Thanksgiving

What a Bunch of Turkeys – Thanksgiving 2017

Thanksgiving 2017 was totally different than Thanksgiving 2016.  Last year, we were in Disney.  This year we were at home.

We started the day by sleeping in.  Both boys slept in which is typical for the Wee One but not the Imaginative One.  He must be going through a growth spurt because he complained about being tired even after sleeping in longer than normal.

After watching the Macy’s Day parade, we cleaned a little bit before heading to the Senior Center to help serve food.  I wanted to help but they told the adults to stand on the side and have a drink while waiting on the boys.

The boys helped clear tables and serve some of the seniors.  Then they helped clean off the tables.  I helped with moving the centerpieces off the tables so they could be put away.

While we were there, we were allowed to have some food which was very generous of them.  So I ended up with TWO Thanksgiving meals.

Here are some photos of our time at the senior center:

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Thanksgiving meal #1

The top photo was my plate of food.  The bottom photo was the Wee One’s plate of food.  Turkey, stuffing, rolls, and lots of gravy.

Some of the decorations

After we were finished with at the Senior Center, we went home, finished cleaning, and cooked the meal.

The Wee One and the Imaginative One helped get some of the food ready.  The Wee One set up the table.

After the table was set, the boys decided to watch Moana because we had watched it exactly the year before at Disney Springs.  The Wee One knew a lot of the lines of the movie.

I had gotten the plates and bowls at the Dollar Tree.  They were made in Canada not China so the dollar a plate is a good deal.  Both the Wee One and the Imaginative One are notorious for breaking plates, bowls, etc. . . so it is a good idea to have $1 plates and bowls.

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Then it was time for the big meal.

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Appetizers

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Family

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The food plus the burnt green bean casserole that went in the trash.

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Gathered around the table

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My meal

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Dessert

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After dinner – the Imaginative One was pretending to be his dad. 

 

I hope you enjoyed my Thanksgiving day.

What did you do on your Thanksgiving day?

Have a magical day,
Traci

Three Bean Salad – Secret Recipe Club

#Secret Recipe Club

Every month, I’m assigned another blog to check out.  After checking out their blog, I’m to find a recipe to make, photograph, and then post. This month there are five Mondays.  On the fifth Monday, we have a special themed Secret Recipe Club.  This month’s theme is fall or even Thanksgiving dinner recipes.

This month I’ve been assigned to Sid’s Sea Palm Cooking.  After exploring her blog, I decided on the Three Bean Salad.

As a child, I remember having three bean salad for different potlucks or holiday meals.  So  I thought this would be a good salad for the Thanksgiving table.  

It’s a frugal side dish because I found the cans of kidney beans and green beans at Aldi’s and the wax beans at Meijers.  Funny story when I was in Meijers, a college student stopped me so she could ask me what ingredients were needed for green bean casserole.  

You could switch up the beans to your liking.  This recipe is a very forgiving recipe.

This is also great for Thanksgiving because you can make it the day before so one less thing to get done on Thanksgiving Day.

Sid’s recipe was originally made for 80 people so I adapted the amount of the dressing for a smaller amount.

3-bean-saladsecret-recipe-clubfall-recips 

Three Bean Salad

Stars of the Recipe:

Dressing:

  • 1 c. white wine vinegar
  • 2 Tbsp. red wine vinegar or apple cider vinegar
  • 1/2 c. sugar
  • 1 Tbsp. celery seed
  • 1 Tbsp. ground mustard

Salad:

  • 1 (15 oz) can of wax beans, drained and rinsed
  • 1 (15 oz) can of kidney beans, drained and rinsed
  • 1 (15 oz) can of green beans, drained and rinsed
  • 1/2 green pepper, diced (optional)
  • 1/2 red onion, diced (optional)

Steps:

  1. Combine the salad ingredients in a medium sized bowl.  Set aside.
  2. In a medium microwavable bowl, combine the dressing ingredients.
  3. Microwave the dressing ingredients in the microwave for 2 to 3 minutes.
  4. Carefully remove from the microwave.
  5. Stir the dressing.
  6. Pour over the salad ingredients.
  7. Stir until combined.
  8. Allow to marinade for 2 hours to overnight.
  9. Enjoy!

