My Thanksgiving table

Once you marry there is a joining of traditions and after so many years the trials and errors come together to form a tradition that is just yours. This was our 14^th Thanksgiving together as a married couple. I pretty much have the turkey and stuffing, mashed potatoes, veggies, Wessel down. I am experimenting with yams and breads. So this is what we did this year for our Thanksgiving.

Of course the stuffed turkey – I use my mother –in-laws stuffing, which is her mother’s stuffing and it is a very simple yet yummy stuffing that to the whole family screams Thanksgiving and serving a turkey with any other stuffing is sacrilege. It is white bread with onions, celery and spices –mm mmmm delish. The turkey is a slowly roasted bird that has been stuffed, rubbed and injected with butter, it is juicy and golden and yummy.

Mashed potatoes the simple is good sometimes. I make the simplest mashed potatoes, potatoes butter and milk, little bit of salt. I make them to taste and they are always creamy and smooth, since I mix them with the mixer until they are fluffy.

Yams this year was another experiment. My husband does not like yams, I love yams and would like for him to share with me in the yam yumminess. My father-in-law makes the yams with butter and brown sugar, very simple very sweet very good, this year’s recipe was from food.com (here) and it had wonderful flavor from the mixed in nutmeg and Scotch – he was not to excited. My friend makes a yam casserole that Mr. Right just loves but it has pecans and  am very allergic so I need to find a way to make them as yummy and crunchy minus the pecans. There is always next year.

Green beans – Just plain steamed green beans with a bit of butter, son’s all time favorite.

Homemade rolls – I love bread, it is my weakness and lately I have been getting into baking breads from scratch. I don’t have a bread machine so I do t the old fashion way. Bread is funny it takes patience and more patience but then when it comes out of the oven and fills your home with that fresh bread smell it is worth all the effort. So this year I tried a new recipe again from food.com and the rolls were very good diner rolls, on the sweet side but fluffy and delicious.

Cranberries – all about the canned jellied cranberries

Wassail – I got this recipe from a friend and this a Thanksgiving must in our house and totally our tradition as neither of us have had Wassail when we were kids. It is just the perfect mix of apple juice, pineapple juice and honey with some lemon. It just warms your heart.

Apple pie – classic apple pie, I have yet to find a recipe where the crust is just flaky enough but this one was good sweet and flavorful absolutely mouthwatering with vanilla ice cream.

Pumpkin pie – over the years I have tried many different recipes from fresh pumpkin to canned pumpkin and everything in between and our favorite is by far the Libby’s canned pumpkin baked from the back of the can recipe with homemade crust.  

Every year I think about how to improve and add to our Thanksgiving feast, trying new squash recipes which I am yet to discover one that is not bland and boring or mixing things up but there are some staples without which it is just not Thanksgiving dinner. I am glad that we did ours a little early so that Mr. Right could enjoy all they traditional dishes, we will do it again on Thursday there is no such thing as too much celebrating.