Thanksgiving Lunch

Thanksgiving Lunch:

I'm back with my Thanksgiving menu.This year our Thanksgiving was very pleasant and enjoyable.We didn't purchase any thing but went shopping for our friend's little son and had good food. Sales everywhere. Shopping malls were packed with people garbing clothes,toys,cosmetics,bedding,household items and many more.A new mall was open at Frisco and it was so crowed. Cars were not obeying rules and some even went on the wrong side of the parking lot.We nearly went around the mall for 1 hour before getting a parking space.We notice that the entrance to Macy's was crowed with people.We have to share the space and kind of getting bumped against other shoppers but it was fun too.

I'm not sure whether it's necessary for us to celebrate Thanksgiving or it's just some kind of holiday for my hubby. Perhaps I should take this 4-day holiday just to sleep and relax my mind but with my son that's never going to happen. He has being talking non-stop of having a Thanksgiving dinner -a whole turkey with stuffing,mashed potatoes,beans casserole and cranberry sauce. My headache was spinning -What am I going to do now?? There's no chance of me preparing a whole turkey. What am I going to do with the leftovers??? I tried to explain to my son but his mind was set and there's no way he's going to change it. We went shopping for turkey .Maybe I should get a turkey leg piece and grilled it with Indian spice.When I saw the turkey leg piece I was shocked.It was so huge and both myself and hubby are not fond of having turkey at all. My son picked up a packet of chicken legs pieces and thought that's was turkey.Ohhh great...let's play his way and I grab the packet without utter a word. I finshed up the lunch with store brought pumpkin pie.

Ingredients
Serving Size: 5

Green Beans Casserole

1 can Camphell's cream of Mushroom Soup
3/4 cup milk
1 cup green beans ends trimmed
1tsp black pepper powder
1tbsp minced garlic
1tbsp minced onions
1/2 packet French Fried Onions

Preparation Methods:
Preheat the oven to 350° F. In a saucepan,stir the soup and milk until smooth.Mix in the green beans,garlic,onions,pepper powder and half the French Fried Onions. Pour the mixture into a greased oven-proof dish. Bake for 30 minutes. Top with the remaining fried onions and bake for another 10 minutes or until top is browned and beans are cooked.

Mashed Potatoes

Ingredients
3 large potatoes
salt to taste
1/2 cup milk
4tbsp butter

Preparation Methods:

Add the potatoes to a large pot with enough cold water to cover them by an inch or so. Add salt and bring the water to a boil. Cook until the potatoes are tender when pierced with a knife.Drain the potatoes return them to the pot and cook the drained potatoes over low heat for a couple of minutes to evaporate some of the water still in the potato.Mashed the potatoes until fine.Add the milk and butter and blend well. Season with salt and pepper.

For the Brown Gravy:
1 packet of McCormick Brown Gravy Mix.

Preparation Methods:
Stir water gradually into the mix with whisk in a small pan. Cook on medium flame until gravy comes to a boil.Reduce the flame and simmer for few minutes. The gravy will thicken up. Pour over the mashed potatoes.
Capsicum Mint Rice

Ingredients
2 cups rice
1 cup finely chopped green capsicum
2tbsp finely chopped mint leaves
1/4 cup finely chopped onions
1tbsp minced garlic
2tbsp ghee
salt and pepper to taste.

Preparation Methods:
Heat a wok with ghee and saute all the ingredients for about 10 minutes under a low flame. Transfer to rice cooker with 3.5 cups of water and cook.

Grilled Chicken Leg Piece

Ingredients
5 chicken leg pieces

To be pounded finely:
3 garlic cloves
a small ginger
1tbsp sun-dried tomatoes
1tbsp chillie powder
1tsp garam masala
1tsp mustard seeds
1/2tsp turmeric powder
1tsp fennel seeds
salt and pepper
2tbsp olive oil
salt to taste
2tbsp curd

Rub the chicken legs with the finely pounded ingredients and the curd. Prepare the chicken in advance and refrigerate it.

1 cup roughly chopped onions
1/2 cup cherry tomatoes
1 green capsicum diced
chopped coriander leaves
chopped spring onions
1tsp meat masala powder.

Preparation Methods:

Preheat the oven to 450° F. Arrange the chicken leg pieces on a greased try and cook for about 15 minutes on each side blasting with olive oil. In a wok add 1tbsp oil and saute the onions,tomatoes ,capsicum and meat masala until tender. Add the chicken and mix well. Adjust the level of salt. Add the chopped coriander and spring onions. Give a toss and plate it.