Thursday, November 24, 2011

Happy Thanksgiving!!!

White Chocolate Blueberry Swirl Cheesecakes!

Broccoli Casserole....YUMMY!


This is what we MUST have at Thanksgiving in order for me to be happy with the food! Of course Turkey, mashed potatoes and stuffing are all must haves too...but this stuff...is a yummy, awesome tradition in my family! My mom, God rest her soul, made this every Thanksgiving for the family in place of the yucky (in my opinion!) Green Bean Casserole. Over the years I have updated it. My mom used broccoli, cream of mushroom soup, French Fried Onions, and the golden wonder cheese...VELVETTA. Say what you want about Velvetta...it makes the BEST mac and cheese around and is amazing for casseroles ( not to mention Rotel dip...especially the Queso Blanco variety!) Anyway that was it! I first changed mine when I learned to make a roux...seriously if you don't know how to make a roux yet- LEARN, stat! It will change your life! I'm just sayin'! No, really! You know what goes into your roux and it is not filled with preservatives like the canned soups are! You can build whatever flavor profile you want to! Next I thought Caramazied onions would be a nice touch so I caramalized red onions for the top. WOW! This year I had to go even further and I made my own French Fried Onions! Talk about decadent! It is so good! I made this a few days ago and parked it in the freezer to make today. I, of course, had to try a sample so I put some in my small Rachael Ray casserole dish and tried it out with my Bestie, Jana and my friend Jason when were were crafting the other day. It was a hit!
I am thankful for my family! My baby is home from college for a few days and we have all been blessed with (relativly) good health. I am off now to relax a bit with my Kindle...some more prep to come later when I make my cornbread stuffing and mashed potatoes. Everything else is done (although I may end up making some pumpkin pies too...or better yet, get my son to do it!) Ralph is doing the turkey...which is brining right now! Have a wonderful Thanksgiving everyone!