Belated Turkey Recap!

It's been ages since I wrote, I know. I've been dabbling in a bit of this and a bit of that, and honestly the past couple weeks are kind of blurry so I'm not sure exactly why I've been too busy, but it hasn't been working out for me. Right now I'm working a mid/swing shift--I thought I would love it, but actually it's wearing me out. I have more time to get things done, and more things get done... but then again, for me, that is kind of a double edged sword. Anywho, I have many projects planned and in various stages of completion, but I realized I neglected to share food porn from Thanksgiving! This is especially important since I did a bit of experimentation this time as well.

 

Unfortunately, I had to work on Thanksgiving day. Although my day shift does end fairly early, I still made an effort to do as much the day before as was logically possible. Specifically, I mixed the ingredients for Nana's Secret Southern Cornbread Dressing and set aside to chill in the fridge. I also prepped my ungodly amounts of Mac N Cheese... pictured below with a regular coffee cup for scale. First I was afraid I had too much noodles... then I was afraid I wouldn't have enough cheese, so I dumped some extra mozzarella into the mix... then I realized I'd made a grave 'clerical error.' Let's just say there's another Tupperware full of cheese sauce sitting in my freezer, ready for the next time someone is craving homemade mac-n-cheese. My bad.

 

A few years ago, I stumbled upon a recipe for stuffed mushrooms. I think the original recipe called for sausage too, but I stuff mine with stuffing mix, spinach, and loads of mozzarella. And the mushroom stems, all diced up. They're also topped with parmesan. Personally, I don't care for mushrooms, because of the way they feel. But I know at least the boys love them, so I make them every year. This year I also wanted to incorporate squash or zucchini into my dinner, because it's one of my new favorite vegetables. I looked up a couple recipies on line but in the end, decided to wing it. I scooped out the squash guts, mixed that up with a can of diced tomatoes and juice, and the rest of the stuffing and spinach mix.

And finally, the coo-de-grassy. [gee, I hope ANY other person on the planet finds that as funny as I do, and YES, I know I'm "saying" it wrong.] A week or so before Thanksgiving, we all went out to a place I love called Dirty Oscar's Annex. They had an appetizer called 'Heaven Sticks.' Honestly I am not big on asparagus, so I skipped it that night, but we all kind of wanted asparagus with dinner, so I tried my hand replicating said Heaven Sticks. I used three spears instead of just one, and since I didn't plan ahead, I had to use some makeshift kabob sticks instead of actual toothpicks, but overall I think it worked out. We sauted the asparagus in OJ and balsamic vinegar first, and then wrapped them up like little papooses. Tasty bacon blankets. And then, hell yeah, we deep fried those suckers! Afterwards, I attempted a glaze made from more of the OJ, balsamic vinegar, and brown sugar.

 

All said and done, here is my Thanksgiving plate. Not mentioned above are the bacon-wrapped turkey, home-style green beans with bacon and onions, garlic mashed potatoes, and T's roasted ginger carrots. NOM NOM NOM!!!