Thanksgiving? Already?

Is anyone out there like me and cannot even believe Thanksgiving is next week?! Ahh! It seems like Halloween was yesterday.  I used to think Thanksgiving was my favorite holiday when my mom cooked the meal. Just lots of food and lazing around. What could be better? Of course, only now do I realize how hard my poor mom worked. Now that I'm too far from my family and I make the meal, I still love Thanksgiving but in a totally different way. I love the challenge of roasting the perfect bird and making the mashed potatoes creamy. I will admit, I do get into it. Anyway, if you've never made the turkey before or if you want to try a new recipe, here is the one I use. Its Martha Stewart's Perfect Roast Turkey and its never failed me. And maybe instead of opening a can of cranberry sauce you could try this cranberry chutney recipe. I made it last year and it was yummy. Too bad I still don't know how to make gravy! Do you have any Thanksgiving recipes you can't live without?

Requesting Recipes

I just got a request from Cassie
"...calling for healthy recipes that the whole family will love....and especially the little people. I would love to get some new recipes that others use or recipe blogs they might follow. I need some fresh recipes to work from. I feel mine are getting a little over done."
OK-now some of you might not want to actually get out of your chair to get a recipe to type but I think you should. If we all do it we can have a bunch of recipes on here. I know I can use some fun new recipes and I bet you can do. So....Get up and get one! We'll be waiting right here when you get back...
Here is one I like to make. The kids like it because its "peanut butter noodles" and I like it because its quick and you can keep all the ingredients on hand.

Thai Peanut Pasta
Linquini

1 lb. cooked and cubed chicken
Pineapple chunks drained
Handful of snow peas
Sauce:
1/2 c. chicken broth
1/4 c. peanut butter
1/4 tsp. crushed red peppers
2 T lime juice
1 garlic clove
1 T soy sauce
Cook pasta, and then drain in colander. Put snow peas and chicken cooked and cubed in colander. Put back in pan and add pineapple, and add the sauce.
Sauce:
Heat chicken broth and peanut putter until PB melts. Then add other ingredients and pour on pasta. 


And here is one more that I love. Its from a Rachel Ray 30 minute meals cookbook and its perfect for the fall. (For those of you surprised that I like a chili recipe-notice there are no beans!)


Manly Man's Chili
2 Tbl corn oil
1 large onion
4 cloves of garlic, minced
1 1/2 lbs ground sirloin
Montreal steak seasoning
1/2 bottle beer (6oz) (I just use beef broth)
14 oz beef broth
6 oz tomato paste
1 1/2 Tbl chili powder
1 tsp cumin
2 oz smoky bbq sauce
2 oz hot sauce (3 Tbl)
6 oz smoked cheddar cheese

Heat oil, saute onion and garlic 3-5 minutes.
Add beef and brown. Season, add beer and reduce by half. Stir in broth, paste, chili powder, cumin, bbq sauce, hot sauce. Simmer 10 mins.
Top with fritos and green onions. 

Until I can hire a personal chef...

One thing I am so, so, so horrible at is cooking dinner. Well, really, I go through phases. Some weeks I do a meal plan and grocery shop accordingly and try really hard and make some semi-ok meals. Other times its, sadly, cereal for dinner. So I'm wondering if anybody has a good cookbook that involves 1) quick preparation, and 2) everyday ingredients? Or maybe even just one loved recipe to share?
Also, I have never tried the freezer meal thing mostly because I don't have much freezer space and I just don't know what to do. Anybody know of a good freezer meal cookbook or how-to book?
Or does anybody just have some good tips on how to actually get dinner made?