Well, the big Turkey Day has passed…and what a busy weekend! First, we hosted Thanksgiving at our house and had about 15 family members over to eat. That afternoon, we got on the road and headed to Myrtle Beach for a big family reunion and a weekend packed with activities and an insane amount of laughter. But, before we got on the road, I stuffed myself silly. All you have to do is look at the picture below to see what my tummy endured that day, along with dessert. When we set up the table full of food for dinner and got all of the plates ready, I made my daughter a plate…then hopped out of the line of fire so everyone else could dive in before I packed my plate full. I took this opportunity to lay on the couch with my feet propped up, watching my family like a pile of vultures swarming a carcass. After the smoke cleared, I headed into the kitchen to make a plate for myself.
And here’s the line-up… turkey, mashed potatoes, gravy, stuffing, crock pot mac ‘n cheese (recipe below), sweet potato casserole, cranberry sauce, broccoli casserole (recipe below), roasted zucchini with squash and onions, country peas, dinner rolls with cinnamon honey butter. Whew. After everyone ate, the kids and adults headed outside to play in the back yard, since it was such a nice day. A few of us ladies stayed behind and started cleaning everything up to clear the table for the grand finale…a buffet of desserts. I honestly didn’t realize how many sweet treats we had to choose from until everything showed up on the table. Holy cow! I asked my sister-in-law to poke her head out the door and announce that dessert was ready. In all honesty, they moved FASTER than when the lunch announcement was made. Again, here came the pack of vultures, attacked the dessert buffet. But, I can’t blame them. We had lemon meringue pie, gingerbread cookies, rice krispie treats, better than sex cake, pumpkin cheesecake, and brownies. What baffled me was that even though all of these desserts were up for grabs, my dad and brother gave me a hard time about hiding the chocolate peanut butter cupcakes that I made for the family reunion that was the next day. Good grief.
Crock Pot Mac ‘n Cheese Recipe:
16 oz. uncooked pasta, elbow or small shells
2 (10 oz) cans evaporated milk
3 cups milk
4 eggs
2 sticks butter, melted
2 cups grated mild cheddar cheese
4 cups grated sharp cheddar cheese
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
Cook noodles according to package, drain. Combine all ingredients in crock pot, reserving 1 cup of cheese to sprinkle on top. Cook on low for 3 hours, covered. Do not stir until done! Move switch to warm after 3 hours have passed.
Broccoli Casserole Recipe:
2 (10 oz.) packages chopped frozen broccoli, thawed
1 can cream of mushroom soup
1 cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese
1 cup mayonnaise
2 eggs, beaten
1/2 teaspoon garlic salt
1 teaspoon onion powder
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1/2 teaspoon seasoned salt
1 1/2 teaspoons lemon juice
12 buttery round crackers, crushed fine
2 tablespoons butter
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a 2 quart casserole dish, mix together onion, broccoli, soup, cheese, mayonnaise, eggs, garlic salt, pepper, seasoned salt, and lemon juice. Sprinkle crushed crackers over top and dot with remaining 2 tablespoons butter. Bake uncovered in preheated oven for 45 minutes, until heated through and browned on top.
