HO! HO!Holy Moley We Are In December Already!

Ok, I know. I slacked a bit since Thanksgiving. Hope y’all had a wonderful Thanksgiving. I WAS going to post my Thanksgiving dinner recipes on Black Friday but got distracted and then…I totally forgot about it until I was going through pictures on my phone over the weekend and remembered…

This year, it was just the two of us for Thanksgiving. We didn’t visit either of our families, for one, mine live overseas and his…well,  let’s just say things are a bit complicated. Anyway, you’d think with just the two of us, I would have had an easy time cooking rather than slaving away in the kitchen all day like most people. WRONG~! I still spent all day cooking and in the process drank a whole bottle of Sauvignon Blanc myself. ( I told myself that this is the ONLY day in the year where we’re eating all day from the moment we’re out of the bed till we go back to it. Therefore, it is totally okay for me to drink the whole bottle of wine myself because you can’t go through a day without some liquids, and wine is liquid so I’m fine….)

I started planning for the Thanksgiving meal about a week ahead, though according to a “planning chart” I found on Google via Martha Steward’s “Holiday Dinner Planning Guide”, I was already two weeks behind. Oh well~ 🤣🤣 I asked Jak what he’d like to have for Thanksgiving dinner and he told me he’d like to have turkey (duh!), mashed potatoes & stuffings. Now, I am not big on mashed potatoes, so I figured if Jak is the only person eating mashed potatoes then I would need some other non-dairy & veggie options. After a few days of HARD thinking, I planned out our Thanksgiving menu: Honey Bourbon Turkey thighs, because thighs are just so much easier to work with and who doesn’t like dark meats?! Rosemary Garlic mashed potatoes; Acorn Squash Stuffing, Roasted Brussel sprouts with Bacon ( NO one will say no to bacon right?) and Sweet Potato Fries.

Granted, this is not my first Thanksgiving, but I do have a thing for Charts. Personally, I skipped the whole buying table decor, glassware part. I also skipped the set the table  and making drinks and the “get dressed” part. Besides, it was jut Jak and I anyway 😉

At last, Thanksgiving day arrived, I started the day by making Pigs in a Blanket and coffee for breakfast. They’re super easy and cheap and great for holding people over until dinner time….so, I’ll quit rambling and get to the recipes.

Pigs in a Blanket

Jak loves these piggies, he can eat them all day long while playing video games and be very very quiet… (Jak Note: Hey, I read these you know!)

Ingredients:

2 cans of refrigerated Crescent rolls.

1 package of hot dogs.

1 egg (optional)

yields 16 piggies.

Steps:

1. Preheat the oven to 350. Line the baking sheet with foil and spray cooking sprays. (If you have fancy non-stick ones, just spray some cooking sprays. OR better yet, get those fancy reuseable baking sheet liners so you don’t have to do anything!)
2. Cut the hotdogs into halves, pop the crescent rolls and start rolling the piggies away.
   

   
   If you’re feeling fancy you can brush some egg mixtures to make it golden brown after baking. But if you are cranky and haven’t had your first cup of morning coffee like me then skip this step because it’s all going to the same place anyway.
3. Bake until gold brown and Ta’da!
   

   

   
   For a sweet piggy, you can substitute hot dogs with jams or Nutella or homemade sweet cream by mixing a block of room temperature cream cheese and 1/2 cup of sugar. 🙂

Honey Bourbon Turkey Thighs: 

Ingredients:

2 packages of Turkey Thighs

1 1/2 cup of Honey Bourbon or Whiskey (Jak Note: I personally recommend Wild Turkey American Honey, pun intended.) (And the science of the difference between Bourbon and Whiskey is kinda moot with flavored blends like Honey versions.)

2 Tbsp of finely chopped ginger

3-4 cloves of garlic, crushed.

