Layered Cauliflower Salad

While we were planning our Thanksgiving menu, we decided we needed a cold dish. That's when I remember this yummy salad that my mom has made before. So....I called her up for the recipe and was surprised with how simple it was.

Ingredients

- One head of lettuce (rough chop)

- One head of cauliflower (rough chop)

- One large onion (cut into thin rings/slices)

- One bag of frozen peas (thawed and drained, you can use as many or as little as you like)

- Two cups of mayo

- 1/4 cup of Parmesan Cheese

- 1/4 cup of sugar

In a large bowl (I like to use a clear bowl so you can see all the layers) layer the lettuce, cauliflower, onion slices, then peas.
In another bowl, mix together the mayo, Parmesan Cheese, and sugar.
Pour the mayo mixture over the salad and spread it all over the top, right up to the edge.
Let the salad sit in the fridge overnight.
When you are ready to serve just toss it all together.
You can even add crumbled bacon on top before serving,

Thanksgiving Feast

We did it! We survived Thanksgiving. Everything turned out perfect. I will be posting recipes of the dishes but I wanted to share some pictures first.

Our lovely tablescape
My hubby and his delicious Turkey

Deviled eggs, cranberry sauce, homegrown green beans, cauliflower salad, cornbread dressing, broccoli casserole, mashed potatoes, rolls, gravy...is your mouth watering yet.

Pecan Pie, Pumpkin Cheesecake, Gingerbread cookies

Thanksgiving At The McKinneys

This year, Chad and I are hosting Thanksgiving for his family.

We've already planned our menu:

Turkey

Ham

Cornbread Dressing

Gravy

Mashed Potatoes

Deviled Eggs

Broccoli Casserole

Green Beans

Layered Salad

Cranberry Sauce

Rolls

Pumpkin Cheesecake

Pecan Pie

Yikes, thats alot of food for two people to fix. Deep breaths...

I did a trial run of the Pecan Pie and it turned out beautifully. Now if it can just do the same on Thanksgiving.

Pioneer Woman's Pecan Pie
1. Start out buying a pre-made pie crust (I don't know about you but I'm not trying to make my own pie crust)
2. 1 cup of white sugar
3. 3 tablespoons of dark brown sugar
4. 1/2 teaspoon of salt
5. 1 cup of light corn syrup
6. 3/4 teaspoon of vanilla
7. 1/3 cup of salted butter, melted
8. 3 whole eggs, beaten
9. 1 heaping cup of chopped Pecans

Mix sugar, brown sugar, salt, corn syrup, butter, eggs, and vanilla together in a bowl.
Pour chopped pecans in the bottom of the unbaked pie shell
Pour syrup mixture over the pecans. Cover lightly with with foil.
Bake a 350 for 35 minutes. Remove foil, then continue baking for 20-30 minutes. Make sure the pecans don't burn! The pie will be slightly jiggly but will firm up once it sits and cools for several hours. Enjoy the sweet ooie gooieness with some whipped cream or vanilla ice cream.

Wedding Photos

Guess what?!? Our wedding photos are ready! They are wonderful and captured the day perfectly. Candice is such a talented photographer and such a lovely person inside and out. We have know each other since junior high school and I was so happy she was their to document our wedding. You can view the photos at www.candiceelainephoto.com . Once you get to the website click on "open menu" then "online ordering."

Good Night

We bought a new bed and...its HUGE! I mean really really big.

Now all our other furniture looks miniature. Guess we will have to go shopping again ;)

Between me (who likes to sleep sideways), Chad (6 foot 4 inches), and Marley (mr. I will kick you in the middle of the night if your in my way) a good nights sleep was few and far between.

We decided our queen bed just didn't cut it anymore.

We picked out this beauty below.

I'm tempted to lay there all day. Its Saturday, its cold, why not just camp out in bed all day.

Poor Marley can barely jump up onto the bed. He has trouble getting his behind all the way up. Too much junk in tha trunk I think.

Chicken Marsala

I feel like Chicken Marsala is a dish that can really vary from plate to plate. I've tasted a couple versions that I wasn't too crazy about. I tend to gravitate toward the version that calls for heavy cream. In my opinion anything with heavy cream is delicious and if it doesn't call for heavy cream add it anyways. With all that said...here is Leanne's version of Chicken Marsala.

Ingredients
4 chicken cutlets
All-purpose flour seasoned with salt and pepper
1/2 cup of Marsala cooking wine
1/2 cup chicken stock
1/2 - 1 cup of heavy cream
1 - 1 1/2 cups of sliced fresh mushrooms
1/2 tablespoon of minced garlic
1/2 cup diced onions
10 leaves of fresh basil chopped

Start by dredging chicken cutlets in the seasoned flour. Heat a large skillet over medium high heat with two tablespoons of oil. Brown chicken (about 2-3 minutes each side). Remove chicken. Add more oil to the pan if needed then add onions, garlic, mushrooms. Let those cook for about 2 minutes. Deglaze pan with Marsala wine. When the wine has almost cooked off add the chicken stock. After the stock reduces to half, add the chicken back to the pan along with the heavy cream and basil. Add salt and pepper to taste. The sauce will reduce and thicken as it cooks. If you want more sauce just add more heavy cream.

I hope you try this dish and I hope you love it as much as I do. I usually find myself eating the sauce with a spoon. I know I'm so lady like.