Menu Plan Monday

This week will be fairly short as we will be going out of town by the end of the week. To make it easy I'm sticking to our usual rotation of recipes.

• Turkey Burgers
  
• Shrimp, Feta Mac and Cheese
• Chicken Pot Pie
• Baked Ziti
• Spring Chicken Roll Ups

Have you started your Christmas baking? I made these incredible brownies over the weekend.

Thanksgiving Recap

Thanksgiving has come and gone and I have not had a chance to share how it all went! I am very happy to report that there were no incidents, no melt-downs, and no mishaps. Every single dish came out perfectly! The desserts were made the night before. The sweet potatoes were made the morning of and hung out in the fridge until it was their turn to go into the oven. I had the turkey in later in the afternoon and basted it during it's final hour. The stuffing and carrots were made about an hour before we ate. Everything was delish- especially those sweet potatoes!! Oh, and the cranberry bars were AMAZING, I think I might make them again for Christmas because I am already craving them! All the recipes I used can be found here.

Here are some pictures of the day.

 The Proud Chef next to her turkey!

 Before the sweet potatoes went into the oven.

 Turkey is done and resting before carving.

 The buffet server all ready to go.

 The sweet potatoes were the first to go!

 Our beautiful table. :)

Hope your Thanksgiving went just as well! Now on to planning for Christmas!

My Thanksgiving Menu

My in-laws are flying in from Miami to spend Thanksgiving with us. As I mentioned in a previous post, last year was my first year hosting Thanksgiving. Now that I've got a year of experience under my belt I'm feeling pretty confident about it....at least, I should be! :) My best friend helped every step of the way so without her I may feel a little lost. I'm counting on the hubby to help prep dishes the day before.

Our menu is pretty similar to the one from last year. I've already shared the sweet potato dish and the turkey. Here is our menu:

Main Course/Side Dishes:
Roasted Turkey with Cranberry Glaze
Maple Pecan Sweet Potatoes
Apple and Onion Stuffing
Maple Glazed Carrots
Buttered Up Corn on the Cob
Assorted Dinner Rolls

Desserts:
Pumpkin Swirl Cheesecake
Cranberry Bliss Bars

Drinks:
Red/White Wine
Apple Cider

The sweet potatoes and desserts will be made ahead of time on Tuesday and Wednesday. The rest will be made on Thanksgiving day. The stuffing and sweet potatoes will go into the oven after the turkey is done and cooling. The veggies are both pretty simple and quick to make. My only concern is the turkey, I hope it will be just as good as last year!

Today and tomorrow I'll be prepping the house for our family. The turkey will be purchased on Monday to give it time to defrost safely in the fridge. I'm ready for the holidays to begin!

What's on your Thanksgiving menu? Are you feeling ready for the day? Have you done all your shopping?

Maple-Pecan Sweet Potatoes

Last year was my first time hosting Thanksgiving. It was my first turkey, my first sweet potato casserole, and my first pumpkin cheesecake. Our best friends from Miami flew up to spend the holiday with us. My best friend and I cooked up the best Thanksgiving dinner we've ever had. We spun around in the kitchen together, washing pots and pans, stirring this and mixing that. We jumped for joy when the turkey came out beautifully browned and as the meat fell off the bones. We made this sweet potato dish the day before and popped it into the oven after the turkey came out. When it was time to eat, we inhaled it. For days and then months after Thanksgiving we would call each other and say, "Remember those sweet potatoes!!" They.are.heavenly.

I swear this is THE BEST sweet potato dish you will ever have. And I'm SO excited to make it again, even though my best friend will not be here this year. I'll Fed-Ex you some love. ;p

Maple-Pecan Sweet Potatoes

• 2 3/4  pounds sweet potatoes
• 1/4  cup half-and-half
• 3  tablespoons butter, melted
• 3  tablespoons maple syrup
• 1  teaspoon kosher salt
• 1/2  teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 1/4  teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/4  teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/8  teaspoon ground allspice
• 1  large egg, lightly beaten
• Cooking spray
• 1/2  cup mini-marshmallows
• 2  tablespoons chopped pecans

1. Preheat oven to 400°.

2. Pierce potatoes several times with a fork; place on a foil-lined baking sheet. Bake at 400° for 1 hour or until tender. Cool slightly; peel and mash in a large bowl.

3. Reduce oven temperature to 350°.

4. Stir half-and-half and the next 8 ingredients (through egg) into sweet potatoes. Spoon mixture into a 2-quart baking dish coated with cooking spray. Bake at 350° for 15 minutes. Sprinkle the top with mini-marshmallows and chopped pecans; bake 12 minutes or until the mini-marshmallows are slightly melted. Serve immediately.

Menu Plan Monday

I'm taking it easy this week in preparation for Thanksgiving. With my head whirling with all the things left to do, I don't think I'm going to want to make anything complicated this week! And the hubby's birthday is next week! I need to find a scrumptious cake to make!

I've broken down my grocery shopping into three trips:

1. Desserts
2. Sides
3. Perishables & The Turkey.

All dessert components have been purchased as well as half the stuff for the sides. I'll be sharing my recipes for everything soon.

Here's the menu for the week. I picked up a rotisserie chicken from the store today to use throughout the week for dinners and lunches. Such a great time saver.

• Lemon Honey Chicken
• White Chicken Chili 
• Pork Chops
• Florentine Shells
• Soft Chicken Tacos
• Baked Salmon
• Cranberry Glazed Pork Tenderloin

It's finally starting to get cold. I think we'll be having lots of hot chocolate. ;)

How are your Thanksgiving plans coming along? If you're not hosting, are you bringing something to a family dinner or potluck?