Celebrating Thanksgiving

Dear Family and Friends,

    Three years ago in late October, we moved to Kalamazoo, far from anyone we knew.  When we settled in, we tried to find someone to come and eat Thanksgiving dinner with us because we were used to a large family gathering and thought that we would need that to feel happy about the holiday; but we were new here, and everyone had already made plans--so for the first time we prepared to celebrate Thanksgiving with only our own household.  We planned the menu, made the pies, and surprised ourselves at how this lovely small gathering of gratitude still felt joyful, pleasant and celebratory.

    I know this year is going to be different for lots of people.  Gatherings will be smaller, or will not happen, many spending Thanksgiving in their own homes, and some quite alone as we try to be safe from the pandemic.  I wanted to share some things I have learned about Thanksgiving, in hopes that it might help with your altered celebration.

    Thanksgiving is sacred to me, a true holy-day.  I didn't really understand this until I came to this new type of celebration.  As I spend time working to create an extraordinary meal for my family, it becomes contemplative. I spend time thinking about them, about the year that has passed, and because of some items on our menu, the harvest and preservation work that we have done.  I am filled with gratitude for the abundance. 

    The work is more, because we obviously don't have aunts and grandmas to fill in the menu, but we choose what we want to eat, and work for it just the same.  We often think of the people that made a certain dish--like Tiffany's pretzel salad, or Dave making the green bean casserole (which I believe he does in memory of when Aunt Lou used to bring it.) We remember the Gigantic Pot of mashed potatoes that Grandma Jacobson makes every year with boats of gravy. We miss them as we reminisce, but we are making our own mashed potatoes and we will rejoice in them too.

    The leftovers are more. Yes! this is the BEST part of having Thanksgiving with a small group: ALL the leftovers are at my house. There is no dish I have to think about wistfully because it drove home across town or to a different state. No! they are right here for my personal consumption happiness.  The kids have also loved this part. It makes Thanksgiving go on for days of picking turkey and reheating stuffing for afternoon snacks. Yum!

    We have made some new traditions. We make a big poster of all the things we can think of that we are thankful for.  Sometimes it is cute (if Leslie or Miriam make it so), but always it is crammed with the list of good things in our lives.  Family members add to it throughout the day. It is fun to read what they are grateful for this year. We try to set a pretty table; we put in a leaf (not for visitors to sit at, but to hold all the FOOD!) and take a picture of our meal to remember the dazzle of it all.  We make calls to family and we sometimes watch a movie or put together a puzzle.

    If you are planning your own Thanksgiving at home, here are some things that might be useful:

1) Plan your menu in detail and write it down. Consider your number of servings and your own stamina.  Creating a feast by yourself is plenty of work, so involve any available people.  Also, if you are serving just your family, ask yourself, "What do we really want to eat?" It might surprise you at the answer. I have one friend who eats steak for Thanksgiving. 

2) Make a shopping list consulting your recipes so you don't forget anything. Again, the details are what will make or break it. Consult your supplies so you don't run out of the regular bits, like butter.  Thanksgiving at my house takes lots of butter, eggs, sour cream and cream cheese.

3) Make a time plan, noting everything that can be made early.  I usually spend the day before on pies.  The real trick about Thanksgiving is getting everything hot at the same time, especially when the turkey has been 'hogging' the oven all morning. You can read more details about time plans here.

4) Find ways to reach out to those you love even if you can't be together. Talk to them about the things you are grateful for. Everything is happier when we focus on joy and gratitude.

5) Give thanks. God has provided again for us. This is precious time.

Here is another link that might be useful:

Thanksgiving Recipe Ideas

Blessings on your home and celebration!

Love,

Jenny

Pears and Cream Pie

Another pie for your summer fruit! This one has a buttery topping and creamy filling.

Pears and Cream Pie
3 c. chopped pears
1/2 c. sugar
1 egg, beaten
1 c. cream
1 Tbsp. flour
1 tsp. vanilla
pinch of salt
1 unbaked pie shell

Combine pears, sugar, egg, cream, flour, vanilla and salt in a bowl; mix well. Pour into pie shell. Bake at 350 degrees for 15 minutes. While baking, make topping:

Topping:
2/3 c. flour
1/3 c. sugar
1/4 c. butter

Combine ingredients in a bowl and mix until crumbly.  Sprinkle over pie. Bake for 30 minutes longer or until browned.

