Thanksgiving Leftovers & Skillet Asparagus

Happy Monday!!!

The biggest dinner of the year has come and gone.  Well, not completely gone.  We had a ton of leftovers that we are still working on. Thanksgiving dinner ended up being a small affair at our house (just me and Mr. Foodie to be exact) although I made enough food to feed about 20 folks.  A couple of friends did come over for dessert to help put a dent in some of the sweets (red velvet cake, sweet potato pie and sweet potato cheesecake *recipe coming soon).

Mr. Foodie joked with me that I was cooking like I had a catering event.  I couldn't quite help myself though.  I just got all excited and kept thinking about all the food I was supposed to eat on Thanksgiving and being very determined to have it despite my mother not being there.

On the menu:
Honeybaked Ham and Turkey (I have been addicted to honeybaked ham since I was a kid and certainly was not ready to cook a whole bird.  I never eat the turkey anyway)
Cornbread Dressing
Collard Greens (my mom sent them via fed-ex because there is nothing like her greens...I mean nothing)
Cream Style Corn
Two kinds of Mac and Cheese, traditional and three cheese with mushrooms and truffle oil
Mashed Potatoes
Skillet Asparagus

That's what my first plate looked like. And I'm not ashamed to say there were a few variations like this for the rest of the day. In fact the entire weekend.  There were a couple of things that were missing, like the sweet potato casserole and string beans.  But I just ran out of time.  Mr. Foodie and I were HUNGRY.  So I'm sure they will appear on the meal plan this coming week. All in all, I was pretty delighted with how the day turned out.  I have to pat myself on the back and say the food was spectacular, which I guess is one reason I'm not tired of leftovers yet.

One unlikely addition to our Thanksgiving dinner that I wanted to share with you quickly was asparagus. 

In planning the menu, I realized I needed more veggies to offset all the starches. Since we are fans of asparagus, I decided to try this recipe from famed chefs and cookbook authors Edna Lewis and Scott Peacock.  This was a quick and delicious recipe that left the asparagus crisp and bright green in color.  I usually steam asparagus and then add flavor (butter and salt) after they're cooked. But this method allows the asparagus to become infused with flavor during the cooking process. Sooo good. If you're looking for a simple side dish, please give this a try.  This is now going to be my default method for cooking asparagus.  

Skillet Asparagus (serves 2-3)
Printable Recipe

1 lb asparagus
1 tablespoon butter
salt and pepper to taste

Rinse the asapargus in cold water and trim off the tough ends (1 1/2-2 inch). Melt the butter in a heavy bottomed skillet with a tight fitting lid.  As the butter becomes hot and starts to foam, place the asapargus in the skillet.  Shake the skillet from side to side to coat the asparagus in the butter.  Cover tightly and cook over medium heat for 3 minutes.  Check the asparagus and turn them as needed to make sure the asparagus is cooked evenly and doesn't burn.  Cook approximately 3 minutes longer, until the asparagus are tender and bright green.  Season to taste with salt and pepper.   Serve hot.


adapted from The Gift of Southern Cooking