Thanksgiving Feast

It is that time of the year when we eat lots of good foods, probably at different places. I know I spend Thanksgiving with either my family or hubby's family. However, I also fix my own Thanksgiving feast either the day before or the day after. This is for a family of four (except the turkey it last us for days). This is typically my menu:

Roast Turkey:

Turkey
half stick of Butter
1 cup Water

Simply remove turkey from package, remove the stuff from inside the turkey, and rinse with cold water. Place turkey in a shallow roasting pan with a cup of water. Cut the stick of butter into pats and place around the top of the turkey and put a pat on each leg. Cover in aluminum foil and cook at 325 degree according to the back of the package. About an hour before turkey is done remove foil and baste with turkey drippings in pan and cook till turkey is done. You will have a nice beautiful golden brown roast turkey.

Cornbread Dressing:

1 large package Pepperidge farms cornbread stuffing
1/2 cup turkey
3 Tbsp onion powder
3 Tbsp garlic powder
1 Tbsp poltury seasoning
turkey drippings

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

In bowl mix all ingredients. Mix till all moist, if it seems a bit dry just add some water finish moistening it.

Butter an 9 x 9 baking dish, put stuffing in dish, bake for 30 mins or until brown and crusty.

Mashed Potatoes:

Peel and cut up potatoes put into a pot.
Add water to cover potatoes.
Add salt.
Put pot on stove over high heat, bring to a boil and lower heat to medium and cook till potatoes are fork tender.
Drain potatoes, put potatoes back into pot (or bowl).
Mash potatoes with a masher, add milk (till your liking) and 4 Tbsp butter and stir well, till potatoes are fluffy.
Add salt and pepper to taste.

Gravy: *I typically have turkey drippings left after the stuffing*

1 cup Turkey drippings
2 Tbsp flour
1/2 cup milk
salt and pepper to taste

Put turkey drippings into a pot and bring to a boil, meanwhile mix milk and flour together.
Once drippings come to a boil whisk in flour and milk mixture. Turn heat down to a simmer, add salt and pepper to taste.
Simmer till the consistency that you like.
**If it seems to be getting too thick add a little water**

Serve over turkey, dressing, and mashed potatoes.

Country Style Green Beans:


1 large can Hanover Cut Green Beans with Potatoes
1 large can Hanover Cut Green Beans
1 package ham chips
1 stick of butter


In a crock pot, set to low heat. Add all ingredients and let cook for a 2-3 hours or longer.

Candied Yams:

2 sweet potatoes
1/2 cup brown sugar
5 Tbsp butter

Put sweet potatoes in a pot and cover them with water.
Bring to a boil.
Let them boil until fork can be inserted into potato but still a bit firm.
Remove potatoes from water, let sit to cool.
Once potatoes are cool enough to handle simply cut the ends of and gently peel off skin.
Cut into 1/4 inch chunks.
Place potatoes in a buttered baking dish (8x8).
Sprinkle brown sugar on top and cut butter into pats and lay over the top.
Bake at 350 degree for 30 minutes.

Rolls: I just buy some sort of yeast roll to fix. Haven't learned to make them homemade but I think I will attempt it soon :)

Apple Pie:

Pastry for 2 crusts (recipe below)
8 cups sliced, peeled assorted baking apples - about 3 lbs.  (Granny Smith, Cortland, Jonathan)
2 Tablespoons lemon juice
3/4 cup white sugar
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
2 Tablespoons butter
1 egg yolk
1 Tablespoon milk

In a large bowl, toss the sliced apples with lemon juice.
Combine sugars, flour, cinnamon and nutmeg; add to apples and toss well to coat.
Fill pastry lined 9 inch pie pan with apple mixture. Dot with butter.
Place second crust on top of pie filling, cut slits in top of crust to vent. Seal the edges of the crust with a fork or by hand.
In a small bowl, beat the egg yolk and milk. Brush mixture over top crust.
Bake at 425 degrees for 15 minutes.
Reduce heat to 350 degrees and bake 40-45 minutes more or until crust is golden and filling is bubbly.

