Made: Thanksgiving

I know I'm behind on this, but I can't miss my annual opportunity to blog about Thanksgiving.

Sigh.

I love Thanksgiving.

I love the food. I love the dessert. I especially love our traditions.

Cooking with Snow White was an new addition to our traditions.

We intended to do lots of drinking. That didn't really happen.  The Bourbon Bog was delicious, though.

Our menu was all of our favorites, including rutabagas mashed by Luke.

Not pictured:
Special dinner guests, Jake and Ryan.
Special dinner guests, Mary Jane and Andy.
Angie's crutches.
Afternoon nap.
Going to see Lincoln after dinner.
Late-night expedition to Walmart.

Only 364 days until Thanksgiving 2013.

Ventage Tuesday: Thanksgiving

It's no big secret around here that I love Thanksgiving more than any other holiday. It's a holiday that is just - in my mind, anyway - about food. What's there not to love?

Here, in no particular order, are five things I love about Thanksgiving.

The Company.
Angie and I went family-free for Thanksgiving in 2005. It's a frie-mily Thanksgiving, and it's awesome. It's mellow. It's relaxed. We've come up with all of our favorite foods. And, I love that we have a tradition that is all our own.

The Dessert.
Pumpkin pie and pumpkin cheesecake. No pecan pie. No apple pie. Just pumpkin pie and pumpkin cheesecake. With real whipped cream.

The Napping.
There is generally some napping or at least serious relaxing happening at some point in the day.

The Friday.
I don't use it to shop. I don't schedule anything that day. It's just a day to be.

Friends episodes.
I love that a Thanksgiving episode was always a Friends thing. My favorite is the one where Joey wears Monica's maternity pants in preparation for eating an entire turkey.

Happy Thanksgiving, my friends.

And don't forget to visit Angie, Emily, Katrina, and Stephanie to learn what they love about Thanksgiving.

Foodie Friday 2

(Playing along with Katrina.)

Let me preface this re-cap of our Thanksgiving dinner by saying. . . I do not feel like eating anything today.

I just needed to get that out of the way before I launch into telling you all the delectable details of my favorite holiday.

Where: Angie's house
Who: Barb, Brad, Angie, Mike, Luke, and Dottie.
When: Dinner at 11 AM, Dessert at 3 PM

This year's tablescape featured art by Luke, a hand-crafted burlap table runner by Angie, fresh flowers in Mason jars, and candy turkeys.

The candy turkeys, lovingly assembled by Angie, were also prominently featured on the food buffet. (We served buffet style this year to eliminate any temptation for little hands.)

There were two kinds of relish - can-berries (provided by me) and relish (provided by Angie). Her fresh relish kicked my can-berries ass.

Here is the full spread. Yes. We had all of that food for four adults and two littles.

I supplied the stuffing. I went with Pioneer Woman's recipe again this year.

I also supplied the sweet potatoes. Again, Pioneer Woman's recipe.

Here are the annual pictures of the plates. Note: Mine is gravy- and dark meat-free. Brad's is not. Eww.

We needed a considerable break between dinner and dessert. The littles took a nap. Then, we (except for me - I napped) watched the "Gs" (Luke's name for the Packers) beat the "Blues" (Luke's name for the Lions).

The dessert spread wasn't nearly as elegant as the dinner. I made a pumpkin mascarpone pie (two, actually), pumpkin cheesecake, and mascarpone whipped cream.

Despite the fact that I have been making pumpkin cheesecake with the same recipe since high school I somehow managed to use the wrong recipe. I wasn't particularly happy with the final product.

There you have it. Thanksgiving 2011. It may not have been the most elegant of affairs, but it was filled with love, gratitude, and laughter.

Resisting temptation

I believe Thanksgiving deserves a right to be celebrated to the fullest possible extent.

It is a great holiday all by itself.
It is not a step on the way to Christmas.
 It is not the day before Black Friday shopping.

I have resisted asking Brad to put up the Christmas lights.
I haven't hung a Christmas wreath.
I haven't put up a single Christmas decoration; I haven't even taken any of them out of the boxes.

I did slip up, though.
I put a dollar in the Salvation Army kettle at the grocery store.

And, of course, I have had a few red cups.

Thanksgiving Quirks

(Photo from 2009)

I never even tried fresh cranberries until Thanksgiving 2005. I like them in relish form, but I still want to have a can of cranberries on the table - the kind where you can see the ridges from the can in the "cranberries."

I prefer mashed potatoes but am learning to love sweet potatoes.

I will not eat turkey skin or turkey on the bone. And, I have never actually cooked a turkey myself. Thank goodness for Angie.

I do not like apple pie or cherry pie. Dessert on Thanksgiving should be pumpkin pie and pumpkin cheesecake. I think I have made a pumpkin cheese cake every year since I was in high school.

I have almost no childhood memories of Thanksgiving or Thanksgiving traditions. My love of Thanksgiving is a relatively recent thing.

Why Thanksgiving Rules.

Sent to me yesterday by Angie.

Why Thanksgiving Rules. 

(According to Barb)

1. Over eating is encouraged.
2. The house smells great.
3. There are multiple desserts involved.
4. Turkeys aren't very cute in real life. 
5. It's an excuse to wear pants with an elastic waistband.
6. It is always followed by three days off work (for me, anyway).
7. The tryptophan is a great excuse for an afternoon nap (if you're the kind of person who needs an excuse).
8. Themed clothing is not involved - no one wears turkey sweaters. (Although, I do always smile at kids in pilgrim hats or Indian feathers.)
9. The kitchen (and the cook) get the respect they deserve.
10. It is a holiday that answers, "Both." "Should we serve mashed potatoes or sweet potatoes?" "Both." "Should we serve pumpkin pie or cheesecake?" "Both." "Should we serve green beans or broccoli?" "Both." "Should we serve wine or beer?" "Both."

(And, if the list was up to Brad I would also have added deer hunting and football watching.)

Gobble, gobble.

15 days to Thanksgiving.

Thank You # 26: Mike, Angie, Luke, & Dottie

 Place cards lifted from something I saw in a Papersource catalog.

 The photo doesn't really do it justice. 

Our table scape was something even Sandra Lee would have been jealous of.

 Sweet potatoes - a recipe so delicious that will be at every Thanksgiving from now until the end of time.

 Cranberry relish - a blend of Angie's family recipe and a little something from the Pioneer Woman

 Stuffing (that Brad HATED due to the mushrooms) from Pioneer Woman

 Luke and Cooper

 The side dish buffet

The Turkey Princess (a name coined by Angie), Dottie ate more food than anyone else at the Thanksgiving table. (Before and after photos for your viewing pleasure)

Luke and Cooper were also serious eaters. 

My plate. Note the lack of gravy.

 

 I (of course) could not make or eat just one dessert.

Hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving!

Gobble, Gobble (the count-down is on)

One week from today I will be enjoying turkey and wine and, best of all, some great company.

You remember Thanksgivings past?
There was the original 20Something Thanksgiving (2005)
Another 20-Something Thanksgiving (2007)
The only Thanksgiving I hosted (2008)
Frie-mily Thanksgiving 2009 (formerly known as 20-Something Thanksgiving)

(I have no idea what happened in 2006. There is no blog entry; it must not have been memorable.

Sigh. I do love Thanksgiving. It is my favorite holiday.

My contributions this year include:
Stuffing
Cranberry Relish
Pumpkin Cheesecake
Pumpkin Mascarpone Pie
Wine

I'm also working on place cards and maybe a little something special for the kiddos.