Thanksgiving Recap

Now that the leftovers are almost gone (just one plate left), here’s my Thanksgiving recap…

On Thursday, we went to my brother’s and enjoyed JunJun’s cookin'. It was nice to have Grandma be with everyone before she left for Thailand.  That's probably as close as we'll get to getting a picture with all three grandkids in. But at least Grandma and Grandpa look like they're having fun!

Mia was also able to enjoy the turkey dinner with us!  She ate some turkey, corn and Hawaiian bread. J

After dinner, Liza put up the tree with the kids.  Kira was so entranced with the lights and the ornaments all by herself.  It gave me the perfect opportunity to follow her around the tree and get some photog practice in.  It was as if she didn’t notice me and I spent a good amount of time get some candid shots that she always looks so adorable in.  It was nice to not be rushed which is usually the case when I’m taking pictures of people and food. 

And here they are trying to get down Jingle Bells in time for Christmas!

It warms my heart to see them play together already. J They are going to have so much fun at Christmas!

On Friday, Doug and I hosted our third Thanksgiving J  My menu consisted of Turkey, Raspberry Walnut Salad, Mashed Potatoes, Quintessential Roasted Vegetables, Corn, Honey Cornbread Muffins, French Bread, Sweet Potatoes, Stuffing and Cranberry Sauce (last three by my mom), Caramel Apple Cheesecake Bars and French Silk Pie. 


Here’s Turkey Tom in the cooler again, taking a tasty bath before the big day.  He was 12 lbs this year.

And here are lots of notes, more so for myself next year than for you readers who have probably stopped reading by now and skipped to the pictures, hmph.

Turkey – I used the brine from last year but a Paula Deen recipe for the butter and maple-

cranberry glaze.  First of all, the episode I watched on tv was for a maple glaze – no word of cranberries. Then when I went to foodnetwork.com to find the recipe, all I could find was a maple-cranberry glaze. I don't like that Food Network!  A glaze on the turkey sounded delish, but I didn’t think it really added much. And now I have a whole thing of cranberry juice that will never be used for anything. Oh! I’ll bring it to our friends' holiday party as a “mixer” haha. Anyway, the turkey was pretty tasty on it’s own, so I will not be doing that glaze again. And this photo is definitely not making the Food + Foto series. Again, rushed with the food shots! Especially with 8 hungry guests!

Mashed Potatoes – I am now realizing that I do not like them reheated even though PW’s recipe says you can.  I like the soft whipped consistency when mashed potatoes are freshly made.  And the bar of cream cheese really does make it creamy! MmMMM cream cheese and butter have made numerous apperances this year.  So, I've decided to make mashed potatoes last next year so I can enjoy the creamy whipped goodness.

Quintessential Roasted Vegetables – I’ve made this many times before, but decided to throw in squash and zucchini this time.  Also, I use regular mushrooms so I don't have to hunt for shiitake and I threw in some green beans because I had them on hand.  I don’t like how the squash and zucchini get soft in the middle, so I won't be adding those in next time.  In years past the veggies have come out a little over done (read: floppy asparagus), so this time, I cut the oven time down and it was just perfect.  Umma took all the leftovers home, which is a sign of success!

Caramel Apple Cheesecake Bars – For some reason, this did not come out a winner like last year.  I think good food really is made with love.  And I was very angry with Doug at this point in the day when I was behind schedule, not showered, and he was on the phone making 401(k) decisions while Mia was napping and I was slaving away in the kitchen.  Aside from that, I probably should’ve went with my instinct (again) to stop adding streusel topping when the surface was already covered. It ended up being too sweet.

Tomorrow I'll show you some of our leftovers!