Thanksgiving Menu

After many drafts, I think I've finally got the menu set for Thanksgiving. This year, we are attending a lunch thanksgiving and then I'm cooking a dinner Thanksgiving! Should be a very busy day, but I'm really looking forward to it. I'll take as many pictures as I can remember to take and hopefully post more recipes this year!




Thanksgiving 2008 Dinner Menu



Appetizers
-Parmesan Pinwheels
-Deviled Eggs (Behlen tradition!)
-Veggie tray

Dinner
-Brined Oven Roasted Turkey Breast (same recipe as last year, but I'm going to attempt Spatchcocking this year! I'll try to provide pictures of the hilarity)
-Traditional Dressing
-Creamy Herb Mashed Potatos
-Sweet Potato Souffle (seriously. best. ever. sweet potatos.)
-Pioneer Woman's Fresh Corn with Wild Rice (Made a test run this weekend. Tasted good, but was....strange. Not going to risk it on TG.)
-Roasted Cauliflower and Green Beans
-Cranberry Applesauce
-Challah (Jewish Egg Bread. Judy Bread. Perfection)


Desserts
-Apple Pie
-Furr's German Chocolate Pie. (My husband would MUTINY if my Mother in Law didn't bring this. Seriously. I think he might just walk out on the whole thing. I made him one from scratch once, and it was close, but no Furr's. Sigh.)

Kitty time!

Okay, so it's not food related, but I just couldn't resist! Meet our new babies! The black kitten is a little girl named Lilah. The grey tabby is her brother, who James has yet to choose a name for. I'm guessing it will be some variation of Texas Tech Red Raider Graham Harrell Michael Crabtree Wes Welker.

They came to us from the Lewisville Humane Society last night. If you're looking for a rescue, I highly recommend working with HSL. They have a few extra steps in the rescue process, but they are VERY thorough and make sure that you and your new pets have the best chance of staying together forever.

They adjusted really well last night, immediately used their litter box, ate their dinner, scratched the scratching post, and snuggled in their beds. They have their own bedroom for now so they don't get into too much trouble while we're at work. Tonight we may let them explore the rest of the house!

Bruschetta Orzo Salad

I made this a few weeks ago for a dinner party. It was my first time to use orzo! I don't recommend making new recipes for dinner parties, but I was bound and determined to use the orzo in my pantry, and the flavors went well with the rest of my dinner so I went for it!

It turned out great, the flavors were good, the texture was great, and it was something different than the same old same old. I recently asked James to plant fresh basil over my grave the day I die. I would put it in EVERYTHING if he'd let me!

I'll warn you - the orzo should probably be done the day before, it took a while to cool. (I hate it when I get into a recipe the night I want to eat it and realize it's going to take days!)

Bruschetta Orzo Salad

recipe by: me! Made this one up from scratch

-1 cup of orzo
-1 cup cherry or grape tomatos

-2 large garlic cloves
-1/3 cup balsamic vinegar
-1/4 cup plus 2 Tbs olive oil
-1/3 cup fresh basil leaves
-1/4 cup chopped shallots (or onions)
-1/4 cup of crumbled feta

1. Cook and drain the orzo according to package directions. Toss with the 2 Tbs of olive oil and let it cool completely.
2. Heat up remaining 1/4 cup olive oil in a skillet over medium heat. Toss in shallots and let them cook for a couple of minutes until softened and translucent. Toss in garlic and let it soften and flavor the oils, it will only take 30 seconds to a minute. Don't brown or burn the garlic!
3. Whisk balsamic vinegar into the oil, shallots, and garlic, and let the dressing cool completely.
4. Cut tomatos in half (If using roma tomatos, remove the guts, and dice the firm flesh)
5. Mix the cooled orzo, cooled dressing, tomatos, and feta cheese, breaking up the orzo with a fork. (all the steps to this point can be done the night before. Add the basil just before serving)
6. Chiffonade the basil by rolling up the leaves and slicing with a knife. Stir the basil into the salad.
7. Top with additional feta cheese and serve cold.