From the Big Apple to the Lone Star State: Thanksgiving Recap

Hello all!

Thanksgiving last week was a great success! Hubby and I are just now finishing up the leftovers from a delicious dinner. It was wonderful to have our house full of family and love and, of course, delightful food. Thanksgiving cooking began Tuesday night with pumpkin bread, so that hubby's pops and mom could have yummy snacks while I worked on Wednesday. Then Wednesday night I began with desserts by making a pumpkin swirl cheesecake. Then there was Thursday when the cooking got serious.

Thursday's feast started with a honey baked ham, salami, and cheeses... the perfect snacks for a long day of cooking. While hubby and the guys feasted on appetizers and watched football, the ladies got to work. I started by making a chocolate pecan tart for dessert, which was was easy and, most importantly, chocolate-y. Then it was finally time to focus on the star of the show... the turkey.

No offense to Thanksgiving turkeys everywhere, but I love honey baked ham.

We also snacked on roasted chestnuts...

... and brie!

Chocolate ganache filling with pecans... yum!

A chocolate crust for a chocolate tart.

Hubby loves his mom's stuffing, and I didn't want to disappoint on our first Thanksgiving. Luckily, hubby's mom was there to make her stuffing and cook up the turkey just like hubby likes it. I got some turkey tips from her and my mom as we put together the other sides for dinner. I had made a whole oven schedule (yes, I am a bit nerdy) to figure out when to make the each side dish. We had a roaster for the turkey, which made all the planning that much easier.

Cooking up the sausage for the stuffing... no wonder hubby loves it!

Hubby's mom is stuffing the turkey... the beginning of a long day in the kitchen.

While hubby's mom put together the stuffing, I started on my Aunt Susan's corn pudding. The corn pudding is one of my favorite Thanksgiving sides, and I was excited to share it with hubby and his family. Hubby loved the corn pudding and has already asked to have it again. We will have to find more reasons to have this decadent and corn-y dish. After the corn pudding, my little sis, Shorty, helped me make the mashed potatoes, which were full of all things delicious like bacon, butter, cheese and sour cream. From mashed potatoes, we moved on to sweet potatoes, which attempted to be healthy but were cooked in butter in maple syrup.

Roasted potatoes plus...

... Bacon, butter, salt, sour cream, cheese and chives...

... Equals guaranteed delicious-ness

I was so glad to have help in the kitchen... thanks ladies!

The sweet potatoes look so innocent...

... until they got covered in a maple syrup and butter sauce.

While side dishes were going in and out of the oven, I started on an orange zest spiked cranberry sauce. It was my first experience with making (and possibly even trying) cranberry sauce, and I was very surprised at its sweet tartness. Another hubby tradition is pumpkin soup, so in went the pumpkin and spices and broth (and some heavy cream). Dinner was slowly coming together. I cut a corner and made a delicious cornbread mix from a box. I had discovered it last year when I had it at hubby's parents' Thanksgiving and fell in love. My family fell in love with it too. The last thing in the oven was the brussels sprouts with a balsamic reduction. While the sides were warming and the turkey was being carved (hubby got a lesson from his pops), I put together a salad (possibly the one thing at dinner that didn't have butter).

I love the color of freshly washed cranberries.

We bought our brussels sprouts on a stalk, which was a first for us.

Hubby was kind enough to help take all the sprouts off the stalk.

Once all the food was done and hot and ready to go, we all sat down to dinner. My mom set the table beautifully, and my new owl salt and pepper shakers from hubby's parents were the perfect addition to the table. Beaujolais nouveau filled our glasses as we took our first bites, and I was relieved to see happy and satisfied faces at the table. After a day full of cooking, the meal was a success. And it was a success the next day as leftovers (and the next day and the next).