The Holiday That Keeps on Giving (for Eight Weeks)

(I first posted this article last year at this time, but it so perfectly sums up my feelings about the upcoming couple of months that I'm repeating myself.  And it's not even age-related!)

     Welcome to HalloweenThanksgivingChristmasNewYear's, that eight-week, what-just-happened holiday that comes out of nowhere, spins us around until we don't know WHAT color we're supposed to be decorating with, and then leaves us breathless and five pounds heavier in January.  Did anybody get the number of that sleigh?  Ah, the holidays.

     It's true that most of us put on a few pounds between Thanksgiving and Christmas.  Why is it always a surprise?  We've finally purged the house of the remaining Halloween candy that we HAD to stock up on just in case there was an unexpected invasion of record numbers of costumed toddlers in our neighborhood, or, let's be honest, maybe we just threw in the towel and ate the leftovers ourselves.  Then we kick off the season with the granddaddy of all meals -- Thanksgiving dinner -- soon after which we launch ourselves into a full festive frenzy by baking absurd numbers of sweets in the name of tradition.  You know as well as I do that once the dust settles and we stow our holiday habits for another year, those extra pounds will come off again.  But if you're starting to stress out about it, read on.

     With all the hustle and bustle and dashing around, don't let your fitness program fall completely by the wayside, but be reasonable.  If you're accustomed to working out five days a week, accept that that may be unrealistic during the holidays.  Allow yourself an abbreviated version of your normal routine, or if you usually work out an hour a day, aim for 30 minutes a day or an hour every other day.  Use that time wisely (and vigorously), and then get on with other things.

     Now, about that monster meal:  If you're like me, when Great Aunt Gertie's cornbread sausage stuffing is on the table, I am there.  Why on earth would you deprive yourself of something so heavenly that you only get to eat once a year?  Shame on you.  But that doesn't mean you should take leave of your remaining senses.  If your family customarily eats Thanksgiving dinner in the middle of the afternoon, have a very light breakfast so you're not gnawing on the tablecloth by the time the big bird makes its appearance.  Then treat yourself to normal size portions -- let me repeat that -- NORMAL SIZE PORTIONS of all your favorite things.  If you don't absolutely adore sweet potatoes with marshmallows and red cinnamon candies, skip them.  Eat what you love.  Put your fork down frequently, and take a deep breath or two between bites.  If you avoid the typical frenzied speed at which we often indulge, you might even notice when your body begins to signal that it's feeling full.  When it does, have one more bite of your most favorite thing and then stop.  A piece of Granny Franny's famous pumpkin pie?  A small one, perhaps.  A piece of every kind of pie on the buffet table?  Oh, let's not.

     And here's the kicker:  The day after Thanksgiving, get right back to business as usual.  Eat normally, exercise, and start looking forward to the next holiday.  As far as your body is concerned, it's not what you do between Thanksgiving and Christmas that's so important.  It's what you do between Christmas and the following Thanksgiving that makes the real difference.  During the holidays, pay a little more attention to your spirit and enjoy!

Do you have a trick for surviving Thanksgiving dinner?  Leave a comment!  (See the instructions in red after all the articles.) 

Stuff A Pumpkin

If you're carving pumpkins for decorations anyway, consider getting an extra one to scoop out and fill with this mouth-watering combination of goodies.  It's got BACON in it, and that's all I'll say about THAT.

PUMPKIN STUFFED WITH EVERYTHING GOOD
(Serves 2 - 4)

1 3-pound pumpkin, top cut off and seeds and pulp removed
1/4 pound of stale bread, cubed
1/4 pound of Gruyere, Swiss, or Cheddar cheese (or a combination), cubed
4 slices of bacon, cooked crisp and diced
2 cloves of minced garlic
1/4 cup of minced chives or scallions
1 tbsp. of minced fresh thyme

1/2 cup of heavy cream
1 pinch of nutmeg (grated fresh if available)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees and line a cookie sheet with a silicone baking pad or tin foil.  In a large bowl, combine bread, cheese, bacon, garlic, chives, and thyme and pack into empty pumpkin.  It should be well filled but not overflowing.  In a small bowl, combine cream and nutmeg and pour over contents of pumpkin.  The mixture should be moist but not swimming in cream.  Place top of the pumpkin back on and bake for 1 1/2 hours, or until contents are bubbling and pumpkin flesh is tender.  Remove top and continue baking for about 30 minutes, until liquid is slightly evaporated and top is brown.  Remove from oven and allow to sit for 10 minutes before serving.

