Thanksgiving with my Mommy!

Thanksgiving is one of my favorite holidays and I'm so happy I got to spend it with my mommy this year! I don't get to spend much time with her and a couple of days of food and fun is just what we needed! Ina's Pecan Shortbread are her most favorite treats in the world so I make them for her every chance I get. I used to be so intimidated by rolling and cutting out cookie dough but practice makes perfect! I used fall-themed cookie cutters to make pumpkins, leaves and turkeys. How cute right? These are super buttery but not too sweet and the perfect combination with pecans.

I also made some Pumpkin Cranberry Muffins so she can enjoy some for breakfast during her stay and also take some home with her. I added some walnuts into the mix cuz my mom loves them and they added a nice lil crunch!

We went out to dinner on Wednesday night and came home to make these really cute Turkey Cookies from my new Smart Cookie cookbook. Aren't they adorable? My mom was happy and her cookies definitely came out better looking than mine! (Love you mommy!)

Thursday finally came and we began our big feast day with some Creamy Crab Dip. OMG it was SO good! Instead of the Old Bay Seasoning, I used some mango and orange herb blend because my mom's not a fan of spicy food. I served the dip with crackers and veggies but honestly I was eating it with a spoon!

Our Thanksgiving dinner started out with a warm green bean salad. I just dressed the beans with Balsamic Vinaigrette and tossed it with dried cranberries, toasted walnuts and crumbled Feta. SO refreshing unlike the usual greasy Green Bean Casserole!

For the Grand Finale, I made Sandra Lee's Herb-Roasted Cornish Game Hens. We fell in love with the roasted veggies on the bottom. I ended up using a honey mustard vinaigrette, which worked so well in the dish! It was definitely so much easier than making a big turkey and having our own little hen was just perfect!

We finished our meal with the cutest Mini Pumpkin Pies! A perfect sweet ending to a perfect meal!

I think we can all agree that I had the most amazing Thanksgiving with my mommy! I sent her home with lots of yummy leftovers and treats so I'm sure she'll be enjoying them for days to come!

Early Thanksgiving with my Hubby!

We usually spend our Thanksgiving with my in-laws but I have to work on Friday this year. My hubby is still flying down to SoCal but I'm staying here and spending the holiday with my mom. That doesn't mean we can't have a little celebration of our own beforehand though! I decided to make it a Pre-Thanksgiving weekend because why not right? It started off with Pumpkin Cranberry Cookies. So soft and yummy!

Then following our tradition, I made Bobby Flay's Corn Muffins that we all love so much from Mesa Grill. (Mine were made with yellow corn cuz blue just never comes out very appetizing!) They're spicy and full of bell peppers and corn.

Friday night, I used some of the leftover pumpkin from the cookies to make a VERY yummy Pumpkin and Thai Curry Chicken. Probably not the most traditional recipe given that it's from Betty Crocker but you can't go wrong with Thai over rice noodles. No complaints here!

Just for kicks, I decided to make some super cute Acorn Cookies from my new cookbook, Smart Cookie. I'm totally in love with all the recipes in there using storebought cookies to make some really creative stuff! In case you can't tell, these were made with Nutter Butter, Chocolate Frosting, Chocolate Sprinkles and Pretzel Sticks. SUPER CUTE right?

Saturday night was our real Pre-Thanksgiving meal with Herb-Roasted Game Hens over Stuffing. Not much of a recipe here. I just drizzles balsamic vinaigrette over the hens and sprinkled Italian seasoning on top. Baked for an hour and they're golden brown and SUPER tasty!

Finally a Sunday night favorite, braised Chicken Legs. Simply browned and slowly braised in my Dutch Oven with onions, garlic and more Balsamic. Served over (what else?)...STUFFING!

Early Christmas Celebration Neely Style!

I love watching the Neely's cuz they're always so lovey dovey and happy! I downloaded their Holiday Special and couldn't wait to make the Christmas Cornish Game Hens. I swear just seeing the Neely's happy family puts me in the holiday spirit! For a special Sunday treat, I made the Game Hens and they were so incredibly yummy! I really love the sweet and spicy "Christmas Rub" and the meat stayed perfectly moist and juicy. Happy Holidays everyone!