Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving was just the three of us this year.  Which I'm sure was just fine for my two introverts, spending the holiday with my brother and his extended family can drive them both into "shut down" mode.

Since we were just three I decided that our meal's leftovers shouldn't last until next year, so I did a lot of scaling back of the production.

The Menu:

Turkey (11 lbs, the smallest I could find!)  Brined & Butterflied* ala Alton Brown!
Gravy (pan drippings, flour, Kitchen Bouquet and water saved from the potatoes)
Mashed Potatoes
Candied Yams (can of yams, 3 TBSP Brown Sugar, 3 TBSP butter - bake @ 350 for at least 30 min)
Corn
Green Beans
Mushrooms (chopped up with salt, pepper & butter. Microwaved 4 minutes)
Bread
Cranberry Sauce (we like that can shaped jelly)
Pumpkin Dessert**
Pumpkin Spice Cookies

Darly made everything I've highlighted and did an awesome job!

I didn't make any stuffing this year because I'm the only one who likes it and therefore I'm the only who eats it and I don't need any more stuffing. ;)

I realized that I didn't make anything orange for me to eat this year.  I don't like candied yams :p  I was going to make rutabagas, but my store had only small rubbery roots...just good for soup.   

No, I'm not drunk there.  We're drinking Grape Juice.  Hubby just manages to take the best pictures and I blinked.

I hope that you and your family all had a very Blessed Thanksgiving!



*Place turkey on a plastic cutting board breast-side down. Using kitchen shears, cut ribs down one side of back bone and then the other and remove. Open chicken like a book and remove the keel bone separating the breast halves by slicing through the thin membrane covering it, then by placing two fingers underneath the bone and levering it out. Turn turkey breast-side up and spread out like a butterfly by pressing down on the breast and pulling the legs towards you. 

**Pumpkin Dessert recipe

My mother in law first heard this recipe on the radio back in California...sometime back in the 80's.

Ingredients
29oz can pumpkin (not pie filling)
2 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp nutmeg
1/2 tsp ginger
1/8 tsp cloves (opt)
1 1/4 cup sugar
12 oz can evaporated milk
3 eggs (slightly beaten)
1 box yellow cake mix
1 cup chopped walnuts
1 cup melted butter

Instructions
Mix spices with sugar and then into pumpkin.  Add evaporated milk & eggs and mix thoroughly.  Pour into a greased 9X13 pan.  Sprinkle cake mix over pumpkin mixture lightly so as to not make big dents in the pumpkin (note: the cake mix is to stay "dry" not be mixed with the pumpkin!)  Sprinkle walnuts over cake mix and then drizzle butter over the top.  Bake at 350 for 1 to 1 1/2 hours until the top is golden brown.  Check after 50 min.