Jenny

Blackberry Sour Cream Pie

I found some fresh blackberries last week at the store, and felt like pie would be in order. (I always do think pie is in order.) This beautiful pie is a berries-and-cream kind of experience, rich and delicious-but easy to assemble. The recipe comes from a booklet of pies and pastries compiled by home economics teachers.

Blackberry Sour Cream Pie
1 unbaked 9 inch pie shell (or click here for a pastry recipe)
4 c. fresh blackberries
1 1/4 c. sugar
1 c. sifted flour
1/4 tsp. salt
1 c. sour cream
2 Tbsp. sugar

Place cleaned blackberries in pie shell. Sift sugar, flour and salt into a bowl, stir in sour cream to combine; mix well. Pour cream mixture over berries, sprinkle top with 2 Tbsp. sugar.  Bake at 450 degrees for 10 minutes. Reduce temperature to 350 degrees, bake for 30 minutes longer.  Cool on wire rack.

Jenny

Peaches and Cream Pie

This pie tastes so summery, even in the dead of winter.  Canned peaches to the rescue!  We doubled this to make two.

Peaches and Cream Pie
6 oz. cream cheese, softened
3/4 c. powdered sugar
1/4 tsp. almond extract
3/4 c. whipping cream, whipped
1 (16 oz.) can sliced peaches,  well drained
1 (9 inch) graham cracker crust
Using an electric mixer, beat cream cheese until smooth.  Beat in sugar and extract.  Fold in whipped cream and peaches. Spoon into crust. Refrigerate for at least 2 hours before serving. 8 Servings

Notes: I diced the peaches.

Jenny

No Crust Apple Pie

What are dear friends for, if not to share their best recipes?  My friend Becky sent this to me last week, and it is scrumptious!  Also easy.  Yay!

No Crust Apple Pie
Peel and slice enough tart apples to fill a 9 inch pie plate.
Sprinkle apples with a couple of tablespoons of sugar and sprinkle with cinnamon.  Stir apples.

Combine:
3/4 c. melted butter or margarine
1 c. flour
1 c. sugar
1 egg
Beat together.  Pour/spread over apples in pie plate.  Sprinkle cinnamon on top.  Bake at 350 degrees for 45 min. or until golden.  Serve with ice cream.

Notes:  Fill the pie plate to the top, as the apples shrink a bit when cooked.  We served this with fresh whipped cream.  Thanks, Becky!!!

Jenny

Peaches and Cream Dessert

Time for peaches to be ripe and gorgeous!   I wanted to share this delicious recipe while there are fresh peaches to be had.  It has a crust, and reminds me of pie. This is from an old Taste of Home cookbook.

Peaches and Cream Dessert
2 c. flour
1 tsp. salt
3/4 c. shortening
1 egg, slightly beaten
3 Tbsp. cold water
Filling:
1 c. sugar
1/3 c. flour
5 fresh peaches, peeled and sliced
1 c. whipping cream
1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon

Combine flour and salt in a bowl.  Cut in shortening. Stir in egg and water until mixture comes together.  Press dough into the bottom and a bit up the sides of a 9 x 13 pan to form a crust.  For filling:  combine sugar and flour; toss with the peaches.  Pour into the crust.  Pour cream over peaches and sprinkle with cinnamon.  Bake at 425 degrees for 20 min.  Reduce heat to 350 degrees and bake for 25 min. longer.  Let stand 30 min. before serving.

Notes:  I think I used about 7 or 8 cups of peaches in mine to make it huge.  I left all the other ingredients the same, and other than maybe adding a bit more sugar, it worked out well.

Jenny

French Silk Pie

I wanted to make a French Silk Pie for Thanksgiving this year, but all the traditional recipes call for a lot of raw eggs.  I didn't think it was wise to serve something like that to all the nieces, nephews and a pregnant sister in law, so I went searching for a recipe that would be safe.  Leave it to the wonderful test kitchen at Taste of Home to have it all figured out!  In this recipe the eggs are pasteurized by heat before adding the chocolate.  You will need a thermometer and patience, but the end results are worth it.  The recipe I made is a double batch of the one found here.  It filled my big Pampered Chef pie plate just perfectly, but even if you don't have a big pie plate, you might consider making a bigger batch, as all the comments on this pie report it to be low on filling.  You could always refrigerate any remaining filling for a midnight snacking mom emergency.  This is really rich.  Slice it thin.

