Cinnamon Streusel Pumpkin Pie

I made a pie the other day. A pumpkin pie. A cinnamon streusel pumpkin pie. Just out of the blue, for no reason other than the fact that I wanted a damn pumpkin pie. Well, I guess last Monday was National Pie Day so I was kind of inspired to bake a pie because of that. And I've also been craving a pumpkin pie since I didn't make one for the holidays this year. And ever since Ron had a bite last time and "realized what he'd been missing out on" (his words) I've wanted pumpkin pie. So, I guess there were reasons.

I'd mentioned in the previous post about our recent vacation-mode eating. I'm pretty sure I can pinpoint the culprit. I'm currently studying for the bar exam. In other words, I'm a total stressball. The bar exam is the test, after you receive your J.D., to become a licensed attorney. It is two days long, full of essays and tough-as-hell multiple choice questions, and tests your knowledge in various areas of the law. For the Minnesota exam, the test-takers are responsible for thirteen areas of law. I've been "studying" for about 3 weeks now. There are less than 4 weeks remaining until exam day. And, well, I had my first freak-out session the other night. It wasn't a big freak-out. I expect that they will continue to grow in duration and size. But it did involve chucking a large book across the room and swearing loudly. Ron looked at me and said "Well, I'm surprised it's lasted this long." I suppose I had been relatively calm leading up to that point. But I started on the multiple choice questions, feeling confident, and subsequently missed 50% of them. Hence, the flying book.

Now, I've heard from multiple people that this is normal. But I still sent a sanity check email to my friend Colette. She and I have similar study behaviors and habits and I knew she'd calm me down. She did. Thank you, Cole! And thank you for reassuring me that getting even 50% of these questions correct is okay. I realized that a lot of my annoyance was because I wasn't studying for myself, but for the BarBri schedule. And this simply does not work for me. I have never been a person who studied in the "traditional" sense and excelled. So now is not the time to try and do somebody else's thing. I've learned what works for me and what doesn't. So, I decided to switch gears on my study schedule and move forward with what I know works for my learning style. What does not work? Listening to offensive and annoying lecturers. What does work? Condensing the material in my own words so I can recite the entire area of tort law from memory as I walk around the neighborhood, attracting interesting looks as I audibly say things like "If a giant vat of flour falls on your head, use res ipsa loquitur because the thing speaks for itself!!" Weird. I know. But it works.

So, to combat some stress, I turned to baking. But I opted for a "light" recipe and an easy recipe that used pre-made crust (to avoid having dough meltdown). This pumpkin pie was so easy to throw together and seriously, it was the best pumpkin pie I've ever had. It was just so good. It was an interesting take on your usual pumpkin pie with the streusel on top. I enjoyed the extra crunch. We thoroughly enjoyed it. And I'll use it as my pumpkin pie recipe of choice from here on out.

Cinnamon Streusel Pumpkin Pie
from Cooking Light
Yield: 12 servings
Ingredients

• 3/4 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1/4 tsp ground allspice
• 1/4 tsp ground ginger
• 1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
• 1/4 tsp ground cloves
• 2 large eggs
• 1 (15-ounce) can unsweetened pumpkin
• 1 (14-ounce) can fat-free sweetened condensed milk
• 1/2 (15-ounce) package refrigerated pie dough (such as Pillsbury)
• 1/3 cup all-purpose flour (about 1 1/2 ounces)
• 1/3 cup packed dark brown sugar
• 1/4 cup regular oats
• 1/4 cup chopped pecans
• 3/4 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1/8 tsp ground ginger
• 2 Tbsp chilled unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
• 2-3 tsp water

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
2. To prepare filling, combine first 8 ingredients (cinnamon through condensed milk) in a large bowl; stir with a whisk.
3. To prepare crust, roll dough to an 11-inch circle. Fit dough into a 9-inch pie plate coated with cooking spray. Fold edges under; flute.
4. To prepare streusel, lightly spoon flour into a dry measuring cup; level with a knife. Combine flour and next 5 ingredients (through 1/8 tsp ginger) in a bowl. Cut in butter with a fork until crumbly. Sprinkle with water, tossing with a fork just until lightly moistened.
5. Pour pumpkin mixture into crust; sprinkle with streusel. Place pie on a baking sheet. Bake at 375 degrees for 50 minutes or until a knife inserted in center comes out clean. Remove from baking sheet; cool completely on a wire rack.

