Thanksgiving in Australia

Our day of thanks was appropriately named as we gathered at a friend's house to devour a Thanksgiving Feast. Praise God for the warm weather. It was a scene to be grateful for as Kiwis, Canadians, Aussies, and Americans all enjoyed one another's company and the menu:

• turkey & dressing
• mashed potatoes with gravy
• sweet potato casserole
• green bean casserole
• glazed carrots
• cranberry sauce
• salads
• deviled eggs
• rolls
• stuffed mushrooms

And just when we thought we were full, the desserts came:

• banana puddin' (yes, the Southerners said it like this)
• apple pie with vanilla ice cream
• pumpkin cheesecake
• cheesecake
• pumpkin pie

We were in a food coma the rest of the day. Happy Thanksgiving!

Meatballs with Peppers & Pineapple

The Pioneer Woman, Ree Drummond, has a blog that is awesome. I love the pictures of her Basset Hound, Charlie. I finally made my first Pioneer Woman recipe: Meatballs with Peppers & Pineapple. We loved them!

Ingredients:

1 pound ground beef

1/2 whole onion, diced

1 egg

1/2 cup breadcrumbs

1 teaspoon salt

black pepper, to taste

1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper

1/4 cup flour

canola oil

2 green bell peppers, seeded and diced

1 1/2 cups fresh pineapple chunks

2 cups beef broth

2 tablespoons soy sauce

1/2 cup white wine vinegar

1/3 cup sugar

1 tablespoon cornstarch

rice

Directions:

Combine ground beef, diced onion, egg, salt, pepper, breadcrumbs, and crushed red pepper. Mix with hands until combined. Roll meat mixture into small balls and place on a cookie sheet. Freeze on the pan for 15 minutes to firm.

Mix together beef stock, soy sauce, white wine vinegar, sugar, and cornstarch.

Heat canola oil over medium-high heat. Roll meatballs in flour, then fry in two batches until brown (keep moving the meatballs around to cook evenly). Remove meatballs and set aside on a separate plate. Eliott was really patient and did the two batches.

Pour off oil from pan and return pan to medium high heat. When pan is hot, throw in the chopped green peppers and cook for one minute. Add pineapple to pan and cook for one minute, stirring gently. Pour in stock/soy sauce mixture, then add meatballs. Stir gently to combine and allow to cook and bubble for a few minutes, or until sauce is thickened. Add salt and crushed red peppers to taste. We served it over basmati rice.

Here's the link to Pioneer Woman's recipe: Meatballs with Peppers & Pineapple

E: 8

A: 7

T: 7 - the two batches of meatballs slows you down a little

HH: 9 - He really liked this dish and the leftovers were even tastier

Cream Corn

I was never really a cream corn fan growing up, but it's one of those dishes I really like now with the right spices.   I made this using parts of several different recipes and it turned out really well.

Ingredients:

• 1 bag frozen corn
• Milk
• Cream
• Seasoned Salt
• Cinnamon
• Pepper
• Tony's Seasoning
• 3 Tbsp Flour
• 1 Tbsp Corn Starch
•  1 Tsp Sugar

First I cooked a bag of corn you steam in the microwave.  Then I dumped the corn in a pan over medium heat with milk and a little cream.  Next I added the Cinnamon, Seasoned Salt, Tony's, Pepper, Flour, Sugar, and Corn Starch.  Finally, I let it cook over low heat for about 15 minutes stirring regularly.

Cream corn is one of those dishes that tastes way better than it looks, but here's a picture for you anyway:

E:  9
A:  9
T:  8

HH: 9

Domino's Pizza

We haven't ordered pizza since moving to Sydney. I grabbed our coupon book for a Buy One Get One Free coupon from Domino's and my stomach started growling as we searched the website for the pizzas we wanted.

They have one called "The Aussie" which includes:

bacon, egg, red onion, fresh tomato, mozzarella, BBQ sauce

Eliott loves a Supreme pizza with anything and everything on it. I really like pineapple, tomato sauce, and any kind of meat on my pizza, so I ordered something called Spicy Island.


Neither one of us are big fans of plain pepperoni. The delivery man told us 30-40 minutes, so we were startled when our doorbell rang after 15 minutes.


Free delivery + fast service = win!

He ran downstairs to get the pizza and my mouth dropped when he came back with the pizza boxes. Are you serious?

We ordered 2 larges and got 2 pizzas the size of our dinner plates.

Australian large = American small

Lesson learned. Trust me, it won't stop us from ordering pizza.

Chicken Roll-Ups

Do you remember Fruit Roll-Ups? I had braces and trying to eat Fruit Roll-Ups was a disaster. I was unsuccessful. This Chicken Roll-Up recipe is successful. Creating and making this poultry selection is a good choice. First, gather the ingredients:

4 boneless skinless chicken breast halves (6 oz each)

1 egg, lightly beaten

1/2 cup seasoned bread crumbs (I add Italian herbs to plain bread crumbs)

3/4 cup shredded mozzarella cheese

1/2 cup chopped oil-packed sun-dried tomatoes

2 bacon strips

2 tbsp olive oil

Directions:

Flatten chicken to 1/4 inch thick. Place egg and bread crumbs in separate shallow bowls. Dip chicken in egg, then coat with bread crumbs.

Combine cheese and tomatoes. Place 1/4 cup cheese mixture down the center of each chicken breast and top each one with bacon. Roll up from the short side and secure with toothpicks.

Place on a greased baking sheet and drizzle with oil. Bake at 4oo degrees for 20-25 minutes or until chicken juices run clear. Don't forget to discard the toothpicks before serving. Ouch.

Here's the original recipe from Taste of Home: Chicken Roll-Ups

E: 8 - pounding chicken = stress reliever

A: 9

T: 7 - I think I washed my hands 100 times while making this

HH: 8