{ not your grandma's grean bean casserole }

Green bean casserole -- an American classic. I made one last night, and it's not even Thanksgiving, and it didn't even have those canned fried onions on top. Oh, and it has cayenne pepper! Talk about walking on the wild side, no?

Acutally, I was watching Ree Drummond's new show on Food Network. In this particular episode, she shared her favorite pot luck recipes. Her green bean casserole had both Ty and I sold: Immediate recipe replication was definitely in order.

One of the few changes I made to Ree's recipe was to blanche the green beans for a longer amount of time than she did, simply because we like them softer, as opposed to super-crisp. Her original recipe calls for a jar of pimentos, but we used a fresh red bell pepper instead, as she calls for in her updated Food Network version. I substituted light cream for half-and-half, added a bit more cayenne, and finally, sprinkled some grated parmesan cheese on top with the panko, just because, well ... it's more cheese! Other than that, it was pretty much amazingly perfect just the way it was written.

The recipe makes a huge batch, so we have leftovers galore. I foresee a week of green bean casserole on the side of each night's menu! And I'm totally good with it.

Green Bean Casserole
(adapted from ThePioneerWoman)

Ingredients
2 pounds fresh green beans, anapped with ends cut off

5 slices bacon, cut Into 1/4 Inch pieces

4 cloves garlic, minced

1 yellow onion, chopped

1 red bell pepper, chopped

4 tablespoons butter

4 tablespoons all-purpose flour

2-1/2 cups whole milk

1/2 cup light cream

1-1/2 teaspoon salt, more to taste

coursely ground black pepper, to taste

1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper

1 cup grated sharp cheddar cheese

extra milk for thinning, if necessary

1 cup panko bread crumbs

1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese

Process
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Prepare green beans by snapping or cutting them in half and cutting off the ends.

Blanch the green beans: drop them into lightly salted boiling water and allow green beans to cook for about 5 to 6 minutes. Remove them from the boiling water with a slotted spoon and immediately shock the beans by plunging them into a bowl of ice cold water to stop the cooking process. Drain beans once they're cool and set aside.

Add bacon pieces to a skillet and cook over medium heat for two minutes. Add diced onion, red bell pepper and garlic. Continue cooking for 3 to 5 minutes, or until bacon is done (but not crisp) and onions are golden brown. Remove from heat and set aside.

In a separate skillet or saucepan, melt butter over medium heat. Sprinkle flour into the pan and whisk immediately to evenly mix it into the butter. Cook for a minute or two, then pour in milk and cream.

Continue cooking, whisking constantly, while sauce thickens, about 4-5 minutes. Add salt, pepper, and cayenne, then add the grated cheddar. Stir while cheese melts. Turn off heat.

Add the bacon/onion mixture. Stir to combine. Pour over green beans and stir gently to combine.

Pour into a baking dish and top with panko crumbs and parmesan cheese.

Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes or until sauce is bubbly and panko crumbs are golden.

a handmade thanksgiving

As much as I love a good "girly girl" trinket or purchase, there's a certain female gene that I'm apparently missing -- the desire to spend hours on end shopping.

I'm not a fan of crowds, malls, or schlepping myself all over God's green Earth in search of a bargain. I'd much rather pass the hours with family or friends, sipping a cocktail, nibbling on some good cheese, and admiring a purchase made via a much easier fashion -- online shopping -- my preferred and usual method of bargain-hunting.

Enter Etsy.com.

Every occasion or holiday is a new reason to search for one-of-a-kind goodies, and Thanksgiving is the latest opportunity.

Some of my favorite Etsy finds this turkey season ....












wrap bracelet from RowdyWear ; bloomers from Bella Claire Baby ; edible sugar leaves from Andie's Specialty Sweets ; scarf from ZuZu's World ; knit hat from BeaCreative

oven inspiration

I love the way super cute sugar cookies can instantly invoke holiday cheer ... but I hate to make them. The whole rolling and chilling of the dough, getting the proper icing consistency, etc. It always seems to be much more effort (and trouble) than it's ever worth.

So I'm thinking about making a major attitude shift and conquering the sugar cookie monkey that's been on my back. In my quest for ideas and inspiration, I found a shop in Michigan (Knead a Cookie?) that makes absolutely adorable sugar cookies. Not only are the cuts original and precise, but the icing colors are amazingly vibrant.

So sweet!

turkey, pumpkin pie, and football

Ahhh, Thanksgiving time in Texas. For literally generations of families, that's meant the annual showdown between the Texas A&M Aggies and University of Texas Longhorns (or t.u., as we Aggies prefer to call that school in Austin). For the past several years, due to extraneous and bulshitty reasons, the game was moved to the day after Turkey Day, and consequently has became known as T+1. This year, however, the game has rightly been moved back to where it truly belongs -- Thanksgiving Day. Glorious.

Plain and simply, my beloved Aggies are going to get stomped on the gridiron. t.u. is tougher, faster, and very obviously, more talented. Texas A&M has a new coach, old players with bad attitudes, and some new players with not enough experience to keep their heads cool. It hasn't made for a pretty picture this season.

But during the Lone Star Showdown, none of that matters. As cliche as it sounds, you can throw the recordbooks out the window when you're playing this rivalry game. The Aggies have sucked the last two seasons as well, yet managed to pull out a victory against the 'Horns. I don't think that will be the case this year, and again, I think it's going to be a long day for the good guys in maroon and white.

But hey, it's Thanksgiving, and the Aggies and Longhorns are playing football. So it's all good.

My cup runneth over

"Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies: thou anointest my head with oil; my cup runneth over." -- Psalms 23:5

I am so very blessed. Sometimes, my heart is so full of gratitude at all I've been given, that it almost takes my breath away. And during this time of Thanksgiving, I'm especially grateful for all the gifts in my life.

Perfection, in any way, shape or form, isn't a part of the picture, but I don't think it's meant to be. When I was feeling particularly low a few weeks ago about an event that really sucker punched me in the gut, a good friend gave me some excellent advice -- think of something you can silently say to yourself each and every time you start to feel overwhelmed. The quote I've found myself now repeating over and over is, "The secret to having it all is believing that you do."

And I do. Truly.