Thanksgiving involved a 5K Turkey Trot run in the morning and wonderful filled time at The Cornett's. I made my delicious Pumpkin Cupcakes. Quite a better turnout than my 2009 Thanksgiving dessert which was Eating Well's Frozen Pumpkin Mousse Pie. I think I will try my hand it again but I think having to travel with it doesn't workout so well. At any rate, we drank a LOT of wonderful wine and had a euchre tournament. I didn't win :( but came close! We also had the annual men vs. women charades game. I'm pretty sure the women won. As we usually do! Better luck next year for the men ;).
Christmas was also an exceptionally good time. We spent Christmas Day at my grandparents house in Kankakee. My grandmother made her homemade ravioli's. So so so good! We played Pit which is one of my favorite games! If you've never played, you must it's too much fun! I also made my grandmother's pistachio dessert recipe. It is my favorite dessert that she makes. It's not very low calorie but there are ways to make a lower calorie version if you choose to do so. Unfortunately, after a very successful dessert execution I forgot to bring to Christmas dinner! Whoops! :( Here is the recipe if you'd like to make it...
Noni's Pistachio Dessert
1 cup margarine
45 ritz crackers, crushed
1 qt. vanilla ice cream/Vanilla Edy's Yogurt Blends (or you can buy a half gallon and use only half)
2 reg box of pistachio pudding mix (i think each box is around 3.4 oz)
1 1/2 cups skim milk
12-16oz. container of cool whip/non fat cool whip
1 chocolate bar (for chocolate shaving)
Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. For the crust you will want to crush the ritz crackers in a bowl then mix in softened butter (i basically melted the butter in the microwave). Then spread mixture on the bottom of a 13x9 pan to make a thin crust layer. Then bake for 10 minutes. Let completely cool before adding the rest.
First, let the quart of ice cream get soft (not liquid but soft). Then in a bowl stir together (by hand) the 2 boxes of pistachio pudding mix and 1 1/2 cups milk. Then stir in the softened quart of ice cream. Then pour the mixture over the cooled crust and smooth over evenly. Place in freezer and let it get hard. It will be easier to spread the cool whip on when it is hard.
Let the cool whip soften just a little bit and after your pistachio dessert has hardened spread the cool whip (as much cool whip as desired) over the top of the dessert. Shave some chocolate from the chocolate bar on top of the dessert. You can also crumble some ritz crackers on the top if you want but you don't have to. Then refreeze until you are ready to serve. I would suggest taking it out and letting it soften just a bit before serving.
45 ritz crackers, crushed
1 qt. vanilla ice cream/Vanilla Edy's Yogurt Blends (or you can buy a half gallon and use only half)
2 reg box of pistachio pudding mix (i think each box is around 3.4 oz)
1 1/2 cups skim milk
12-16oz. container of cool whip/non fat cool whip
1 chocolate bar (for chocolate shaving)
Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. For the crust you will want to crush the ritz crackers in a bowl then mix in softened butter (i basically melted the butter in the microwave). Then spread mixture on the bottom of a 13x9 pan to make a thin crust layer. Then bake for 10 minutes. Let completely cool before adding the rest.
First, let the quart of ice cream get soft (not liquid but soft). Then in a bowl stir together (by hand) the 2 boxes of pistachio pudding mix and 1 1/2 cups milk. Then stir in the softened quart of ice cream. Then pour the mixture over the cooled crust and smooth over evenly. Place in freezer and let it get hard. It will be easier to spread the cool whip on when it is hard.
Let the cool whip soften just a little bit and after your pistachio dessert has hardened spread the cool whip (as much cool whip as desired) over the top of the dessert. Shave some chocolate from the chocolate bar on top of the dessert. You can also crumble some ritz crackers on the top if you want but you don't have to. Then refreeze until you are ready to serve. I would suggest taking it out and letting it soften just a bit before serving.
Buon appetito!
Speaking of Noni (my grandmother)....side note Nonni in italian actually refers to grandparents but in my family we have always called my grandmother Noni. At any rate, I received this Christmas one of the best gifts one can receive. I received a few family heirlooms that I will treasure for the rest of my life and hopefully will pass on to my children. First, there is the sewn handkerchief that my great grandmother, or "Big Gram" as we called her, made. I was lucky to have had her there for a large duration of my life. She lived a long and healthy life. She died at the age of 97. The locket on the far left was also my great grandmother's. Apparently it was worn by ladies in the late 1800's, early 1900's. They would place a piece of cotton doused with their favorite perfume and placed inside. The locket in the middle which allows for pictures on the inside was also my great grandmother's. She used to wear it all the time before she passed. Lastly, on the far right was my great, great grandfather's. My grandmother told me it is a watch fob. I'm not sure if it is more of a men's locket as it does not have a watch in it or if it was something that was attached to a watch fob. At any rate, I feel quite honored that they were given to me and will treasure them for years to come.
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| Eckhardt Family Heirlooms |
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