Our Thanksgiving trip

We got back from our wonderful trip to Branson for Thanksgiving Sunday evening.  Had a great time...the weather was perfect, altho my son was wishing for colder weather we still lit the fireplace almost every night.   We just enjoyed relaxing at the condo on Thursday after a turkey dinner and played a few games of cards. My daughter and I did make a quick trip down to the Landing and watched a brief water show and drove up the strip to look at all the Christmas lights.  On Friday we went to Silver Dollar City and it was beautiful as always, especially after dark all the Christmas lights are just breathtaking.  Saturday was a another lazy day around the condo with more card games...that new game we learned was fun!   We headed out in the late afternoon to explore.  Our children went downtown and Hub and I went to the Imax and looked around, then stopped by Danna's BBQ for takeout.  I did get by the Grand Village and stopped into one of my favorite shops there, the Mulberry Mill, for some dip mixes.  We have been going to Branson for Thanksgiving for a few years now and have seen all this before, but it never gets old for me.  This is the best way I know to get into the Christmas spirit!

Here is a favorite recipe that I got years ago from my mother.  You can use some of your leftover turkey (or a roasted deli chicken) for this and make some broth with just water and chicken base to cook your spaghetti in.  This is probably my favorite casserole. 

CHICKEN SPAGHETTI

1 large chicken, cooked

1 quart chicken broth

12 oz spaghetti

large onion, chopped

large green bell pepper, chopped

1 stick butter or margarine

1 small can mushrooms, chopped

1 can cream of mushroom soup

1 soup can milk

1 lb Velveeta

salt and pepper to taste

Cook chicken until done.  Remove chicken and when it is cool, take meat off bones.  Saute the chopped onion and green pepper in the butter or oleo.  Cook spaghetti in the broth and when done, stir in the cheese (which I cut up in pieces first), a soup can of milk, salt and pepper while the spaghetti and broth is still hot.  Stir gently a few times while the cheese is melting.  Add the mushrooms and the sauted onion and pepper, and lastly the small pieces of chicken.  Mix well and pour into a large (9 x 13) casserole.  Bake in a 350 degree oven for about 20 minutes.   (You might want to divide this into 2 smaller casseroles so you have one to freeze.) 

Until next time...