Thus. Nov 22

Thanksgiving Dinner!

Daily Tidbit:  Happy Thanksgiving!  I hope everyone enjoyed a super yummy meal today, I did!  My Mom roasted the Turkey on top of Carrots & Onions for the first time, and they were amazing - brilliant Mom!   And I experimented with a "Crust-less" Pumpkin Pie.  The crust of a Pie is home to much of the Saturated Fat and Calories associated with Pies, and for me the yummy part is what is inside - in this case, delicious Pumpkin Pie!   I simply followed a normal recipe for Pumpkin Pie and skipped the crust and substituted it by using a Casserole dish lined with Parchment Paper.  It worked perfectly and was totally delicious!  I didn't miss the crust at all; even the more difficult to convince members of the family enjoyed it, a total success!

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Vanilla Almond Cereal with Blueberries

Breakfast: Vanilla Almond Cereal & Blueberries
1 cup Newman's Own Vanilla Almond Cereal
1 cup Fat Free Milk
1/2 cup Blueberries
5oz Orange Juice
Regular Coffee, splash of Fat Free Milk & Pure Ground Cinnamon
  

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Mushroom Onion Garlic Scrambled Eggs with Cranberry Muffin

Lunch: Brunchy Lunch  
Mushroom Onion Garlic Scrambled Eggs with Cheddar Cheese

1 Cranberry Muffin
Decaf Coffee, splash of Fat Free Milk & Pure Ground Cinnamon

*I had seconds on the Eggs, yum!
 

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Snack: Spinach Artichoke Dip with Beans & Tomatoes (recipe below) with 8 "Hint of Salt" Wheat Thins
Decaf Coffee, splash of Fat Free Milk & Pure Ground Cinnamon

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Thanksgiving Dinner!

Dinner: Thanksgiving Dinner!

Roasted Turkey, White & Dark Meat
Roasted Carrots & Onions
Roasted Brussels Sprouts (recipe below)
Mashed Sweet Potatoes with chopped Pecans (recipe below)
Steamed Rutabagas with Butter, Salt & Pepper  
Cranberry Sauce (recipe below)
Traditional Stuffing
O'Doul's Amber Ale

I had seconds of the Stuffing - a treat I really only enjoy one day a year, on Thanksgiving!  

This was I think the most yummy Thanksgiving Dinner I have ever had!  Though Thanksgiving has not always been among my favorite holiday meals, this year everything was delicious though very simply prepared.  A text book case of less is more!

 

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Crust-less Pumpkin Pie & Pecan Pie

Dessert:
Pecan Pie
Homemade Crust-less Pumpkin Pie (recipe below)


Yes, I had already taken a bite of the Pecan Pie when I remembered to take a photo!
 

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RECIPES:

Brussels Sprout Recipe:
http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/ina-garten/roasted-brussels-sprouts-recipe2/index.html 

 

Raw Cranberry Sauce Recipe:

Into food processor put the following ingredients:

12oz bag of fresh Cranberries (cleaned and picked over first)

1 Sweet Apple, with skins, cut into large pieces

2 tsp Orange zest

1 Orange, skin removed, cut into large pieces

1/2 cup Orange Juice

1/4 cup Sugar

Process to desired consistency/ chunkiness!  Let sit overnight to allow flavors to meld and sweeten.

Mashed Sweet Potato Recipe:
Take 1-2 Large Sweet Potatoes, clean and dry them.  Poke them all over with a sharp knife and then put on plate in microwave for 4 minutes, turn and do another 2-4 minutes until soft.  Remove skins and throw into a large mixing bowl.  Add 1 tbsp Butter and mash Potatoes (I find using a Masher is the easiest!).  Add Salt to taste and 1/2 -1 cup of Milk per desired consistency.  You can throw in chopped Pecans at this point or simply drizzle them on top when serving.



Pumpkin Pie Recipe:
http://www.tasteofhome.com/Recipes/Cinnamon-Pumpkin-Pie 

So I used the recipe from the Taste of Home website (link above).  My only changes were using Fat Free Milk and to skip the crust completely.  The crust of a Pie is home to much of the Saturated Fat and Calories associated with Pies, and for me the yummy part is what is inside - in this case, delicious Pumpkin Pie!  So I cooked the Pie in a casserole dish on top of Parchment Paper.  When it had cooled I picked it up and out of the casserole dish by holding the corners of the Parchment Paper and then layed it flat on the counter-top.  I cut square pieces by using a simple butter knife and it worked perfectly and was totally delicious!  I didn't miss the crust at all; even the more difficult to convince members of the family enjoyed it, a total success!



Spinach Artichoke Dip with Beans & Tomatoes Recipe:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Spray Casserole Dish with Canola Oil Spray.
Into food processor put: 1 clove Garlic 1 box of frozen Spinach, thawed and all the excess water squeezed out 1 can Artichoke Hearts, drained/ rinsed 1/2 cup Fat Free Plain Yogurt 1/2 cup Olive Oil Mayonaise 1/2 grated Parmesan Cheese
Process until it reaches desired consistency.  Pour into greased Casserole dish and then add 1 can White Beans (drained/ rinsed) and 6 large Sun Dried Tomatoes, diced.  Cover and bake for 30 minutes.  Remove lid and add 1/2 cup Part Skim Mozzarella Cheese on top and put back into oven for another 15 minutes or until the cheese is bubbly and beginning to brown. 

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