Ode to Thanksgiving - Part 1

This is my absolute favorite week of the year. Food, visiting with family, food, shopping, food, you get the idea. I love Christmas too with all the spirit and festivities, but Thanksgiving is just so much more simple. It's so easy to lose sight of the spirit of Christmas during a crazy search for those last two gifts and trying not to stress about going over budget, but at Thanksgiving we simply get to enjoy food, family, friends and reflect on the blessings in our lives.

I love the feel of this week. Back when I was a Trophy Wife/working woman (because I've ALWAYS been a Trophy Wife), I loved that it was a short, typically slow work week. Now I like just being out and about and enjoying the vacation feel that is everywhere. The mood is light. For me, the most complicated part is figuring out when I'll have time to cook everything I want to cook for our different gatherings.

So, for my Ode to Thanksgiving, I will be sharing with you all the yummies I'll be making this week. Beginning with the Thanksgiving week kick off meal I made last night...Thanksgiving Casserole. I got the recipe from friend (she is married to one of my very good friends from high school) and fellow blogger, Camila Knowles. You can find the recipe on her blog, Mattornety Life. You can probably guess, but Thanksgiving Casserole involves chicken or turkey and stuffing. There are plenty of other ingedients, but those are the main flavors and really, need I say more? I made it last night and it looked like this:

Delicious! I've made it twice and I add about a cup of Craisins to the mix, just to make it extra Thanksgiving-y, but we decided last night we might have to try and add something with a bit of crunch next time. Perhaps sliced almonds or even just some lightly sauteed celery. I usually try to make it a little lighter on calories by decreasing the amount of butter I use and using low fat cream of mushroom and mayo, but even with those modifications, this is not a Weight Watchers-approved meal.

I WILL be posting more this week. Here are a few more recipes you can look forward to hearing about this week:

• Classic Scalloped Potatoes (from Southern Living magazine)
• Confetti Corn (also from Southern Living)
• Red Velvet Cake Balls
• Confetti Egg Casserole (yes, I'm making two things with "Confetti" in the name)

Is your mouth watering yet? What are you cooking this week? Or, what are you looking forward to eating this week?