I am sooooooo full....

 
Wow, the past week has been busy. Not one Thanksgiving meal to prepare but two....and a birthday, a baptism, a couple of trips across the border to get the Canadian family, and, of course, our weekly play date with Tai and baby Luc. Now we can take a breath before heading into the last month of the year.
 
Our Thanksgiving meal was traditional:
 
Turkey with dressing
Creamy mashed potatoes and gravy
Sweet Potato with Candied Pecan Crisp
Green Beans with garlic and Mushrooms
Balsamic Roasted Onions
Cranberry Sauce
Pumpkin Pie
Apple Pie
 
I wasn't quick enough to capture a picture of our Thanksgiving meal but here's a shot of Friday night's leftovers!
 

 
Saturday we had more family over for lunch. I wanted to keep the Thanksgiving theme but a little outside the traditional box. We had:
 
Cajun Roasted Turkey Breast
Butternut Squash Lasagne
Caesar Salad
Spicy Cornbread Muffins
Tai's Apple Pies
 
The Butternut Squash Lasagne was wonderful, great when you have a vegetarian in the group and also good when you want to make something ahead of time. I missed the before dinner shot once again but this is what was left!
 

 
I found this recipe on Epicurious.com and it was originally printed in Gourmet in December, 2001. The original calls for 1 cup of toasted hazelnuts to be added to the filling, but I didn't have any and so left them out. The end result was yummy anyway. This served 8 as a side dish with that little piece shown above left over.
 
Ingrid, this Butternut Squash Lasagne recipe is for you!
 
Filling:
1 large onion, chopped
3 T butter
3 lbs butternut squash, peeled, seeded and cut into 1/2" chunks
Note: I cut the squash into quarters, seeded where necessary and roasted them in a shallow pan with a bit of water until tender. When cool enough to handle, I scooped out the flesh and mashed until smooth. I found that to be easier than peeling and cutting beforehand.
1 1/2 t minced garlic
1 t salt
1/2 t pepper
2 T chopped parsley
4 t chopped fresh sage
 
Sauce
1/2 t minced garlic
3 T unsalted butter
5 T all purpose flour
5 c milk
1 bay leaf
1 t salt
1/8 t pepper
 
2 c grated mozzarella ( I may have used a little more!)
1 c finely grated parmesan
12 sheets no-boil lasagne
 
Cook the onion in butter in a deep skillet over moderate heat until golden, about 10minutes. Add squash, garlic, salt and pepper and cook until squash is tender about 15 minutes, or simply heat through for around 5 minutes if you pre-cook the squash. Remove from heat and stir in parsley and sage. Set aside to cool.
 
While the squash cools, cook garlic in a 3-quart saucepan over moderately low heat, stirring, 1 minute. Whisk in flour to make a roux and cook for a couple of minutes. Add milk slowly, whisking continuously. Add bay leaf and bring to a boil, still whisking, then reduce heat and simmer for 10 minutes, still whisking occasionally. Add salt and pepper, remove from heat and discard the bay leaf. Cover the surface of the sauce with plastic wrap if not using immediately.
 
To assemble, combine the cheeses. In a buttered 13 x 9 x 2 baking dish, spread a generous 1/2 cup of the sauce and cover with 3 pasta sheets, leaving spaces between sheets. Spread with 2/3 cup sauce, 1/3 of the filling and a heaping 1/2 cup of the cheese. Repeat layering 2 more times, beginning with the pasta and ending with the cheese. Top with the last 3 pasta sheets, sauce and cheese.
 
Tightly cover with buttered foil and bake on the middle rack in a preheated 425 degree oven for 30 minutes. Remove foil and bake until golden and bubbling, 10 - 15 minutes more. Let lasagne stand 20 minutes before serving. I actually baked my lasagne for the first 30 minutes then removed it from the oven and refrigerated it overnight. I brought it to room temperature the next day and finished heating it, uncovered, for about 30 minutes, until golden and bubbling. This was at 375 degrees since it was sharing the oven with Spicy Cornbread Muffins.
 
After reading Scribbit's September 28th post on Tiny Apple Pies
I had to try them out for my Grandson Tai. I made them every week when he came for his playdate with me and "Daddy's Daddy." So how could I not make them for his Thanksgiving meal? Scribbit suggests you use an apple peeler but I only needed four large apples for 10 tiny pies so even if you don't have a peeling contraption, go ahead and try them. To the 4 chopped apples I added 1/2 c sugar, 1 T flour, dash nutmeg and 1/2 t cinnamon. Toss well, fill ramekins and top each with a circle of pastry. One refrigerated pie crust will yield tops for 10 tiny pies. Bake at 425 degrees for 20 minutes. Note to the grownups: this is a good diet dessert with only half the crust of a regular pie and enforced portion control!
 

 

 
One very satisfied customer!
 
We've just returned home from the lunch following Luc's baptism....pot stickers, sesame balls, spicy beef noodle soup, ribs, stuffed peppers, eggplant and bean curd, sticky rice, fried rice, dumplings...and I'm sure I've forgotten something....I haven't felt a hunger pang since last Wednesday. I'm actually looking forward to eating simply for a while!