Almost Better than Thanksgiving!

So, I thought that our Thanksgiving dinner was pretty fantastic...but I have to admit that we've had a couple of pretty great meals for leftovers since then. Most years, I feel pretty turkey'd out after the holiday meal. This year, I got MP to have a dinner salad one evening which was TAST-Y, and then last night was the coup de grâce....

Just look at all that yummy gravy, meat and veggies...and of course I did not use a prepared pie crust. I made my own! (recipe follows photos) ...and as you can see, I did a top and bottom crust (vs. the recipe calling for only a top crust)

It did taste as good as it looked!

Best Pie Crust Ever:

1 1/2 sticks (3/4 cup) cold unsalted butter
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup cold vegetable shortening
5 to 7 tablespoons ice water

Cut butter into pieces. In a bowl with a pastry blender or in a food processor blend or pulse together flour, salt, butter, and shortening until mixture resembles coarse meal. Add 5 tablespoons ice water and toss or pulse just until mixture forms a dough, adding additional ice water, a little at a time, if dough is too dry. Divide dough in half and flatten each piece into a disk. Chill dough, wrapped in plastic wrap, at least 30 minutes and up to 3 days.

I think I'll use the last little bit that was left over, along with some frozen berries and sugar to make a little mini cobbler pie tonight for dessert. Yum.

The Best Laid Plans

Well, I started this blog with every intention of at least a weekly update, but have been awfully preoccupied of late. Not to worry, we've still been eating well.

I have in the freezer the second helping of Pumpkin & Chicken Enchiladas - I'd like to use it this week (ever since putting this baking dish in the freezer, I have reached for it countless times), but am not hugely looking forward to having these again. The first time around, I thought I really liked them, but each time I ate them (maybe three servings in that casserole), they weren't as good as the last time. But - since I have cooked A LOT this past weekend, I am thinking I'll have to suck it up.

We had a fantastic holiday weekend. My parents came from Nashville to join us, and we had some friends stay overnight on Saturday night. The weekend was filled with good food.

Our thanksgiving menu consisted of turkey and dressing (I am the only Southerner I know who does not make cornbread dressing), gratin potatoes, cranberry sauce, cheese puffs, and green beans. Everything tasted great, though we still have enough cranberry sauce to enjoy with every meal for the next month - guess I should have cut that one in half or more! I even thought the gravy turned out well. I was also celebrating a birthday that day, and had my favorite cake for dessert rather than a pie.

Chocolate Velvet Cake

1- 4oz pkg Bakers Germans Sweet Chocolate
6T butter
3T all purpose flour
3 eggs, separated
4T sugar

Melt chocolate and butter over low heat, stirring constantly until smooth. Remove from heat, stir in flour, blend in egg yolks one at a time.

Beat egg whites until foamy, gradually beat in sugar, continue beating until soft peaks form.

Gently fold in chocolate mixture, blending throughly.

Pour into a greased & floured 8" cake pan. Bake at 350 for 20 minutes until tester inserted in cake comes out clean. Cool 10 minutes in pan, remove from pan and cool completely on wire rack. Top with Chocolate Glaze.

Chocolate Glaze:
Melt 1- 4oz pkg Bakers Germans Sweet Chocolate and 3T water over low heat, stirring constantly. Remove from heat, stir in 3T butter, cool to thicken if desired.

This cake has been my top birthday dessert choice since I was about nine years old (as my mother is fond of telling anyone who will listen!) We had a great early dinner, followed by an early bedtime, since eating a HUGE meal at 4pm made everyone about to pass out by 7... :)

Friday, I made some delicious scones (I substitue dried cherries and almonds for the cranberries and walnuts) for breakfast, along with eggs and bacon. Saturday, when our friends came to visit I knew we'd be going out to dinner, so I decided to make a tasty lunch. I planned to have paninis with chicken, provolone, and spinach grilled on my new griddle (Thanks, mom!!) along with a beet, avocado, and pink grapefruit salad that looked amazing (I love grapefruit and have been wanting to try my hand at a salad which includes it). Unfortunately, upon getting the beets out on Friday night to roast, I discovered I'd waited just a liiiiittttle too long to use them. So, plan b was the sandwiches along with just a simple salad. Thank goodness for the salad, since I didn't know MP's buddy's girlfriend was a vegetarian - OOPS. I think we were able to make a veggie version of the panini that she enjoyed...though I need to learn to ask first, so that I make sure everyone can enjoy our meals. Finally, this morning, we had eggs, bacon (none for the veggie!), and my trusty blueberry pancakes.

I can't believe over the whole weekend, not one picture of our meals were taken...but hopefully I can get back on the wagon here!

I am hoping to sit down this afternoon and figure out what very fresh and light meals we can eat for the next week or so, since I have never felt so full. Perhaps the beet salad is just what we need (hope MP doesn't read this :))