Thanksgiving Hits and Misses

I am so thankful for my family. How great a gift a family is! My parents were finishing up their stay; we are already missing them so much as they went home yesterday. We had a wonderful couple of days with my brothers Guy and John here from Chicago. We hadn't seen them for 4 years since they have been living in London. To quote Sunshine, "We don't get to see Guy and John that often so I forget how much fun they are!" It was fun and it was a blessing.

We started the day with Pepper's yummy caramel rolls. Guy and John made a wonderful paper bag turkey (stuffed with popcorn) for the Littles. Pepper made an adorable crudite tray.  It was fun to have some cute Pinterest touches on the day!

We tried some wonderful new recipes; one by me, two by the Barefoot Contessa, one by Paula Deen and then all our tried and true favorites. Almost everyone helped with cooking in some way but Mamaw, Pepper and I did the bulk of it. We ate:

Cranberry Sauce

Dressing - The Best EVER (my new recipe)

Turkey (a pre-ordered fresh natural turkey that was super moist thanks to the prep and cooking but, frankly, a little tough)

Gravy

Mashed Potatoes

Sweet Potato Puree (Barefoot Contessa) with candied pecans (contributed by Pepper)

Roasted Brussels Sprouts (Barefoot Contessa)

Pumpkin Pie (made by Mamaw, of course, and perfect!)

Fresh Apple Cake (Paula Deen)

I think we'd have liked the sweet potatoes if they weren't so orangey. We will cut the orange way back next time. We loved the cayenne in them, though! The Brussels Sprouts, on the other hand, were sublime. Oh, my goodness! The apple cake was a huge hit, too; it has such yummy apple flavor and was super moist. This apple cake will make a great addition to our New Year's brunch.

So, in the end, we were thankful for the food, too.  Here are a few assorted pictures. 

Menu Plan Monday!

It's Monday, and I'm joining Orgjunkie.com in her Menu Plan Monday link-up. To start out, here's a link to my menu calendar. I don't post regularly on Menu Plan Monday, but you can always check my calendar.(Several recipes have links inside the description field to the original recipe).

Here are Pepper's beautiful Chicken Thighs, our Saturday dinner. They look fried but aren't and she has perfected this dish. We enjoyed them with spaetzle and green beans.

Her method is thus: Brown the thighs in a non-stick pan with a little olive oil and garlic until they are very brown. Then she covers a jelly roll pan with foil and tops it with a cooling rack.  Place the thighs, skin side up on the rack and pour about a cup of white wine over the thighs. Roast at 350 for 40-50 minutes until done, about 180 degrees. The wine helps steam the thighs and oh, my goodness, they are delicious.

Monday:
Breakfast Tacos and Fruit
Leftovers for lunch
Taco Cupcakess with salad

Tuesday:
Dr. Bircher's Museli
Egg salad on lettuce, crackers, refrigerator pickles (any kind)
Homemade Mac-n-Cheese, Zucchini and carrot "fries," some type of fruit



Wednesday:
Scrambled egg, bacon, strawberries
Mini cabbage rolls, OJ carrots, white rice, greenery, grape tomatoes
Bacon Brown Sugar Chicken, Brown Rice, Broccoli

Thursday:
Boiled eggs, toast, milk
Meat cubes, cheese cubes, pasta with pesto, grape tomatoes, olives, grapes
Too Easy Fettuccine Alfredo, green salad, cookies

Friday:
Cereal Day
California Roll in a Bowl
Three Cheese Potato Tacos using pre-made taco shells, Iceburg Salad, Fruit Salad

Saturday:
Yogurt and bananas
Sandwiches
Crockpot roast beef, potatoes, green veg

Sunday:
Pancakes or Waffles

Eat out for lunch
Leftover night

What's for dinner at your house?

Menu Plan Monday

It's Monday, and I'm joining Orgjunkie.com in her Menu Plan Monday link-up.  Enjoy!

