Here are the cranberries. We use the jellied canned kind, because we like them. No apologies for that. I have had the homemade kind, and they are good too, but this is our traditional cranberry option. The kids liked them when they were little, and we still eat them this way now, years later. They are tasty, and they are easy.
This is the turkey. Shawn has traditionally called it, "Yon Fowl." I don't think he used that precise terminology this year; he wasn't feeling well, and wasn't quite as jolly as he sometimes has been.
My mashed potatoes are fantastic. Just saying. Smooth, creamy, velvety goodness, just waiting for...
some delicious gravy. It was really good gravy this year. The turkey was sublime as well. I think they must have injected it with a ton of MSG (you know how it says "injected with solution"?). But man, it tasted great.
Our stuffing was also very tasty. There was approximately one fourth of a cup of this substance left at the end of the initial meal. Technically, it is dressing, not stuffing, as I do it in the crockpot. But we call it stuffing and we love it. I think maybe we can consider it a vegetable, since it is loaded with celery and onions.
Ah yes, a real vegetable. Kind of. This is praline squash, which can also be made with sweet potatoes. It is absolutely sublime, covered with a thick layer of walnuts in brown sugar and butter, which crusts up delightfully. Even Shawn has been known to take seconds, and he hates squash.
Asparagus from a can. Hey, I did all the cooking myself, so I had to use some easy tricks. Besides, we love the buttery tenderness of canned asparagus. Yes, we eat both cranberries and asparagus out of cans, and we like them. Perhaps the natural homemade varieties are better, but not if you're so tired out from cooking that you can't even taste anymore by the time you get them done. I rest my case.
Ohhhh... yummmm!!! This is Waldorf salad: apples, celery, grapes and walnuts in a slightly sweet, tangy lemon dressing. My favorite!
Final preparations before we sit down to eat. Notice that Jonathan has eagerly taken his seat. I was getting punch for everyone... orange-tangerine Juicy Juice, cranberry juice cocktail and club soda mixed in equal parts makes an excellent accompaniment to Thanksgiving dinner.
Shawn read Psalm 34 to us before we ate.
The boys listen with rapt attention. Amazing that they can concentrate with all those tantalizing aromas rising around them. Good for them!
Empty plate, empty belly.
Full plate, empty belly. But not for long...
Full belly, almost empty plate. We took a few hours off before...
Dessert. This is dutch apple pie with a brown sugar crumb topping. It was pretty good.
Do you know that there is apparently a national pumpkin shortage this year? I should have been cooking my fall decorations instead of letting the squirrel get at them.
Slicing
Doesn't that whipped cream look good? I may use canned cranberries and asparagus, but it is only real whipped cream for me, baby!
Looking at these pictures just makes me feel thankful all over again!
2 comments:
It looks like you are an amazing cook. I can't think of a more valuable skill to have.
You make me smile. My kids like the way I cook. So does my husband. That makes me really happy. Lately I have been boiling chickens, mostly. I was going to barbecue the last one, but people were still sick and we needed the broth, so I boiled yet another. My greatest cooking forte right now is a very gentle egg drop soup... bring about a cup of skimmed, strained chicken broth to a boil in a small pan, sprinkle lightly with salt and pepper, and whisk in two slightly beaten eggs with a fork. It's so easy, yet so natural and homemade. I make it for DJ for breakfast when he is sick. Sometimes I fear for his future wife. Maybe she will be teachable?
Post a Comment