Thanksgiving Day

We had a great Thanksgiving and hope all of you did to. There are so many things to be thankful for this year. We were only missing one family this year. This is one of the first years we didn’t have more than just our family. But we had a great day. We thought we would share our dinner with you. Everyone has food assignment that we choose about a month ahead. 

Some items we make ahead and some get made that morning at the home we have it at.

 

 

 

 

 

Appetizers are ready!

Cheese Ball and crackers, Spinach Dip and Sour Dough Bread, Veggie Tray and Ranch Dip, Mini Rolls with Assorted Spreads (Lemon Dill Butter, Cream Cheese Pesto, Roasted Red Pepper Humus).

 

Everyone was chilling’ and watching movies or playing games or munching on appetizers while the main course finished cooking.

 

 

The table is set and the food is ready. We were in Carrie’s new condo and used the counter as our buffet table. As with lots going on that morning the extra chairs were forgot so we sat some at the table and some sat on the sofa in the living room. The little girls loved having their own table.

This year the menu was: Brined Turkey, Cornbread and Regular Dressing, Sweet Potato Casserole, Mashed Potatoes and Gravy, Cranberry Relish and Jellied Cranberries, Frog Eye Salad, Brussel Sprouts, Homemade Rolls.

We finish up with an assortment of homemade pies, which has been a family tradition for generations. This year we had enough pie for each person to have half a pie each. We had 2 Pumpkin, Cherry, Pecan, Coconut Cream with a caramel nut bottom, Dutch Apple, Key Lime, and Lemon Meringue.  There is no such thing as too much pie.

We hope everyone else had a great Thanksgiving Day with family and friends, but I will be honest I can’t wait till Christmas.

Cranberry Relish

Cranberries are a must at Thanksgiving and this recipe was shared with me from my Mother-in-law who received it from her Grandmother.  I love recipes that have been in families forever.  I can only make this recipe when I have others to share it with or before I know it, I have eaten it all.  I guess it is okay since it is healthy!

Turkey Napkin Rings

I will be the only sister not joining the rest of the family for Thanksgiving this year.  So I have to make my own decor and fun.  I'm not a super entertainer (especially when it's just going to be our family plus one), but I wanted to have a little something to spice up the table.  So I came up with some cute little turkeys (well, in addition to the 3 I take care of every day) to hold our napkins.

Fall Leaf Chargers

This year I have been very inspired by the beautiful leaves around my house turning into all shades of fabulous this fall.  The idea of the leaves changing just screams fall to me, so what better way to decorate your Thanksgiving table then with these beautiful fall leaf chargers.  I love the look of natural wood and thought it would be a beautiful accent to the reds and yellows of the leaves.

They took a little bit of time (mostly waiting for each layer to dry), but they are fantastic and make my formal Thanksgiving table look perfect!  I am so excited to share this tutorial...

Cheese Ball

Every Thanksgiving for as long as I can remember, my family has had a cheese ball for an appetizer.  I have introduced it to my in-laws as well because to me Thanksgiving just isn’t the same without a cheese ball!  I have seen many recipes for cheese balls before but none of them are the same as ours.  I don’t know where my mom got the recipe but where ever it was, we like it!  (Picture doesn’t look very appealing but believe me, it is good!)

Citrus Enfused Turkey (or Chicken)

This is a little twist on the traditional Thanksgiving turkey that I learned from one of my favorite professors in school.  He was as Italian as you could get and brilliant in the kitchen. 

Typically I would have placed the turkey (chicken) on a platter and dressed it all up nice, but well, I had a houseful of hungry people and I was one of them.  So we went ahead and ate it right out of the baking dish :)

Spinach Dip

My favorite part of Thanksgiving is the appetizers and my favorite is spinach dip. We make it every thanksgiving and it is always the first thing i go for.

Turkey Place Card Holders

I am always looking for a fun craft that I can do with my 3 and a half year old.  She loves to spend time with mom, being creative.  I’ve inherited a box full of random wood pieces and thought it might provide a bit of inspiration.  This time it proved to be quite successful!