While Thanksgiving may look different this year and may be a much smaller group, we know it will still be special with your family and/or close friends. We share the Apple Cider Spritzers and Cranberry Orange Mimosas recipes for our November Girls Night In and think these cocktails are a great way to kickoff Thanksgiving morning! Holly also shared the delicious Cinnamon Puff recipe to also make on Thanksgiving! We love the secret ingredient - a marshmallow! We hope you have a special and safe Thanksgiving! We are thankful for you! 

We recently had a much needed, so fun Zoom "girls night in." We had great @OTRcocktails, lots of chatter about back to school, and many laughs. Messy Mommy Holly talked about back to school dinners and we all agreed we are looking for easy, easy dinners! Holly shared an excellent one pot pasta recipe, a delicious one sheet pan chicken caprese recipe, and her famous beer dip recipe! Holly had shared her beer dip recipe before our "girls night in" and Holly, Treva, Sandhya, and I all made it for our Zoom, so good! We loved hearing about the Tastefully Simple fall favorites from Treva and she wow'd us all when she whipped up the wonderful caprese dip on our Zoom! Check out the recipes below and happy cooking! Check out the delicious fall Tastefully Simple products and message your order to Treva today! I'm recommending the pumpkin bread and frozen apple cider drink mix! Up your game for easy fall meals and order Holly's Together cookbook today! 

We love summer and we love strawberries! Holly whipped up an amazing strawberry shortcake recently at the lake! While this is a low key summer with social distancing, delicious desserts like this are helping bring smiles to all our faces! Whip up this special treat for your family and friends today! 

​Liz recommends doubling the cream cheese frosting! 

White Cake Recipe
​(Used for Tie Dye Sprinkle Cake)
Ingredients
•  
6 Tablespoons unsalted butter, room temperature
•  
2/3 cup vegetable oil
•  
2 cups granulated sugar 
•  
1 Tablespoon vanilla extract
•  
2 2/3 cup + 2 Tablespoon all-purpose flour 345g
•  
1 Tablespoon baking powder
•  
1 teaspoon salt
•  
1 cup milk room, temperature
•  
6 large egg whites room temperature
•  Vanilla Buttercream Frosting 
Instructions Preheat oven to 350F° and prepare two or three 8-inch round cake pans by lining the bottoms with a round of parchment paper and generously greasing and flouring the sides. In a stand mixer beat butter on medium-low speed until creamy. Add sugar and oil and beat until all ingredients are well-combined and creamy. Scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl; stir in vanilla extract. In separate bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, and salt. Measure milk and pour in a separate container. With mixer on medium speed, gradually alternate between adding the flour mixture and the milk, starting and ending with the flour mixture. Stir until each one is almost completely combined before adding the next and scrape down sides and bottom of bowl occasionally. In separate bowl, combine your egg whites. With a hand-mixer on high-speed, beat until stiff peaks form. Using a spatula, gently fold your egg whites into cake batter. Take care to scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl so that ingredients are well-combined. 
 (For 3 layer Tie Dye Cake: Divide the batter evenly among three bowls. Select three different food colors and color each bowl one color. Mix in the color with a spoon. Once all three bowls are colored, randomly drop teaspoons of the batter into the prepared cake pans, while making sure to evenly divide the cake batter among the pans. Once cake batter is in pans, use a toothpick to swirl the batter and combine the colors – don’t over mix).
 Evenly divide cake batter into prepared pans. Bake on 350F° for 35-40 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center of each cake layer comes out clean or with few crumbs. Remove cakes from oven and allow to cool for 15 minutes. Run a knife around the inside rim of each pan and invert each onto a cooling rack. Allow cakes to cool completely before frosting. 
 

It's apple season! While baking an apple pie is always a good thing to do when you have apples, you may what to shake things up and try this recipe and share for breakfast or brunch!  I first enjoyed this Baked French Toast Casserole while working at Passow Elementary School in Franklin Park, Illinois. Laura, the school secretary during my time at the school, brought this casserole to one of our Friday Potlucks! You'll find this recipe and many others in my book Together! 

