Pots and Pins

Chicken Tortilla Stew

The other day I received a little cookbook in the mail, from some contest I entered.  I think it was the booby prize.  It's called Family Favorites, A Collection of Delicious Dinners published by the Nestle/Carnation Company.  After looking through it, and finding a few recipes that sounded great, I hit upon the Chicken Tortilla Stew recipe and decided I would make it for dinner. 

I didn't read the recipe thoroughly the first time through - and if I had I would not have made it because it calls for a can of evaporated milk - and I detest evaporated milk - my apologies to Carnation.  But I was already into the recipe when I discovered this fact so I had to keep going.

As it turned out, the evaporated milk was the perfect thing - and best of all, you couldn't taste it!

I do think, if you're evaporated-milk-phobic like I am that you could substitute whole milk or even 2% milk - which I would have done had I been thinking.  This is a good dish - it cooks up quickly and the prep is minimal - let me put it to you this way, the mister called at 6:15 and said he was on his way home....when he rolled in at 6:55, the stew had been ready for 10 minutes.

Chicken Tortilla Stew,  from Family Favorites

4 to 5 cooked, boneless, skinless chicken breast halves or 1 rotisserie chicken, shredded (about 6 cups)

3 can (14 fl. oz. each) chicken broth**

2 can (10 oz. each) mild red or green chile enchilada sauce

1 can (12 fl. oz.) Carnation Evaporated Milk

2 cups matchstick or shredded carrots

1 cup uncooked long or medium grain rice

1 1/2 teaspoons ground cumin

2 cups frozen whole-kernal corn, thawed

1 1/2 cups broken tortilla chips (I used Fritos)

Fresh cilantro leaves, sliced green onions, sour cream, to be used as garnish, optional

1 can (4.5 oz.) green chilies

Combine broth, enchilada sauce, evaporated milk, carrots, rice and cumin in large saucepan.  Cook over medium-high heat until mixture begins to simmer.  Reduce heat to medium-low.  Simmer for 15 to 20 minutes, stirring occasionally, until rice is tender.  Add chicken and corn; stir well.

Spoon into serving bowls; top each serving with tortilla chips, cilantro, green onions and sour cream, if desired.

**The recipe calls for reduced-sodium (and so does my doctor) but alas, I had only the regular, sodium laden kind!

This makes enough for about TWO 4 to 5 serving meals, so you can eat half and freeze half -just reheat in microwave or on stove-top. 

Prep time:  15 minutes  Cook time:  20 minutes

Oops....My Bad....

On my last post for the Best Hot Cocoa, I left out the MILK!!!  Egads -  how can you make the Best Hot Cocoa without MILK!!!  Sean was nice enough to email me and let me know.....it should read 2 cups milk....and I've now corrected this so if you printed out the recipe before, make sure you add 2 cups milk or reprint it now!  Whole milk or 2%....either is fine.  Thanks to Sean - I'm so sorry!

I shall take a page from my daughter's book....when she was younger and got caught doing something she shouldn't, she would immediately say, "I've already punished myself....there is nothing you can say or do that would make me feel worse!"  She almost took all the joy out of parenthood right then and there! 

So, I shall now go and punish myself for this egriegious error....or at the very least, polish my dunce cap.

The Best Hot Chocolate - Pinkie Swear!

   A friend emailed this morning asking for this recipe - I gave it to her a few years ago before she moved to Georgia - miss you Shauna - and she had misplaced it...anywho....I told her I would post it - and it's a keeper...trust me - you will love this stuff!  It's thick - not quite as thick as a pudding that you cook over the stove - but almost - and if you use the good cocoa, the Dutch processed kind, it will be much richer than the stuff I grew up on - Hershey's - not that there's anything wrong with that - but for this recipe and pretty much for anything else in life, richer is definitely better!  Feel free to quote me on that!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The trick to making this hot cocoa is to slowly stream the milk into the pan....I tried to get a shot of me doing that but more milk was going on me and the stove than in the pan - so I gave up - but don't get excited and try to rush this - it's worth the wait.