Pie Crust Recipe:
Makes two 9-inch pie crusts

2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup butter, chilled and diced
1/2 cup ice water

Combine the flour and salt in a large bowl.
Cut in the butter until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs.
Stir in the ice water, a Tablespoon at a time, until the crust mixture forms a ball.
Wrap dough in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 4 hours or overnight.
Sprinkle flour onto rolling surface. Roll dough out, then divide in half. Roll each half to fit a 9-inch pie plate.
Place crust in pie plate, pressing evenly into the bottom and sides.

**Enjoy a warm slice of apple pie with whipped cream on top :)

We also have the canned jelled cranberry sauce.

This Thanksgiving & everyday I am thankful for

So I want to wish everyone a Happy Thanksgiving! I hope that you stay safe if traveling and enjoy family and good times.

This Thanksgiving is the first without my dad and it is weird. But I will be surrounded by family and love. Even with losing my dad this year, I have a lot to be thankful for. Here is a few things that I am thankful for everyday:

1) I am thankful that God has given me life and allows me to wake up to it every morning.
2) I am thankful for a wonderful family, that I love dearly.
3) I am thankful for my amazing husband.
4) I am thankful for my wonderful in laws, whom without I don't know where we would be at.
5) I am thankful for my 2 beautiful children, whom make my world so much brighter everyday.
6) I am thankful that my daughter has grown and come a long way since her NICU days. And on Thanksgiving day this year (11/25) we will be celebrating her 8th year release date from the NICU.

So in honor of Thanksgiving tell me what you are Thankful for.

Cornbread dressing

Since Thanksgiving is upon us I will share my Grandma's cornbread dressing. I make me a bit different, but taste pretty dog on close to hers. I will share both.

Grandma's Cornbread Dressing:

liver, gizzards, kidneys from turkey
3 boxes of cornbread stove top
1 cup of cornmeal
1 medium onion, chopped
4 stalks of celery, chopped
5 1/2 cups of water


In a pot boil liver, gizzards, and kidneys from the turkey with salt and pepper. Once they are done, remove from pot to cool. Once they have cooled, dice them.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

In a bowl mix stove top and cornmeal, add meat, onion, and celery. Bring water to a boil. Pour water into stuffing mix, make sure to get all the stuffing moist. Butter the bottom of a 11 x 9 baking dish. Place stuffing into the dish and bake for about 30 mins or until brown and crusty.


My take on Cornbread Dressing:

1 large package Pepperidge farms cornbread stuffing
1/2 cup cornmeal
1/2 cup turkey
3 Tbsp onion powder
3 Tbsp garlic powder
1 Tbsp sage
2 Tbsp celery seeds
4 cups chicken stock

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Bring chicken stock to a boil with onion powder, garlic powder, sage, and celery seeds. Add turkey, cornbread stuffing and cornmeal. Mix till all moist, if it seems a bit dry just add some water or more chicken stock to finish moistening it.

Butter an 11 x 9 baking dish, put stuffing in dish, bake for 30 mins or until brown and crusty.

ABC Hamburger soup

Really it has been almost a month since I posted, crazy. I have been busy with school. So here is something I made up tonight for dinner, my daughter loved it, my son ate every bit except for the hamburger (not big into meats), and DH just does not like soup. I thought it was really good. It is also really quick.

Ingredients:
1 box of ABC pasta
1 pound ground hamburger
1 large can tomato paste
1 can corn, drained
1 can cut green beans, drained
3 Tbsp garlic powder
3 Tbsp onion powder
Salt and pepper to taste

In a large pot add the tomato paste and 6 cups of hot water, whisk tomato paste and water till all the paste has dissolved into the water. Bring to a boil. While you are waiting on the water to boil, start browning the hamburger, drain excess oil once done. Add pasta to boiling water, bring back to a boil, allow to boil for 5 minutes. Add garlic powder and onion powder, stir well. Add corn, green beans and hamburger. Add salt and pepper to taste. Allow to boil for 2 - 3 minutes more. Serve topped with cheese.

Yummy!