Click Holly's blog post about our favorite BBQ ribs recipe and check out the recipe below! KICK-OFF SUMMER WITH OUR FAVORITE BBQ RIBS RECIPE! PERFECT FOR YOUR MEMORIAL DAY WEEKEND PARTIES!
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Beer Cheese Dip
 
I have my second grade teacher, Mrs. Hamilton, to thank for this recipe.  I loved to hang out with Mrs. Hamilton at the end of the school day before my bus arrived and this is when I learned she loved Cheetos!  At the end of many days, my teacher would pull out a bag of these puffy treats from her bottom desk drawer and share a few with me and the other “late bus” kids. Because of Mrs. Hamilton's love of the cheesy taste of Cheetos, it makes complete sense as to why she is responsible for introducing this cheesy dip to me years later when I ended up teaching with her at my former elementary school, Crystal Lawns. Each month a potluck was held in the teachers’ lounge and this was her go-to dish.  This is one of those recipes I have committed to memory. It too, is my go to when asked to bring something to a get-together. If you love cheese, chances are you will love this dip! Here it is… 
 
2 (8 ounce) packages cream cheese, room temperature
1 (1 ounce) package ranch dressing mix
2 scallions finely chopped (include some green)
2 cups sharp shredded cheddar cheese
½ to 1 Cup beer
Pretzels
 
Using a hand mixer, blend the cream cheese and ranch dressing mix until smooth.  Add the chopped scallions and cheese – use the mixer to blend.  Add beer starting with ½ cup and blend.  If dip is too thick, add a bit more beer and mix being careful not to add to much as it will make the dip soupy.  Chill several hours before serving.
 
Serve with pretzels.  I like to use the “old style” large pretzels, but any pretzel will work!

Enjoy-
Holly

Matt and I took a Thanksgiving cooking class over 18 years ago at the original location of the Chopping Block in Chicago located on Sheffield Avenue. It was so fun to watch owner, Shelley Young, quickly put this recipe together before she got started on the main menu of Thanksgiving dinner.  Matt and I along with four other students got to taste the apple pie - I knew at the first bite this would be a favorite for years to come.  I bought the pie plate she recommended using for the pie and have been baking in it ever since!
 
Pie Crust
2 cups of flour
1 to 2 tablespoons of granulated sugar
pinch of salt
1 ½ stick of unsalted cold butter
¼ cup of cold shortening (place in refrigerator several hours before using)
¼ cup cold water (use ice water for best result)
 
Put flour, sugar and salt in a food processor. Cut up butter and shortening into small pieces and add to processor. Pulse mixture until slightly blended. Use your hands to make sure butter is in little pieces throughout the flour mixture. Process mixture a bit more and then add the cold water. Continue to process until the mixture forms into a ball.  Turn dough out onto the counter and divide the crust into 2 unequal parts – larger portion for bottom crust and smaller portion for top crust. Wrap separately in plastic wrap and refrigerate for a few hours. (This dough can also be frozen for up to 6 months – just place in refrigerator 24 hours before use).
 
Pie Filling
3 ½ pounds apples (I have always used granny smith) – peel, core and cut into chunks
½ cup flour
1 ¼ cup granulated sugar
1 teaspoon cinnamon
pinch of salt
2 tablespoons unsalted butter cut into pieces
Heavy cream and sugar for garnish
 
Mix the first five above ingredients together and let sit. Roll out bottom, larger crust and place in pie dish. Add filling and sprinkle pieces of butter on top. Roll out top crust and place over filling. Close crust by pinching top and bottom crusts together around the pie dish. Brush top of pie with heavy cream and sprinkle generously with sugar. Place pie on baking sheet and bake in 350 oven for 1 to 1 ½ hours.

​Happy baking!
Holly
P.S. If you are too tired to bake, you can order an apple pie from the Chopping Block! Tell Shelley I sent you!