Gobble, Gobble!

Thanksgiving was a load of fun this year. We had planned to start the day with a Turkey Trot; however, when I fed the baby at 3:00 am and heard the sleet hitting the roof, I pretty much knew the Turkey Trot was going to be a no go. I'd really like to start a new family tradition of doing a Turkey Trot Thanksgiving morning, but I need to find one with same-day registration. That way, we don't pay and have to skip out if there's inclement weather.

We had our traditional Thanksgiving morning. We ate breakfast, watched the Macy's day parade, and combed through the Black Friday ads. This year, we were lucky enough to have Sarah Fram join us for the morning's festivities!

As usual, the turkey ran behind schedule. This year, I decided to make a breast instead of a whole turkey. It worked out really well, and we'll probably continue with that strategy next year. We ended up eating around 2:00 pm. Syd was a good sport and did pretty well waiting to eat and then taking a late nap. After dinner, we vegged out in front of the TV and watched football. For dessert, we had double layer pumpkin cheesecake and pumpkin pie. Yummy!

After the kids got up from their naps, we headed over to my parents' house for a second round of dessert. They hosted an entire houseful of folks! It was good seeing everyone, and my lemon cupcake was awesome.

We were back at our house to put the kids to bed around 7:00 pm. After a full day of eating, we were beat. We hit the hay around 9:00 pm! Another spectacular Thanksgiving in the books.

BBQ Chicken-Crusted Smoked Macaroni and Cheese

This is to die for... really - it's not very good for you. But - it tastes awesome!

1/2 lb cellentani (use any pasta of choice)
2.5 T butter
2.5 T flour
1/4 t salt
1/4 t fresh cracked black pepper
2 c milk, I used 2%
2.5 c shredded smoked cheddar cheese
1 c shredded BBQ Chicken - stay tuned for a recipe
1/2 c shredded smoked cheddar cheese

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Cook pasta according to package directions; drain and set aside.

Melt butter into a large dutch oven or pot over medium heat. Whisk in flour, salt and pepper; cook for 1 minute stirring. Slowly whisk in milk until smooth. Increase heat to medium high, stir continuously until liquid thickens and comes to a low boil. Reduce heat to low and stir in cheddar cheese until smooth then add cooked pasta. Pour mixture into a square baking dish then top evenly with BBQ chicken. Sprinkle with additional cheddar cheese and bake for 25-30 minutes or until hot and bubbly.

Let cool for 5-10 minutes and serve.

Original recipe: http://www.picky-palate.com/

Lazy, Lazy Girl Lasagna

I call this Lazy, Lazy Girl Lasagna because Lazy Girl Lasanga is when I use no bake lasagna noodles. This recipe takes it to a whole new level of lazy.

1 lb penne pasta
1 lb ground beef
1 jar tomato sauce
1 15-0z ricotta cheese
2 c + 1/2 c mozzarella cheese
1 c parmesan cheese

Boil noodles according to package directions. Brown and drain ground beef. Combine noodles, beef, and tomato sauce. In a separate bowl, combine cheeses. In a 9 x 13 pan, place 1/3 of the noodle mixture. Cover in cheese mixture. Repeat. Top off with remaining noodles and sprinkle with mozzarella cheese. Bake in oven at 350 for 25 minutes.

Double Layer Pumpkin Cheesecake

This was a huge hit today; it was also easy to make. Today, I just served it in a prepared pie crust; however, this could easily be dressed up to serve as a traditional cheesecake in a spring form pan with a homemade graham cracker crust. I'd probably just make one batch of the regular cheesecake filling and then a separate batch of the pumpkin filling.

2 (8 ounce) packages cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup white sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 eggs
1 (9 inch) prepared graham cracker crust
1/2 cup pumpkin puree
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 pinch ground cloves
1 pinch ground nutmeg
1/2 cup frozen whipped topping, thawed

Preheat oven to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C).

In a large bowl, combine cream cheese, sugar and vanilla. Beat until smooth. Blend in eggs one at a time. Remove 1 cup of batter and spread into bottom of crust; set aside.

Add pumpkin, cinnamon, cloves and nutmeg to the remaining batter and stir gently until well blended. Carefully spread over the batter in the crust.

Bake in preheated oven for 35 to 40 minutes, or until center is almost set. Allow to cool, then refrigerate for 3 hours or overnight. Cover with whipped topping before serving.

Update (12/23/2010): Today, I made a new version of this cheesecake. I used three 8-0z packages of cream cheese (instead of two), 3/4 c sugar (instead of 1/2 c), and added 1/2 c of sour cream (after adding the eggs). I also used 1 c of pumpkin pie filling instead of pumpkin and all the spices. I made it in a springform pan with a graham cracker crust: (1 c graham crackers, 5 T butter, and 1/8 c sugar). I baked it at 350 degrees for 40 minutes.