1/2 cup of Molasses

3 Tbsp of Honey

2 Tbsp of whole pepper corn

1/4 tsp of Ancho chili

a dash of cayenne pepper.

a small bouquet of herbs (thyme, rosemary, sage & tarragon)

Salt to taste

Steps:

1. Day before Thanksgiving: wash turkey thighs and pat dry.
2. Use mortar and pestle to crush the pepper corns, if you don’t have one then wrap the pepper corns in a paper towel and use a frying pan to achieve the same result. Mix all three peppers with some salt.
   

   
   In a glass jar combine bourbon, molasses and honey, shake until well combined. Pour into a the container which you are going to marinate the thighs in and add the peppers. Add the thighs, make sure everyone gets soaked, give them a good rub on all sides then cover and put in the refrigerator for 24 hours.
3. Thanks giving day: preheat the over to 400, take the turkey out and let it come to room temperature. Meanwhile, continue to prep for other dishes.
4. Use a baking sheet with a baking rack if you have them, if you don’t then roll up some aluminum foils in the bottom of the baking sheet for substitute. Take the turkey out place them on the baking sheet. Cover with foil and bake for 2 hours. Or until golden brown.
5. Make sure the internal temperature reached 167, take them out of the oven and rest for 10-15 minutes.
6. Remove foil when its time to eat.

Rosemary Garlic Mashed potatoes

As I’ve said earlier, I am not a big fan of mashed potatoes, especially creamy. Don’t get me wrong, I love chunky potatoes in soups and curries. I think it’s a texture thing for me…we have teeth, we can chew…why mash the potatoes when you can eat them as it is?! Anyway, since Jak is the only one eating the mashed potatoes, I went all out on dairy, fats and seasonings.

10 red potatoes (or potatoes of your choice)

1 stick of butter

1/2 cup of heavy cream

5 cloves of garlic, finely chopped

2 tsp of Garlic powder

2 tsp of onion powder

2 Tbsp of rosemary, finely chopped

Salt + Pepper to taste.

Steps:

1. Wash the potatoes thoroughly, use a potato or vegetable brush to scrub the skin. (conversely, if you don’t like skin on potatoes, just peel them 🙂 Ps. If your kids or hubby wants to help you in the kitchen, this is a good dish for them to help. Cuz, they’ll be occupied by the sink for a good 10 mins, giving you time and room to focus on other prep work…
2. Cut the potatoes into chunks, put into the pot, fill with cold water to cover and boil the potatoes until you can insert a knife or fork without resistance.
3. Drain the potatoes and let the man/kids do the mashing.
4. Check on them after 5 mins and add the rest of the ingredients and let them keep mashing & mixing for another 5 mins or until creamy.
5. Transfer into a serving bowl if you’re hosting THE dinner, otherwise, enjoy!
6. Jak Note: To be fair I like chunky mashed potatoes, but speaking from experience apparently it is a skill to produce both creamy and chunky mash in one pot. I liked the consistency we finished with, but… it wasn’t “Chunky.”)

Acorn Squash Stuffing

I love squashes in the fall & winter. They are high in fibers, meaty, super yummy. If you are trying to watch your weight during the holidays, squashes are a great way to substitute your normal holiday foods. (i.e carbs, meats, sugar) While we’re on the weight watching topic, how you prepare them is also a big factor on helping you watch your weight. Don’t use a lot of oil, or fats. For creamy textures, pasta dishes & soups, I use no more than 2 table spoons of coconut/avocado butter and soy/almond/coconut milk instead of whole milk. If you’re eating it as it is, then a little bit of olive oil will do just fine. 🙂 That being said, since we’re talking about Thanksgiving foods and stuffings, I added bacon and use a little bit of bacon fat to coat the squashed rather than olive oil.

ingredients:

1 Acron squash

1 cup of chopped bacon

3 stalks of celery

2 carrots

4-6 pieces of bread

2 cups of chicken stock

1 egg, beaten

Steps:

1. If you are making homemade stuffings, then put the breads on a rack three days before Thanksgiving, so the bread will be crunchy and completely dry. OR you can simply buy the packaged stuffing to save time.
2. **Day before Thanksgiving: to cut the acorn squash, start by carefully cutting away the skins in small pieces. Once your squash is “skinned”, carefully cut the stem out then cut the squash in halves. Then scoop the seeds out. (Side note: don’t use a vegetable peeler on this, you’ll break it if you do! Because squash, pumpkin and the likes are hardy veggies and have thick skins).
3. Cut the squashes into wedges and then cut them into small chunks.
   