You can see how thick this is - but it's still drinkable...see how it coated the spoon and notice that little droplet just ready to fall?  Aahhh, and it smells so nice. 

In the Northwest, everyone drinks coffee, or tea or hot cocoa, especially this time of year.  There really is a Starbucks on every corner - or there will be - I'm sure they have plans to take over the world!  My mother once asked, as we were walking around Pike Place Market, if everyone in Seattle was in the logging business?  Due to the amount of people she saw wearing jeans and flannel shirts and fleece jackets - did I mention it was June?  Oh, she also thinks that the downfall of civilization, as we know it, will be thanks to Bill Gates who allowed his Microsofties to wear shorts and sandals to work - and now everyone is doing it!  Degenerates!  In her day everyone wore white shirts and ties to work and would never, ever think of wearing sandals - not even to the beach!  Northwesterners love to be comfortable, love to "dress down" and love to warm their hands with a mug of something hot - we've got to try to stay warm any way we can! 

The Best Hot Cocoa - Adapted from The Pacific Magazine, Seattle Times, 1998

1/4 cup dark (European Style) cocoa powder

1/2 cup dark brown sugar

2 tablespoons corn starch

2 cups whole milk

Pinch of salt

1/3 cup water

1 1/4 teaspoons vanilla

Put cocoa powder, brown sugar, cornstarch and salt in a saucepan and stir with a whisk to mix.  Add the water and whisk until smooth.  Put the pot on a burner over high heat and continue whisking until the mixture comes to a full, rolling boil.  Gradually stream in the milk, whisking all the while.  While adding the milk, keep the mixture hot and steamy, just below the boil.  Reduce the heat to medium and stir gently for 3 to 5 minutes, or just until the mixture is thickened and beginning to boil.  Remove the cocoa from the heat and stir in the vanilla extract.  Ladle into cups and serve right away, or pour into a vacuum jar to keep it hot. Serves 4.

Brussel Sprouts With Lemon Chicken...

The Mister is a decorated veteran - true - and every November 10th, he likes to celebrate the Marine Corp birthday - which is the day before Veteran's Day.  I usually try to humor him and concoct something that will aid in his "walk down memory lane," which he is more prone to do these days because of what's happening in Iraq.  As a Marine he was "forced" to eat brussel sprouts ad nauseum....and so he has forbidden me from making them.  This past Veteran's Day, and Marine Corp birthday, I was out of town and so I was not here to make the mister something special like Shish-ka-Bob-on-a-Shingle, or Grits and Grunts (Marines are called Grunts - go figure) -or just something to remind him of his glory days....oh, and I also missed HIS birthday - flat out forgot - so I wanted to make him a special "combined" dinner....I recently saw Tyler Florence making Brussel Sprouts in a new way - and they actually sounded good!  So I decided that it was time my old Marine (once a Marine, always a Marine) got over his loathing of Brussel Sprouts and I took Tyler's advice and fried some up...

Brussel Sprouts inspired by Tyler Florence

(I didn't get his recipe so I had to wing it and it worked!)

Put a little butter in a saute pan with one clove of garlic, slightly smashed and 2 teaspoons of Worcestershire Sauce.  To the pan add 8 Brussel Sprouts that have been washed, old leaves removed and cut in half.  Put them cut side down and saute until brown and carmelized.  Turn over and cook the other side.  Salt and pepper to taste.

The mister liked them...he really liked them!

Of course, an old Marine cannot feast on Brussel Sprouts alone .... So I whipped up a batch of Lemon Chicken - which I could eat morning, noon and night.

Pounding chicken flat is a great way to relieve stress...unless you hit your thumb with the mallet.

                                                                                          Lemon zest....smells so good....and yes, it's the same picture I used in my last post...what of it?!? 

