Thanksgiving 2011

Tom Turkey has been cooked, admired, photographed, gobbled up, and stored in the fridge for another Thanksgiving Day Holiday!  UMMM UMMMM UMMMMMM he sure was good!

Last Thanksgiving Joe and I had just recently moved to our new home in Kansas, and really hadn't quite unpacked and settled in completely yet before the holidays were upon us.  My Mom and her husband Caywood (God Bless them both who have come to feast in my home, at my table for the past 16 years) drove the 14 hours from Kentucky to Kansas to continue the tradition of celebrating Thanksgiving with me, and we had a family of very dear friends (The DeLuca Family) who also came to celebrate at our table... and I must add here that the Mom of this family, Theresa DeLuca, was in the midst of chemo treatments for ovarian cancer... it was very important to Theresa that she come celebrate with us... even tho... she could barely walk from the car to the table, much less sit through a meal because she was so weak from the treatments... but... she did come, and she made it through the dinner and we were THRILLED the DeLuca family could join us.  It was a frigid cold day, but we had a wonderful meal, we all had a great time, and my Mom's visit made this new house feel finally like home.

This year we had the same group of folks celebrating with us, also, joining us at our table, were a couple of newbies.  My sweet, sweet friend Katie Girl joined us, and a co-worker (Christy), who just moved here from Tennessee last year and wasn't able to be with her family also joined us.  Again... we had a wonderful meal, we had a wonderful time in fellowship, and it was a beautiful sunny day reaching a high of 68 degrees!!!  But the biggest change this year was Theresa and her health... she completed her chemo treatments in February and has continued to heal and recover every day since.  This year Theresa was beaming and radiating with good health and much Thanksgiving.  Theresa continues to inspire me with her grace and beauty, and with her uber positive attitude... even in the very worst of times!  Theresa... you are AWESOME!!!!

Our menu this year is pretty much the same as it is every year... but I did add a new dish (baked cranberry relish) that was tastier than I expected it to be and will share the recipe for it in this blog.  I roasted my stuffed Tom Turkey, and Joe deep fried his cajun seasoned Tom Turkey... he LOVES the juicy spiciness of his fried turkey, and I like the traditional moistness of my roasted turkey, but especially the stuffing inside.  We also had creamy mashed potatoes (run through a food mill... and definitely not figure friendly with all the real butter and heavy cream used) sweet potato casserole (made with coconut milk),  dressing and stuffing, home canned green beans, corn, home made sweet rolls, gravy (my speciality), baked cranberry relish... then for desserts..... Derby pie, Pumpkin pie, Queen of Sheba cake.... nummy, nummy, nummy.... in my tummy for sure!!!!  Proudly every single dish came out on time and completely perfect!!!!  Let's just say that.... those who had to go home, literally waddled out the door with leftovers in hand!!!

Here are a few of the recipes from my menu... I hope you give them a try and enjoy as much as we did.


Baked Cranberry Relish


4 1/2 cups fresh cranberries
1 1/2 cups sugar
1 cup chopped walnuts
1 cup orange marmalade
2 Tbsp lemon juice

Toss cranberries with sugar, place in a lightly greased 2 qt. baking dish.  Cover and bake @ 350 for 1 hour, stir in walnuts, marmalade, and lemon juice and refrigerate.


Derby Pie


1 stick butter (melted)
4 eggs (beaten)
1 cup corn syrup (light)
1 cup sugar
1 cup pecans (chopped)
1 cup chocolate chips
2 frozen pie shells (regular... NOT deep dish)

Stir melted butter , eggs, corn syrup, and sugar together.  Sprinkle 1/4 cup of chocolate chips, and 1/4 cup pecans evenly in each pie shell, distribute butter mixture evenly in both pie shells over the chocolate chips and pecans.  Bake @ 350 for 30-35 minutes... should be golden brown all over.  Finished pie will have the same consistency as a pecan pie.


Sweet Potato Casserole with Coconut Milk


8 medium sweet potatoes
2 cups coconut milk (can usually be found in the Mexican Foods in your local grocery)
1 Tbsp light brown sugar
1 cinnamon stick
salt and pepper

Preheat oven to 425, place sweet potatoes in over and bake for 20 minutes, then pierce skins to avoid bursting, and bake for another 25 minutes.  Let cool, peel and mash (just like mashed potatoes).
Place coconut milk, cinnamon stick and brown sugar in a small sauce pan and bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer for 20 minutes.
Mix the potatoes and coconut mixture together until creamy.  Marshmallows can be placed on top and browned in oven, or casserole can be served immediately or placed in fridge and warmed later.

Hope all had as wonderful a Thanksgiving Day as my family enjoyed... and I again highly encourage you to try these recipes!