Thanksgiving Recipes with darling pictures of my boys mixed in!

I mentioned yesterday that I was making a couple of casseroles and a couple of desserts for Thanksgiving. I got a few requests for the recipes, so I thought I’d share them here. I’ve put a couple of these on my blog before, but here they are, once again! Enjoy!

I decided to mix in some pictures of Hudson and Hayes in their turkey tees from Lulu McGee. I am finally able to get them sitting together for just a little bit. Long enough to take a picture! But their expressions completely crack me up!

*Broccoli, cheese and rice casserole is seriously one of my favorite things. I love it so much and Thanksgiving isn’t Thanksgiving without this casserole.

Broccoli, Cheese, and Rice Casserole

Ingredients
1/2 c. chopped onions
1/2 stick of butter
1/2 c. chopped celery
1 lg. package of frozen broccoli
1 large jar of Cheez Whiz
4 cups of cooked white rice
1 can cream of mushroom soup
1 can cream of chicken soup
1 package of sliced almonds

Directions
Precook broccoli and rice separately. Broccoli may have to be chopped up finely in a food processor. In microwave, melt butter and saute onions and celery (about 2 minutes) in 2 qt measuring cup. Add cream of chicken and cream of mushroom soup and cheese; stir until melted. Make sure broccoli is finely chopped. Fold in broccoli. Layer rice in large, ungreased casserole dish, top with broccoli mixture, and sprinkle almonds on top. Heat for 30 minutes or until bubbly on 350 degrees. Serves 8-10.

*This sweet potato casserole recipe is so yummy and so sweet. You may as well save it for dessert. It’s just so good and the crust/topping is the best part.

Sweet Potato Casserole

Ingredients
3-4 cups cooked sweet potatoes (or canned yams)
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup butter
1/3 cup half and half
2 eggs, beaten
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon cloves
1 teaspoon vanilla
(may add dash of bourbon if the Baptists aren’t coming for dinner)

Topping: (I always double this)
1/3 cup melted butter
1 cup light brown sugar
1/2 cup flour
1 cup chopped pecans

Mash potatoes. Mix in sugar, butter, eggs, vanilla and half and half. Put in 9×13 baking dish.

Topping: Melt butter and mix in remaining ingredients. Sprinkle on top of potato mixture. It’s okay to make more if you need more to cover the potato mixture. The topping makes this recipe– it’s better than dessert.

Bake 25 minutes at 350 degrees. Serves 8-10.

*This “salad” recipe is what my friend, Emily made for the “You Are My Sunshine” baby shower. It was such a hit at the shower and now I can’t wait to make this for Thanksgiving. Again, it’s called “salad,” but it could definitely be dessert. Wow! (recipe courtesy of my friend, Emily) I’m putting this in an 8×8 glass baking dish instead of a trifle bowl.

Pineapple Pretzel Salad

2 cups pretzel sticks, broken into one inch pieces
1/2 cup sugar
1 stick butter, melted
8 oz cream cheese, room temp
1/2 cup powdered sugar
20 oz pineapple tidbits, drained
8 oz cool whip

Preheat oven to 400. Put pretzel pieces in a large mixing bowl. Pour sugar and melted butter on pretzels. Mix until pretzels are coated well. Pour mixture onto a foil-lined cookie sheet and spread evenly. Bake for 7 minutes. Remove from oven, stir and allow to cool. Set aside.

In a large mixing bowl, cream together powdered sugar and cream cheese. Stir in cool whip.

Layer the following in a trifle bowl (or other dish- layers look pretty in trifle bowl!): drained pineapple, cream cheese mixture, pretzels (add this right before serving so it doesn’t get soggy). Best made and eaten on same day.

These next four pictures are completely out of focus and not good at all, but they made me laugh out loud because Hudson is freaking out because Hayes has latched onto his shirt. This is what it really looks like when you try to get pictures of two little boys.

Christmas is coming…

There are commercials on the TV already playing Christmas tunes to advertise, it’s coming through our radios and there are Christmas lights and garland on the street lights and on the fronts of stores. It’s here!

…Guess what! The Lulu McGee Christmas collection is up and ready for orders! Hurry and get yours placed. And you have a few more days to use the 10% off discount code… BLUEEYEDBRIDE11 … at checkout!