Oreo Peanut Butter Pie

Merry Christmas! Happy Holidays! Happy Hannukah! Happy Christmas! I hope that you all had a wonderfully, beautiful holiday with your loved ones. I know I certainly did.

It has been a crazy, crazy few months. But I can honestly say that my recent trip back to Pittsburgh was the absolute best holiday and happiest that I have ever been. I was still stuck in finals mode upon arriving in Pittsburgh (small moment to again apologize to my parents for getting a glimpse of "Finals Ashley" who exploded into a combustion of tears, shouts, and total insanity. . . and small moment to again commend my now-husband for patiently putting up with all of those tears, shouts, and total insanity for 3.5 years) so the trip didn't quite start off on the right foot. But then we had a wonderful day at the spa and when the big day finally arrived, I was happy. Truly, truly happy. And that's how a bride should feel on her wedding day! After 8 years, you'd think that I wouldn't have been as emotional as I was. But I was. Ron is the most amazing person. I am incredibly blessed and I thank my lucky stars every day that I found such a wonderful man to spend my life with. We spent Friday, December 23 celebrating the 8 years we've shared together (complete with a few jokes, like the Minister who began the ceremony "We are gathered here today to celebrate the love of two people who have clearly rushed into things") in the most magical, Disney-princess like celebration of all time. But most importantly, we spent the evening with our families, the people who matter most to us in this world.

Then we spent Christmas Eve with our families combined, watching the Steelers with the family and some friends, and eating fantastic food. My mom works tirelessly to make our lives amazing and she pulls out all of the stops for the holidays. The entire family hadn't been together for Christmas in five years. And she had a household full of her family and two new sons. It was a wonderful trip... and I have to thank her for the majority of it! Yesterday, Ron and I flew back to Seattle with a calm feeling of comfort. And now, I have a few days to hang out in Seattle - doing things involving minimal brain activity - before I depart to Minnesota for a one-week J-Term course. Then, I get to fly down to Orlando immediately after it ends to participate in Disney marathon weekend with Ron and to spend a week drinking Butterbeer on Universal property and running from ride to ride over at the Disney parks.

Another positive, I've been cooking and baking again. And it feels good. I never realized the pressure I put on myself to find new recipes until these past few months, when I lost some interest and stopped tagging 100 recipes per day. Fortunately, I think I've found a healthy medium so I'm back to happily cooking and baking. I made this pie for our Christmas Eve dessert... and I think people were pretty happy with it. I first saw posts for Peanut Butter Pie several months ago, after the blogging community united to make one in remembrance of a friend's husband had recently passed away. It was such a sweet touch and it was remarkable to see hundreds of people from across the country - many only friends through the Internet - help Jennifer in her time of need. I heard again about Peanut Butter Pie from my friend, Jamie, who made one shortly after trying it during their Thanksgiving dinner. I was intrigued by said Peanut Butter Pie so I decided that it would be served for our dessert this Christmas. And wow. It is incredible. It tastes like a creamy Reese's Peanut Butter Cup. If you really want to impress, buy all of these super healthy-for-you ingredients and mix this up before your next gathering.

Oreo Peanut Butter Pie
from Lighter and Local made "For Mikey"
Yield: 1 pie
Ingredients

• 8 ounces Oreo cookies
• 4 Tbsp butter, melted
• 4 ounces semi-sweet chocolate chips, melted
• 1/4 cup chopped peanuts
• 1 cup heavy cream
• 8 ounces cream cheese, softened
• 1 cup creamy peanut butter
• 1 cup confectioners' sugar
• 1 14-ounce can sweetened condensed milk
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 tsp freshly squeezed lemon juice
• crumbled oreos, chopped peanuts, chopped pretzels for garnish, optional

Instructions

1. Pulverize the Oreos in a food process until fine.
2. Combine melted butter and finely ground Oreos in a small bowl; stir with a fork to mix well and press mixture into the bottom of a buttered springform pan.
3. Pour the melted chocolate over the bottom of the cookie crust. Sprinkle the chopped peanut on top. Put pan in the fridge while you make the filling.
4. Pour the heavy cream into a large bowl and beat until stiff peaks form. Transfer to a smaller bowl and place in fridge while you prepare the rest of the filling.
5. In bowl, beat cream cheese and peanut butter until light and fluffy. Reduce mixer to low and gradually beat in confectioners' sugar. Add the sweetened condensed milk, vanilla extract, and lemon juice. Beat until all ingredients are combined and filling is smooth.
6. Take 1/3rd of the whipped cream into the filling mixture. Once filling is light, fold in remaining whipped cream. 
7. Pour the mixture into the springform pan. Sprinkle garnish over top, if using. Cover and place pie in fridge for three hours or overnight before serving. Enjoy!

