Hotdish #6: Seafood Chowder Casserole

Not wanting the long holiday weekend of fun to end, Ben and I decided to have my parents over for the sixth and final casserole from the Eating Well hotdish series. We decorated the house that afternoon, so it really felt like a worthy evening for the grand finale hotdish! We sat around the tree while it baked.



We also enjoyed the toasty fire.



I'm sad that Thanksgiving is over and gone, but now we get to look forward to CHRISTMAS! Yay!



The Seafood Chowder Casserole looked and smelled delicious.



Just like the picture!



It had cod, shrimp, crab, potatoes, leeks and celery along with gruyère cheese.



Mmm. Mom continued the tradition of providing a crisp and refreshing salad to go along with the hotdish.



Since it was the grand finale, I also made dessert. Apple crisp!



So, the Eating Well hotdish extravaganza was definitely a success. All of them turned out AWESOME. We seriously loved them all and it is hard to pick a favorite. Every time we had one, someone (or everyone) would say "This one is DEFINITELY my favorite." So I'm not sure if they just kept getting progressively more delicious, or if it just so happened that whatever one was in our mouths at the time was the favorite.

Last night Dad suggested that we start over and make them all again!! I'm seriously considering it. YUM, YUM, YUM!

Here is the link to the final recipe!

Shade Winery

This afternoon I headed out to Shade Winery with Kim and Joy.



I had never been there before. It was Kim's idea! Look at how cute it is!



The vineyard.






The tasting includes eight wines for the low, low price of $6! What a great price!!



I think possibly my favorite thing about the winery was that they had jars of oyster crackers on every table. I loooooove oyster crackers. They are hands down my favorite cracker of all time. FYI, the best tasting brand is definitely Kroger. They have cornered the market on oyster crackers for sure. And that is the brand that Shade Winery serves (after much complicated oyster cracker taste testing and research, they explained!), which means they obviously have excellent taste.



There are other delicious snacks to enjoy too, like Integration Acres cheese and crackers.



Mmm, wine!



The friendly owners. It's Gina's friend Neal and his wife! The Shade Winery experience was definitely a great time and I would recommend it for sure.

Double Thanksgiving

Ben and I are the luckiest ever, because his mom hosted Thanksgiving on Friday this year, which means Double Thanksgiving for us!! My parents were invited too, which means they got Double Thanksgiving TOO! So lucky. Here's Dad fixing up a little cocktail at the drink station.



It was a cold but sunny afternoon. Yang, Ben and I are happy because tons of delicious food is headed our way.



Dennis and Ben enjoying some wine.



Relaxing while the final dishes are prepared.



Moss mashing up some potatoes!



TIME TO EAT! Oh, boy!!!



THE ROLLS!!!!! I almost forgot to get one and when I remembered, I leapt across the room in a panic thinking they would be gone. Thankfully there were two left. YES. I am very thankful for rolls.



Dennis, Joy and Moss are FULL!



After we ate, we headed out to the back deck to see how far Joy and Kayla can spit! They were both blessed with small gaps between their teeth, which means they have the skill of spitting water great distances. What a fun talent to have! Here's Kayla gearing up:



Joy is ready to go!



And they're off! Kayla got some good distance.



Yang pretty much just dribbled water down his chin.



Spitting is fun and it makes people happy!



Joy's turn. She is like a FOUNTAIN of spit!!



LOOK HOW FAR!!! She's like a FIRE HOSE!



Here is a video of the spitting event.



Time for pie! Vana made an apple pie...



AND AN OREO CHOCOLATE CHEESECAKE. Duuuuuude!!! It was delicious.



There was also pumpkin pie, but I forgot to get a picture of it. After pie, the men headed outside to be manly and dig holes!



Ben supervised with his glass of wine.



Go, Dennis! Dig that hole!



Yang was also in a supervisory role.



Dig it, Moss!



Cheryl and Ben are inspecting the hole progress. The holes are for Cheryl to plant some new trees in.



Vana came out to join the supervising.



It's a hole!



After the hole digging, it was time to rest and digest.



It was also a special night because Yang signed Dennis up for Facebook. Welcome to The Internet, Dennis!

Thanksgiving

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!!! I spent the evening in the kitchen last night making some side dishes! We decided to make stuffing using bread from the Village Bakery this year. It was SO EASY and so delicious. You just sautee some onions and celery, then pour in water until it simmers, and then dump in the bag of dehydrated, seasoned, local bread crumbs! POOF YOU HAVE STUFFING:



I imagine we'll probably go this route every year, since it saves so much time and turns out delicious! I also made two kinds of cranberry sauce: plain, and bourbon cinnamon.



This afternoon, Ben and I packed up the sides and headed over to Mom and Dad's to start celebrating! Mom was working hard making gravy.



Mer was whipping up the mashed potatoes.



I took a shift stirring the gravy.



YUM!! Look at that King Family Farm turkey!



The peas are ready! Or wait, are they still frozen??



CHEERS!



Kate had on a beautiful holiday outfit. So pretty!



We did some playing while we waited for all the cooking to be done. Look, here comes Petey!



Dad was in charge of carving the bird, as always!



It's good to hang out in the kitchen for this event, because you get to have tastes.



Dad helped himself to a few tastes as well!



Ben worked up an appetite by playing with Petey.






One of my Grandma's batiks.



YAY!! TIME TO EAT!



Eskimo kisses!



Mmm, my plate.



After dinner, we played some Pictionary to work up an appetite for pie.






Mer and Pete brought some Underberg to help speed along our digestion.



First you bang it on the table!


Then you drink it fast!



UNDERBERG!



"There's that husband of mine, doing shots again."



Finally having found enough room for pie, Mom made a batch of whipped cream. Kate is the luckiest because she gets to lick the beaters.



LUCKY!



Time for pie!!! Mer made a delicious apple pie.



And Mom made a pumpkin pie with FRESH pumpkin and graham cracker crust!!! I think it was the best pumpkin pie I have ever had in my life. Fresh squash really makes a difference.



Happy Thanksgiving, everyone! Time to go lay down.