Thanksgiving

 Due to the recommendations of our state health officials, we decided not to gather with anyone outside of our house this year for Thanksgiving.  Though we missed our families, we had a wonderful, peaceful holiday filled with lots of delicious food.  We started the day off with the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade and the National Dog Show.  Eric and I took turns in the kitchen, getting everything prepared for the big meal.  We tried a bunch of new recipes and stuck with a few family favorites.  Steve and Patti were nice enough to share their turkey with us, so we didn't need to mess with that.  We stuck with a standard mashed potato recipe and made a savory rosemary gravy.  The chipotle sweet potatoes were smoky, sweet and so tasty - definitely a great twist on a classic!  One of the other new stars of the meal was the herb and apple bread pudding.  We used parmesan and garlic Italian turkey sausage with apples, rosemary, parsley, and homemade croutons.  It was flavor packed and absolutely delicious. Growing up, my favorite recipe at Grandma Edie's Thanksgiving dinner was the scalloped corn dish that her mother used to make.  It is filled with bacon, onion, and lots of swiss cheese.  It tasted just like I remembered and was the star of the meal for me yet again.  The kids loved it too.  I also made a from scratch green bean casserole with homemade béchamel, fresh green beans, cheddar cheese, and French fried onions.  Great Grandma Ruby dropped off some homemade rolls and Eric made a delicious cranberry sauce.  We finished our amazing meal with a coconut cream pie and some absolutely stunning sugar cookies, made and decorated by a lady in town.  

After our meal and Simon's nap, we stopped by Steve and Patti's to deliver our last of the Thanksgiving care packages we made.  When we got home, we made a batch of popcorn for dinner and curled up to watch Home Alone together.  It was kind of a magical way to end the holiday.  And then, as if out of a movie, giant fireworks appeared from the house across the street.  We hurried outside to watch.  There were only a few, but it felt special.  We capped the day off with a video chat with Grandpa Jim and Grandma Marcia before bed.  Despite missing our family, it really was a wonderful day!