thanksgiving 2011

So ladies and gents, today was the first time since the beginning of September that I have had any meat. Now let me explain this before people jump on my case: the only reason we started doing the vegetarian meals was because I was diagnosed with GERD and it was suggested that I try it since meat made it flair up. All went well and everything started looking up. I had made a promise to my husband that if he did this with me, come Thanksgiving we would have a traditional dinner and if it went well, we could start introducing meat into our diet again.

Everything did go well! We had the turkey, stuffing, green bean casserole, baked mac n cheese, cheddar biscuits, deviled eggs and mashed potatoes and gravy. We had apple and cherry pie for desert. Now, usually when I make a food post I add in recipes. So I'll just throw some of them out here. I didn't make some of it from scratch since I had a child at my feet nonstop. The gravy, stuffing, and potatoes were from a box! Lol

TURKEY:

I used an 8 pound turkey since there were only a few of us. Preheat the oven to 325. Clean the bird well (especially inside the cavity) and pat dry with a paper towel. I brushed the bird with melted butter and seasoned it with Mesquite seasoning. I put my bird in an oven bag with about 5 slits on top to allow steam to come out. It makes it nice and juicy! Cook for about 3 1/2 hours. Make sure the internal temperature is 165 degrees in the fattest part of the turkey.

CHEDDAR BISCUITS:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. I use Bisquick normally. 2 cups of Bisquick, 1 1/4 cup of water, 1/2 cup finely shredded cheddar cheese. Drop biscuits in equal amounts about 1 inch apart from each other on a greased baking sheet. Bake for about 15-20 minutes (until golden brown). 

DEVILED EGGS:

I prepped these the night before. Bring a pot of water to a rolling boil. Add 12 eggs in one layer. Cover and boil for 20 minutes. Remove from heat but keep covered for an additional 10 minutes. Submerge eggs in COLD water. Tap egg all the way around on counter and peel shell. Cut in half lengthwise. In a small bowl, use a fork to smash the cooked yolks. Add in 1/3 cup of fat free mayonnaise and 1/3 cup dijon mustard. Mix well. I usually go by taste at this point, depends on how you like them. Sprinkle with paprika (I also added bacon bits to half of them). 

GREEN BEAN CASSEROLE:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Mix 1 can of cream of mushroom and 3/4 cups of milk in an 8x8 baking dish. Stir in 2 cans of drained french style green beans and 3/4 cups of french fried onions. Cook about 20 minutes. Sprinkle the rest of the french fried onions on top and bake an additional 5 minutes, until onions are nice and brown. 

I've already shared my baked mac n cheese recipes. You can view it here. Hope you all had a blessed day with the ones you love. Don't forget to say an extra prayer tonight for those families who have paid the ultimate sacrifice and will always have that empty seat they will be unable to fill.