Holiday Decorating

Now that Thanksgiving is over, I'm excited to be listening to Christmas music and thinking about the upcoming Christmas holiday. Chad and I spent the afternoon helping his mom decorate her living room. Seeing how happy we made her was just as much of a reward as the pretty room. I'm happy with the results.

Our Thanksgiving

We had a lot of firsts this Thanksgiving: first holiday in the new house, first time hosting, and our first turkey day as husband and wife. We spent a long tiring two days in the kitchen, and all the hard work paid off. My table looked beautiful and, most importantly, everyone enjoyed the food. The kitten, of course, wanted to have her nose right in whatever dish was being prepared. Thankfully, Aunt Chris was here to keep her entertained for the final meal preparations. I wanted to post my menu and some of the recipes used.

Turkey
Gravy
Mashed Potatoes
Sweet Potatoes
Dressing Patties
Green Bean Casserole
Deviled Eggs
Pumpkin Pie with whipped cream. (I prefer making my own pie crust for this one)
Cranberry Sauce
Skillet Almond Shortbread
Brownie Cookie

Dinner: Homemade Mac n Cheese

This filling dish was a variation on a Progresso's Recipe Starters recipe. Chad loved it. Here's how I made it:

5 cups whole grain rotini
1 can Progresso Recipe Starters Creamy three cheese
1 T minced garlic
1/2 cup milk
3 cups shredded cheddar cheese
1 cup cottage cheese
Bread crumbs, optional

Heat oven to 400. Boil pasta according to package directions. While pasta is boiling, heat recipe starter, garlic, and milk until boiling. Turn off heat and stir in both cheeses until melted. Stir in pasta, and pour into 2.5qt casserole dish. Sprinkle with bread crumbs. Bake 20 min or until edges are bubbly. Serve and enjoy!

To Grandma's House

Belle had her first adventure today since her declaw surgery. This was also her first time going to see Granny at her house. She had fun being nosy and checking out all of the new sights and smells while I picked out unique buttons to add to my Christmas crafts.