Thanksgiving Fun and Easy bedlam Recipes

Oh the joys of multiple Thanksgivings. No one tells you when you get married that it automatically changes your destiny for each holiday.  I have no complaints here- I have never been one to turn down food. I promised I would post cousin Shari's potato casserole with all its creamy goodness- and here is its uncooked version:

For some reason the things I make don't usually taste good to me. Maybe that is because I eat it as I go, and by the time that its actually cooked the thrill is gone.  You know what else I figured out? Corn flakes are GOOD. Like, good without sugar. I guess this means I'm growing up.  Whoulda thunk it.

We didn't start our festivities until five, and I was terrified, cause the wee one demands sleep by 6:30 usually.  It was a pretty normal holiday. Everyone attempted to play domino's, and you just can't do that with 2 toddlers running amuck. Below is my mother in law with a very curious kid. He wanted those domino's SO badly. He got them too. Of course.

Gotta love www.etsy.com- Will's shirt was too cute, and the seller was awesome- you can find more info here.

As usual, I had to take a million pictures of Luke with cousin Ben.  Being so close in age I can't help it.  Honestly, I keep picturing their senior slide show or something, and I just know that these are going to be useful someday. If all else fails, Amy and I will have them. It's ok if you just want to pinch the heck out of Bennie's cheeks. I know I always do.



If you like Luke's shirt, you can get a Christmas or superhero version
at Super Tot



Then we headed to my parents house. (Our Thanksgiving's were 2 hours apart, and that was only because my brother's flight from LAX was delayed. I wanted to see him, but was thankful for the break between meals. :) Every year we invite my dad's old friend Harry and his sweet wife Carolyn over for dinner. They are so sweet, and Harry is an old Marine. He's hard core, but has such a sweet and soft side.

John always gives him hell. He will ask him how being in the Army was, or what it felt like to fly in the Air Force.  Gets Harry all riled up and insists that John remember that he is a MARINE! Then they will share a drink and eventually Harry can top John.  I can't post how he did it, but if you see me feel free to ask. It was hilarious. John also calls my sister in law's father "the captain" when that is not his name. I don't think Nikki's dad understands why he does it, but he smiles and nods.

It was great to see Blake, and what is hilarious is that he is so big city (boy- that made me sound super country, but it's time I face reality) and he is so stylish. I looked down at my outfit and felt as if I walked right out of The Square Foot. 



blake

 It's also good to see my other brother and his wife and daughter.  Will loves Charli, and its so nice to watch them play together.  I don't imagine that it will last long once Charli figures out that Will is kind of a bully, so we soak it in while we can. 



nikki.charli.collin

 Lastly, the patriarch of our family, my dad. He is going to kill me for this, but he is one of the most awesome men you will ever come across. I am so thankful for him and the father and grandfather that he is.  I am so lucky that I married someone that will be the amazing dad to my boys as my dad was to me.

one of my favorite pics of all time.

 
That's pretty much it in a nutshell. I had to work Black Friday, so that pretty much put a fun damper on any Thanksgiving night wine drinking contests. Oh, the memories.

Now for BEDLAM recipes!!!
Oops- did I make that orange? Guess I did..

Okay, I know that you are all at parties and you should be bringing something with you when you go. Its also Saturday during the Christmas season, and I would rather stab my eye out than go to the store. SO, what to do? You make Emily's onion dip.  And no, I'm not going to post step by step photos like PW- if you can't handle this then you shouldn't cook.

EMILY'S ONION DIP
1 cup Chopped onion (I find yellow is best)
1 cup Mayo (don't use Miracle Whip, or low fat- use the real deal people.)
1 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Mix this all up and bake on 350 degrees until bubbling and kind of brown on the sides. (how do you do a degrees sign on a keyboard?) and serve with Triscuts. Tastes like its way harder than it is, and the GREAT thing is that it's so easy to double. Just add another cup of everything. Voila.

Another one that I have found that is super is from the Pioneer Woman (shocking, right). Everything she makes is #1. You must eat this.

PW HOT OLIVE AND ARTICHOKE DIP
this is seriously divine. I can't even begin to describe how delicious this is. I add more hot sauce and more cayenne to give it a big kick.

