Okay so I told you that I would post the recipes that I made for Thanksgiving.. I tried to take pictures of everything, but this is my first blog like this so hopefully it works out!!

So here we go!

I'll start out with the Pumpkin Spice Cheesecake :

So you're gonna need about 40 Gingersnap cookies .. I just used Kroger brand because I liked the intense ginger aftertaste they left on your tongue.

You want to crush them until they are fine. We couldn't find my grandme's meat mallet at first so I was using the potato masher/mixer thing. It was pretty amusing.

Finely chop a 1/4 cup of pecans.

Mix the nuts into the crushed gingersnaps and stir in a melted 1/4 butter.

Press the crust into a 9 in cake pan.

Beat 4 softened packages of cream cheese with 1 cup of sugar until smooth.

Add in a can of pumpkin, 1 tbsp pumpkin pie spice, 1 tsp vanilla and 4 eggs until well mixed.

Pour into your crust and bake at 325 for 1 hour and 25 mins. Then remove from the oven and refrigerate for 6 hours.

And you're done!

And now for the Mac n Cheese. If you already know how to make it or you have a family recipe and you just want to change it up, switch to my cheese. I made this recipe up as I went along. I had never made mac n cheese before but knew the general components. Dustin gave me the idea for the Havarti and the rest just fell into place. I love this mac n cheese and I know that you will too! So here we go!!

Melt 1/4 cup butter

Add in 1/4 cup flour, salt, and pepper

Boil the water for your pasta

Add 3 1/2 cups of milk. I use whole milk because I wanted it to be creamy and thick. Stir until there are no clumps.

I grate my own cheese. So I use White Cheddar and Havarti with Dill. They will need to be cold to grate well.

Cook your pasta al dente. I use Cavatappi pasta for no other reason than just because I love it.

Put your milk mixture on the stove and bring it to a simmer. I cube goat cheese as well and melt it into the milk.

Drain your pasta and add it to the milk mixture. Add in your cheese and stir until melted.

Put everything into a casserole dish, top with a little remaning cheese and bake at 350 for 45 minutes.

Finished! I hope you enjoy making this as much as I do!

Xo-
jay <3.

Thanksgiving!

I had a wonderful Thanksgiving with my family. It sucked that my boyfriend couldn't make it but I had a good time anyways. I went down to my Grandma's in Southern Ohio. She lives in the middle of nowhere, but I grew up down there so I love it! I cooked Wednesday night, Thursday, and had to drive home on Friday, so it was way too short, but I was very blessed that I got to go in the first place! We had everything! Turkey, Ham, Sweet Potato Casserole, Brussel Sprouts, Cheesy Potatoes, Mac n Cheese, Mashed Potatoes, Stuffing, Rolls, Broccoli Casserole, Gravey, Salad, Cranberry Sauce, a Cheeseball, Buffalo Chicken Dip, and that's not including the dessert! For dessert we had 4 Pumpkin Pies, Pumpkin Cheesecake, Date nut loaf, Cream pie, and my Great Grandmother's Chocolate Cake with homemade Butterscotch Icing! It is my favorite! Plus my gram made homemade whipping cream which made everything better!

I loved seeing my parents (who live in Virginia) and my one brother, David and his girlfriend Sarah. My other brother Dan and his girlfriend Lucy, went to Lucy's parents in Michigan so they didn't get down there until Friday aafter I had already left to go back home. I had to work on Friday. Boo!

We also did Christmas with my Gram while we were down there because she is going to Florida this year and we won't see her. I am so blessed to have a wonderful family who spoils me. I got lots of gift cards and some amazingly warm 50% Cashmere socks! They are the softest things ever! My grandma also got me some mittens that have threads in the point fingers and thumbs so that you can wear them and use a touch screen phone. Pretty smart, because it's starting to get FREEZING up here in the mitten and you have to wear gloves all the time.

So here are some pictures of my amazing weekend!

This is my amazing grandmother! I love her. She is truly a wonderful woman.

Pumpkin spice cheesecake! It was really good. I am gonna post the recipies next!

My homemade White Cheddar and Dill Havarti Mac n Cheese! It's so delicious!

Thanksgiving morning at around 7 .. Licking the spoon of my grandmother's butterscotch icing.

