I made a few changes when I made it: I cooked it in my crock pot after I cooked the meats. It went on with raw potatoes around noon and was ready by dinner. I also used regular potatos instead of sweet potatos because I didn’t have sweet taters. The cilantro is a MUST!

Thanksgiving was so amazing, I’d love to do it over and over! Have I mentioned that I can cook? Hell yeahya– I CAN COOK. I’m gettin’ good in my old age. I thought that I’d quit my southern cooking when I left the South. But it seems that the love of casseroles, sweet tea, breading, and fried goodness is INBRED, Y’all. You can take the Momma out of the South, but you can’t take the South out of the Momma. Period. So, with that said, here’s some Turkey Day, Stepherz way:

This would be the Pumkin Pie. It was cooling on the counter while I was off in another room doing something. When I came back into the kitchen, my sweet Bella had pulled up the kitchen stool and a fork and taken about 7 bites out of the top, sides, and middle of the pie. Little Stinker!

Of course, no Thanksgiving is complete without greenbean and mac-n-cheese casseroles. This is the MOST delicious mac-n-cheese casserole I’ve ever had, and I’ve tried MANY recipes. It’s really easy too– give it a try for Christmas, you’re family will LOVE it!

Stepherz’ Southern Mac-N-Cheese Casserole:

Makes 6 servings (I double that for our family because I LOVE leftovers!)

2 Tablespoons butter, 2 tablespoons flour, 1 cup chicken broth, 1/2 cup cream, 2 1/2 cups shredded colby cheese, 2 1/2 cups uncooked elbow mac noodles, 1 tsp. salt, 1 row Ritz butter crackers.

1. In a saucepan, melt butter over medium low heat; add the flour a little bit at a time whilst whisking to make a roux.
2. Heat the broth.
3. Next, add the broth to the roux, and stir with the whisk; this will thicken as it heats.
4. Add a little cream, watching for the desired consistency.
5. Bring 4 cups water to a boil in a seperate pot; add salt and pasta.
6. In the other pot, add shredded cheese a 1/4 of a cup at a time whilst stirring with a spoon. When you have about one cup of cheese in you can add the rest of the cheese.
7. Cook the pasta until al dente; strain and combine with the cheese sauce.
8. Pour the mix into a casserole, sprinkle crumbled crackers on top, and bake uncovered in a preheated oven set to 350°F for about 40 minutes.
9. Keep an eye on the mac & cheese, you want it to brown around the edges and in patches on top.
10. Remove and let stand for 10 minutes before serving. Enjoy!

We also made mashed taters with gravy, honey glazed ham, cranberry sauce, and stuffing to go with the greenbean and mac-n-cheese casseroles. We’re still eating on the leftovers, which no one seems to mind because it’s so delish.

Of course, no Thankgiving meal is complete without a kiss. Look at that chubby, fluffy cheek! Could you resist kissing it!? It’s better than any calorie packed holiday dessert!

“Heyyyy! Quit with the kisses, y’all. I’m trying to eat here.”

And, lastly, you can’t call Thanksgiving done in our house until you stick out your tummy and compete in the Full Belly Contest. I think Austin and I tied this year!

How was YOUR Turkey Day!?

I make an award winning quiche. Ummm. Actually my quiche hasn’t won any awards. But, it’s deeeelish. So I thought I’d share my recipe with you. Now you will have the power! This is great for brunch, lunch, or dinner!

Ingredients:

2 deep pie shells (I prefer Marie Calendar or Pillsbury)

10 eggs

3 cups shredded cheese (I like sharp cheddar)

1/2 can organic spinach

1/3 jar of sliced sweet red bell peppers (usually on the pickle aisle)

1 cup mushroom slices uncooked

1 small handfull of diced onions

* sometimes I add a chicken breast, sometimes a 1/2 jar of soft bacon bits, maybe even some green chilli if you are feeling spicey. But this time it was all veggie and was quite filling. It’s a great way to disguise veggies if your kiddos hate them, like mine do.

Cook on 370 degrees for 1 hour- 1 hour 15 minutes. Serve with a delicious fruit salad. Or better yet, try this:

fresh organic spinach, sliced strawberries, feta cheese sprinkled on top, with a bit of strawberry dressing (yes, they make this. look for it cause it’s so yummy). (Thanks, Chanda, for the delicious salad idea!)

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Also, my son is a football star. Well, almost. He’s a star in training. He’s been going to practice all week and just got the position of Quarterback! My son is a Quarterback, Bronco bound, y’all! I’m so stinkin’ psyched!

All the girls love the Quarterback. I remember our Quarterback in high school at Terry Sanford. He was something else. Great looking, point scoring, super friendly. He got scholarships to NC State. We loved you Edwin!

Austin is my favorite Quarterback though:

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Lastly, Jeremy has been working on this multi-million dollar home as a sub-contractor. He was offered a better paying job with a competing contractor, which, of course, he excepted. We figured there wouldn’t be hard feelings with his present contractor since the job was done, everything passed inspections, etc. On the day of Jeremy’s expected “check-cut”, the present contractor found out about Jeremy finding a better paying job. He refused to pay Jeremy. So, we’re floating and at this guy’s whim for an entire month’s pay. He cusses Jeremy out everytime Jeremy calls for the status of his check. He hangs up on Jeremy. He jerks him around. This is all so very humbling because what the guy deserves is a kick in his jaw but all we can give him is patience and hope that he’ll pay up. Meanwhile, you know, bills need to be paid and children need school clothes and fall jackets, and the world fargin’ keeps on going despite this jerks pride and ego. So, we’re having to go file a mechanic’s lien on the house he worked on which is a total bummer because it means it could take MONTHS to see the money, if ever, and we still lose hundreds of dollars for the cost of the liens. I’m sooooo bummed out. If you pray, will you drop one in the mail to God for us? If you light candles and send happy thoughts, please do for us. We could use a little of that right now. We’ll make ends meet. We always do. But the funk and negativity this has brought our family this week has really put some long on our faces.

But we’ll keep on truckin’ because that’s what we do. And with a face like this to brighten your day, what else matters?

“Mommy, I LOVE your strawberry and spinach salad. More, please!”