The chicken is dipped in a lemon and butter mixture and then dusted in flour and spices - and because it's pounded to about 1/2 inch thick it cooks up quickly.  This is a great meal to fix when you're short on time - it can be prepped, cooked and on the table in less than 30 minutes - giving Rachel Ray a run for her money!  Yum-O!

 

Lemon Chicken

1 large egg

1 tablespoon lemon juice

1/3 cup all-purpose flour

1/8 teaspoon garlic powder

1/8 teaspoon paprika

4 skinned and boned chicken breast halves

1/4 cup melted butter

1 1/2 to 2 teaspoons chicken flavored granules

1/2 cup hot water

1 Tablespoon capers

Combine egg and 1 tablespoon lemon juice in a small bowl; beat well with a whisk.  Combine flour, garlic powder, and paprika in a small bowl; stir well.  Put chicken breasts between two sheets of waxed paper.  Pound until the chicken is flattened and even in thickness, so it cooks evenly.  Dip chicken in egg mixture; dredge in flour mixture.  Brown chicken in melted butter in a large skillet over medium high heat 2 to 3 minutes on each side.  Dissolve bouillon in hot water.  Add bouillon mixture and 2 tablespoons lemon juice to chicken.  Bring to a boil; cover, reduce heat, and simmer 10 to 15 minutes or until chicken is done.  Garnish with capers.

Vanilla Panna Cotta...

I woke up late then sat too long doing the crossword puzzle...which on Wednesday should be easy....as they get harder as the week goes on - usually I can get ALL of the Wednesday puzzle...but not today.....and I never get all of Saturday or Sunday - not even close!  Oh well, I'm comforted by the line from an old movie, Harvey, which starred Jimmy Stewart - Harvey was a rabbit and he told Stewart's character that it was ..."better to be nice than to be smart...." which I took to heart.  I know many people who are both nice AND smart....but being one is better than none.  I try.  I'm off course - let me get back to the "issues" at hand - the start to my crappy day:  Caesar Beezer the Wonder Dog went outside to potty as usual, came inside and then pottied again - and then he threw up....apparently his scrambled eggs didn't agree with him this morning.  He seems to be doing better, although I haven't actually heard him say so.   

The new Spot-Bot that I recently purchased to clean the carpet if and when Caesar Beezer the Wonder Dog barfed - only seemed to make the problemo worse - but now my carpet has a perfectly shaped dark circle in it....perhaps if I use it all over the carpet it will look like a pattern?

I broke one of my very favorite Christmas ornaments....I was on the verge of tears - I truly love this little piece - when I noticed that it had been glued before!!!  Someone had broken it, repaired it and not told me....swines!

The Christmas tree that is sitting in a bucket of sugar water in the garage is still there...after two days...I don't know whether I should just throw the lights and ornaments on it out there or if I should wait for the mister to bring it in....but things need to be done and the clock is ticking!  Yes, yes, yes, it's early for Christmas trees....if you're not me....I'm feeling just a tiny bit stressed because my calendar is completely full with insane things and instead of doing something on my list....I made Panna Cotta!  YEAH for ME! 

It simply is the best dessert in the world - especially on a Wednesday night when no one is expecting it...it's fast and easy and will impress even the mister. 

Vanilla Beans  - They look weird here, but smell so, so good! >>

Before straining, the panna cotta will have some "lumps" - the vanilla beans and the zest, but all the big pieces get strained out so only tiny bits of vanilla are left to tickle your tongue.

The dark specks you see in the photo are the vanilla bean seeds - if you use the really fine-meshed seive then you won't have any specks - but I like specks!

Vanilla Panna Cotta with Raspberries - from Tastes of Italia Magazine - Holiday 2007 Issue

1 1/2 cups heavy cream

1/2 cup whole milk

1/3 cup sugar

2 teaspoons grated lemon zest

1/2 vanilla bean, split lengthwise (I like vanilla so I used the entire bean!)