   

   

   
   Thanksgiving day:  Bake the squash chunks in the oven ( preheated to 400 degree) for 1 hour. When its done, take it out and set it aside to allow it to cool completely. Meanwhile, cut the bacon into small chunks, in a large skillet render the delicious fat out using medium high heat and let the flavor develop. (Don’t use high heat, you don’t want to burn the bacon!)
4. Once the bacon is crispy, scoop them out and place on a plate with paper towels. **Watch the bacon like a hawk or put them somewhere safe away from the bacon thief(s) aka your hubby or kids**
5. Reserve about 2 table spoons of the bacon fats, drain the rest of them. In the same skillet, on medium high heat, sauté onions, carrots and celery until the onions are translucent. Allow them to cool completely.
6. In a mixing bowl, break the previously dried bread into small chunks, add the squashes and the vegetable mixtures, chicken stock, bacon, egg and seasoning. Mix them well until all the bread are coated with egg and stock. Transfer them into a casserole dish, bake in the 400 degree oven for 50 mins-1 hour or until golden brown.
   

   
   Take it out of the oven once its done cooking, let it rest for 10 minutes before serving.

Roasted Brussel Sprouts with Green Beans and Bacon

This dish uses up the rest of the bacon, so between the squash stuffing above and this dish, you only need to buy 1 package of bacon. Half for the stuffing and half for this dish.

Ingredients:

1 package of store-bought brussels sprouts

1-1.5 cups of bacon chunks

2 cups of green beans. Ends trimmed.

Salt+Pepper to Taste

Steps:

1. Cut the bacon into small chunks, set aside. thoroughly wash and trim the brussels sprouts, then cut them in halves, drain the excess water in a colander. Meanwhile, wash the green beans and trim the ends.
2. In a mixing bowl, mix the brussels sprouts, green beans and bacon. Transfer them onto a baking sheet, spread them out so they can cook evenly. Bake for 20 -25 minutes. (400 degree oven)
3. Transfer into a serving dish and let your guests dive in.

Cajun Sweet Potato Fries

I love love love sweet potato fries. Super easy to make. Also, why would you want to eat mashed sweet potato goo with marshmallows when you can have sweet potatoe fries?! AND we already have one mashed potatoes on the table, must we mush all the potatoes???!!! Whoever came up with that dish needs to have a talk with me…just sayin’.

Ingredients:

2 large sweet potatoes

3 Tbsp of olive oil

A very generous amount of Cajun seasoning.

Salt + pepper to taste

2 Tbsp of chopped green onion

Steps:

1. Wash the sweet potatoes and use the potato brush to scrub the skins really really clean.
2. Cut them into long strips, in a large mixing bowl, combine olive oil, Cajun seasoning, salt and pepper and give them a good toss until all the sweet potatoes are well coated.
3. Line them up on a large baking sheet, make sure they have plenty space between each other. Bake them in (400 Degree) the oven for 35-45 minutes or until tender, and the edges are crispy.
4. Transfer them onto a pretty plate or…just a plate and sprinkle green onions over for  visual yumminess effect. Then put them into your plate and devour it because it is just too good to wait.
5. Bon Appétit!!

Lastly, I just wanted to say that while you are busy cooking away in the kitchen, DON’T forget to take a wine break or two, no one will judge. Below is a “Cooking Timing Chart” that I found on google and follwed it more less loosey except the wine break… LOL!

Notice there are two wine breaks. one long and one short. I personally took 3 LONG wine breaks while everythig is in the oven baking and no more things to prep.