French Silk Pie (with Almond)

1 1/2 c. sugar

6 eggs

Combine in a sauce pan and cook over low heat, stirring constantly until mixture coats the back of a metal spoon and reaches 160 degrees. Remove from heat.  Stir in:

6 oz. semi-sweet chocolate chips

1/4 tsp. almond extract

Stir until smooth.  Cool to lukewarm, stirring occasionally.

In a large bowl, beat

1 c. butter

until light and fluffy.  Add cooled (90 degrees) egg mixture and beat on high for 5 min.  Pour into a cooked and cooled pie shell (I used this one.)  Refrigerate at least 6 hours before serving. 

Notes:  It takes a while to heat the eggs.  Use low heat and patience.  I have used chocolate chips instead of the chopped chocolate called for in the original.  I would do it again without hesitation, but the chopped chocolate might be darker/richer in appearance.  This is usually topped with whipped cream.  You can also replace the almond extract with 2 tsp. of vanilla extract.

Jenny

Thanksgiving Recipe Ideas

I love Thanksgiving!  The only real preparation it requires is asking who will bring what food and finding a fun puzzle for people to visit over when they aren't wanted in the kitchen.  We eat, talk, laugh and spend time with loved ones.  We pray and thank God for the many blessings we enjoy.  The harvest is in, the winter can come and wrap me up in contemplation.  Today I will post a list of ideas for food from this blog.  May your time with this holiday be blessed.  May you have loving arms around you and enough--which, as Mary Poppins reminds us, is as good as a feast.

Thanksgiving Turkey How-to
Salads:
Pretzel Salad
Broccoli Cauliflower Salad
Almost a Waldorf
Snickers Salad
Vegetable Sides:
Fried Sweet Potatoes
Garlic Mashed Potatoes
Roasted Vegetables
Sour Cream Potatoes
Winter Squash Fritters
Onion Patties
Rolls:
Oatmeal Dinner Rolls
Heavenly Dinner Rolls
Parmesan Rolls
Butternut Squash Bread (this would make gorgeous rolls!)
90-Minute Bread (This is the recipe my family is most familiar with.)
Pies:
Basic Pie Crust tutorial
Cheddar Pear Pie
Swedish Apple Pie
Rhubarb Pie
Luscious Lime Pie
Cream Cheese Pie
Crisp Pie Topping for a fruit pie
Appetizers:
Ham and Cheese Ball
Hot Artichoke Dip
Gorgonzola Dip
Leftovers:
Pot Pie
Soup with Homemade Noodles

There are many other ideas here.  Click the recipe tab or browse by name in the seach box on the right sidebar.
Jenny

Recipes for Apple Season!

Today I shared a link for a linky party at From My Tiny Kitchen and the theme is apples.  As I searched my recipes for one to share, I realized that I have a bunch of apple recipes hidden all over my blog, so I am posting a list this morning to celebrate this versatile, favorite fruit. 

Applesauce Cookies
One Big Apple Dumpling
Baked Apple German Pancake
Almost A Waldorf
Applesauce Muffins
Stretched Sausages
A.M. Delight Muffins
Fruit Cobbler
Swedish Apple Pie
Snicker Salad
Crockpot Carrot Pudding
Crisp Pie Topping
No Crust Apple Pie
Apples For My Children

There are more apple recipes to come this fall, you can search for them by entering the word apple in the side bar search.

Jenny

Food and Movies

I've told some of you that my plan for this summer was to indulge in some fun movie watching.  I love movies where food takes center stage, think of the salads in Nacho Libre or the trays of food going in to grandma in Cold Comfort Farm while there is nasty gruel on the table for every one else.  Food can tell you where you are in the world.  Who likes you, or doesn't. Movies take advantage of our personal relationships with food to quickly communicate to us at a visceral level what is going on. 