Carrot Cauliflower Casserole

This is a Bergeman-family recipe that has been passed down from Grandma Ruthie! We eat this casserole at every holiday meal. It may sound a little questionable, but it is one of our favorites. I will admit that steaming cauliflower is a stinky proposition. So - here's a tip: put your carrots and cauliflower in your steamer, and then put your steamer outside to do the deed. On Thanksgiving, you can drive by our house and find the carrots and cauliflower happily steaming on the front porch!

1 small bag of mini carrots
1 large head of cauliflower - chopped
2 c grated cheddar cheese
1 c bread crumbs

3 T butter, melted

2 cans undiluted cream of chicken soup

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Steam carrots and cauliflower. Layer steamed carrots and cauliflower with cheese in casserole dish. Pour soup over vegetables and cover with breadcrumbs. Drizzle butter over bread crumbs.

Bake 40 minutes.

Herb Roasted Turkey Breast with Pan Gravy

This year's turkey was possibly the best ever. For the first time, I decided to cook a fresh turkey breast instead of an entire turkey. I figured that we only had five adults eating and a 4-lb turkey breast and 4-lb Honey Baked ham was probably plenty of meat! I was right because we have plenty of yummy leftovers for tomorrow and the next couple days!

I followed a Rachel Ray recipe, and in the end, the turkey was delicious. It was moist and incredibly flavorful. I even made the gravy, which turned out spectacular.

1 small (golf-ball sized) onion, peeled and coarsely chopped
1 lemon, scrubbed clean
12 fresh sage leaves
Large handful fresh flat-leaf parsley (about 1/2 cup, from 12 stems)
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for oiling pan
1 teaspoon salt, plus more as needed
6 fresh bay leaves
4 tablespoons butter
2 boneless turkey breast halves, skin on (about 2 to 2 1/2 pounds each)
Freshly ground black pepper
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1/4 cup apple or regular brandy (recommended: Calvados)
2 to 3 cups apple cider
Salt and pepper

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F. Oil a roasting pan and set it aside.

Put the onion into the bowl of a mini food processor. Using a vegetable peeler, peel the zest from the lemon in thin strips, being careful not to cut into the bitter white pith. Add the lemon zest to the food processor and reserve the whole lemon for another use. Chop the onion and lemon zest until fine. Add the sage, parsley, olive oil, and 1 teaspoon salt and pulse until it forms a coarse paste.

Put 2 of the bay leaves and the butter into a small pan and heat over medium-low heat until the butter is bubbling. Remove from the heat and set aside.

Put the turkey breasts on a work surface. Carefully run your fingers between the skin and the flesh from 1 end, being careful not to pull it completely off, creating a pocket. Season the turkey breasts generously with salt and pepper. Stuff half of the herb paste under the skin of each breast, and spread it evenly under the skin. Transfer the breasts to the roasting pan, and slide 2 bay leaves underneath each one. (The heat of the pan will release the bay leaf oils and flavor the breast.) Using a pastry brush, baste the breasts with half of the bay butter. Place the turkey in the oven and immediately decrease the temperature to 400 degrees F. After 20 minutes, baste the turkey breasts with the remaining butter, and roast for an additional 20 to 25 minutes, until cooked through, and a thermometer placed in the thickest part of the breast registers 170 degrees F.

Remove from the oven, transfer to a platter, cover, and let rest for 10 minutes before carving while you make the gravy.

Put the roasting pan over the burner on medium heat. Sprinkle the flour over the pan juices, and cook, stirring, for a few minutes. Add the apple brandy, and scrape the pan to lift the bits that are stuck to the bottom. Cook for a minute to burn off the alcohol, then, while stirring, pour in the apple cider. Bring to a simmer, and stir until thickened. Season with salt and pepper.

Slice the turkey breast on the diagonal, and serve with warm gravy.

How to Support our Troops This Holiday Season

For several years, our family has been involved with Neighbors International. Neighbors is a foundation that provides funds and volunteer services to local charitable, educational, religious, public safety, and similar organizations that serve our neighborhoods and communities. Specifically, we have been involved with the care package donation efforts for our troops. We collect items to fill care packages. For example, we've collected Halloween candy, Girl Scout cookies, and helped organize and facilitate donation drives at work. We've always really enjoyed preparing care packages for the troops. A simple thank you for what our troops do seems a little inadequate; preparing care packages helps us actively give back.

I researched other ways we could give back to our troops this holiday season and found several opportunities:

Holiday Mail for Heroes: You can send holiday cards to servicemen and women.

Help Them Call Home: You can buy prepaid phone cards for servicemen and women.

Let's Say Thanks: You can send a free printed holiday card to servicemen and women.

Operation Hero Miles: You can donate your frequent flier miles to servicemen and women.

I thought I'd share my findings. I'm looking forward to writing a couple thank you/holiday notes with Sydney. We'll also probably buy a prepaid phone card. It's the least we can do for those who are spending their holidays far from home protecting our freedom.