Other Recipes from Sid’s Sea Palm Cooking that interested me:

For other recipes, please click on the blue frog.

happy-eating

Slow Cooker Green Bean Casserole – Countdown to Thanksgiving

Countdown to Thanksgiving

Green bean casserole is a frequent dish on many peoples’ Thanksgiving table.  I’ve changed it up by using frozen green beans instead of canned green beans.  So it has more of a fresh taste to it.

I’m going to cook it up in my casserole crock pot on Thanksgiving Day.  Right before dinner, I’m going to place the crock in the oven to brown up the French onions.

Slow Cooker Green Bean Casserole

Slow Cooker Green Bean Casserole

Stars of the Recipe:

  • 1.5 (10.75 oz) cans of cream of mushroom soup
  • 1/2 c. of milk
  • 1 (6 oz.) can of French fried onions, divided in half
  •  2 (12 oz.) bags of frozen green beans
  • 1/2 tsp. onion powder
  • salt and pepper to taste

Steps:

  1. In a large bowl, combine the soup, milk, salt, pepper, and onion powder.
  2. Add the green beans and half of the French fried onions.  Stir to combine.
  3. Place in the crock sprayed with cooking spray.
  4. Cook on high for 2 and 1/2 hours.
  5. Add the other half of the French fried onions.
  6. Place crock without lid in the oven preheated to the 350 degrees Fahrenheit.  Bake for 10 minutes.
  7. Serve!

Happy eating,
Traci

Slow Cooker Stuffing – Countdown to Thanksgiving

Countdown to Thanksgiving

Hubby and the Wee One love stuffing.  So when I made this stuffing, they thought it was delicious.  In fact, they took seconds when I served this side dish.

This is also any easy side dish.  It only takes about five minutes to prepare.  Then I allowed the slow cooker do the cooking.

My plan is to make the stuffing on Wednesday.  Then I will put it in a dish to be warmed up on Thanksgiving.

Slow Cooker Stuffing #1

Slow Cooker Stuffing

Stars of the Recipe:

  • 2 boxes Stove Top stuffing (I bought turkey flavored.)
  • 3 c. chicken broth
  • 1 (10.75 oz) can of cream of mushroom soup

Steps:

  1. Spray the crock with cooking spray.
  2. Place all the ingredients in the crock.
  3. Stir together until combined.
  4. Cook on low for 2 to 4 hours.

Happy Eating,
Traci

Slow Cooker Mashed Potatoes – Countdown to Thanksgiving

Countdown to Thanksgiving

My mother-in-law usually makes the mashed potatoes for family meals.  In recent months, I’ve made them 3 times for our Sunday dinners.  During those 3 times, I’ve made the potatoes too smooth, too lumpy, and then just right.  Just like the Goldilocks and the Three Bears.

This is the recipe for the just right mashed potatoes.

(I used Yukon gold potatoes for the mashed potatoes.  I highly recommend them.  Yum!)

Slow Cooker Mashed Potatoes #1

Slow Cooker Mashed Potatoes

Adapted from the Yummy Life

Stars of the recipe:

  • 5 lbs. Yukon gold  or russet potatoes, peeled and cubed into 1 inch cubes
  • 2 c. water
  • 1 c. chicken broth (I used another cup of water and used a tsp. of better than bullion instead.)
  • salt and pepper to taste
  • 3 Tbsp. butter
  • 1 (12 oz.) can of evaporated milk
  • 6 oz. cream cheese, softened
  • 8 oz. sour cream

Steps:

  1. Soak the peeled and cubed potatoes for 30 minutes or longer.  This helps avoid gluey potatoes.  (You could also prep the potatoes the day before.)  Drain and rinse the potatoes before putting them in the crock.
  2. Spray your crock and then add the potatoes, water, and broth.
  3. Cover and cook on high for 4 to 6 hours or until fork tender.
  4. Drain the potatoes and then place back in the crock.
  5. Add the salt, pepper, and butter.  Using an electric mixer or potato masher, mash the potatoes.
  6. Add the milk, sour cream, and cream cheese.  Mash until desired consistency.
  7. Serve right away or keep in the slow cooker on keep warm for up to 2 hours.