A couple of nights ago, I sat down to a movie that I'd never heard of, but recommended by Netflix because of my viewing past.  It is called Sweet Land.  It starts with a quote, "Let us hope, that we are all proceeded in this world by a love story."  So, I know that it will be a love story, but it was a hard one to watch.  I have been thinking for two days about its powerful messages about treating people--perfectly good people who happen to be from another place or speak another language--in a way that is hurtful because of fear.  I have also been thinking for two days about the amount of pie in that movie.  I love pie!  And, toward the end, there is a wonderful scene over dinner, where our beautiful lady has prepared with love, a feast for her not-yet-husband.  She puts it on the table while he watches with reverence.  He begins to eat, amazement and then joy on his face as he wolfs food, and she, with an empty plate, watches.  She puts a pie in front of him, he indicates that it maybe came from a neighbor, she counters, "My pie!"  He can't believe his eyes.  It is a great scene.  Hunger, pleasure, longing, all communicated over the table and into my mind.  In another scene, over another pie, two women tuck into it together, and eat it all, bonding despite cultural and language barriers, because food can do that. So true!

Just some random musings, I know, but I'd love to hear what movies you like that have food play a star role.  I have some summer left, and I'd love some recommendations.

Jenny

4th of July BBQ Foods

I love a party!  This is just a quick post in case you are here looking for picnic or barbecue ideas for the weekend.  We usually have a family breakfast and a burgers/dogs on the grill at some point. Happy Birthday America!

Scones are a family favorite with us.  This recipe is a dream for a gathering in that you can make it days before and let it wait in the fridge until your ready for it.  You can plug in an electric skillet and fry these on the patio.  Set out the honey butter and let people eat them as they cook, hot and scrumptious! It will feed a crowd.  Our family standard for celebration breakfasts is Oatmeal Pancakes (batter prepared night before).

America should have a birthday cake, right?  Here are my summer favorites, as they are make-ahead and come out of the fridge cool and oh, so nice! Easy Jello Pudding Cake, Tres Leches Cake, Brownie Swirl Cheesecake, Frankie's No-Bake Cheesecake.  Here are two that travel really well, and are fast to make (and will feed a big crew!) Texas Sheet Cake; White Texas Sheet  Cake.

Salads and Sides: This is the list when someone says, "Just bring a side dish, dear."  Potato Salad is one of my personal favorites.  Cornbread Salad is the one I'm hoping my sister-in-law will bring. Snickers Salad is going to be one of the favorites on any table (this one you need to assemble just before eating). Two nice crunchy alternatives to the proverbial green salad are Broccoli Cauliflower Salad and Ramen Noodle Salad.  And no self-respecting relative in my family has a gathering without the Baked Beans.

There is a wonderful barbecue sauce for chicken with this recipe for Zesty Chicken Wings. Sloppy Joe's are nice to tuck into after a morning at the parade.  The meat can be hot and ready in your crock pot while you're away. Fried Chicken is classic for a picnic. If you don't have a grill, but you like a charred hot dog, try Hot Dogs and Onions.

What's more American than Apple Pie? Pie in general is one of my weaknesses!  Here are some favorites:

Aunt Elaine's Rhubarb Pie; Luscious Lime Pie; Cream Cheese Pie; and knock-your-socks-off Cheddar Pear Pie. Pie is welcome where ever it goes.

Just some ideas to get your mouth watering!  Eat watermelon.  Eat corn on the cob.  Let your taste buds know you're celebrating!

Jenny

Vanilla Pudding and Pie Filling Mix

This is from the Make a Mix cookbook.  It makes a velvety white pudding that is elegant for desserts.  Easy peasy too!  The mix will sit on your shelf for 4 months if you keep it tightly covered. 

Vanilla Pudding and Pie Filling Mix
2 1/3 c. sugar
1 3/4 c. cornstarch
3/4 tsp. salt

In a large bowl, mix all ingredient with a wire whisk until blended.  Store in a 4 cup container with a tight-fitting lid.

To make pudding:
2/3 c. pudding mix
2 1/2 c. milk
2 Tbsp. butter or margarine
1 1/2 tsp. vanilla extract

Combine pudding mix and milk in a small saucepan.  Heat over medium heat, stirring until mixture thickens and begins to bubble.  Remove from heat.  Stir in butter and vanilla until blended.  Cover with plastic wrap, cool.
To use for a pie filling: Pour into baked crust and refrigerate for 2 hours or until set.

