Thanksgiving Dinner - Again!

Tonight was my second Thanksgiving dinner of the week, as most of my family was away last weekend for our holiday last weekend. My SIL Shan had a 15lb turkey for 6 people so there were a ton of leftovers. As usual, this was a spectacular feast as only Shan can put on. On the menu:

• turkey
• stuffing
• mashed potatoes
• green beans & carrots sauteed in garlic, olive oil, and lemon
• Brussels sprouts
• spaghetti squash gratin, made by your favourite coyote
• gravy, cranberry sauce, buns
• no-bake pumpkin pie, also made by your favourite coyote
  

I did promise you recipes from this meal, did I not? Well, here is the spaghetti squash gratin recipe I used, that I totally made up on my own, using squash I grew in my garden this year. The squash were very, very small, fitting in the palm of my hand, but they tasted pretty good. I love spaghetti squash - it's the only squash I'll eat other than zucchini. Usually I just bake it and mix it with some butter, but I wanted to do something different with it (I have, actually, used spaghetti squash in place of pasta at times, and that's a great idea; it's a very versatile veggie). I got some very cheap ricotta cheese on my last cross-border shopping spree, and off I went!

Spaghetti Squash Gratin

• 2 1/2 cups roasted spaghetti squash (this turned out to be three of my smallest squashes)
• 1 cup low-fat ricotta cheese
• salt, pepper, and garlic powder to taste
• 1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
• 1/4 cup butter
• 2/3 cup fine bread crumbs
• 3 cloves garlic, grated
• 1 cup grated cheddar cheese

1. Combine squash, ricotta, seasonings, and Parmesan cheese in a large bowl. Place in a medium-sized, well-greased or parchment-lined casserole dish. Top with cheddar
2. In a skillet, melt butter until bubbly. Add breadcrumbs and garlic, and season with a little salt & pepper. Toast until the bread crumbs are toasty & golden.
3. Put breadcrumbs on top of casserole. Bake casserole at 375F until hot through & cheese has all melted.

This was a hit! It was great and everyone enjoyed it! I will definitely make this again!

Next post - the pumpkin pie. But let me rest a bit first, eh?

Thanksgiving Rundown

This year it was just Dad and me because my brother & SIL were visiting family in another province. But, just because there were only two of us, we did not simplify anything and had the full-on, slap-up Thanksgiving turkey dinner we wanted. On the menu:

• turkey breast roast (my dad hates everything about turkey except the white meat, so he only buys turkey breast roasts and usually has 3 or 4 of them in his freezer at any given time) roasted with double smoked bacon & sausages made by a local butcher
• potato cakes made with garlic & Parmesan cheese; a departure for us, but this is an old dish my grandmother used to make apparently
• stuffing, gravy, yams (only dad eats yams)
• Brussels Sprouts sauteed with bacon & pinenuts & topped with Parmesan (made by yours truly)
• and for dessert, Bakewell Tart, also made by yours truly

Here is a nice collage I made of the meal:Everything was delicious! The recipe for the Brussels is basically this one from this post, only I used regular bacon instead of pancetta, and I topped the dish with Parmesan cheese.

As for the dessert, Bakewell Tart, my dad has been nagging me for this for a long time, and I finally gave in for this special occasion. He was so thrilled and so impressed and as soon as he bit into it, he said, "This is it!" I don't know why I put him off on this so long, because it was ridiculously easy to make. Alas, I'm not going to post the recipe because I want to use it for my next Bread 'n Molasses article, so you'll have to wait until January! But here is another collage:The cool thing about this year's Thanksgiving is that we're getting two of them in the family! When my brother & SIL get back from their trip, we're having another turkey dinner! This will be later this week, and I'll be making two dishes for it, too. Those recipes I will definitely share, so stay tuned!

I hope my Canadian readers are having a great long weekend!

Full Flickr set is here.

Happy Thanksgiving, Part Two

I just HAD to post this! It's priceless!

Easter Dinner 2009

We had our Easter celebration last night instead of on Sunday. As usual, we went to my SIL's parents' place and had a huge feast. Here are the highlights.

This is "Easter Pizza." Essentially, it's bread on top & bottom, and the middle is eggs, cheese and ham. It was kinda good. The olives are also home-made (grown elsewhere, cured here).

Platter of turkey.

My SIL cutting up the ham. The bone was spoken for by the time I got there!

Yams baked with apples.

Someone brought a cranberry, pineapple, and orange jellied salad that was pretty good.

There were the traditional mashed potatoes, but these were really good: potatoes cooked in the ham drippings - yum!

My plate.

My SIL made the dessert: vanilla cake with custard, strawberries, and whipped cream.

Well, that's a wrap for this particular holiday. Next feast isn't until Thanksgiving in October.

I hope you all had a wonderful Easter!

Herbed Turkey Breast & Dining with Dad

My dad has become a pretty good cook. When he and my mom were married, he was pretty much a kitchen luddite and could only make eggs and toast and beans on toast. Since my parents' divorce, Dad has become kitchen savvy and enjoys trying new foods, new spices, and new recipes. He makes a great, hearty meal, and recently he purchased himself a new slow cooker. Last week, my brother and I dined at Dad's and enjoyed a Herbed Turkey Breast and all the fixings.

Herbed Turkey Breast (from the Rival cookbook that came with the crock pot)

1 turkey breast roast (4- 5lbs)
2 tbsp butter
1/4 cup garden vegetable-flavoured whipped cream cheese (Dad made his own fat free version)
1 tbsp soy sauce
1 tbps fresh minced parsley
1/2 tsp dried basil
1/2 tsp rubbed sage
1/2 tsp dried thyme
1/4 tsp black pepper
1/4 garlic powder

Place turkey in the crock pot. Combine remaining ingredients and brush over the turkey. Cover and cook on LOW for 10 - 12 hours or on HIGH for 5 - 6 hours.

After the turkey was done, my dad added stock, onions, and mushrooms to the crock pot and made a tasty gravy.

Dad always serves a ton of steamed veggies with his meals, and he also does a great nugget potato. Wiht this meal, we had asparagus, snow peas, cauliflower, green beans, and regular peas (of which I did not partake; peas make me gag!). With this meal, he also made some Stove Top stuffing - which, although it's not homemade, I really love.

For dessert, I made apple & blueberry crumble. Excellent meal, Dad! Thanks!