together we cook up some serious memories. Arlo, the dog gets in on the act too. He follows us around the kitchen, hoping we drop a thing or two.

We always start Thanksgiving with a yummy breakfast. The kids beg for my Streusel Bundt Coffee Cake. It’s a family favorite. It’s so easy because it starts with a box of yellow cake mix. You just gotta make it this holiday season!

After that, it’s time for some exercise. We try to get everybody up and out with a big family hike. Then, it’s back home to watch football, play board games, and just hang out together before the big meal. This is my favorite part of the day. It’s appetizer time! My Hot Swiss Almond Dip is perfect for the holidays! You can make it ahead and bake it when you are ready. Warm out of the oven with crackers it’s heavenly.

I’d be in the dog house if I didn’t make my Cranberry Meatballs on Thanksgiving. They are ALWAYS a winner! Just dump frozen meatballs and 4 other ingredients in your slow cooker and in a few hours they’ll be done. Trust me your gang with love these!

I aways make sure to put out loads of fresh veggies with my homemade Dill Dip. Best veggie dip ever! Click Appetizers for more of my favorite holiday appetizer recipes.

If you really want to get creative, WOW everybody with my Turkey Appetizer Platter. It starts with a yummy home made cheeseball with bacon, cheese and splash of beer. Looks hard, but it’s actually really easy and fun to make. Have the kids help. What fun!

I always love to start out the Thanksgiving feast with lots of pretty salads!

We LOVE fresh cranberries! My Cranberry Fluff Salad is so tasty and a must at Thanksgiving.

Speaking of cranberries, don’t buy the canned stuff. My home made Cranberry Sauce is so crazy easy. Why not make it this year? It’s zingy delicious!

Click Salads and Sides for more of my holiday favorites!

Okay, time to talk turkey. If you're stressed about cooking the bird this year, don't be! Roasting a turkey is easy. If it's been a while and you need a quick refresher on how to do it, just click Perfect Roast Turkey to see how I make it. Just make sure you cover it with foil and let it rest a good 15 to 20 minutes before carving. It will stay nice and juicy that way!

Gravy can be kind of tricky too. No worries, I can help. My No Lump Gravy is the way to go. Turns out perfect every time. Promise, no lumps! Speaking of lumps. I do like a few lumps in my mashed potatoes. That way everybody knows they're home made. What I don't like are sticky, gluey mashers! Here's my secret to making Perfect Mashed Potatoes every time.

By now, I hope I've talked you into using your slow cooker this holiday season. My Slow Cooker Stuffing is the way to go. Not to mention it frees up oven space! Love that.

It’s not too late to add a new side dish or two. You know what they say, everything is better with bacon. My Bacon and Brussel Sprouts are quick and easy and so good!

I love green beans, especially when they are wrapped in bacon. My Bacon Wrapped Green Beans are crazy easy and always a home run.

Click Slow Cooker, Dinner and Casseroles for more holiday recipes.

For dessert, why not do a dessert buffet this year? My Pumpkin Cupcakes with Maple Cream Cheese Frosting are delicious and so cute.

No time to bake? No worries! My Quick and Easy Pumpkin Mousse is just 5 ingredients. So light, fluffy and pretty layered in beautiful glasses! Super yummy with whipped cream and crushed ginger snaps or graham crackers on top. Click Desserts for more holiday sweet treats.

I love to have a pot of my Mulled Apple Cranberry Cider simmering on the stove. You can keep it warm in your slow cooker too. Makes the house smell so good. My kiddos love it!

Amy's Cookbooks Make Great Gifts!

It's that time of year. If you're looking for a colorful cookbook filled with easy breezy recipes, I think you will love my cookbooks for gifts. Each one is filled with nearly 200 unique recipes. Lots of secrets, tips and fun stories, too! Click Amy's Books on Amazon to order.

The Cooking Mom Vacations!

Join Me on a Danube River Cruise 2023 to Germany, Austria and Budapest!

Besides cooking, I love to travel. I’m hosting one of a kind vacations that are so special! Plus, since we’re a group my trips are a great deal. I’m so excited to announce the next Cooking Mom Vacation! Join me on a river cruise through Europe on the impressive Danube river. We’ll visit Germany, Austria, Hungary and more!

A river cruise is THE ULTIMATE way to see Europe. On this trip we are going first class all the way! Uniworld river cruises are top of the line and voted the ABSOLUTE THE BEST! This trip is a great value. Because we are a group I was able to negotiate great pricing. Plus, Uniworld is a TRUE all-inclusive. That means ALL of your wine, beer, champagne and cocktails are included on our cruise. Tipping on the ship and most of our excursions is included too.

We’ll be on the elegant S.S. Maria Theresa. The cabins are bigger than most and the ship is so beautiful! The food, wine and breathtaking scenery are also what make this trip so special. There are only 150 passengers on board, so it's an intimate, wonderful experience. The staff on our ship will take care of our every need.