Sweet Potato Casserole

It's well after the holidays now, but this holiday recipe is one that deserves sharing!  It was a delicious take on a sweet potato casserole that paired nicely with some Christmas turkey.  I highly recommending indulging in it, just for the day.  I only used about 1/2 of the butter that the recipe called for, but I still thought it tasted great and no one knew any different.  Keep it saved for next year and be sure to try it out!  Note:  The original recipe calls for pumpkin pie spice.  A small jar of pumpkin pie spice costs about $5.  Unless you make muffins or bread with it throughout the year, it's rarely used except for around December.  So, I substituted cinnamon and it worked just fine.

Sweet Potato Casserole
from McCormick
Ingredients

• 1 can (15 1/2 ounces) crushed pineapple
• 4 cups mashed sweet potatoes
• I used about 4 large sweet potatoes (yams are fine, but avoid using the canned yams because they already contain a lot of sugar).  Pierce potatoes with a fork and place on paper towel.  Microwave on high for about 10 minutes until potatoes are tender.  Let cool for a few minutes until you can handle the potato without burning your hand and remove potato skins.  For some added nutritional benefits, you can leave some of the peel on, but given the rest of the ingredients, it's probably not worth it.  :)  Mash potatoes until you get 4 cups.
• 1/4 cup granulated sugar
• 2 Tbsp butter, melted
• 1 Tbsp pure vanilla extract
• 2 tsp pumpkin pie spice (or cinnamon), divided
• 1/2 cup firmly packed brown sugar
• 1/4 cup (1/2 stick) butter
• 1/2 cup chopped pecans or walnuts

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.  Drain pineapple, reserving 1/4 cup juice.  Mix reserved juice with sweet potatoes, granulated sugar, 2 Tbsp melted butter, vanilla and 1 tsp of the pumpkin pie spice (or cinnamon).  Pour into lightly greased 2-quart baking dish.  Top with crushed pineapple.
2. Mix brown sugar, 1/4 cup butter and remaining 1 tsp pumpkin pie spice (or cinnamon) in a small saucepan.  Cook and stir on medium heat just until sugar dissolves.  Stir in nuts.  Spoon over sweet potato and pineapple mixture.
3. Bake 35-40 minutes or until lightly browned and heated through.

Maple-Hazelnut Sweet Potatoes and Butternut Squash Biscuits

I thought about posting these separately, but decided that they deserve to be together because they were so awesome together!  Don't tell Ron, but I really didn't eat much of the steak from the other night.  Don't get me wrong; it was absolutely delicious.  However, I filled up on my fair share of these biscuits and sweet potatoes.  I love mashing my food together and in lieu of butter, I spread sweet potatoes on my biscuit and it totally rocked.

These are two really quick and easy sides that would work very well with a holiday meal or whenever you want something to take a notch up from your traditional mashed potatoes.  The preparation is so simple for both.  For the potatoes, I chose the quick and easy route because it utilizes the microwave.  During the holidays, so many kitchen appliances are in use and so many sides are occupying your stovetop.  These sweet potatoes don't require oven baking or stovetop boiling.  They can easily be prepared within 20 minutes of setting your table.  Plus, they are so delicious!  I love butternut squash so I wanted to try and incorporate some into the meal.  I cut a Dorie recipe for sweet potato biscuits in half and substituted the squash in equal parts.  Yum!  I opted out of rolling out my biscuits, so they don't exactly look like the beautiful buttery discs that normally grace one's table.  Instead, I grabbed my large cookie scoop and started splatting biscuit dough on a parchment lined baking sheet.  Hey, whatever works, right?
Maple-Hazelnut Sweet Potatoes
Cooking Light
Yield:  4 servings
Ingredients

• 2 x (8 ounce) sweet potatoes
• 1/4 cup low-fat milk
• 2 Tbsp butter
• 1 Tbsp pure maple syrup
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 2 Tbsp chopped blanched hazelnuts

Instructions

1. Pierce sweet potatoes with a fork; place on a layer of paper towels in the microwave.  Microwave on high for 10 minutes or until tender; let stand for 5 minutes.
2. Peel potatoes and discard skins.
3. Place potatoes in a bowl; mash with a potato masher to desired consistency.
4. Add milk, butter, maple syrup, and salt; stir until well-combined.
5. Top with chopped hazelnuts.

