EGGPLANT - GROUND TURKEY AND KALE CASSEROLE BAKE

It's cold tonight and I was craving something comforting and warm. I've eaten so much pumpkin/butternut squash/sweet potato soup, that my skin is going to turn orange! So, I thought I would make up something warm and comforting that wasn't soup. I ate lots of eggplant when I was growing up. My mom would make eggplant patties out of it and they were delicious. So, I'm a fan of the strange purple plant...

I was in the mood for an italian seasoned casserole. I put this together using things I had in my pantry and fridge. (except for the eggplant which I bought over the weekend, not knowing what I was going to do with it)

TRADITIONAL TURKEY STUFFING WITH FRESH HERBS AND CIABATTA BREAD

Stuffing is one of the favorite things on the Thanksgiving table. I take the most time cutting vegetables and herbs for the stuffing than any other dish it seems. This year I decided to use a ciabatta bread mix as well. It was awesome!!

Everyone loved it and there was nothing left!! Very flavorful and moist, just how stuffing should be.

SLOW COOKER TURKEY BREAST WITH GLUTEN FREE GRAVY

This year was all about side dishes. I was going to be very involved with all of my choices and knew I needed something simple, yet delicious for the turkey.

I wanted to try a slow cooker turkey. I do quite a lot of soups and pot roast in the slow cooker, so I'm very comfortable with it. 

We have a few family members that aren't big turkey fans, so we also cooked a pre-seasoned tri-tip roast from costco and a full-size turkey added to that would have been too much. The breast is really my favorite part anyway, so I chose a nice 7 pound breast with bones. 

This came out delicious!! I started it first thing in the morning, it cooked 7 hours and was so juicy and tender. Never has Thanksgiving turkey been so easy. 

MAKE AHEAD MASHED POTATO CASSEROLE

Calling this a casserole is a bit of a stretch, but it is in a casserole dish...

This year I am really planning ahead and trying to make things in advance so that my Thanksgiving Day cooking doesn't leave me totally exhausted. Sometimes I'm so tired by the time we eat, I'm not even hungry. Not this year...

I've already done the menu planning, all the shopping, recipes are finalized, veggies are prepped and I'm starting to put together things that are either meant to be served cold or are intentionally made ahead to heat up again before dinner. 

This mashed potato casserole is one of those items. And they are delicious!!

CANDIED SWEET POTATOES WITH PECANS

Sweet and saucy made-from-scratch sweet potatoes with a pecan crumble and marshmallow topping. What could be better than that!!

I make a basic whipped sweet potato back every single year and I have done so since my daughter was little, she's almost 20 now. As a rule, I try to avoid things in cans these days and wanted to change this up a bit. I may have to make the others too this year, just in case, but I think she is going to love these, I know I do!  and yes, I realize these have marshmallows. Baby steps people, baby steps. My daughter can only handle so much change at one time!! :-)

THANKSGIVING 2013 MENU - ALL LINKED UP

Wow, it's been a busy week/month/year... I can't believe the holidays are already here. 

Over the last couple of weeks, I've been putting together my Thanksgiving menu. Some items are tried and true, but I always like to throw a few new things into the mix. Who knows? We might find something that becomes our new family tradition. 

TURKEY BURGERS

I saw this on the Oprah show a few years ago and just had to learn how to make them. I've adapted the recipe to be more tailored toward a typical package of turkey meat, which is about 1.25 pounds, the original recipe was for 4 pounds which made a huge amount of burgers. I've also tweaked the ingredients to add a little more flavor as well as adding Worcestershire and additional pepper. We serve these as the main protein without a bun or cheese, but you can certainly add it to make it heartier.  They are very moist and yummy. I hope you like them.