1 tablespoon cool water

vegetable oil for brushing

6 tablespoons strawberry jam

raspberries and mint for garnish

In a medium saucepan, combine cream, milk, sugar and zest.  Scrap the seeds from the vanilla bean into the mixture and add remaining bean pieces.  Cook on medium heat to just under a boil. 

Meanwhile, sprinkle the gelatin into the water and let sit for 3 minutes.

Strain cream mixture through a fine-meshed sieve into a bowl and stir in gelatin mixture.  (If you don't have a fine-meshed sieve, you will end up with more bits of vanilla - which works great for me.)  Lightly brush four 4-oz. ramekins with vegetable oil.  Pour mixture into prepared ramekins and refrigerate for at least 6 hours. 

To serve, fill a medium pan with 1 inch of water and bring to a boil.  Using a knife, loosen the sides of the ramekins.  Place the ramekins in the boiling water for 5 seconds, then invert on a plate to unmold. 

Heat the jam in a microwave for 10 seconds, then let cool.  Drizzle over panna cotta and serve.

Makes 4 servings.

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Now, as I was saying, I was having a crappy day - until I made the Panna Cotta - then the dark cloud over my head lifted - the scent of vanilla filled the kitchen and I do believe I heard a blue bird sing!  The only hard part about making Panna Cotta is waiting for it to set....but I did my best, even got a few things accomplished and then, when I finally had to get off of my feet because of my sore ankle, which swells up to the size of a small nation each night, (my ankle issue is a long, boring story, so I won't go there for now, you can relax) I realized that the required 6 hours had passed and I could put up my feet and eat my Panna Cotta....and guess what?  My ankle completely stopped hurting - it's just that good! 

You Can't Catch Me....I'm The Gingerbread Man!

Another gray, cloudy day in Seattle...the perfect baking weather!  Wendy, my friend who has never met a stranger, said she needed to borrow a gingerbread man cookie cutter - she needs to make cookies for her class tomorrow morning....I was happy to oblige but then I thought, why not make them for her?  You know how that goes....one for her, two for me! 

Ah...the Joy of Cooking....not the act itself, although I LOVE that, but the cookbook silly!  It's one of the best in my collection and I usually turn to it first, because I know I'll get just the right recipe and the right results.  Page 828, Gingerbread People - and even though it says (Reduced fat) - words I usually run from - the recipe itself sounded so good that I quickly covered up those words with a towel and put them out of my head!

Ground ginger, cinnamon, cloves...the smell of those spices brings back so many memories - Thanksgiving and Christmas all rolled into one.

I doubled this recipe, so there would be some for me - and it calls for shaping the dough into halves and then letting it "rest" at room temperature for two hours - other gingerbread recipes I have require putting the dough into the refrigerator for an hour or so - but this dough has a lot of baking powder in it - so it almost rises on the counter before it bakes.

Honestly, what's better than Grandma's Molasses? 

   

When rolling the dough out, just use a teensy bit of flour under the dough and on the rolling pin - I know it looks like I've used a vat here but I was careful...you don't want OREO gingerbread men....white on the back, brown on the front!

Oops, maybe I wasn't THAT careful....there seems to be a little too much flour - I'll just have to lick it off.

Some wanted faces....some did not....and some ended up with broken legs and one batch even came out a little "toasted".....but most of them made it and the end result - aside from having my house smell like The North Pole itself, was the most wonderful cookie - crisp on the outside, soft and chewy on the inside - with just a hint of lemon - and that's what makes these cookies better than any other gingerbread cookie you'll bite into this season - I guarandamtee it!

 

I sat myself down with a cup of my favorite holiday drink....Hot Orange Cream Punch ...and enjoyed myself immensely - and now I feel immense!  But it was all worth it.  The recipe for the cookies and the Hot Orange Cream Punch is below.

