New Thanksgiving Side Dishes and A Snazzy Scarf

Good morning and happy Sunday morning.  My hubby got called in to work this morning when one of his crew couldn't complete his shift so I got up early when he left and stayed up so here I am posting now instead of tonight.  I hope you all had a fantastic Thanksgiving.  Here is my story about the above picture: I have never been much of a meat cook.  I was practically a vegetarian when I met my husband so I had little experience cooking meat and it is my least favorite thing to cook because I don't feel confident with large cuts such as roasts(and whole turkeys!).  Every Thanksgiving, I overcook the turkey and it falls apart getting it out of the roaster.  I have this thing with poultry(and pork) that I am terrified of under cooking it and having people get sick.  Do you remember that scene in Christmas vacation where Clark goes to carve the turkey and it is so overcooked and dry it just implodes when he puts the knife to it?  Mine never made it that far-they just totally fell apart!  This is the first year that the turkey stayed together so I had to snap a picture of it.  Yes, it was slightly overdone, but not as much as other years!  So behold, the traditional turkey above that actually needed carving!

I wanted to share two new sides I tried this year.  The green beans are from the Pioneer Woman.  We love green bean casserole and had it every year, but none of us liked it warmed up.  I thought this new dish would be good because it has bacon in it.  I couldn't believe the smoky flavor so prevalent in these beans from the bacon.  It had mixed reviews from the family so I don't know if it will show up next year.  It got my stamp of approval and my younger son's as well.

I am not a fan of traditional sweet potato casseroles because I don't like the marshmallows.  I tried this casserole and it was a winner all the way around.  It was almost like dessert but I think it will come back to future holiday dinners for sure.  I took 2 large sweet potatoes and baked them in the oven for 2 hours.  It took longer than I thought it would.  I scooped out the flesh into a bowl when they had cooled.  I added 2 eggs, 1/4 cup brown sugar, 1/3 cup heavy cream, a generous splash of vanilla, a teaspoon of cinnamon and ginger to taste, and stirred in about 1/2 cup chopped pecans.  Put all of that in a greased casserole and set aside.  In another smaller bowl, put 1/4 cup sweetened condensed milk, 1/3 cup brown sugar, 2 tablespoons melted butter and a splash of vanilla.  Mix and drizzle over the casserole.  Swirl it in like a marble cake.  Bake uncovered in a 325 degree oven for about 40 minutes.  I made it the day before and baked it while the turkey was resting.  It was like a souffle.

 Lastly, I wanted to share a fun scarf I knitted to go with a new coat I got at Kohl's.  I love this Lion Brand Fancy Fur yarn.  I used tropical turquoise for this scarf and it only took one ball worked in stockinette stitch.  I have two other scarves made out of this yarn and they are my favorites.  They are so soft against my neck and they don't add unnecessary bulk down the front of my coat.  I even wear my other ones in the fall with my lighter weight coats when I just want something at my neck to stave off the wind.  I am not a knitter who tackles the tough stuff like mittens, sweater and socks but I love playing with different yarns.  I am really impatient for some reason with my knitting and I want fairly instant satisfaction so this scarf was great for an evening watching television.

I have some really awesome recipes I tried with leftover canned pumpkin that I will share next time and I will post what I made my exchange partner for the Craftaholics swap.   Some nasty Winter weather is supposed to be heading our way and I am very nervous for my 18 year old.  It will be his first Winter driving this season so there will be some tense moments for sure.  Take care and have a great week.  Nancy