Butternut Squash Biscuits

adapted from Dorie Greenspan, Baking: From My Home to Yours

Yield:  9 biscuits

Ingredients

• 1 cup AP flour
• 3/4 cup WW flour
• 2 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp baking soda
• 8 Tbsp (1 stick) butter, cold and cut in pieces
• 3/4 cup butternut squash puree (fresh or from a can)
• When puree'ing my squash after baking it in the oven, I added some pure maple syrup to my food processor.
• 1/3 cup buttermilk
• 1 Tbsp heavy cream (optional)

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees.
2. In a bowl, combine the flours, baking powder, salt, and baking soda.
3. With a pastry blender, cut in butter until mixture resembles coarse crumbs.
4. In separate bowl, whisk together the butternut squash and buttermilk.
5. Pour liquid ingredients into dry buttery mixture and mix just until moistened.  
6. Knead 8-10 times.
7. Roll dough to a 1-inch thickness and cut with a biscuit cutter.
8. Place biscuits 1 inch apart on a greased baking sheet or a sheet lined with parchment paper.
9. If desired, brush biscuits with heavy cream.
10. Bake at 425 degrees F until biscuits are golden brown.
11. Serve warm with butter (or sweet potatoes).

Roasted Cumin Crusted New York Strip with Buttery Lemon Broccolini

I'm sure that Ron was thrilled when I hung the weekly menu on the fridge.  Nevermind the freezing snow/sleet/rain that was in the forecast, a steak was listed on paper, ready for preparation, and requiring an outdoor grill.  I did ask ahead of time if he wanted to grill in the 20 degree weather, because I was more than willing to broil the steaks or use the grill pan. but Ron wanted to rough it I guess.  Plus, I request red meat so infrequently that I don't think he'd care if I requested it in the middle of January.

I had been preparing the menu for the week of Thanksgiving and knew that I wanted to try some harvest flavors and side dishes.  McCormick recently launched a new line of seasonings and advertisements were popping up in all of my food magazines.  This one caught my eye and I wanted to try it out.  This steak rub was amazing.  It was the first time that I ever had a steak in which I did not enlist the help of steak sauce.  The rub cakes on the steak and forms a crust (hence the title) that is spicy and sweet.  With the lemony broccolini, it was a mixture of the best flavors.  All of the sides that I prepared were pretty quick and easy to whip up.  So, the meal that looked like it took a decent amount of time to prepare actually only took about 1 hour or so.  I served this with some maple-hazelnut sweet potatoes and butternut squash biscuits.  The entire meal was delightful.  The recipes for the sweet potatoes and butternut squash biscuits will be posted later this week.

Roasted Cumin Crusted New York Strip

McCormick
Yield:  4 servings
Ingredients

• 1 Tbsp brown sugar
• 1 Tbsp McCormick Roasted Ground Cumin
• 1 tsp oregano leaves
• 1 tsp sea salt
• 1/2 tsp garlic powder
• 1/4 tsp ground cayenne red pepper
• 1 lb. boneless beef sirloin or New York Strip steaks (about 3/4 inch thick)

Instructions

1. Mix first 6 ingredients.  Brush steaks lightly with oil.  Rub spice mixture on both sides of steak.  Refrigerate at least 30 minutes.
2. Grill steaks over medium-high heat 6-8 minutes per side or until desired doneness. 

Buttery Lemon Broccolini
Cooking Light
Yield:  8 servings
Ingredients

• 4 quarts water
• 2 1/2 tsp salt, divided
• 4 (6-ounce) packages Broccolini
• 2 Tbsp butter, softened
• 1 tsp grated lemon rind
• 1 Tbsp fresh lemon juice
• 1/4 tsp black pepper

Instructions

1. Bring water to a boil in a large sauce pan; add 2 tsp salt.  Cook broccolini in batches for 5 minutes; remove with a slotted spoon.  Drain.
2. Combine butter, rind, and juice, stirring with a fork until well blended.  Return broccolini to pan over medium-high heat; stir in butter mixture, remaining 1/2 tsp salt, and pepper, tossing gently to coat.