Oh, what to do with the burnt cookies?  Make Gingerbread Ornaments!  After baking, right after, I took my meat thermometer and poked a hole into the head of the cookie - some I waited too long and when I poked the thermometer in the cookie broke....and if you didn't already know this, any time a cookie breaks - at any stage in the baking process - it must be eaten immediately by the one who broke it.  Hey, rules are rules!  After poking the hole, let the cookie cool completely and then put a ribbon thru the hole and hang it up!  The cookie will smell wonderful for a few days - and who knows?  Someone might smell it and be unable to resist and take a bite out of it!  That someone in my house would be Caesar Beezer the Wonder Dog...which is why I hang 'em high....such a naughty dog!

You could also use a clean nail or even the end of a wooden spoon - if you want a bigger hole. 

I have a garland with gingerbread ornaments on it so the REAL gingerbread man, slightly toasty, looked right at home.

Gingerbread People

The Joy of Cooking

Makes about 2 dozen 5" cookies

Whisk together thoroughly:

3 cups all-purpose flour

1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

3/4 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 tablespoon ground ginger

1 3/4 teaspoons ground cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon ground cloves

Beat on medium speed until well blended:

6 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened

3/4 cup packed dark brown sugar

1 large egg

Add and beat until well combined:

1/2 cup molasses

2 teaspoons vanilla

1 teaspoon finely grated lemon zest....the "secret" ingredient!

Gradually stir in the dry ingredients until well blended and smooth.  Divide the dough in half,  wrap each half in plastic and let stand at room temperature for at least 2 hours or up to 8 hours.  (The dough can also be stored for up to 4 days, but in this case it should be refrigerated.  Return to room temperature before using.)

To bake, position a rack in the upper third of the oven.  Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.  Grease cookie sheets or use silpats. 

Place a portion of the dough on a lightly floured work surface.  Very lightly sprinkle flour over the surface of the dough and dust the rollling pin.  Roll out to a scant 1/4 inch thick.  Lift the dough frequently and add a bit more flour to the work surface and rolling pin as necessary to prevent sticking.  Cut out the cookies using a 4 or 5-inch tall gingerbread boy or girl cutter.  With a spatula, transfer them to the cookie sheets, spacing about 1 1/2 inches apart.  Roll the dough scraps and continue cutting out cookies until all the dough is used.  Garnish with raisins, and/or red hots for eyes and buttons....I used Craisins.

Bake 1 sheet at a time, until the edges of the cookies are just barely dark, 7 to 10 minutes; rotate the sheet halfway through baking for even browning.  Remove the sheet to a rack and let stand until the cookies firm slightly.  Transfer the cookies to the racks to cool. 

Oh, don't feel too badly about eating these....they only contain 3 grams of fat each!

Hot Orange Cream Punch - A Family Favorite for as long as I can remember....we serve this every Christmas morning and every other chance we get during the holidays.

4 cups orange juice

2 cinnamon sticks

2 tablespoon vanilla extract

1 pint vanilla ice cream

In a large saucepan, combine orange juice and cinnamon sticks over medium-high heat.  Bring to a boil, then reduce to low heat.  Simmer 10 minutes.  Remove cinnamon sticks (save for a garnish if desired) and stir in vanilla and ice cream.  Cook over low heat, stirring constantly, until heated through.  Do not allow to boil.  Serve hot.  This will remind some of you of the Orange Dreamsicles you had when you were young! 

Serves 6 to 8 - depending on if you're serving pigs or not....just kidding, you CAN be piggish with this....afterall it's just orange juice and ice cream...or, broken down even further, you could say it's just fruit and dairy...two things our government requires us to eat every day!

For All You Foodies....A Must Read

A friend, thank you Julie, recently loaned me her copy of More Home Cooking, A Writer Returns to the Kitchen by Laurie Colwin and I have devoured this book!  It is filled with stories, all surrounding food, and the most wonderful sounding recipes.....just take a look at all of the pages I have dog-earred!  Sorry Julie, I'll get you a new copy!

