I have to say that even though I hosted and it was a lot of work, this was probably one of my most favorite Thanksgiving Days ever. It was so wonderful to have both sides of our family with us at our home and to celebrate with everyone at one time. Even though our space was limited, I managed to get everyone on one level so that we could all eat together. That was really important to me. It was so fun to see the grandmas from each side sitting together and the families all mixed together. It was just what I envisioned for our day.
All of the food turned out wonderfully. I had made ten pounds of these make-ahead mashed potatoes and I began to panic as I poured them into my slow cooker. They had separated and looked a lot like soup. I said a little prayer, put the slow cooker on low and they thickened up within a couple of hours. They were so delicious, although I made far too much of them, and no one could believe that they came out of my freezer. I will be repeating this recipe often for our family get togethers.
The other hit from the party, my cranberry spread with crackers. I put this out on a cake stand at one of the tables and no one could stop eating it. This dip is highly addictive! I had extra cranberries leftover and those got thrown into the stuffing with more celery and garlic. It was heavenly and I can’t wait to eat the leftovers.
My turkey was my biggest worry although I had great guidance from Chef Lee. I had never made a turkey before and was very worried that it wouldn’t turn out. I cooked it in a turkey bag and stuffed it with celery, sage, and garlic. I stuck butter underneath the skin and let the bird roast all morning. It turned out wonderfully, although the pop-up timer popped a little later than it probably should have as part of the turkey was a little dry. This was remedied with a little chicken stock poured over the turkey to make it nice and juicy again.
We all headed out to our backyard to get a family picture. In hindsight, we should have done this FIRST before the children were too tired and grumpy. Emily was kicking, screaming, and crying throughout the picture taking. Pictured here is my side of the family!
Here is my husband’s side of the family. At this point, it is hysterical because Emily is screaming bloody murder and everyone is cheering and trying to get Emily to smile on the other side of the camera.
And here is my most favorite picture of all. Me with my super handsome husband- aren’t I the luckiest girl in the world?
How did everyone’s Thanksgiving turn out? What dishes were a hit? What flopped? I can’t wait to hear your stories!
Your pictures are great! I hope that you’ll have the one of you and your husband made into an 8×10 and framed. You guys look so happy together.
Our TDay was fine. I’m happy to say that nothing was a flop. The mashed sweet potatoes and the pumpkin cookies were a big hit. The pumpkin pie and the cranberry-orange salad disappeared so fast I’m not even sure that I made them…clean up was not so good, though! I was ready for a nao by then.
Have a fun weekend!
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It’s always comforting to see other people’s kids screaming during the family pics.=) That last one it sweet!
Happy Thanksgiving…
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We had a wonderful afternoon….4 generations…I always think this
could be our last time together…
everyone from 10 to 86 years old…great food (if I do say so myself) lots of fun, games and much laughter….I am so thankful I live in a country where we can pray and praise the Lord with great THANKSGIVING. Pam
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Hmm, might have to try that cranberry spread for upcoming holiday events! How did I miss that recipe before….???
We had WAY too much food for our Thanksgiving dinner, but I guess that’s just the way it’s supposed to be. I made a sweet potato casserole I was disappointed in as it was kind of bland. I was surprised as it was from Cooks Illustrated and their recipes are usually really good. I did get a recipe from there for a spiced pumpkin cheesecake that was pretty awesome, if somewhat labor intensive! Really, though, my absolute favorite dish was the simplest thing I made…corn pudding. I got the recipe from my sister’s sister-in-law and it was so easy and SO good! Could have been a dessert.
Now it’s on to planning for Christmas….yikes!!
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My sweet potato casserole is always a favorite. Each year I am asked to make it. This year I made a double batch so that I could share a casserole with a friend. Here’s the recipe, in case you’re interested.
http://www.thriftymommy.com/sweet-potato-casserole/
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I loved Emily screaming!!! Such a toddler thing to do for pics!!! Glad you had a wonderful time hosting your families. Heather
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Unfortunately the Greene family members were hither and yon this holiday, but that didn’t mean we didn’t get a chance to toast our blessings with a glass of our favorite organic wine. I loved your pictures (especially with little Emily!). Happy Thanksgiving.
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Thanks to you, our mashed potatoes were great! We made them ahead and put them in the crock pot, which was a huge help since our oven was completely full with turkey! Ours did not separate, but we also did not freeze them (procrastinated with all prep, so no need) and maybe that was the difference? They were so good and I will make them again for sure. I’ll have to try the cranberry dip; it looks good! Hey, did you make cranberry sauce? I’ve always been a canned c-sauce girl, but I tried homemade this year. It was so simple and soooo good! Follow directions on the bag, or go to Rachel Ray for an orange version. Both types were amazing! Enjoyed your pics and glad it all turned out well.
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Laura- I am glad you liked the mashed potatoes. Yes, the freezing process made them separate a bit and they were soupy, but thickened up beautifully. I didn’t make the cranberry sauce this year because my grandmother volunteered. I was just in charge of the other stuff. I will definitely have to try the Rachael Ray recipe- thanks so much for the tip!
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Amy,
Love that pic of you and Ryan. He and Ethan look so much alike!
Am curious about your stuffing recipe–perhaps you’ve posted it somewhere–as I was not a fan of the version I made this year. Will remember the success of your mashed potatoes–my favorite dish of the meal!
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Congrats on hosting your first Thanksgiving! We bow down to your awesomeness!
I brought a veggie tray and a cheese and sausage tray. I feel slightly guilty!
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What great pictures! So glad you had a good Thanksgiving.
Thanks for sharing!
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Carrie- I am almost embarrassed to say this, but I just used the Stove Top stuffing mix. I heated up olive oil in a pan and chopped up some celery and mushrooms and garlic and cooked them until they were softened. I tossed in a cup of dried cranberries and prepared as directed and just threw in the sauteed veggies. I baked it at 350 degrees for thirty minutes and it was perfect.
The next time though, I want to try the stuffing recipe that was on Oprah’s thrifty holiday episode. It looked really good, but she still used the stuffing mix too
That made me feel a little better 
Michelle- I am usually the girl with the veggie tray so I understand. This was the first year I got to be the hostess.
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I made the recipe for cranberry spread that I found on your blog and served it with assorted crackers and ginger snaps. It was a hit with almost everybody (one teenager snarled her nose at the cranberries, but ate the cream cheese!) and I must say I ate waaay too much of it! Thanks for the great recipe
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This was my second year hosting Thanksgiving, but it was only a small group of 5 this year. The meal turned out really good in spite of my accidentally cooking a pork roast instead of a ham(story on my blog!). The gravy did not turn out well at all; maybe because I used canned broth? I don’t know, but it tasted weird and looked terrible. I usually make pretty decent gravy so I’m not sure what was going on there.:-)
The mashed potatoes were made mid-morning and then kept warm in the crock pot. They were perfect this time. My sister made a new recipe of twice-baked sweet potatoes which were awesome, awesome! I plan to make some of those to freeze this week!
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