Good-Bye to Massachusetts and On to Kentucky

So as we leave Massachusetts (for now, returning later) I leave you with a link for a New England clam chowder recipe. I'd planned to make this for my family but my husband (and myself) find that rich, cream dishes are best to forgo. I still love the thought of a creamy and steamy, thick white clam chowder.

Dave Lieberman's New England Clam Chowder from Food Network web site.

I think soups are perfect for chilly winter evenings, but my family doesn't seem to think dinner surrounded by liquid is their idea of a good meal. I appreciate the ease of throwing a bunch of healthy ingredients in a pot of water and then just letting it simmer over the stove for an hour. So my mission is to find that ideal soup recipe that makes my family likes. It always makes me think of that story about Stone Soup.


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So as we cross a new state border, we wander over to Kentucky, a state with rolling green hills and stately white fences and a history of horses. Our friend Dianne Reed of Overland Park, Kansas, says it's a friendly state that despite status everyone talks horses. "The horses are such a great equalizer," Dianne says. "From barn workers to dealing with the richest people in the world, everyone talks about horses. Perfect Drift opened a lot of doors for us."

As a three-year-old gelding in 2002, Perfect Drift placed third at the Kentucky Derby and continued to have a successful racing career for many years after. Since 2009 Perfect Drift has spent the warmer months as the horse in residence at the Kentucky Derby Museum, right beside Churchill Downs. But this week, Perfect Drift will be returning to his annual winter home with his owners, Dr. William and Mary Reed of Stonecrest Farms, south of Kansas City.

We'll share more of Perfect Drift's great story later this week -- you've got to have a great horse story for Kentucky Week, and Perfect Drift's is a Cinderella story.

While we're on soups, here's a link from Simply Recipes for a typical soup/stew called Kentucky Burgoo.

The Pie that was really a Cake

Here are the details for our Thanksgiving pie -- that's really a cake and a fabulously easy cake!

Park it Right Here for a Better Roll Recipe

So it seems that the same restaurant that created Boston Cream Pie (not a pie but rather a cream-filled cake) also created the Parker House rolls that are creamy inside and toasty, crunchy on the outside -- and not that hard to make if you're BRAVE enough to spend a few hours babysitting some yeast. Need some delish homebaked bread for your Thanksgiving feast? Can't you smell that aroma now? Check out this recipe that started in the great state of Massachusetts, our featured state of the week.

Plymouth Celebration means Massachusetts

Since it's closing in on Thanksgiving, we've skipping a few states (since we're a virtual tour!) and focusing this week and next on Massachusetts.

For more info for that first Thanksgiving, check the Pilgrim Hall Museum site HERE. More info about the state can be found at the Massachusetts Office of Travel and Tourism site.

And even if you and your family aren't necessarily cranberry fans, here are some fun facts on the vivid berry.

I've made homemade cranberry sauce before but my husband prefers the canned version, likely because that's what he grew up eating every Thanksgiving. I could just let those fresh cranberries simmer (anything simmering on the stove top is always so comforting) for a sauce that just sits on the table and looks pretty. But with my mother-in-law's extensive menu (menu to be posted soon!) we'll likely just buy a can of Ocean Spray's finest and just call it good.

Though this Cranberry Festive Sparkler looks good and Grandpa Steven looks his seltzer.