Thanksgiving

Now I am sure many of you will be surprised, but I do not host Thanksgiving. One would think a foodie like me would love to cook all that stuff, but the hubs & I host Easter. Its our holiday, I bake like its Thanksgiving then. Although sometimes this doesn't stop me from cooking a 8lb turkey for just my husband and I.

So for Thanksgiving this year, I brought a salad & a dessert to my husband's side of the family. I didn't get a picture of the dessert, but I have made it in the past and will probably make it again today to bring into the office tomorrow. Its Cara's Pumpkin Cheesecake Brownies. I like making these b/c I often have just enough pumpkin leftover from a previous recipe to make this one.

For my salad, I made a broccoli salad. Thanks to my friend Julie for getting the recipe for me. There are many variations to broccoli salad but I really just wanted the standard one, you know, the one with bacon & raisins. Some of my friend suggested craisins, which I think would be great, but I went for the traditional.

Broccoli Salad IV
Allrecipes.com

INGREDIENTS (Nutrition)
1/4 cup bacon bits
1 head fresh broccoli florets
1 cup shredded Cheddar cheese
1/2 cup raisins
1/2 cup hulled sunflower seeds
1 red onion, chopped
1 cup creamy salad dressing, e.g. Miracle Whip ™
1/4 cup white sugar

DIRECTIONS
Place bacon in a large, deep skillet. Cook over medium high heat until evenly brown. Drain, crumble and set aside.
In a large bowl, mix together the bacon, broccoli, cheese, raisins, onion and sunflower seeds.
In a small bowl, whisk together the creamy salad dressing and sugar. Pour over broccoli mixture and toss well to coat. Cover and refrigerate until chilled.

** a few difference, my husband and I HATE miracle whip, so I used mayo. Also, I just chopped up my own bacon & cooked it.

For my parents Thanksgiving celebration, I made an apple pie, a pumpkin turtle pie, chicken enchilada dip & broccoli rice casserole. The only thing I got a picture of was the pumpkin turtle pie.

Its being broadcast all over Kraft & other magazines, so I am sure you know which one I am talking about. Along with it being really delicious, it was also very easy to make.