Thanksgiving was a hit!

The holidays are definitely my favorite time of year. Not only for the good food but for the time we get to spend with our families. This year was even more special that the rest because we got to host it at our place, our first home together.

To aid in reducing stress this year we decided not to cook our own turkey....I know I know......some people call that lazy. BUT, I have to say, we could not have cooked the turkey better than the one we had donated by the AMAZING Old Town Meat Market in Lewisville (thanks Neil!).

Our amazing family helped with the abundance of food by bringing all sorts of dishes including, the ham, broccoli & rice casserole, green beans, rutabaga (sp?), etc. etc.

Some of our special recipes included these:

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Heather's Special Sweet Potato Casserole

3 ½ to 4 pounds fresh sweet potatoes, peeled

¼ cup light brown sugar

¼ cup heavy cream

2 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature

2 tablespoons orange juice

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

½ teaspoon salt

½ teaspoon ground cinnamon

¼ teaspoon freshly ground nutmeg

Pinch ground cloves

¼ cup finely chopped toasted pecans

3 cups miniature marshmallows

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Peel sweet potatoes and cut into quarters, boil in pot of water until potatoes are tender and break apart easily. Mash until smooth. (If you want them extra smooth use a hand blender for about 3 minutes.) In a large bowl combine the potatoes (you should have about 4 cups), sugar, evaporated milk, butter, orange juice, vanilla, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, and cloves and beat until smooth. Spoon the mixture into the prepared pan. Bake at 400 degrees F for about 20-30 minutes. Take out and let cool. Arrange the marshmallows in an even layer over the top, at chopped nuts on top of marshmallows (if you want to make this dish a day ahead, refrigerate overnight and brown the marshmallows right before serving). Bake until the marshmallows are lightly browned, 15-20 minutes. Makes 8 to 10 servings.

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Strawberry Spinach Salad w/ Pecans

*to make this recipe even easier/faster you can buy a commercial raspberry balsamic vinaigrette instead of making your own dressing!

1 bunch spinach, rinsed

10 large strawberries, sliced1/2 cup

1/4 cup chopped pecans

Dressing:

2 tablespoons sesame seeds
1 tablespoon poppy seeds
1/2 cup white sugar
1/2 cup olive oil
1/4 cup distilled white vinegar
1/4 teaspoon paprika
1/4 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
1 tablespoon minced onion

In a medium bowl, whisk together the sesame seeds, poppy seeds, sugar, olive oil, vinegar, paprika, Worcestershire sauce and onion. Cover, and chill for one hour.
In a large bowl, combine the spinach, strawberries and pecans. Pour dressing over salad, and toss. Refrigerate 10 to 15 minutes before serving.

TRY THIS: Get adventurous by adding goat cheese, apples or avocados!