Happy Thanksgiving!

 The big boys are home and we are enjoying our time together.  I hope you have a wonderful and blessed Thanksgiving!!

Happy Thanksgiving

 I didn't post a menu plan this week.  I actually did do one, but the big boys surprised us by coming home from college on Sunday instead of Tuesday and I just enjoyed having them home.  I did put together a menu plan, but it got all switched about with the early arrival.  But all was good, and everyone has been fed.  I'm so glad they came home early.  The time is going by too quickly though.

I started some Thanksgiving prep on Tuesday and will soldier on today.  The following is our Thanksgiving menu:

Classic Herb Stuffing I make Gluten Free bread in my bread machine for the "bread" part, then cut it into cubes and toast it in the oven.  I posted a link to the closest recipe I could find online, but the recipe I use is from an older Joy of Cooking recipe book.

Perfect Mashed Potatoes from Martha Stewart.  The boys love these.  They really are perfect.  I make 10 pounds.

Sweet Potato Casserole Due to nut allergies, I leave out the nuts and add more marshmallows.

Gluten Free Gravy This isn't the recipe I use, but it's close (I do not add soy sauce, and I do add other seasonings like thyme, sage, and rosemary).  My original recipe came from a blog called Gluten Free Girl.  I don't think the blog is available anymore.

Cranberry Sauce Every year I make this.  And every year no one eats it.  It's a tradition (lol).

Green Beans with Bacon from The Hillbilly Kitchen.  Some years I make a green bean casserole, some years just plain green beans.  I'm trying this one for 2022.

Libby's Pumpkin Pie I just use the recipe on the back of the can.  I sub Ener-G egg replacer for the egg, and I use Wholly Wholesome GF Pie Shells for the crust.  Many, MANY years I struggled trying to make a gluten free, egg free, nut free crust that didn't fall apart and was still edible.  I found these shells a few years ago and never looked back.  They work just fine.

The Turkey Sometimes I use a roasting bag, sometimes I don't.  I basically I combine the butter and herbs and rub down the bird under the skin and on top of the skin.  My husband will fry a turkey too and his brine and seasonings are his own concoction.  He's in charge of that one. My baked turkey is pretty simple and classic (and yes, I stuff it... ssshhh don't tell one.  I know it's now a no-no).  This is my turkey roasting pan and I swear it does all the magic.  It's not that I'm a good turkey cook, it's that you can't go wrong with this pan. 

I hope you have a happy, blessed Thanksgiving!  

Menu Plan 10/21-10/27/22: Feeding the Family

 Happy Monday!  We spent this past weekend at Family Weekend at Miami University in Oxford, Ohio.  It was such a blessing to spend time with our two boys.  I miss them!  We had a really nice time.  They'll be home in a month for Thanksgiving and I can't wait. 

We stayed at the same place we stayed last year, Hueston Woods.  It's a state park and it isn't anything fancy, but the choices by the school are limited.  It's very nice and I highly recommend it.  It's a bit dated and has a 1970's vibe to it, but the boys describe it as "cozy" and I agree.  The restaurant there has decent food, and the best part is that they are able to cook for J and his food allergies.  We are hoping to stay there again next year.

This week's menu is bit thrown together, but we will still be feeding the family:

Friday:  Out at Hueston Woods (I shared fried pickle chips with M and M and had a Greek Flatbread)

Saturday:  Out at Hueston Woods (I ordered house made potato chips with pulled pork, but was still too full from tailgating so I ended up taking them to go and gave them to the hubby),

Sunday:  Dirty Rice

Monday:  Slow Cooker Beef Stew

Tuesday:  Turkey Tacos

Wednesday:  Cavatelli 

Thursday:  Clean up

Saturdays Tailgating Menu:

We have a Camp Stove (similar to Blackstone) and we made cheeseburgers, bacon wrapped footlongs, and loaded tater tots (which were the biggest hit).  I also made chili at home and brought it along with the slow cooker.  My car has a "plug" in it but we discovered that it only works when the car is ON and the car shuts itself off after a few minutes.  That part of the plan ended up being a bust.  We did heat the chili on top of the griddle, but I would skip the chili for future tailgating.  It was more of a pain that it was worth.

I brought the 5lb bag of tater tots and we cooked 1/2 a bag at a time.  Start cooking the tots first in a little oil.  While those are cooking, fry up the bacon (the tots will cook in some of the bacon grease, and it makes them even more delicious).  You have to keep flipping the tots to get them all crispy.  It also helps to smash them down a little bit once they are fairly cooked.  Add the bacon, cheese, and green onion to the top and cover to melt.  The boys have already requested these again for next year and I'll probably bring two 5 lb bags of tots.  

I bought all beef footlong hot dogs from Costco and wrapped those in bacon (1.5 slices per dog).  The boys LOVED these too.  And I made 16 quarter pound burgers using the easiest burger maker on the planet (will post that at a later date).  They boys were full when they left, and we sent them home with extra burgers and dogs.  

I hope you have a wonder week!!