This is my mama cleaning brussel sprouts.

My daddy made fried egg sandwiches for breakfast! He puts swiss cheese on them, mustard, mayo on buttered toast .. I have always loved them and I hadn't had one in a long time. So it tasted even better!

My grammy's whipping cream .. delectable! I could just eat this!

My mama opening up the wine .. We had La Creame Chardonnay and Cupcake Cabernet!

My dad and brother watching football while we cooked.

Go Lions! (I don't own the NFL and I hope I don't get in trouble for this!! Sorry!)

My mom and grammy with the whip cream and wine!

Me and my brother Davey. Missing you Dan!

My mama and I in the kitchen.

Cupcake! Delicious!

Dave and Sarah .. She is so sweet and they are very good together!

My aunt's cheeseball .. We thought it looked like Mrs. Puff from Spongebob

Everyone in the kitchen getting ready to eat.

We solved the riddle! The chicken crossed the road to come to my grandma's for Thanksgiving! This actually happened. The chicken lives across the road! lol

My baby cousin Bella, talking on an old phone of my grandma's. She is beautiful and sweet. I absolutely adore her.

Me and Bells ♥

This is the beautiful sunrise I saw driving home on Friday. It just made my heart swell. I love going down home and being in the country.

It was the prefect ending to a wonderful weekend. I have a great family and I love them very much. I am so thankful for everything I have!

Hey, it cut me off!

I can't believe that blogger cut me off! It wouldn't let me post anymore pictures for you guys so here are all the rest of them!

My tomato concassie (not sure if I spell it right) basically tomato sauce!

Family meal (There was a buffet going on upstairs with the desserts class and the quantity food prep class, so we got the left overs .. the desserts were incredible!)

The groups giant dessert plate! They crack me up!

I was sooo sick for a whole week. I had to go to a work meeting at 6 a.m. and it was so cold outside and I felt like crap. But I bundled up and went anyways.

WE HAD OUR FIRST SNOW!!! <3

Finally we arrive at this last week! It was Veteran's Day, so I decided to go down to the VA in Ann Arbor and hugs some Vets. So that's what I did! They had a presentation with speakers and ROTC kids. I saw 3 of them pass out (shouldn't lock your knees!!) They played Taps and I cried. I shook some hands and doled out hugs. All in all I thought it was a wonderful was to say thank you, and probably touched me more than anyone I met that day.

The honor guard.

And FINALLY we arrived at Family meal this last week. It was Vegetable Day! I didn't take pictures of all my individual/group stuff, but we made Collard Greens, Sauteed Green beans and snow peas, celery root, turnips, buttercup squash (which is my new favorite thing!) fennel and friend zucchinni.

So that's everything that's been going on really. I went and saw Breaking Dawn on Thursday it was pretty good. Now just getting ready for another week. Write more soon

Xo

jay <3

Sorry Sorry Sorry

Sorry guys! I know its been a long time since I have posted on here and I've got so much to update you on. First off, my semester is almost over! I can't believe it! Only 28 days left! Ah! I still think I am doing okay, its getting harder here at the end because I've got a million papers to write and tests every week, but I am hoping to still get good grades in all my classes!

Thanksgiving is this Thursday and I am happy and sad all at the same time. I am happy because I will get to see my family and some friends AND I am cooking for the first time this year. I am making white cheddar mac n cheese and pumpkin spice cheesecake.

I am sad because D will not be able to make it into town and that breaks my heart. I know that to him its not such a big deal because being in the army and his parents living in Florida, it never really happened. He was gone or couldn't afford to go, so its nothing new to him not to be around. But I hate it. It's the time to be with your family and be surrounded by love! It makes me sad to think he will be at his work on Thanksgiving. I guess we will have to make it extra special next year!

So now I am going to post some of the pictures from the past three weeks cuz I can't remember everything that I did!

Family meal

The class

Homemade Gelato from the desserts class

Pretty trees outside the library (where I had been writing all my blog posts, but I don't have to do that anymore!! yay!)

My amazing tournet'd potatoes! I was so proud of myself! It was also spice/herb day.

The Salsa that I had to make for today. Yum!

I had to roast all the potatoes with thyme and rosemary .. they were awesome!

Pasta with dill butter .. I love dill