…I have officially finished my Christmas shopping. I wanted to be done before Holiday Market begins this weekend, so I’m not running around like crazy in a couple of weeks. I bought all of the toys on Yoyo.com and got everything else on Amazon.com. The internet makes everything so easy! If I had a buddy who was willing, I’d brave the stores on Black Friday, but no one ever wants to go with me! Ha!

…I’m going to start prepping casseroles today. Love it! I love to watch Home Alone and The Family Man while I cook during the holidays.

…I’ve got my tunes playing this morning while I write and respond to emails. My favorite Christmas albums are Michael Buble, Amy Grant “A Christmas Album” (the original), The Martins, Joy Williams, Barlow Girl, Carnie and Wendy Wilson (yes, the Wilson sisters from Wilson Phillips), Mariah Carey, Celine Dion and I have a few of the “Now That’s What I Call Christmas” albums that are so good!

Right now, my favorite songs are Strange Way to Save the World (4Him), A Baby Changes Everything (Faith Hill), The Magic of Christmas Day (Celine Dion), Hallelujah Light Has Come (BarlowGirl) and Here With Us (Joy Williams). Obsessed is the better word. I just love Christmas music so much!

What is your favorite Christmas album?

counting blessings vs. checking lists

Isn’t it funny (and kind of a shame) that we rush right past Thanksgiving on our way to Christmas? I’m not criticizing, because I do it, too. My tree isn’t up yet, but I have a list of all of the things I need to get out of storage to get my house ready for Christmas by Friday!

Last year, I wrote a post about how I wish I could slow down during this season. And I’d love to. I really would. But it’s just the time of year when there is so much going on. People love to host parties and there are events to go to and church commitment and volunteer commitments. I’d really be content to sit around every night for the next 40 days and just watch Christmas movies and drink hot chocolate.

But, that’s not what’s happening. I have a list of things to accomplish, groceries to buy before the madness begins, presents to buy and wrap, rooms to decorate and Christmas cards to mail.

And then life happens and it’s never what you plan. We were supposed to take our family Christmas card pictures yesterday afternoon. We all got dressed and ready to go. I was having a particularly good hair day and then it started to rain. So we postponed the pictures until Friday, but that’s just one more thing that didn’t get crossed off my list.

I think these things happen so that God has an opportunity to effectively remind me that He is in control, and I’m not. I don’t know why we had to postpone our pictures, but we did. And we’ll get them done before 2012. It will be fine.

Despite needing to carve out time to send last minute Holiday Market emails, bake Thanksgiving casseroles, attend Hudson’s school party, attend a church Thanksgiving service and get down all of our Christmas decorations, I want to really take time to be thankful.

I mean, I’m always thankful. I do know how much I have to be thankful for and how much I don’t deserve the wonderful blessings in my life. But I don’t want Thanksgiving to be a stop along the way to Christmas celebrations.

Part of the reason I like to do things early is so that we can make Christmas last as long as possible and really be able to enjoy it. But I do love Thanksgiving and what a great day it is and what it means. It’s a holiday that always seems to be all about the food. But I think we “feast” to celebrate all that we have to be thankful for!

I’d like to start a new tradition where we all write what we’re thankful for throughout the month of November as we prepare for Thanksgiving. Then we can read them all on Thanksgiving Day. (I’m thinking my mom tried to do this with us when I was in high school and I laughed at her, but now it’s something I really want to do!)

So, in the spirit of Thanksgiving traditions, please answer a few questions for me.

1. Do you eat stuffing or dressing? (We eat dressing)

2. Did you ever dress up as a pilgrim at school? (I totally did and need to share the picture with you)

3. What is your favorite dish at Thanksgiving?

4. Are you all about the turkey? Or all about the sides? (It’s definitely all about the sides for me)

5. Do you have a pumpkin pie at your house? Do you eat it? (I like pumpkin pie, but I know a lot of people don’t)

6. Do you watch the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade in your pajamas while cooking every year? (It’s my favorite thing about Thanksgiving)

7. What other traditions do you associate with Thanksgiving? (We watch Christmas Vacation before bed every year on Thanksgiving Day)

Ashley Brooke Designs Winner

Congratulations to Evett! You won the Ashley Brooke Designs Holiday Cheer giveaway!

I’ll be in touch with you about redeeming your items!

Visit Nina’s blog to see if you are the winner over there!

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