We have a lot to be thankful for

Thanksgiving is probably one of my favorite holidays of the year: lots of good food and great friends, the excitement and anticipation of Christmas, and no requirements of buying or wrapping presents... I am very thankful to have such wonderful family and friends, and I'm excited to share with y'all our Thanksgiving feast:

Herb-roasted Turkey: (2 1/2 hours)
6 lb. turkey breast
1 stick softened unsalted butter
1 Tbsp. chopped parsley
1/2 Tbsp each dried sage and dried thyme
1/2 tsp. pepper
1/8 tsp. paprika

If the bird is frozen, leave wrapped and put on a rimmed baking sheet in the refrigerator, allowing 24 hours of thawing time for every five pounds. For a 6-lb bird, 24 hours in the refrigerator should thaw him out. For a quicker thaw, submerge the bird in a cooler of cold water for 30 minutes per pound, changing the water every 30 minutes.

When bird is thawed, rise off under cool water and pat completely dry using a towel. Separate the skin from the meat of the bird using your hands.

Make a complex butter by using one stick softened unsalted butter and all of the herbs. Rub half of the butter under the turkey skin on the breast (and legs/wings if using a whole bird). Rub two tablespoons of the butter on the skin. If you have extra butter, chill and save it for your gravy. After coating the bird, let the turkey stand for 30 minutes at room temperature.

Pre-heat oven to 325 degrees. Place turkey in roasting pan and pour one cup of dry white wine in the pan. Roast bird in the oven for two hours basting the bird with the white wine and dripping mixture that will accumulate in the bottom of the pan.

(little brother carves the turkey)

Baked Macaroni-and-Cheese: (1 hour)
4 cups cooked Radiatori pasta (ruffled, ridge shape)
2 1/2 cups cheddar cheese
3 eggs, beaten
1/2 cup sour cream
1 cup milk
4 Tbsp. butter chopped
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Cook noodles according to directions on box. Mix cooked noodles and 2 cups (reserving 1/2 cup) cheese in a large bowl. In a separate bowl combine eggs, sour cream, milk, salt and pepper. Add noodles and cheese to 8 1/2 x 11 casserole dish. press small cubes of butter throughout. Pour liquid mixture over top. Top with 1/2 cup cheese.

Bake for 30-40 min. Allow 5 minutes to cool.

Creamed Corn: (20 minutes)
4-5 ears of corn, cooked
1 Tbsp. bacon drippings
1 tsp. sugar
2 Tbsp. butter
1/2 cup heavy cream
salt and pepper, to taste

Boil corn in large pot of water for 20 minutes. Cool corn and cut kernels off sides. In a small pan add bacon drippings, corn and butter. Mash corn with fork until about half of the kernels are broken down. Add cream and cook until thick on medium heat. Stir regularly so milk will not scorch. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Green beans and bacon: (20 minutes)
2 1/2 lbs green beans, trimmed
1/2 pound bacon, roughly chopped
1 cup yellow onion, finely chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 tsp red pepper flakes
salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Blanch green beans into a large pot of boiling salted water and cook until bright green in color, about 5 minutes. Drain the beans and shock in a large bowl of ice water. Drain the beans again and pat dry.

Cook the bacon in a large saute pan until crisp, about 5 minutes. Remove the bacon to a paper towel-lined plate to drain. Spoon off the excess bacon grease, leaving 2 tbsp. in the pan (the rest can be used for the creamed corn recipe above). Add the onion to the pan and saute until soft and translucent, about 4-5 minutes. Sprinkle in the garlic and red pepper flakes and saute about 1 minute. Add the green beans and cook until heated through, 5-6 minutes. Return the bacon to the pan and toss. Season with salt and pepper.

Pumpkin Cheesecake (24 hours)
12 Tbsp unsalted butter, melted
2 1/2 cups crushed cinnamon graham cracker crumbs
2 lbs (32 oz.) cream cheese, softened
1/4 cup sour cream
1 15 oz. can pure pumpkin (in the canned fruit aisle)
6 large eggs (lightly beaten), at room temperature
1 Tbsp. vanilla extract
2 1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1 tsp. ground ginger
pinch of salt
whipped cream to top

Brush springform pan with some of the melted butter; stir remaining melted butter with graham crackers and press into pan. Bake crust for 15-20 minutes then cool in the refrigerator.

Beat cream cheese with a mixer until smooth. Add sugar and continue to beat until smooth. Beat in sour cream, then add pumpkin, eggs, vanilla, and spices until well combined. Pour into springform pan.

Place roasting pan in oven with water until water is halfway up the sides of the pan. Place springform pan with cheese cake batter into the middle of the roasting pan. Bake for 1 hour and 30 minutes.

Turn off oven and open door to let some of the heat out. Keep cake in oven for another hour. Remove from oven and run a knife around the edges, cover and refrigerate overnight. Bring to room temperature 30 minutes before serving. Serve with whipped cream on top.

Homemade Whipped Cream: (8 minutes)
1 cup heavy or whipping cream
2 tsp. vanilla extract
2 tsp. confectioners' sugar

Beat the cream and vanilla in a chilled bowl with a whisk or an electric mixer (I would highly suggest using an electric mixer because my little brother and I worked up quite a sweat beating up the mixture by hand, and it easily took 6-8 minutes.) The whipped cream is done when the cream mixture form loose peaks. Sift the sugar over the cream and continue to beat just until the mixture holds a soft peak. Serve or refrigerate covered up to 4 hours.