We’ll spend 8 glorious days cruising the Danube. The itinerary is marvelous! You’ll have the chance to visit a small family winery in Austria that produces some of the best Riesling in the world. We’ll also get a private concert and opera performance in Vienna. We’ll visit Budapest. At night, the city is all lit up. It’s one of the most splendid places I’ve ever seen!

Before we board the ship, I’ve planned something really special. We’ll fly out July 27, 2023 to Munich, Germany. It’s one of my favorite cities. We'll do a German pub crawl, go to a beer garden and so much more. I timed this trip so we’d be there for an authentic German Festival. It’s like a mini Oktoberfest. It’s so much fun! Bring on the giant pretzels, grilled sausages and giant steins of German beer!

Click The Cooking Mom Vacations - Danube River Cruise 2023 to read more and see more pictures. Click Danube River Cruise 2023 for the full itinerary and pricing to book this trip. Call Sara from Rose Travel at 720-884-7913 or email her at [email protected] if you’re interested or have questions. I hope you’ll join me on this trip of a lifetime!

Join Me in Italy in September 2023!

It’s one of my most popular trips! I’m going back to Italy in September 2023! I hope you’ll join me. I’ve been working hard to plan every last detail to make it this trip the best one ever! Instead of 7 days, my next trip to Tuscany will be 8 days to give us a little more time to see and do even more. The trip is going to be INCREDIBLE!

We’ll fly out Friday night September 8th and spend 8 nights in the most beautiful Tuscan Villa resort. We’ll do and eat it all. We’ll tour vineyards and taste the best Italian wines. We’ll visit several charming Italian towns and the big wonderful city of Florence too. We’ll take 3 different cooking classes to learn how to make authentic Italian dishes like homemade pasta, tiramisu and so much more. Get ready to dive in to the best gelato in the world! We’ll even go truffle hunting and get to enjoy a tasty truffle pasta lunch. After Tuscany, you’ll have the option to stay a few days longer with me to see Rome and the Vatican!

If you're interested, don't wait! This trip is booking up quickly. It ALWAYS sells out! We have a limited number of rooms and I don’t want any of you to miss out on the fun. I hope you’ll all join me for this trip of a lifetime. Cheers to traveling and eating our way around the world together! Click 2023 Trip to Tuscany to get pricing and full itinerary, and to book your spot! To read more about the trip click Join The Cooking Mom in Tuscany 2023.

LAST CHANCE! Join Amy Summer 2023 on Mackinac Island for Lilac Fest!

My trip to Mackinac Island in June 2023 SOLD OUT immediately, but we were able to get a few more rooms! We have to release them soon, so if you are interested in this trip, please don't wait! Mackinac Island, Michigan is one my favorite places. There are no cars on the island, just bikes and horses and carriages. It’s so charming. It’s like you’ve stepped back in time. We’re staying at my favorite place, Mission Point Resort, voted one of the BEST on the island and in the Midwest. It’s AMAZING! We’ll be there for 4 magical nights June 12-16, 2023 during Lilac Festival. The whole Island is covered in lilacs. It’s so gorgeous. It smells beautiful too! Click Join The Cooking Mom on Mackinac Island to get pricing and see lots of pictures.

Read all about the fun we’re going to have and the delicious food we are going to eat. Hotel rates on the island have sky rocketed but my trips are group trips and because of that we can negotiate the best deals. We worked hard to get the absolute BEST rates possible for lots of included things, like your ferry ride to the island, gourmet cooked-to-order breakfasts every morning at the resort, a wine tasting and lunch on our drive to get to the island, a big wine and cheese party, a delicious welcome dinner and more! It’s going to be a blast! You can get pricing and book directly by clicking on Book Your Spot!

Click Culinary Vacations with The Cooking Mom to see what makes my trips unique and different from the rest! Call Sara from Rose Travel at 720-884-7913 or email her at [email protected] if you’re interested or have questions on any of my 3 upcoming trips. I’m planning more WONDERFUL trips for 2023 and 2024 right now. Email me at [email protected] and let me know if you want to get on my list for exclusive early trip announcements. I want to know where you want to go, too. Let me know!

Gotta run. I’ve got to so much to do. I still have to buy my turkey! Look for an extra newsletter on Friday with all sorts of recipes for the Thanksgiving leftovers. I'll be on Fox 6 Wakeup in Milwaukee on Friday morning to show fun ways to use up any leftovers. I hope you'll watch! You can always see what I'm up to on Facebook and Instagram. Follow me! Hey, check out my food videos on YouTube, too.

I want to wish you all a very HAPPY THANKSGIVING. If you are traveling please stay safe. Cook up some memories this week!

Take care,
Amy, The Cooking Mom