I made mine and served some for dinner.  Then I took the rest and put into the freezer for future meals.  Each freezer bag has about 2 c. of the mashed potatoes.

Crockpot Sweet Potato Casserole – Countdown to Thanksgiving

My grandma used to make a sweet potato casserole like this one.  In fact, this is one of the recipes she sent to me when I was down in Walt Disney World on my College Program.

Then when I married Hubby his dad would make this sweet potato casserole for Thanksgiving.

As you can see, this casserole has a lot of memories attached to it.  So when it was time to think about what I was going to make for Thanksgiving, I knew I needed to find a crockpot recipe similar to the casseroles my grandma and father-in-law would make.

This one is one that I’m going to serve for Thanksgiving.  Speaking of Thanksgiving, this is the first year we are going to host the Thanksgiving dinner.  Last year I did most of the cooking but we had it over at my mother-in-law’s house.  This year it is going to be at our house.  Argh!  The problem is we keep inviting people to our little house.  So far we are up to either 11 or 12 if everyone comes.  That may not seem like much but if we get any more we will have to relocate to my mother-in-law’s since she has a little bit more room.

 Sweet Potato CasseroleCrockpot Sweet Potato Casserole

Adapted from Recipes that Crock

Stars of the recipe:

  • 2 (40 oz) cans of sweet potatoes, drained
  • 1/3 c. plus 2 Tbsp. butter, melted and divided
  • 2 Tbsp. sugar
  • 1/3 c. plus 2 Tbsp. brown sugar, packed and divided
  • 1 Tbsp. orange juice
  • 2 eggs, beaten (Poke the yolks first – It’s easier to beat it after you poke the yolks.)
  • 1/2 c. milk
  • 1/3 c. chopped pecans
  • 2 Tbsp. all purpose flour

Steps:

  1. Spray your crock with cooking spray.
  2. In a large bowl, mash the sweet potatoes.
  3. Add 1/3 c. melted butter, 2 Tbsp. sugar, and 2 Tbsp. brown sugar.  Mix until well combined.
  4. Add orange juice, eggs, and milk.  Beat until combined.
  5. Place the sweet potato mixture in the crock.
  6. In the bowl you used, combine the 2 Tbsp. Melted butter, 1/3 c. brown sugar, 1/3 c. chopped pecans, and all-purpose flour.
  7. Spread pecan mixture over the sweet potato mixture.
  8. Cover and cook on high for 3 to 4 hours.

I used a crockpot casserole dish for this recipe.

Happy Eating,
Traci

Creamy Mac and Cheese (Countdown to Thanksgiving)

My family usually prefers the blue box for macaroni and cheese so it’s hard to find a homemade macaroni and cheese that they would love.  This is one macaroni and cheese recipe that they enjoyed eating.

This recipe makes a LOT of macaroni and cheese.  I made this dish on a Saturday night.  We ate it as a side dish for three different meals.

Continue reading →

Cranberry Relish Grilled Cheese

I made some cranberry relish for Thanksgiving.  Yum!!  Since my mom and I were the only 2 to eat some, I had plenty leftover to enjoy.  I decided to make a grilled cheese sandwich with the cranberry relish in the middle.  It was delicious.

Cranberry Relish Grilled Cheese

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Stars of the recipe:

  • 2 slices of a sturdy bread (I used rye bread.)
  • 2 slices Swiss cheese
  • 2 Tbsp. cranberry relish
  • griddle and cooking spray

Steps:

  1. Heat the griddle pan to medium heat.  Spray the griddle pan with cooking spray.
  2. Place the first slice of bread on the griddle.  Lay the first slice of cheese on the bread.  Then the cranberry sauce.
  3. On top of the cranberry sauce, place the other slice of cheese.  Finally top with the other slice of bread.
  4. Cook on one side for 3 to 4 minutes or until the bread is browned.
  5. Flip over the sandwich over and cook until the other side is browned (2 to 3 minutes).
  6. Enjoy!!!!

Printable Recipe