Monday:
Scrambled eggs, raisin toast, milk
 "Snack Plate":  cheese, pretzels, broccoli florets (raw), grapes, strawberries

Pork loin (marinated in soy sauce, mustard, honey and splash of wine), noodles with bok choy, carrots and bell peppers and a "quick sauce" using pan drippings, peanut butter and a splash of soy sauce

Tuesday:
Dr. Bircher's Museli
Egg salad on lettuce, crackers, refrigerator pickles (any kind), homemade granola
Homemade Mac-n-Cheese, brussels sprouts, homemade applesauce

Wednesday:
Cereal and milk
Meat cubes, cheese cubes, pasta with pesto, grape tomatoes
(Family fends for itself tonight!)

Thursday:
Yogurt and banana
Lunch out
Too Easy Fettuccine Alfredo, green salad, cookies

Friday:
Bacon and egg cups, juice
School cookout
Potato Soup with cheese and egg dumplings, 3-bean salad

Saturday:
Scrambled eggs, re-fried beans, corn tortillas
Sandwiches
Leftovers

Sunday:
Sweet cereal, milk, grapes, bananas

King Ranch chicken, 3 bean salad, greens

Peg Bracken's Bean Salad 
from the I Hate to Cook Cookbook

INGREDIENTS

• 1 15-oz can green beans, rinsed and drained
• 1 15-oz can kidney beans, rinsed and drained
• 1 15-oz can wax beans, rinsed and drained

• 1/3 cup apple cider vinegar
• 1/3 cup granulated sugar
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
• 
  
• METHOD

1 In a large bowl, mix the beans

2 In a separate small bowl, whisk together the vinegar, sugar, olive oil, salt, and pepper. Add the dressing to the beans. Toss to coat.

3 Chill beans in the refrigerator for several hours, to allow the beans to soak up the flavor of the dressing..

Menu Plan Monday

Wheee!  It's Monday, Mamas!  I'm joining Orgjunkie.com in her Menu Plan Monday link-up again.

Monday:
Cereal and milk, fruit
Lunch - "Snack Plate":  cheese, sausages, pretzels, broccoli florets (raw), grapes, strawberries, ketchup.
Gina's Baked Ziti, Green salad, dressing

Tuesday:
Yogurt, bananas, dry cereal
PF Chang-like Chicken Lettuce Wraps (SO awesome), steamed rice, grape tomatoes, mandarin orange
Leftover Ziti, salad, dressing


Wednesday:
Pankcakes
Sweet & Sour Pork/Shrimp meatballs (Just Bento cookbook), brown rice onigiri, orange carrot flowers, steamed asparagus
(Family fends for itself tonight!)

Thursday:
Eggs and toast
Chicken curry, cuke raita, brown rice Tiffin
Baked Corn Dogs, coleslaw, Berry Fool (sweetened yogurt, layered with berries, topped with crushed cookies)

Friday:
Cereal and Milk
Boiled egg, hummus, baked pita chips, fresh veg, fruit
Spaghetti Carbonara, green beans, pudding of some kind

Saturday:

Huevos Rancheros, baked corn tortilla strips
Roast, potatoes, fresh veg

Sunday:
Pot luck breakfast!
Shrimp skewers, fried rice with bok choy

Honey Bun Cake

I made this last week for the kiddos.  They assured me it was delicious and tasted like actual honey buns.  I dared not eat it lest I run the whole ship into an iceberg!

This recipe is from the Cake Doctor cook book.  That means it's easy!

 Ingredients

 Cake

• 1 (18 ounce) packages yellow cake mix
• 1 cup sour cream
• ¾ cup vegetable oil
• 4 large eggs 

 Filling 

• ¹⁄₃ cup honey
• ¹⁄3  cup light brown sugar, packed
• 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
• ½ cup nuts, finely chopped  (I did not use)

Glaze 

• 2 cups confectioners' sugar
• ¹⁄₃ cup milk
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Directions

1. Combine all the cake ingredients and set aside.
2. Thoroughly combine the filling ingredients.
3. Pour the batter into the pan.  Top with the filling, then swirl with a  knife.  Not too much!
4. Bake at 350 degrees F. for 38-40 minutes in a 13x9" greased baking pan. Meanwhile prepare the sugar glaze.
5. Cool cake on wire rack for 10 minutes.
6. While still warm, poke holes in the cake and pour the glaze over it.  Serve warm!