Gobble On
Pre-Feast:
Annelise & Will each colored & cut out the paper turkeys at the base of the candlesticks; the wings are their handprints, and they each wrote on the backs: "This isn't just a turkey, as you can plainly see. I made it with my hands, which are a part of me. It comes with lots of love especially to say, 'I hope you have a very happy Thanksgiving Day!'" :-) Annelise also made the placecards for the gourd holders at each setting, and after this, she also set the table - such a great helper this year!
What did y'all eat? We had turkey, mashed Yukon Gold potatoes, dressing, egg noodles [I know, everyone I talk to thinks this is so weird, but it's JB's family tradition, and they sure are kid-friendly! :-)], rolls, cranberry sauce, perhaps the best batch of turkey gravy my mom has ever made, my famous roasted sweet potatoes with craisns & pumpkin seeds, and my favorite Thanksgiving dessert: gingerbread pumpkin trifle.
I posted the recipes for those last two here; for today, I didn't go all out with the warm chutney dressing, (but yes, I did miss it!) I just did simple roasted sweet potatoes with salt, pepper, & ground ginger, then tossed with craisins & roasted/salted pumpkin seeds. It tickles me to pieces that my kids LOVE this! Sweet potatoes are my *MUST HAVE* side. What's yours? For my trifle, I used Trader Joe's Deep Dark Gingerbread Cake & Baking Mix - the most flavorful, amazing baking mix I've ever used! - and I accidentally grabbed pure pumpkin (what I use in my muffins) instead of pumpkin pie filling, so I had to add all the spices myself. I didn't, however, add any more sugar than the 1/2 cup of brown already called for, and it's still sweet enough; so I think I'll make that a permanent change. JB doesn't like pumpkin pie, but he loves this...and the kids & I like it better, too!
We can't stop eating... ;-)
I love my friend Tracey's sentiment:
Wishing you and your family a blessed Thanksgiving as you weave another layer of memories into the fabric of your children's lives.
Always be joyful. Never stop praying. Be thankful in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you who belong to Christ Jesus. ~1 Thessalonians 5:16-18
What did y'all eat? We had turkey, mashed Yukon Gold potatoes, dressing, egg noodles [I know, everyone I talk to thinks this is so weird, but it's JB's family tradition, and they sure are kid-friendly! :-)], rolls, cranberry sauce, perhaps the best batch of turkey gravy my mom has ever made, my famous roasted sweet potatoes with craisns & pumpkin seeds, and my favorite Thanksgiving dessert: gingerbread pumpkin trifle.
I posted the recipes for those last two here; for today, I didn't go all out with the warm chutney dressing, (but yes, I did miss it!) I just did simple roasted sweet potatoes with salt, pepper, & ground ginger, then tossed with craisins & roasted/salted pumpkin seeds. It tickles me to pieces that my kids LOVE this! Sweet potatoes are my *MUST HAVE* side. What's yours? For my trifle, I used Trader Joe's Deep Dark Gingerbread Cake & Baking Mix - the most flavorful, amazing baking mix I've ever used! - and I accidentally grabbed pure pumpkin (what I use in my muffins) instead of pumpkin pie filling, so I had to add all the spices myself. I didn't, however, add any more sugar than the 1/2 cup of brown already called for, and it's still sweet enough; so I think I'll make that a permanent change. JB doesn't like pumpkin pie, but he loves this...and the kids & I like it better, too!
We can't stop eating... ;-)
I love my friend Tracey's sentiment:
Wishing you and your family a blessed Thanksgiving as you weave another layer of memories into the fabric of your children's lives.
Always be joyful. Never stop praying. Be thankful in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you who belong to Christ Jesus. ~1 Thessalonians 5:16-18
I really made this an all-day cooking affair today:
ReplyDeleteBreakfast - bacon, scrambled eggs, hash browns, fresh-squeezed OJ
Snack - your muffins (it was Steve's first time having them w/ the puree instead of the pie filling, and he's now hooked too!)
Lunch/dinner - coriander and oregano-rubbed turkey, butternut squash risotto, baby carrots w/ dill and lemon, challah bread, pinot noir, and throw in some Kilwin's chocolate for dessert. :)
And now I am sitting and relaxing, after all that cooking (and we're on our third load of dishes in the dishwasher, and counting, even with just the two of us!), plus going to yoga and a post-turkey hike!
I don't know that we have a specific food tradition for Thanksgiving. I've used that turkey recipe for years, and the two sides are also favorites of ours, so I suppose those are traditions. I will also sometimes bake an apple pie from scratch (including the crust!), although I decided to wait until this weekend to do it. I have been going to T-day yoga for several years, which I consider a tradition, and we do normally hike that day too, to help burn off some of the calories from gorging. ;)
I love all that!!! And I think the T-day yoga is the coolest. I would have LOVED to Zumba, but even my Friday class was canceled. :'(
ReplyDeleteI love going to yoga on Thanksgiving and New Year's Day. Yoga is all about expressing gratitude, focusing on the positive, and letting go of all the bad stuff. To me, that's what those two days are all about, and to do it in a community of like-minded people is an awesome way to celebrate those holidays! :)
ReplyDeleteABSOLUTELY!!!
ReplyDelete