This Thursday is what has become my very favorite holiday: Thanksgiving. My brand-new sister-in-law and my brother are hosting this year, which means I don’t have to touch the turkey until it’s ready to be eaten. That automatically makes it an awesome Thanksgiving.

This will be the first holiday in something like 26 years that I’ve spent with my mom and my dad. I’m 98% certain it’ll be fine. We shall see. Whatever happens, you can be certain that I’ll dedicate my first bite of turkey to Chris.

Monday: Spaghetti
Tuesday: Butternut squash ravioli, probably
Wednesday: Not sure
Thursday: Turkey! Mashed Potatoes! Sweet Potatoes! Etc!
Friday: Pizza.

This was Amy’s week to pick our Recipe Roulette meal. She chose this dish from Real Simple:

Cuban Braised Beef and Peppers
1 28-ounce can diced tomatoes, drained
2 red bell peppers, sliced 1/2 inch thick
1 onion, cut into 8 wedges
2 teaspoons dried oregano
1 teaspoon ground cumin
Kosher salt and black pepper
1 1/2 pounds flank steak, cut crosswise into thirds
1 cup long-grain white rice
1 avocado, sliced
1/4 cup fresh cilantro leaves

In a 5 to 6 quart slow cooker, combine the tomatoes, bell peppers, onion, oregano, cumin, 1 1/2 teaspoons salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Nestle the steak among the vegetables. Cook, covered, until the meat is tender and pulls apart easily, on high for 4 to 5 hours or low for 7 to 8 hours.

Twenty-five minutes before serving, cook the rice according to the package directions.

Using two forks, shred the beef and mix it into the cooking liquid.

Serve with the rice and top with the avacado and cilantro.

It was a very simple meal to make, but it left me wanting some flavor. Rockford called it “food-brand food,” and that’s pretty much what it was. It tasted mainly of the canned tomato. And guess who doesn’t care for tomatoes? Me. So this one won’t be making a return appearance at our table.

Amy and I are both trying to eat healthier these days, so we’ve both joined Weight Watchers. So our Recipe Roulette picks should be a little better for us from here on out!

Our dish for this week was based on a lamb kheema from Gina’s WW Recipes. I didn’t really want to use lamb, though, so I used ground turkey instead. I also didn’t have any cumin, so I left that out. I used lettuce leaves to make little kheema lettuce wraps.

I was a bit leery of this one at first. One of the things I don’t love about ground turkey is its color, but the spices in the kheema made the meat a rich, dark brown. The dish had a really lovely, deep and spicy flavor. I liked this so much, in fact, that we’re going to have it again this week!

Monday: Spaghetti
Tuesday: Quesadillas
Wednesday: Crabby Patties
Thursday: Turkey kheema
Friday: Pizza

Lamb Kheema with Peas
from Gina’s Weight Watcher Recipes
1 large onion, minced
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 teaspoon ginger, chopped (Note: I just realized I forgot to add this!)
1 tablespoon butter or ghee
1 pound lean ground lamb shoulder (Note: I used ground turkey)
1 teaspoon coriander
1 teaspoon cumin
1 teaspoon chili powder
1 teaspoon turmeric
1 teaspoon garam masala
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 cup frozen peas
1 chili pepper, minced (or more to taste) (I omitted this altogether, because I was being lazy)
2 tablespoons fresh cilantro, chopped
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/4 cup tomato sauce
1 bay leaf
salt and fresh pepper

In a large saute pan, heat ghee or butter and onions on medium heat. Cook about 8 minutes. Add garlic and cook another 2 minutes.

Add ground meat to pan and brown. Season with salt, pepper, cumin, coriander, cayenne, chili powder, turmeric, garam masala and cinnamon. Stir well. Add chopped chili pepper, cilantro, bay leaf, tomato sauce and 1/2 cup of water. Reduce heat to low and cover. Simmer about 15 minutes. Add frozen peas and simmer covered another 5-10 minutes.