Floridian Thanksgiving

…. takes place outside.

My aunt and uncle hosted a lovely Thanksgiving lunch, and we got to eat on the patio in the bright sunlight.  There was about 10 of us at lunch, but I missed Future Husband so much (he stayed with his mom and dad on the coast because he has to work at the clinic tomorrow). 

When I arrived, the crescent rolls were just about to go into the oven.

This is my grandma’s recipe (she passed away in 2001).  I remember her making them for every family meal.  We also make three-ball rolls with the same dough.  When they come out of the oven, I immediately popped on in my mouth.

While chatting away with my aunts and cousins, I picked at the appetizer tray, which was filled with raw veggies and grapes.  The wedding was definitely the HOT topic of conversation! It’s so soon!

We do a buffet-style Thanksgiving.  I love my family’s casual approach to stuff like this.

My goal was to have ONE plate of normal-sized portions.  I never realized this until today, but my family always has the exact same spread every year.  People have their ‘signature’ dishes that they bring over and over again, so we always end up with the same stuff.  I like it that way!

Clockwise from the left:  mashed potatoes and gravy, two slices of white meat turkey, cornbread stuffing, a-ma-zing cranberry relish, my green bean casserole, and sweet yams. 

In the middle is my aunt’s famous cornbread casserole.  It’s famous because its ridiculously yummy AND so easy to make — there are only four ingredients!   I’ve made it a few times for parties and whatnot, and people just love it.

Cornbread Casserole

Ingredients:

• 1 large can corn (drained)
• 1 large can creamed corn
• 1 small tub of sour cream
• 1 box Jif Corn Mix

Directions:

• Mix ingredients together.
• Pour into greased casserole dish.
• Bake at 350 for 35 – 45 minutes, or until golden brown and firm to the touch.
• Enjoy! (Isn’t that ridiculously easy?)

OH — I should mention I had two crescent rolls with dinner, and one of those three-ball rolls hopped into my mouth on the drive home.   They’re tiny.

For dessert, I had my aunt’s chocolate pudding pie, which I look forward to every year, and a slice of homemade cinnamon roll.

(That’s a 6-inch plate).  This pretty much put me over the edge in terms of fullness, but it was worth it! I love this pie.

All in all, I think I did pretty well at Thanksgiving.  The 9.0 miler this AM definitely gave me some ‘wiggle room’ with the extra calories, and I’m feeling happy and full right now!  Yay for the best foodie holiday all year!

WEDDING CAKE!!!

My other aunt had a SURPRISE for me!  She is baking our wedding cake (she also baked my parent’s wedding cake), and she made mini-cakes for Future Husband and I to try out!

I haven’t tried to cakes yet (I’m waiting until tomorrow), but I know they are:  chocolate with chocolate pudding separating the layers; chocolate with raspberry pudding; coconut with white icing; and coconut with orange creme pudding. 

If I wasn’t so uncomfortably full, I would definitely DIG IN!  I’ll give a full report tomorrow.

Slow Your Roll

Check out this advertisement on a toll booth I saw on the way home…. it’s for the Florida Fruits & Veggie Farmer’s League or something.

Haha.

I’m going to go park my roll on the couch.  Goodnight! (I doubt I’ll be eating dinner…. too full!).

Happy Thanksgiving!