Just in Time for Turkey Day....

The other day I was in full-force nesting mode (I think the baby will be here soon..less than 20 days until I'm due!) and was cooking up a storm (now I'm baking up a storm). I've been collecting food magazines lately and have been trying as many recipes as I can before the baby comes.

One recipe that sounded like a good "freezer meal" (something we can pull out of the freezer on a day I can't cook) was Gourmet's Coffee-Braised Beef with Cinnamon and Orange. We ended up eating the roast that day, however, because I thought I had overcooked it. Fortunately I didn't overcook the roast and it was as tender as can be. I will definitely be trying this recipe again with a slow cooker (rather than in the oven) as it leaves a wonderful scent wafting through the house and it would be even more simple in the slow cooker.

Since I had recently found out that my baby was on the small side, I decided to make an extra effort to eat more. So far I've done pretty well. That night I made 3 different sides that would all work wonderfully for Thanksgiving.

1.) Roasted Artichokes

This recipe came from the box the artichokes were sold in (from Trader Joe's). I boiled the chokes a few days before and prepared them so that all I had to do for this meal was roast them with the chuck roast. The combo of balsamic vinegar, brown sugar, garlic, and basil complimented the entire meal. However, I still prefer my artichokes with lemon, garlic, and pepper straight off the grill.

2.) Stuffed Mushrooms

Usually I just grill mushrooms if I'm already grilling but I decided to try something different. I didn't feel like putting much effort into making stuffed mushrooms so I just used a recipe from the Food Network.

I could barely keep myself from eating all of the mushrooms before my husband came to the table. These are super simple and very tasty. To make my life easier I had already chopped up the ingredients and toasted some homemade breadcrumbs (always better than store bought in my opinion) the night before.

3.) Brussel Sprouts and Potatoes

I've made this recipe before but this time I included the potatoes. While this dish should provide leftovers (with only 2 of us eating the meal), I couldn't leave a single morsel on the plate. Every piece of bacon, potato, and sprout was consumed during the meal. This would be a great side for Thanksgiving. You can prepare all of the ingredients ahead of time.

With all of the baking I've done lately I should have some more posts soon but just in case...have a wonderful Thanksgiving!

** I will most likely be posting more than one post at a time so be sure to check below each post for a new entry!**