Thanksgiving Dinner 2009

Notice the effing cranberry sauce is missing.  Grrr... What is the point of cranberry sauce.  It is ALWAYS missing from the table.  Somehow, it is ALWAYS forgotten.  I think I am about 0-26 with cranberry sauce and Thanksgiving dinner tables.  I guess I thought it would've been different this year because I made it myself!  Guess not.  :(

This is the first holiday I've ever spent away from my family.  It makes me sad and I am counting down the days when I can see the family again.  I miss everyone so much.  :(  I can't wait to head back east after school so we can see family on a more consistent basis.  Even a 6-hour drive wouldn't be so bad.

So, Ron and I tried to make the best of the situation with our own mini-family we have here out in Minnesota.   We began the day with our own mini-10k run (6.2 miles, but we ran 7.5 instead).  I'm so proud of him (and my dad) for how much they have improved with their fitness levels.  Then, I studied for nearly the entire day and Ron either: 1) watched football, 2) played video games, or 3) watched a movie/tv.

The Thanksgiving menu was relatively stress-free.  I made the cranberry sauce and prepared the potatoes yesterday.  Everything else will take about an hour or so to prepare. 

I have also made the pumpkin butter for the maple cinnamon biscuits.  See the recipe for pumpkin butter here.


Maple Cinnamon Biscuits 
adapted from Maple n' Cornbread

Ingredients

• 2 cups flour (soft wheat works nice, eg: White Lily)
• 3 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp sea salt
• 1 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
• 1 tbsp brown sugar
• 1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, frozen for 30 minutes
• 1/4 cup pure maple syrup
• 3/4 cup cream or milk

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 450 degrees F.
2. In a large bowl combine all of the dry ingredients. 
3. Grate the butter into the flour mixture. 
4. Mix until mealy. 
5. Stir together the cream and maple syrup. 
6. Add to the dry mixture, folding only until moistened.  (Do not over mix or you will end up with heavy and dense biscuits)
7. Place the dough on a floured surface. 
8. Sprinkle with a bit of flour. 
9. Gently form a 1 inch thick disc. 
10. Using a biscuit cutter, dip in flour and then cut dough. 
11. Place on a ungreased baking sheet, spacing each a few inches apart. 
12. Bake for 12 to 15 minutes until golden. 
13. Remove from oven and let cool on wire rack. 

These are best the day made or the following day slightly warmed in the microwave.  Store in an air tight container or bag once completely cooled.  Makes 8 to 10 biscuits depending on size cut.

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Cranberry Sauce with Apple and Sage
adapted from Delicious Living
Yield:  Makes 1 2/3 cup

Did you know that cranberries sound like they are going to explode while you are cooking them?  I was terrified of the pot exploding!

Ingredients

• 1 12-ounce package fresh cranberries
• 1/2 cup thawed apple juice concentrate
• 1/3 cup water
• 2 tablespoons honey (preferably orange blossom)
• 1 teaspon minced fresh sage
• Pinch of Salt 

Directions

1. Put cranberries, apple juice concentrate, and water into a medium saucepan.
2. Bring to a boil, then cover and simmer until cranberries burst and mixture is thickened a bit, 5-6 minutes.
3. Stir in honey, sage, and salt.
4. Serve chilled or at room temperature.

Serving Size (1/4 cup):  77 cal, 2% fat cal, 0g fat, 0g sat fat, 0mg chol, 0g protein, 20g carb, 2g fiber, 30mg sodium 

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Maple-Pecan Sweet Potatoes
adapted from Cooking Light  
 Yield: 8 servings (serving size: 1/2 cup)

Ingredients

• 2 3/4 pounds sweet potatoes*
• 1/4 cup half-and-half
• 3  tablespoons butter, melted
• 3  tablespoons maple syrup (use the food stuff)
  
• 1  teaspoon kosher salt
• 1/2  teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 1/4  teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/4  teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/8  teaspoon ground allspice
• 1  large egg, lightly beaten
• Cooking spray
• 1/2  cup mini-marshmallows
• 2  tablespoons chopped pecans

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 400°.
2. Pierce potatoes several times with a fork; place on a foil-lined baking sheet. 
3. Bake at 400° for 1 hour or until tender. 
4. Cool slightly; peel and mash in a large bowl.
5. Reduce oven temperature to 350°.
6. Stir half-and-half and the next 8 ingredients (through egg) into sweet potatoes. 
7. Spoon mixture into a 2-quart baking dish coated with cooking spray. 
8. Bake at 350° for 15 minutes. 
9. Sprinkle the top with mini-marshmallows and chopped pecans; bake 12 minutes or until the mini-marshmallows are slightly melted. 
10. Serve immediately.

