Happy Thanksgiving!

WOW…I am full! You know me, I’m all about making healthy eating choices as often as I can, but sometimes you’ve got to throw the rule book out the window. That sometimes happens to be today…Thanksgiving!

Ben and I spent the day with my family and, per tradition, kicked the morning off with a mimosa, the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade and some cinnamon rolls!

These had just been pulled out of the oven as we walked in the door. Fresh, warm and gooey – happy Thanksgiving indeed!

Then my Mom and I got to work in the kitchen. God bless that woman – for the past 26 years of my life she has whipped out one Thanksgiving dinner after another – each one, somehow more delicious than the last. I can honestly tell you in all these years, I have never seen her stress out about not getting everything done on time, overcooking the turkey, etc. How does she do it, I wonder? Such poise!

While the ladies cooked, the men wrestled.

Pops lost.

Around 1:00, I served up some appetizers: Puff Pastry Wrapped Brie with Pumpkin Butter! 

SO easy you guys – and seriously un.be.liev.able! Melty, oozy brie with flaky puff pastry and tart apple slices.

I didn’t let the brie set back up before I cut into it and it started oozing alll over the platter – whoopsie doozie! Oh well, nothing a little cracker barrier can’t fix.

When the cheese finally set back up – we demolished it! The pumpkin butter was the perfect compliment to the warm, savory brie. Love it!

Love the Cabernet we served with it too. 

A couple hours later, the turkey was up. All 14 pounds of it.

Hey, get your hands out of there!

The table was set beautifully.

 

This is my parents china they received for their wedding. They/we have been using it for Thanksgiving dinner since they were married 30 years ago!

Time for dinner!

 

On the Menu:

Olive & Pickle Tray

Warm Rolls

Grandma’s Holiday Salad. So hard to describe, but unlike any “creamy” salad you’ve ever had. I’ll have to get you guys this recipe ASAP.

Baked Apples. Recipe coming next week!

 

Garlic Mashed Potatoes

Cheesy, Crunchy Potatoes

 Green Beans with Bacon & Onion

TOM TURKEY!

Like Humpty Dumpty, my Mom graciously put him back together again.

I, of course, had a little of everything!

I seriously want to eat buckets of this salad!!! The “sauce” is made up of eggs, sugar, pineapple juice and cool whip. Un.real.

Here are those baked apples I’ve been raving about!

Hollowed out Braeburn apples, stuffed with sweet potatoes mixed with butter & sugar, topped with marshmallows and broiled to a golden brown deliciousness. 

YES!

After dinner it was family picture time. Well half of the family – my brother, sister-in-law and baby nephew will be back later this weekend!

There we go!

After all the pictures had been taken, the table had been cleared, and the leftovers were put away, it was time… Time for dessert!

I brought Pumpkin Pie with Caramel Pecan Topping!

Take one pumpkin pie, add some toasty pecans, butter and brown sugar – and you’ve got one KICKED UP Thanksgiving dessert!

 

Pumpkin Pie nirvana I’m telling you…

 

I savored each and every single but. This was awesome!! 

Time to get back to the family. It’s not often we get the pleasure of being together for an entire day. I truly treasure it.

Happy Thanksgiving!

~~~~~

My family has a Thanksgiving table tradition of telling everyone what we are thankful for before we start to eat.

Tell me, what are you thankful for?