Welcome to Turkey Carcass Week

It's the week after Thanksgiving and I'm back to being the "essential cook". She wowed everyone on the Big Day and now I'm stuck with the leftovers. What do you do with a bowl of leftover rutagas anyway? So it was Turkey Tetracini (mushrooms, cheese, white sauce) and Old-Fashion Turkey Soup (greasy and nourishing), mmm. A few turkey sandwiches and that bird's history.

How'd you do? Please post.

Picture Me Making Tea Cakes

Like half the civilized nation at this point, I'm making that Pumpkin Spice Cake that uses 2 boxes of cake mix and 6 eggs for Thanksgiving. I checked my pantry and saw I didn't have any canned pumpkin and had to buy a larger can than I needed for the cake.

What to do with the balance of the pumpkin? Here's a recipe for Tea Cakes. Actually they're these little cookie. Tell me what you think?

Pumpkin Tea Cakes with Cream Cheese Frosting

Cream together, adding one ingredient at a time:

• 1/3 cup shortening
  
• 1 cup dark brown sugar
  
• 2 eggs
  
• 1 cup pumpkin

Sift together and then add to the dry ingredients:

• 2 cups flour
  
• 1 tablespoon baking power
  
• Scant 1 teaspoon salt
  
• 2 teaspoons sugar
  
• 1 teaspoon nutmeg
  
• 1/4 teaspoon ginger

Chill batter at least 30 minutes but no longer than 1 hour (or baking powder may lose its effectiveness). Spoon by rounded teaspoons onto heavy duty cookie sheets (if you need high quality bakeware visit www.essentialcook.com/catalog) or double up regular cookie sheets at least 1-1/2 inch apart. Bake for approximately 10 minutes at 400 degrees. Cook until evenly baked but not browned. Cool. Frost with Cream Cheese Frosting.

Cream Cheese Frosting

Make it in seconds with a food processor from Essential Cook.

Cream together:

• 4 ounces Cream Chees
  
• 4 Tablespoons Butter
  

Add:

• 1/2 Box of Confectioner's Sugar (1/2 lb.)
  
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
  
• Few drops of orange food coloring
  

Dinner - Monday November 7

Fellas Unite --

It's Monday and everyone is waiting for Dad to cook. What can I say - cooking brings out my masculine side and my creativity. I'm a whiz at the old standards but I like to experiment as well.

I cooked a Meat Loaf for Sunday's dinner and although I thought I'd be able to use leftovers today. No such luck. My daughter and her friends polished that off late last night while they watched MTV. So, I found some fish in the 'frig and will fry that tonight. Since I have a stockpile of baby carrots that my wife bought for her diet and didn't eat so, I'll cook carrots as well.

Here's a recipe for Glazed Carrots:

Carrots - used a bag of baby carrots
1/2 cup Brown Sugar
1/2 stick butter or margarine

Boiled the carrots and dumped the sugar and butter in. Stir everything and the carrots are glazed. And good!

What are you cooking tonight, Mister?