Thanksgiving Recap

It seems that it's taken me almost a week to recover from Thanksgiving. And it was worth every bite. This was the first year that I was partially responsible for part of the meal. The turkey was taken care of, so I was in charge of most of the side dishes and dessert. For the first time in my life, I made mashed potatoes from scratch, and I'm proud to say there were no lumps. With the addition of 8 oz. of cream cheese and a bit of sour cream, they were pretty tasty. We had the traditional Green Bean Casserole, which is so easy, I don't know why I never made it sooner. Dessert was Pumpkin Cheesecake, and I could have eaten half of it... if I hadn't already eaten too much for dinner.

So now I'm in the mood to cook. I have my mojo back. And I have an entire weekend ahead of me with nothing to do. My only problem is I don't know what to make. Maybe I'll make the pound cake I've been wanting to try for ages. Or I could use up all the bananas in my freezer and take another stab at the Lower Fat Banana Bread that I screwed up miserably the first time around. Or maybe I'll start baking Christmas cookies. Allrecipes is starting their Christmas Cookie Countdown on December 1st, so maybe I'll get some inspiration there.

And in other news, I'm now the proud new owner of a nice new camera. I'm hoping that it will actually help my food pictures look better instead of accentuate the flaws. Stay tuned for more pictures... when I figure out how to use it!

Pumpkin Cheesecake

2 (8 oz.) packages cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup canned pumpkin
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
Dash ground cloves
Dash nutmeg
2 eggs
1 graham cracker pie crust (6 oz. or 9 inch)

Mix cream cheese, pumpkin, sugar, vanilla and spices at medium speed with electric mixer until well blended. Add eggs; mix until blended. Pour into crust.

Bake at 350 degrees, 40 minutes or until center is almost set. Cool. Refrigerate 3 hours or overnight.

Recipe from Kraft Foods.
Servings: 8

Notes: Cheesecake is one of my ultimate favorite desserts, so what better way to celebrate Thanksgiving than with a pumpkin cheesecake. This recipe is so easy, I'm almost ashamed to post it. And I cheated by using 1/2 canned pumpkin pie filling instead of plain old pumpkin. If you do that, just cut out the cinnamon, cloves and nutmeg. This cheesecake has a very subtle pumpkin flavor, so if you're looking for an intense flavor, this recipe isn't for you. I thought it was perfect.

Green Bean Casserole

1 can (10.75 oz.) cream of mushroom soup (I used reduced fat.)
3/4 cup milk
1/8 teaspoon black pepper
2 packages (9 oz each) frozen cut green beans, thawed (I used two cans of green beans.)
1-1/3 cups French Fried Onions, divided

Combine soup, milk and pepper in a 1-1/2 quart baking dish; stir until blended. Stir in beans and 2/3 cup French Fried Onions.

Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes or until hot. Stir. Sprinkle with remaining 2/3 cup onions. Bake 5 minutes or until onions are golden.

Recipe from French's.
Servings: 6

Notes: Classic Thanksgiving. It doesn't get any better (or easier) than this.

Turkey & Black Bean Chili

1 pound lean ground turkey
2 (15oz) cans low sodium black beans, drained
1 container chunky-style salsa
2 (8oz) cans tomato sauce
1 packet chili seasoning mix

Cook turkey in a large saucepan until no longer pink, stirring frequently. Mash one can of black beans. Add to saucepan with remaining ingredients. Simmer 10 minutes. Top with cheese and sour cream if desired.

Notes: This is a super easy, super tasty chili recipe. I have to admit that I actually haven't ever made the recipe myself, but I've eaten enough of it to know that it's a winner. It's going on my grocery list for next week.