The day after: feeling lumpy.

Thanksgiving this year was one of the best I ever remember. There were only 4 of us in a tiny studio apartment, with minimal cooking space, but we created a great meal. I brought butternut squash and acorn squash, made mac and cheese and brought a huge pot of greens. Bill deep fried a turkey and baked a ham and also brought a big pot of greens. Theresa brought some AMAZING scalloped green tomatoes. Jerry made ice. Well, he planned on making ice but his ice tray leaked so he had to buy it.

I ate way too much, accepting that it was a holiday and it would be okay for one day. I had to put on my jeans and belt this morning to go do some heavy, dirty moving and I was worried about that belt. I expected to have to move the notch over one and I was right. I was just wrong about which direction!!! Smaller again in spite of the holiday meal. I love this non-diet diet.

My greens were fabulous and fine if you eat naked, not if you eat low fat. I had very little of the mac and cheese because I had used regular pasta. Next time it will be with organic pasta I make myself.

Here are all my recipes.

Squashed Squash.

1 butternut squash
1 acorn squash
1/2 cup butter
1/4 cup organic honey

Cut the squash into large chunks and remove seeds. Place in a large baking pan and cover with foil. Add a little water to the pan and bake for an hour at 350 or until easily poked with a fork. Peel and put squash in a food processor. Add butter and honey. Blend until desired smoothness.

Greens.

12 oz applewood smoked, nitrite free bacon
3 bunches collard greens, cut into 2" pieces
3 cups chicken stock
1 large onion
red pepper flakes
1 tsp salt
1 tsp pepper

Cook bacon almost crisp. Remove from pan and crumble. Dice onion and add to hot bacon fat. Add collard greens and saute until they wilt. Pour all ingredients into a 5 qt. stock pot and simmer 45 minutes or until greens are tender.

Mac and Cheese

1/2 lb butter (two sticks)
1/2 cup flour
2 shallots, minced
5 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 gallon milk
1/4 tsp white pepper, black pepper and red pepper (or more to taste)
1/2 tsp sweet smoked Spanish paprika (optional)
1 tsp salt (you can always add more if you like, but the bacon is salty and the cheese is salty)
3/4 lb applewood smoked, no nitrite bacon, cooked and crumbled.
2 lbs grated cheese of your choice (I like pecorino and romano, or smoked gouda, or Jarlsberg)
2 lbs dried pasta or 3 lbs fresh, cooked. (Use a shaped pasta rather than elbow macaroni. there are more crevices for the cheese sauce to fill.)

Melt butter in 5 qt stock pot. Add shallots and garlic. Saute until translucent. Add flour, salt and peppers and stir. Let simmer five minutes. Add milk and stir continuously until thickened. Add cheese and stir until melted. Stir in bacon.
I added the bacon fat from this bacon to the greens pot too. It was awesome.