Let's be honest.  You could combine the above ingredients and bake them in a combat boot and they'd be delicious.  But if you're feeling festive and you're going to the trouble of scooping out pumpkins anyway, this presentation would be a hoot. 

Enjoy!

I Dare You To Try This

Okay, prepare yourselves.  I'm going to say two words to you, and you're going to say just one back to me.  Ready?  Here goes:

Me:  Velveeta Fudge.

You:  Yuck! (Or possibly yuckie yuckie ewwwww, but that would be three words.)

I couldn't believe I was actually reading this recipe, but local foodie Jan D'Atri assures her readers that it is da fudge bomb, and we certainly wouldn't want to miss out on anything that good, so I'm passing it on.

VELVEETA FUDGE

3/4 pound of Velveeta cheese, cubed

2 sticks of butter

6-8 squares of unsweetened baking chocolate

2 tbsps. of light corn syrup

2 boxes (2 lbs.) of powdered sugar

1 tsp. of vanilla

1 1/2 cups of chopped walnuts or pecans (optional)

In a double boiler or 3-quart saucepan, melt the Velveeta, butter, corn syrup, and chocolate over medium heat.  The mixture will become a yogurt-like consistency and might look like it's about to curdle.  (The thrills in this recipe just never end!) Remove pan from heat and mix in the powdered sugar until smooth and glossy.  Add the vanilla and nuts until well incorporated. Pour mixture into a buttered 9" x 13" pan and refrigerate until firm.  Cut into squares to serve.  

Jan notes that this fudge needs to be kept refrigerated or it will soften and adds that it can be kept in the refrigerator for weeks without losing any of its quality.  

It's worth a try, don't you think?  You first.  

What's Wrong With This Picture?

When it started to feel like autumn last week, I was thinking of apples and squash.  Now that's officially October, my thoughts are turning to pumpkins.  I just love all the different sizes and shapes and colors in big baskets at grocery stores this time of year.  Have you ever gone to an honest-to-goodness pumpkin patch and picked your own?  What a hoot!  But I digress.  I love the look of pumpkins and cleverly carved jack-o-lanterns for Halloween, but I most definitely do NOT like to eat pumpkin.  Not fresh, not out of a can, not in a pie, not in a cheesecake, no way, no thank you, no pumpkin for me.  Until I saw this recipe:  Pumpkin Bacon Macaroni and Cheese.  If you know me, you know that has my name all over it, except for the pumpkin.  But I am nothing if not adventurous, so I'm going to give this bad boy a try.  If you're an adventurer too, here goes:

PUMPKIN BACON MACARONI AND CHEESE

(With thanks to Lauren; serves 6.)

1 pound of short pasta, such as rotini

8 slices of bacon

1 cup of diced onion

1 clove of garlic, minced

1 cup of canned pumpkin (without pumpkin pie spices added)

1/4 tsp. of thyme

1/8 tsp. of cinnamon

Pinch of nutmeg

Salt and pepper to taste

1 jar of prepared Alfredo-style sauce

3/4 cup of milk

1/2 pound of grated fontina cheese

1/3 pound of grated sharp cheddar cheese

Crushed Ruffles potato chips for garnish (optional)

Cook pasta to al dente, according to package directions, then drain.  Return same pot to stove and cook bacon until crispy, then drain on paper towels. When cool, chop bacon into small pieces.  In remaining bacon grease, saute onions and garlic.  Stir in pumpkin, spices, and Alfredo sauce.  Pour milk into empty sauce jar, replace lid, and shake vigorously, then add the milk to the pot.  Add the cheeses and stir while melting.  Stir in the pasta and half the bacon.  Spoon into serving dishes and top with remaining crumbled bacon and potato chips (if desired, and who wouldn't desire THAT?).  Eat it all up.

Now, honestly, with all that other glorious stuff in there, chances are you wouldn't even notice the pumpkin.  It might just add additional creaminess, which we would be willing to taste test, right?  Okay, let's try this wacky wonder.  You first.