Last one is a dip that I received in a full recipe box when John and I were married. I never thought much about it, but I remember the first time that I made it. This one is really a go to dip for any time of year. The sauerkraut really breaks down and becomes almost sweet, but still keeps that bite.

REUBEN DIP
1/2-1 cup mayo (again, real stuff here.)
1 can Bavarian sauerkraut (drained)
1/2 lb shredded swiss
1/2 lb shredded cheddar
1/2 lb shaved pastrami

I usually chop the pastrami a bit finer than the deli does, but its your call. I find that I like for a little bit of everything to be in each bite, and that is hard when you have a hunk of Pastrami in the mix.  You mix this all together and bake at 350 (again- degrees sign?) It's delish with bagel chips, or your fingers. It's that good. And you would think that it wouldn't be a crowd pleaser since it has the sauerkraut, but it's actually a pretty devoured dip.

You have 4 hours. Get a move on! I'm not taking sides this time- I wish everyone a fin BEDLAM! (cough...GO POKES....cough...)

ciao.





Ode to Holiday Gluttony

Ive posted three pictures of cookies on my Facebook page in 24 hours. I have pondered the fate of each cookie before it was consumed. I sat there wondering, while holding its chocolate gooey goodness, which part of my body it will enlarge. Still, not caring, I shoved it down my throat, and it was divine. Every bite.  Truth be told, I didn't even like sweet stuff until I had kids. I devoured tubs of strawberry ice cream when I was pregnant with Will, and ate cookies and cereal non stop with Luke. So while I dream of having the body of my 20 year old self, I have decided that I would rather be full and happy. Today, at least.

My cousin Shari makes the most divine potato casserole.  She is known for it in our family. My poor brother even called from LA last year for the recipe cause he was homesick for it. He emailed a picture when we didn't believe that he really made it. I am still impressed with the fact that he had a casserole dish. To carry on tradition, I am making it this year. I stopped by her house to pick up my little people, and she refreshed my memory on some of her secrets. While I won't divulge them, I will say my treadmill may get a workout if I decide I care about it.  Here is what it looks like:

I think that I have finally come to a conclusion on the subject that has been tormenting my waistline. I will be surrounded this week with seriously horrible but delicious food. Its completely a blessing that we are fortunate to have such a bountiful harvest of heavy cream and sugar (not to mention cream of mushroom), so maybe we should all just partake in the festivities- live a little. It wouldn't be very Thanksgiving-ish for anyone to let it go to waste. Right?

Moving on to Glee... I really thought Kurt was going to get shot in the wedding by the bully. I was really scared for him. Thank goodness we have DVR so i could fast forward through commercials. It was a nail biter, that one.

Last, but not least, my babes.

Will demands to wear cowboy boots with no coat. He won't eat anything either (he ate a cookie, go figure.) I am told the anorexic thing is a stage. I figure he's like a puppy- he will eat when he's hungry.

Luke is almost 9 months old and starting to have his personality shine through. Tonight is the first time I ever saw one of us in him. He has this laugh thing where he kinda hisses and makes this silly face. Looks exactly like his daddy.

Pretty special little people, those two. Plus, they make me feel tall. That's just an added bonus. Their daddy is 6'5, so I don't think I'll be taller for much longer.

Ciao.

Wanted: dog rental

I want a dog. Not really, but I think I want a dog. We had two pretty great dogs we had to give away because of Will's allergies. I miss them, but I don't miss the mess or responsibility. I've decided I need to rent a dog.

I don't know what kind I want, or which one will bother Will. I love bulldogs and basset hounds, but know of their problems too, so i would want to kind of stay away from that.

It's gonna have to be female. No more testosterone in mi casa.

I hate dogs that fit in purses. That whole idea is just plain stupid. I would paint a bulldogs toenails, but only if her name is Francine.

It can't shed and I would like it to protect me from criminals. However, it can't be too big to where it kills my grass. That's a bugger.

Any suggestions? I'm sure someone is going to post that maybe I don't need a dog, and that's fine. I probably don't. But I tend to believe the line between needs and wants is very blurry.

Maybe I should get a stuffed bulldog and name her Francine. She can wear a pink tutu.


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