World's Largest Chocolate Structure

A new Guinness World Record has been set.  Maltese master chocolatier Andrew Farrugia of Belgium unveiled the world's longest chocolate structure at Brussels Chocolate Week.  

Farrugia's creation was a detailed steam-powered locomotive, rendered in 2,755 pounds of Belgian chocolate, that stretched 111.5 feet long and took 784 hours to complete.  Farrugia explained how he thought up the concept to several press outlets:

"I had this idea for a while, and I said what do you think if we do this realization of a long chocolate train, you know, because a train you can make it as long as you like... Actually it was going to be much smaller than it was, but I kept on adding another wagon, and another wagon, and it's the size it is today."

The train's many components include seven wagons modeled after modern Belgian trains. The remaining trains recall Belgium's older train wagons, including one with a bar and restaurant.

Most of the structure was constructed in Farrugia's home country, but the world record almost wasn't -- many pieces were damaged in transit to Brussels. Farrugia managed to reconstruct the trouble spots in time for the train's debut.

Source: Huffington Post

Thanksgiving Leftovers

One of the many wonderful aspects of Thanksgiving is being able to savor the meal for days to come.  Here is a recipe that uses a whopping 4 cups of leftover turkey!

Leftover Turkey Pot Pie

Ingredients

• 2 cups frozen peas and carrots
• 2 cups frozen green beans
• 1 cup sliced celery
• 2/3 cup butter or margarine 
• 2/3 cup chopped onion
• 2/3 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon celery seed
• 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
• 1/2 teaspoon Italian seasoning
• 1 3/4 cups low-sodium chicken or vegetable broth
• 1 1/3 cups skim milk
• 4 cups cubed cooked turkey meat - light and dark meat mixed
• 4 (9-inch) unbaked pie crusts

Preparation

1. Preheat an oven to 425 degrees F.
2. Place the peas and carrots, green beans, and celery into a saucepan; cover with water, bring to a boil, and simmer over medium-low heat until the celery is tender, about 8 minutes.  Drain the vegetables in a colander set in the sink, and set aside.
3. Melt the butter in a saucepan over medium heat, and cook the onion until translucent, about 5 minutes.  Stir in 2/3 cup of flour, salt, black pepper, celery seed, onion powder, and Italian seasoning; slowly whisk in the broth and milk until the mixture comes to a simmer and thickens.  Remove from heat; stir the cooked vegetables and turkey  meat into the filling until well combined. 
4.  Fit 2 pie crusts into the bottom of 2 9-inch pie dishes.  Spoon half the filling into each pie crust, then top each pie with another crust.  Pinch and roll the top and bottom crusts together at the edge of each pie to seal, and cut several small slits into the top of the pies with a sharp knife to release steam.
5.  Bake in the preheated oven until the crusts are golden brown and the filling is bubbly, 30 to 35 minutes.  If the crusts are browning too quickly, cover the pies with aluminum foil after about 15 minutes.  Cool for 10 minutes before serving.   

Recipe courtesy of Allrecipes.com

Thanksgiving Tidbits

In honor of the great American holiday, here are some facts about Thanksgiving!

• The Pilgrim leader, Governor William Bradford, had organized the first Thanksgiving feast in 1621. He invited the neighboring Wampanoag Indians to the feast. 
• Benjamin Franklin wanted the turkey to be the national bird of the United States. 
• Sarah Josepha Hale, an American magazine editor, persuaded Abraham Lincoln to declare Thanksgiving a national holiday. She is also the author of the popular nursery rhyme "Mary Had a Little Lamb"
• Abraham Lincoln issued a 'Thanksgiving Proclamation' on third October 1863 and officially set aside the last Thursday of November as the national day for Thanksgiving. 
• The annual Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade tradition began in the 1920's.
• Congress to passed a law on December 26, 1941, ensuring that all Americans would celebrate a unified Thanksgiving on the fourth Thursday of November every year.
• In 1939, President Roosevelt proclaimed that Thanksgiving would take place on November 23rd, not November 30th, as a way to spur economic growth and extend the Christmas shopping season.
• Since 1947, the National Turkey Federation has presented a live turkey and two dressed turkeys to the President. The President does not eat the live turkey. He "pardons" it and allows it to live out its days on a historical farm.
• Although, Thanksgiving is widely considered an American holiday, it is also celebrated on the second Monday in October in Canada.

Source: WHSV.com