Her recipes run the gamut, too....everything from Lima Bean Casserole to Polenta with Hot Pepper to Classic Shortbread to Nantucket Cranberry Pie....the list is almost exhausting!

I highly recommend this for late night eating....I mean reading. 

A Secret Admirer???

We came home late Saturday night to find this beautiful bouquet of pink roses on the front porch....and there wasn't a card in sight!  Now, who could have done this?  The mister was ruled out immediately, after all, he was the one who said (15 years ago) "If you want flowers just go buy them yourself!  I don't have time!"  True.  He is nothing if not romantic...oh, I guess that makes him nothing!  Well, as you can imagine, when he said this I was just a tad put off...but then I saw the beauty in his words....go buy them....go buy them....and so, for the last 15 years, I have bought myself flowers every week - or rather, he has, and it's turned out to be a perfect arrangement.  So, since I did not purchase the pink roses, neither did the mister....and my kids were with me so that let's them out...and after consulting the usual suspects, I am at a total loss.....the only thing I can surmise is that I have a secret admirer....one who is tall, olive-skinned, exceedingly handsome, muscled, toned, witty, charming, and totally smitten by my beauty.....his name is ....Aldo.....and he wears just a hint of aftershave on his dimpled cheeks...his thick, wavy, dark hair skims his collar....and his perfect, white teeth gleam when I enter the room......WHAT????  Can't a girl dream?!?!  Fine....Aldo is a figment of my imagination, I have no secret admirer, and one of you brought me these gorgeous roses....now, which one????  Do tell, you KNOW this kind of thing drives me crazy!  Crazy enough to create Aldo!  By the way, the roses smell heavenly.....THANK YOU, Whoever you are!!!

The No Tell MoTell....

I know, I know, this is supposed to be a food and quilting blog....but a friend just sent me this video link and after watching it I just felt like I needed to pass it on....if you travel and stay in hotels, then you've probably used the nice, sparkling clean glasses on the counter that the hotel provides....I know I have - and I have always assumed that these glasses were CLEAN!  I never entertained the thought that I could get Ecoli or salmonella or HERPES or worse - a STAPH infection from drinking out of one of these glasses!  Sheesh!  It's enough to make me want to run to REI and purchase a tent for my next vacation!  Please click on the link below and watch the video and when packing for your next trip....pack some Clorox wipes!  And while we're on the subject of hotels/motels....NEVER sit on the bedspread...NEVER!  Unless you plan on carrying a CSI Infared light in your luggage, so as to see all of the "fluids" that are on those spreads....just know that they are laundered on the 12th of Never....rip those suckers right off the beds immediately....as to the blankets....well, they are laundered on the same day as the spread....so, if you're staying in a "cheaper" hotel - one that does not triple-sheet the bed, then call Housekeeping immediately and ask for another sheet - put this clean sheet over the blanket and then you can rest in peace - unless there are bed bugs, but that's a post for another day.  I shall consider this my good deed for the day....and if you pass it along, to some unsuspecting tourista, then you can consider it your good deed for the day too!

http://www.dailymotion.com/video/x3estl_dirty-hotel-secrets_news

It's over....sigh....plop, plop, fizz, fizz......

There's nothing left but the crumbs.....we had a great Thanksgiving Feast....but rather than bore you with the details - I'll let the pictures do the talking....

< Brown Butter Green Beans

Cranberries with Madiera >

Jello made with Orange Juice and Fresh Raspberries on a cloud of whipped cream and cream cheese   

Stuffed Celery...a favorite for as long as I can remember...it wouldn't be Thanksgiving without it!  >

< Red Cabbage with apples and onion in a cider viniagrette - this was something my Grandma always made and it's just part of our tradition - whether it's eaten or not!