 Notes: The photo shows warm pudding poured over pound cake and topped with strawberries.
Jenny

Luscious Lime Pie

This sounded so good to me for Mother's Day!  It is a simple recipe, and my girls made it for me.  Honestly, I thought it was already posted, as it is such a family favorite, but when I came to look it up, NO!  This was a favorite of my late father-in-law, he loved Marie Callendar's key lime, but this was good enough for happiness. I think the recipe came from a Pampered Chef season's best years ago.

Luscious Lime Pie
1 prepared graham cracker crust
8 oz. cream cheese, softened
1 can sweetened condensed milk
1/3 c. lime juice
1 Tbsp. lime zest
1 (8 oz.) container whipped topping, divided

In a bowl, with an electric blender or whisk, combine cream cheese and sweetened condensed milk until smooth.  Stir in lime juice and zest. Fold in 2 c. whipped topping.  Pour into pie crust and chill 30 min.  Garnish with remaining whipped topping.

Note: you can add a drop or two of green food coloring to the filling, if you like.
Jenny

Bottled Peach Pie Filling

Last year I wanted to bottle peach pie filling and found this recipe.  It is yummy!  I like the fact that it uses no thickening agent in the bottle, it seemed to stay nicer looking than other pie fillings I have made, easy too.  We have used this over the last year for pies, over ice cream and as cobbler and crisp fillings. Fresh out of the canner this year to be enjoyed again!

Peach Pie Filling

6 lbs. fresh peaches

1 c. + 2 Tbsp. bottled lemon juice

3 3/4 c. water

5 c. sugar

2 tsp. cinnamon

3/4 tsp. ground cloves

1 tsp. ground nutmeg

1 tsp. almond extract

fruit fresh or ascorbic acid

Loosen the peach skins by dropping gently into boiling water for 45 seconds, then submerge in cold water.  Peel off skins, pit and slice peaches into water that contains ascorbic acid until all peaches are sliced.  Combine lemon juice, water, sugar and spices in a large saucepan.  Stir and cook until mixture boils.  Drain peaches and add to the syrup.  Cook for 3 min.  Ladle into hot, quart sized canning jars.  Release air bubbles, clean rims and adjust two piece lids.  Process in boiling water bath canner for 30 min. Yield 7 quarts.

To use filling: Empty contents of jar into a saucepan and stir in one tablespoon cornstarch, heat, stirring occasionally until filling is thick.  Use in your favorite pie crust or cobbler.

Jenny

Cheddar Pear Pie

This recipe comes from Taste of Home in the late nineties, it was a first place winner in their pie contest that year.  I adore pears, and this is one of my favorite pies. I call this my annual pie, because I used to make it once a year and eat it predominantly by myself, all the children thinking cheese and pie were too weird together.  Now I have a few converts. It always comes out of the oven looking so pretty, so it would be a good one to take to a potluck and share.

Cheddar Pear Pie

5 cups peeled, sliced ripe pears

1/3 c. sugar

1 Tbsp. cornstarch

1/8 tsp. salt

1 unbaked pastry shell, 9 inches

Topping:

1/2 c. shredded cheddar cheese

1/2 c. flour

1/4 c. butter or margarine, melted

1/4 c. sugar

1/4 tsp. salt

In a bowl, combine pears, sugar, cornstarch and salt.  Pour into pastry shell.  Combine topping ingredients until crumbly; sprinkle over filling.  Bake at 425 for 25-35 min. or until crust is golden and cheese is melted.  Cool for 10 min. Serve warm. Store in refrigerator.

Notes:  I have used flour instead of cornstarch as thickening before.  I also like to cut in cold butter or margarine in the topping, as it makes it crumbly.  If you do it as the recipe directs, you get a kind of dough that you must crumble.  It works either way. I also love this pie cold.

Jenny

Cream Cheese Pie

My daughter brought this recipe home from her foods class at school and made it for us last night.  It is fluffy textured, and cheesecake flavored.  It would be a good one for any child old enough to operate a mixer to try, simple ingredients and quick preparation.

Cream Cheese Pie

1 graham cracker crust

1 (8 oz.) pkg cream cheese, softened

1 (8 oz.) container cool whip

1/3 c. sugar

1/2 tsp. vanilla

1/2 c. sour cream

Using a hand mixer, mix softened cream cheese and sugar until well blended.  Add vanilla and sour cream and mix.  Fold in the cool whip and pour into the crust.  Chill for 2 hours.  Top with fruit or any other toppings.

