Thanksgiving and Christmas dinner duties

Turkey                                (Mom)

Cranberries- Lily                (canned '23)

Mashed potatoes- Chloe    (Lily '23)

Gravy                                  (mom '23)  

Stuffing- Lily                       (Dad '23)

Veggies- cooked green beans or asparagus

Rolls                                    (KAtie '23)

Pies- key lime- Katie           (Chloe '23)

Cheesecake- Matt

Winter Fruit Salad

Sparkling Drink

Broccoli Salad                      (Jens friend)

Asian Salad (I have a friend who serves broccoli and Asian salad, she'd rather eat more salad than turkey)

11/23/23-

This year the inside of the turkey was still frozen when  it was time to cook it. So for 2 hours (10am-12pm) I cooked the turkey in an oven bag at 450 degrees and then the last hour turned it down to 350 and the turkey was cooked through and still turned out delicious.

We ate at 3pm, it was nice b/c Logan and I went and played frisbee and then had enough time to get dinner started at 10am. At 10 am katie started rolls, lily started potatoes, I started the turkey, dad started cutting onions and celery and chloe/luke helped set the table. I borrowed a table from jim lancaster and 5 chairs from Kathy Buswell.

Also I very much enjoyed after thanksgiving. We played this silly easy going game called Happy Salmon, then Spoons, then Dayna recommended the Prize Game Bingo. I found some random prizes- bath bomb, lotion, Meyers soap, glow in the dark toys, little sticky balls for luke and jen brought more fun prizes like oreos, the game operation, connect 4, Surprisingly everyone wanted to play b/c there were prizes involved. It actually turned out so much more fun than I expected.

Swedish Meatballs and Gravy

• D Delicious
• Meatballs- I've used this Delicious Meatball Recipe from Food Network that Im so in love with

2 tablespoons olive oil, divided
1 onion, diced
1 stalk chopped celery
2 teaspoons of minced garlic or 1/2t garlic powder
1 pound ground beef
didn't have- 1 pound ground pork
1/2 cup Panko (or chopped up leftover bread)
2 large egg yolks
1/4 teaspoon ground allspice
didnt have- 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

FOR THE GRAVY-

1 onion chopped

5-10 garlic cloves minced (you choose how many- depending how big the cloves are)
3 celery stalks chopped
handful of mushrooms

(I used the drippings from browning the meatballs)

1/4 cup unsalted butter (meatball drippings)
1/3 cup whole wheat flour
2 cups beef/chicken broth

1/4-1/2 c milk (milk alternative)
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley leaves

For the Meatballs---------

1. Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add onion, and cook, stirring frequently, until onions have become translucent, about 7-10 minutes.
2. In a large bowl, whisk together Panko, egg yolks, allspice, nutmeg and cooked onion; season with salt and pepper, to taste, then combine ground beef, ground pork. Using a wooden spoon or clean hands, stir until well combined. Roll the mixture into 1 1/4-to-1 1/2-inch meatballs, forming about 24 meatballs.
3. Add remaining 1 tablespoon olive oil to the skillet. Add meatballs, in batches, and cook until all sides are browned, about 4-5 minutes. Transfer to a paper towel-lined plate.

For the Gravy------

1. To make the gravy, melt butter and/or use the drippings from  browning the meatballs. Saute in the skillet.- chopped onion till brown, then add garlic, celery, mushrooms. Add this onion, celery, mushroom garlic mixture to the blender and puree. Then add the mixture to a pot and  Whisk in flour until lightly browned, about 1 minute. Gradually whisk in beef broth and cook, whisking constantly, until slightly thickened, about 1-2 minutes.  season with salt and pepper, to taste.
2. Stir in meatballs and cook, stirring occasionally, until heated through and thickened, about 8-10 minutes.
3. Serve immediately, garnished with parsley, if desired

Serve with noodles or rice, and a side veggie (we had carrots and cucumbers).

Can make extra and freeze for a future meal.

4/21/25 this gravy was a wonderful RIDICULOUS SUCCESS!!! 

Best gravy I've EVER made for swedish meatballs!!

Whole Wheat Biscuits and Gravy

The nite before, I can mix the biscuit ingredients, roll out the biscuits and leave in the fridge.  Also brown the meat and/or make the gravy, then just reheat it in the morning.
BISCUITS
100 Days of Real Food

• 2 cups whole wheat flour (I used King Arthur’s white whole wheat organic flour) or whole-wheat pastry flour
• 4 teaspoons baking powder
• ½ teaspoon salt
• 4 tablespoons cold unsalted butter (or coconut oil)
• 1 cup milk (any kind)

INSTRUCTIONS

1. In a medium sized bowl combine flour, baking powder, and salt. Mix well with whisk or fork.
2. Cut the ½ stick butter into little pea sized pieces and then mix the pieces into the flour mixture.
3. Using a fork, try to mash the butter pieces as you mix it together with the flour until it resembles coarse crumbs. It is okay if the outcome just looks like the same pea sized pieces of butter covered with flour.
4. Then pour in the milk and mix it all together. Knead the dough with your hands 8 to 10 times and then turn out onto a counter or cutting board.
5. Pat it out flat with your hands until the dough is a somewhat even ¾-inch thickness (sprinkle with a little flour if necessary).
6. Turn a drinking glass upside down and cut out biscuit rounds. I have also used shaped cookie cutters (like a heart or star) if you have little ones helping you!
7. Then put them on an ungreased cookie sheet and bake at 450 degrees for 10 – 12 minutes or until lightly browned. 
   Enjoy!

for each of my girls to make their own biscuits in their own individual small bowl- #1 recipe makes 2 biscuits and #2 Makes about 4 biscuits
#1       #2

1/2c    1c whole wheat flour

1t        2t baking powder

dash   1/4t salt

1T       2T cold  butter

1/4c    1/2c milk

Pioneer Woman

Gravy

• finely chopped onion
• 1 pound Breakfast Sausage
• 1 can (16 Oz.) Canned Biscuits or homemade biscuits
• 2 Tablespoons Flour
• 1 cup Milk
• Salt
• Pepper

I do like a finely chopped onion to saute while the meat is cooking, it adds so much flavor. Slice the breakfast sausage and place in a warm pan. Cook the sausage according to the instruction (thoroughly cooked inside). Remove them to a paper towel to drain.

Place your biscuits into the oven to cook according to the instructions on the can. 

Pour grease out of the skillet/pan you used for the sausage, adding back in only what you want to use to make the gravy. For one to two people, use about 2 to 3 tbsp. of grease. Over low to medium-low heat, add about 2 tbsp of flour to the grease and whisk immediately. If you add in a little more grease so it’s smooth and stirrable. You want to find a good balance between the flour and the grease.

Once you find it, just keep stirring with the whisk and allow the mixture to brown for a few minutes. As you whisk, scrape in the anything from the bottom of the pan as you go.

After 2-3 minutes, whisking constantly, pour in about a cup of milk. IF the mixture is dry, lumpy or pasty, add in more milk – again, drawing a balanced mixture. Add salt to taste. Let the gravy warm up over low heat, stirring occasionally. Cut prepared biscuits in half pour gravy atop them