thanksgiving.
our thanksgiving this year was once again a simple affair with just our family since phil was post-call the day of and has to work the rest of this weekend. but i like the low-key time to spend together just the same.
and even though it’s just us, i still like to make it a special affair and try to make as much of it from scratch as i can.
adding a new kid every couple years kinda complicates the whole cooking all day thing though.
but i’m happy to report that this year was my best yet with the brined turkey, the creamy mashed potatoes, the cornbread-apple-sausage stuffing, the rich gravy, and the spinach-arugula salad with asian vinaigrette dressing. even the cranberry sauce was homemade this year and was a hit! who knew it was so easy and sooo much better than the canned standby?! (1/2 cup water, 1/2 cup fresh squeezed orange juice boiled with 1 cup sugar until sugar is all melted. add in one bag of fresh or frozen cranberries and bring back to boil for 10-12 minutes until cranberries pop. chill before serving- here’s a printable recipe). even phil had a few servings and he usually avoids the cranberry sauce. yeah, baby!
gathered ’round the table for our annual really bad thanksgiving family photo. it’s always dark out by the time we eat and i’m always too tired to bother with better lighting and so our tradition has been to get a quick snapshot of ourselves before diving in to the food. also tradition to go around and share what we’re thankful to the Lord for. and we have so, so much to be thankful for. God has been so very good to us.
phil hamming it up while carving up the bird.
i believe the taste of turkey has really grown on the kids since last year. it was enjoyed by all this time around.
this one still liked the stuffing and cranberry sauce the best, though.
and this one was up to her usual antics.
the littlest one took down quite a bit of the feast, too.
as long as he got to pop in what phil calls his “thumb chaser” in between bites.
creating our own family traditions and making great food memories for my loved ones… that’s the stuff i live for. 🙂
hope your thanksgiving was wonderful, too!
2 Comments
joyceandnorm
love cooking from scratch, but you're right, tough with a kid or two (or 4 in your case) pulling at your leg every couple of minutes. =p isn't cranberry sauce the easiest thing! and def much better than the canned stuff. looks like a great feast!!
Kate Avedissian
i love that you take time to take a family picture every year…seriously, cranberry sauce is that easy??? My grandma used to make a cranberry relish out of uncooked cranberries, whole orange and a cup of sugar…grind it in a meat grinder. This year I actually made candied yams for Paul. Love every single picture of the kids.