Thanksgiving!

Warning! Recipe overload!

Since it was our first Thanksgiving together, and we don't have any family here, I decided to just have it with the two of us. It turned out really nice and I enjoyed a quiet night with my hubby. On the menu was:

• lemon chicken
• carrot souffle
• green bean casserole
• baked sweet potatoes
• apple pie

I felt like I was in the kitchen for SO long and then when everything was done it looked so wimpy! Everything tasted good, but it just made me appreciate all the work that goes into a Thanksgiving with my whole family!

Buca di Beppo Lemon Chicken (SO yummy)

Ingredients

2 boneless skinless chicken breasts, (6 oz ea)
Salt, to taste
1 cup flour
1/4 cup olive oil
1/4 cup white wine
4 large lemons
1/2 stick unsalted butter, softened
A small handful drained capers

Directions

Cut three lemons in half and use for fresh lemon juice. Pour the juice through a fine strainer. Cut the last lemon into wedges for garnish.

Begin to heat the olive oil in a 12-inch saute pan on medium-high heat. While oil is getting hot, lightly season both sides of the chicken breasts with salt. Lightly dust the chicken breasts in the flour. Shake off excess flour. Place chicken in the saute pan skin-side down.

When the chicken is golden brown, turn over and brown the other side as well. It is important to brown both sides to insure the chicken is completely cooked through. When both sides are nice and brown, add white wine and lemon juice. Continue to cook for approximately two to three minutes. The liquid should reduce approximately half.

Once the liquid is reduced, remove the chicken breasts from the pan and turn off heat. Check to make sure the chicken breasts are cooked by turning each piece of chicken over and cutting it halfway through with a knife. There should be no visible pink. If the chicken is not completely cooked through, place in a 400 degree oven for five minutes to complete cooking.

Finish the sauce by placing the softened butter in the pan. Using rubber spatula, work the butter into the sauce as it melts. Pour sauce directly on top of chicken breasts. Garnish with capers and lemon wedges. Makes 2 servings.

Recipe by Buca di Beppo

This is actually really simple and so good! Instead of white wine I just used white grape juice. Oh and I forgot to get capers... oh well.

Carrot Souffle

This is a dish that Chad's mom makes for Thanksgiving and Christmas every year, so Chad really wanted it. I had it once when I was in AZ, and I loved it! It is so good, and is even good cold the next day ;)

Ingredients

1 pound bag baby carrots

3/4 cup sugar

2 tbs flour

3/4 tsp baking powder

3/4 stick butter

2 eggs

Directions

Boil carrots in water until very soft. You want them soft enough to mash up, they take a little while so be patient!

Once the carrots are soft drain the water and smash the carrots.(a food processor would be the best but if you don't have one use a potato masher, or electric beaters)

Add all of the other ingredients and mix together well.

Pour the mixture into a baking dish sprayed with PAM.

Bake at 350 for 1 hour

Recipe by Chad's Mom

Green Bean Casserole

This is like the most common Thanksgiving food, but in my family we never have it.. but Chad does, so I made it. I actually liked it too! The recipe is from the French Fried Onion can... easy peasy.

Apple Pie

Ingredients

• 1 recipe pastry for a 9 inch double crust pie
• 1/2 cup unsalted butter
• 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 1/4 cup water
• 1/2 cup white sugar
• 1/2 cup packed brown sugar
• 8 Granny Smith apples - peeled, cored and sliced

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees F (220 degrees C). Melt the butter in a saucepan. Stir in flour to form a paste. Add water, white sugar and brown sugar, and bring to a boil. Reduce temperature and let simmer.
2. Place the bottom crust in your pan. Fill with apples, mounded slightly. Cover with a lattice work of crust. Gently pour the sugar and butter liquid over the crust. Pour slowly so that it does not run off.
3. Bake 15 minutes in the preheated oven. Reduce the temperature to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Continue baking for 35 to 45 minutes, until apples are soft.

Recipe by allrecipes.com

Here's what our dinner looked like! (Real special I know)

P.S. I wish you could see my cute dishes... I'll tell you about them sometime :)

Chicken Caesar Pasta

Another good one.....do not substitute the Caesar dressing for Italian- I did that the second time I made it thinking they were similar enough, they aren't. It's sick.

Ingredients:
1 (16-oz) box penne pasta
1 bottle Ken's Caesar dressing
2 whole boneless skinless chicken boobs
6 oz mozzarella cheese - (the big chunk you get in the cheese section)
1/2 c seasoned bread crumbs



Boil pasta for 10 minutes, or until done.
Boil chicken in water until fully cooked then cut into bite-size pieces.
Cut up mozzarella into small chunks.
Put chicken, pasta and mozzarella cheese in a casserole dish. Mix in the Caesar dressing - stir thoroughly. Sprinkle with bread crumbs.
Bake 20-30 minutes, or until bread crumbs are golden brown.

I served it with this bread and it was really good. It's just wheat french bread and some kind of parsley onion stuff I got at the farmers market. It was kind of like brushetta without the tomatoes.