Jenny

Swedish Apple Pie

This recipe comes from recipezaar.  It is a delicious and different apple pie!

Swedish Apple Pie

3 1/2 c. slice apples (baking apples, like Granny Smith)

2 Tbsp. flour

3/4 c. sugar

1 pinch salt
1 egg
1 tsp. vanilla
1/2 c. sour cream
1 unbaked pie shell

Topping:
1/3 c. sugar
1/3 c. flour
1 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/2 c. cold butter

Boil apples until they just start to soften. Drain well.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees
Mix drained apples, flour, sugar and salt.  Beat eggs and vanilla together and add to apple mixture.  Fold in sour cream.  Pour into pie shell and bake approx. 40 min. or until set.
While pie is baking, prepare topping as follows:  Combine dry ingredients and cut in butter to resemble coarse crumbs.  Remove pie from oven and sprinkle with topping, return pie to oven for an additional 15 min.  Cool.

Notes:  This is really nice made just like it says, but last time I made it, I wanted to try making it with my home-bottled pie filling.  I mixed together the sour cream, egg and vanilla and added them to a jar of filling.  Fill the crust with this and bake as directed, then top.  Worked like a charm!
Jenny

Crisp Pie Topping

This is a really nice topping for a fruit pie, that allows you to use your two-crust recipe to make 2 fruit pies.  Just top each one with this instead of a top crust.  It is my particular favorite on cherry pie.  Pies topped with this are usually called Dutch style (ie. Dutch Apple etc).  Also use this on top of a bottle of apple pie filling to make an apple crisp.

Crisp Pie Topping

2 Tbsp. brown sugar

1/3 c. flour

1/3 c. quick oats

3 Tbsp. butter

Combine in a small bowl, sugar, flour and oats.  Cut in cold butter until crumbly.  Sprinkle over pie.  Bake 35 min. at 375.  Will top one pie or one 9x9 pan of fruit for a crisp.
Jenny

Favorite Pie Crust

This recipe and method were taught to me years ago by a fellow pie aficionado.   His motto in life was, "I like two kinds of pie, Pie With Ice Cream, and Pie Without."  My personal motto about pie is, "Yes, lets have some!"

Favorite Pie Crust

Cut together:

2 1/2 c. flour

1 cup shortening

1/4 tsp. salt

Blend together in a separate bowl:

1 egg
1 Tbsp. vinegar
1/4 c. ice water

Combine two mixtures, and stir together with a fork until pastry comes together.  Divide into two balls.  Roll out to 1/8 inch thick.  Place in two 9 inch pie pans.  Bake at 450 degrees for 10-12 min.  Makes 2 crusts. (You can also use this as a top and bottom crust for a fruit pie, omit the baking and fill, cover with the top crust, vent and bake according to directions for the fruit pie recipe.)

To form the crust, take one ball of dough and sandwich it between two large sheets of plastic wrap. 

Roll out with rolling pin to 1/8 inch thickness, remove top layer of plastic wrap, reserving it to the side for the next ball of dough.

Invert the crust into the pan and remove the second piece of plastic wrap.

Flute edges or flatten using a fork, which ever design you prefer. Repeat with remaining dough ball.

Jenny

Coconut Pie

This recipe belongs to a family of food called impossible pies.  They self-form a type of crust while they bake.  This recipe has the added advantage of forming a tasty crispy topping as well.  I love custard pies, and this one is so easy, that I make it frequently.  The photo was taken right as it came from the oven.  It is a bit like a souffle and will not fall per se, but will settle a bit from its initial glory.  (Taste of Home 1998)

Coconut Pie

2 c. milk
1 c. sugar
4 eggs
1/2 c. Flour
6 Tbsp. butter or margarine (I prefer the margarine, the butter tends to leave a greasy trace)
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1/2 tsp. salt
1 c. coconut

In a blender, combine all ingredients except coconut.  Cover and blend for 10 seconds;  scrape the sides and blend 10 for another 10 seconds.  Add coconut, blend for 2 seconds.  Pour into a greased 10 inch pie plate.  Bake at 350 for 50-55 min. or until a knife inserted near the center comes out clean.  Serve warm.

Notes: This recipe fills my pie plate to the very tippy top, but if I can slide it in the oven without spilling, it will not over-flow during baking. Also, I like to serve this completely cooled.
Jenny