Thankful

 

November is such a wonderful month- Mushu's birthday on the 9th,(I can't believe my little lambie is 18!) Alex's on the 14th, (yes, I'm a month older) and I'm sure there are many, many more kindred spirits that were born in November:) Then of course, there is Thanksgiving!!! A day set aside to first be thankful, spend time relaxing with family and eating delicious food!
 This year was the our first married Thanksgiving we were able to spend together- just a year ago Alex was in basic training, head shaved, eating crispy crunchy turkey, unable to come home for the Holiday. In case you forgot what Alex looks like with his head shaved, I'll post a picture for you (he'll pay me back for this, but it's worth it!!)

Although we were unable to travel home for Thanksgiving this year, we were happy to be able to spend it together! We had friends over for a FEAST! The Schwoobs, Dave Reynold and Mike Murray all got together at our house for an old fashioned Thanksgiving. We made all the dishes from home, like Grandma Charlaine's cranberry sauce, Aunt Renee's spoon cornbread, my Mom's green bean casserole and stuffing, my red mashed potatoes and gravy, and Alex and I successfully cooked our first turkey (all 17.4 lbs of it). The Schwoobs also cooked and added another 17lb. turkey, stuffing, sweet potato casserole, broccoli rice casserole,  and crescent rolls. For dessert we had pumpkin cheesecake, apple dumplings, pumpkin pie and brownie/cookie bake.

 

After dinner, we played an intense game of Monopoly (which was Alex's Birthday gift from me!) and watched a little football and just visited with one another. It was a great Thanksgiving, and we are especially grateful to have friends to share the Holiday with when we can't be with family in Oregon.
We hope you all had a Great Thanksgiving too and are so looking forward to traveling back home for Christmas this year!!!

I'm going to include my favorite recipe that makes use of all that leftover turkey! Turkey Tetrazzini! The turkey can easily be swapped for chicken if you don't happen to have any turkey lying around. I love that this recipe doesn't have any "cream of" soups like a lot of tetrazzini recipes tend to have.  It is a little bit of effort, but worth every minute! It's hearty, creamy and makes your whole house smell like a fancy restaurant! Enjoy!

 

 

Turkey Tetrazzini

• 1 box of thin spaghetti
• 4 Tablespoons Butter
• 4 cloves Garlic, Minced
• 1 pound White Mushrooms, Quartered (I use a little less)
• 1/2 teaspoon Salt
• 1 cup White Wine
• 1/3 cup Flour
• 4 cups Chicken Broth
• 1 block 8 Ounce Cream Cheese
• 3 cups Cooked Turkey or chicken, Shredded Or Diced
• 1/2 cup Frozen Green Peas
• 6-8 slices Bacon, Fried And Cut Into Bits
• 1 cup Grated Monterey Jack Cheese
• 1 cup Grated Parmesan Cheese
• Salt And Pepper, to taste
• Extra Broth For Thinning
• 1 cup Panko Bread Crumbs

Preparation Instructions

Cook pasta until not quite done - al dente according to package instructions (it will finish cooking in the oven.) Drain, rinse, and set aside.
In a large pot, heat butter over medium-high heat. Add garlic and saute for a couple of minutes. Add mushrooms and salt, then saute for a couple more minutes. Pour in the wine and allow it to cook with the mushrooms for several minutes, or until the liquid reduces by half.
Sprinkle in flour, then stir the mushrooms around for another minute. Pour in the broth and stir, cooking for another few minutes until the roux thickens.
Reduce heat to medium low. Cut cream cheese into pieces and add it to the pot. Stir it to melt (don't be concerned if the cream cheese remains in little bits for awhile; it'll melt eventually!) Add the leftover turkey,  the peas, the bacon, and the cheeses. Stir to combine, adding salt and pepper as needed.
Add the cooked spaghetti and stir it to combine. Splash in more broth as needed; you want the mixture to have a little extra moisture since it will cook off in the oven.
Pour the mixture into a large baking dish and sprinkle the top with Panko crumbs. Bake at 350 degrees F for 20 minutes, or until the casserole is bubbly and the crumbs are golden brown.