This recipe is convenient because you can make this dish up to two days ahead.  This is what I did!  To do so, bake the potatoes and assemble the ingredients (through the egg).  Then refrigerate and bake at 350 degrees just before serving.

*The great yam v. sweet potato debate.  I purchased 'sweet potatoes' and not 'yams' because the recipe called for 'sweet potatoes' and Byerly's had them labeled side-by-side.  However, my mashed mixture does not resemble their picture.  I'm not quite sure if this is because yams are frequently referred to as sweet potatoes, so most stores/recipes generally label a 'yam' as a 'sweet potato' to avoid confusion, or if its the other way around.  However, my recipe does not have the orange like the recipe picture.  So, who the heck knows.

Nutritional Information:  Calories 185, Fat: 7.3g (sat 3.6g,mono 2.1g,poly 0.7g), Protein: 3.2g, Carbohydrate:  28g, Fiber: 3.4g, Cholesterol: 41mg, Iron: 1mg, Sodium: 315mg, Calcium: 57mg

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Vegetable Medley with Creamy Parmesan Sauce

Adapted from Pillsbury

Yield:  6 servings (1/2 cup vegetables and about 2 tablespoons of sauce)

Ingredients:  

•  1 bag (1 lb) frozen broccoli, carrots and cauliflower
• 2 oz 1/3-less-fat cream cheese (Neufchatel)
• 1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
• 1/3 cup milk
• Fresh basil, options
  

Directions:

1. Cook vegetables as directed on bag; drain and keep warm.
2. Meanwhile, in 1-quart saucepan, heat cream cheese, Parmesan cheese and milk over medium heat, stirring constantly, until cream cheese is melted and mixture is smooth and hot.
3. Serve sauce with vegetables; sprinkle with chopped basil, if desired.

Nutrition Information per Serving:  70 calories, 35 fat calories, 4g fat (2.5 sat.), 10mg chl, 135mg sodium, 5g carb, 2g fiber, 2g sugar, 5g protein

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Slow-Cooker Turkey with Cranberry Dressing

adapted from Prevention

Yield:  8 servings

Ingredients

• 1 pkg (8 oz) herb-flavored stuffing mix (or use your own dried up bread)
• 1/2 c. hot water
• 2 tbsp butter, softened
• 1 med. onion, chopped
• 1/2 c. chopped celery
• 1/4 c. sweetened, dried cranberries
• 3 lb. boneless, skinless turkey breast
• 1/2 tsp black pepper
• 1/4 tsp dried basil

Directions:

1. Coat 5-quart or larger slow cooker with cooking spray and spread dry stuffing mix in it.
2. Add water, butter, onion, celery, and cranberries.  Mix well.
3. Sprinkle turkey breast with pepper and basil.
4. Place over stuffing mixture.
5. Cover and cook on low 5-6 hours or until turkey is no longer pink in center and still moist.

Nutrition Per Serving:  340 cal, 46g protein, 25g carb, 5g fat (2g sat.), 115mg chol, 2g fiber, 630mg sodium

Also on the menu:

• Stouffer's Macaroni and Cheese (for Ron - he claims it's some holiday tradition, but I only recall it being served for the past 3 years.  Prior to that, he never complained.  I think it's just his excuse to eat nasty frozen food on Thanksgiving day).
• Individual pumpkin pie slice (for me) and individual vanilla cake piece (for Ron), both from Kowalski's Markets.

Overall, it was a success.  I do prefer crunchier stuffing though, but this worked just fine.  The sweet potatoes were excellent!!  I definitely recommend them.  We also played some Thanksgiving trivia during our dinner.  However, I love Ron and his company, but I am looking forward to Thanksgivings with the entire family again.