> Caesar the Wonder Dog enjoying a few minutes at the dining room table - before being banished - he thought he was so clever - jumping up when no one was looking!  Bad dog!  (Don't you just love his underbite?  He's so proud of it!)

< Mashed Yukon Gold Potatoes - first they were riced - and there was nary a lump!

< The best gravy in the world...no flour or corn starch needed - pureed root vegetables thicken the gravy -which is why the gravy is a little more "orange" in color than regular gravy... it is truly delicious...I'll post the recipe soon - I'm just too stuffed to get up and get it right now!

French rolls - hot from the oven...yum!  >

< Stuffing with sausage, cornbread, mushrooms, craisins, onions, celery and all the spices....it looks great on my thighs!

Streusel Topped Sweet Potatoes....okay, this photo needs a little 'splaining...first of all, I used yams and not sweet potatoes and then, the streusel topping was supposed to be crumbly but I melted the butter when I shouldn't have so it turned out pourable not crumbly...but man oh man, it tasted great!  It nearly put me in a coma due to the brown sugar...but it was worth it!

<  What was left of the turkey after 'round one'....a 20 lb. turkey for 5 people - poof!  It's almost gone!

I had given up hope of finding Princess Eats-a-lot and her Papoose and Totem Pole weeks ago - and then today, while looking for the roaster, I discovered her! She made a quick entrance just in time for the feast!  Princess Eats-A-Lot has overseen our annual feast for many years now - it wouldn't have been the same without her!  (Thanks to Laura Walton, where ever you are!)

A table place setting...my daughter made a turkey when she was 9 or 10 out of construction paper - I found just the head of the turkey - have no idea where the body went!  I took it to Kinko's and color-copied it and used them as place cards....she doesn't even remember making them! 

The mister brought me the table cloth back from Vietnam - it's hard to see the cutwork that is in the center of the cloth but it is really beautiful.  He out did himself with this....but you should have seen the robe he brought me....made for a midget...sorry, that's not PC...made for a little person....and I even gave him a picture of what to get....oh well, he tried!

My son-in-law falls victim to trytophan....not really, he was just tired from getting up at 4:00 am to catch his flight to Seattle....He was so sound asleep that he didn't even move when Caesar the Wonder Dog jumped up on his lap....he woke up a few hours later with a very stiff neck.

Now I'm sure you won't find this as amazing as we did....but this is the son-in-law's bag...his ONLY bag....and what's so amazing about this is, aside from the fact that he only brought ONE BAG...there is actually room left in the bag!  In his past trips he and my daughter have arrived with two or three bags a piece!!!  And one of them usually contained nothing but HAIR PRODUCTS!!!  So...I had to take a picture of this just to document the event in case it never happens again!

We started our feast by reading this quote from Abraham Lincoln - and with a blessing on our food - we have much to be thankful for - family, home, friends, country - it's all a little overwhelming when you stop to think about it - as we did between mouthfuls - but we are truly blessed and so thankful to be able to spend this holiday together:

"We have been the recipients of the choicest bounties of heaven; we have been preserved these many years in peace and prosperity; we have grown in number, wealth and power as no other nation has ever grown.  But we have forgotten the gracious hand, which preserved us in peace and multiplied and
enriched and strengthened us, and we have vainly imagined, in the deceitfulness of our hearts, that all these blessings were produced by some superior wisdom and virtue of our own.  Intoxicated with unbroken success, we have become too self-sufficient to feel the necessity of redeeming and
preserving grace, too proud to pray to the God that made us.  It has seemed to me fit and proper that God should be solemnly, reverently and gratefully acknowledged, as with one heart and one voice, by the whole American people. I do therefore invite my fellow citizens in every part of the United States and also those who are at sea and those who are sojourning in foreign lands, to set apart and observe the last Thursday of November as a day of Thanksgiving and praise to our beneficent Father who dwelleth in the heavens."   

Abraham Lincoln