Happy Thanksgiving!

I thought I would take a moment while my boys are "otherwise engaged" (with sleeping, football, and the Wii), to acknowledge my many blessings. I'm not going to make a list, as it could go on all day, but it's been a good year for us. I'm grateful to have a few quiet moments to ponder all that I've been given.

We were on our own for Thanksgiving this year, since Todd is on-call this week. I've spent 10-12 hours in the kitchen over the past two days, and it took a whopping 15 minutes to inhale our meal!

Todd had to work all morning, but I managed to have almost everything ready by the time he got home. The boys helped peel the potatoes (until two of them peeled their knuckles), and Todd mashed them. Our gravy was the perfect consistency (only took 12 years to get it right), the turkey was moist and oh-so-good, and I found a great use for our over-abundance of parsnips (the white "flowers" garnishing the turkey).

I was talking to Vanessa this morning, and we both commented how every Thanksgiving we have forgotten how we did things the last time. Because of that, I'm going to write down all the boring details for my own future reference. Maybe one day I'll be able to pull off a Thanksgiving meal without calling my Dad 42 times.

I made Maple-Roasted Turkey with Sage, Smoked Bacon, and Cornbread Stuffing. The grocery store didn't have fresh sage, so I used dried. I had a 13 pound turkey, and put it in the fridge to thaw on Sunday night. I probably should've taken it out on Saturday night. I followed the directions in the recipe, even though I was afraid the turkey would be dry without foil or an oven-bag. I basted it every 30 minutes, and it was every bit as moist as the ones I've done in a bag. It baked for about 3 1/2 hours at 350 degrees (did NOT stuff the bird).

I used my favorite cornbread recipe for the stuffing. I should've cut the sugar in half (or more) since you really don't need it for stuffing, but it was good anyway :o) I added celery and mushrooms to the onions, and sauteed all in sage butter. I sprinkled 1 1/2 tsp. baking powder over the dry ingredients before mixing it up to make it fluffier.

I cooked and sliced the yams yesterday, and re-heated them today with butter and brown sugar, before toasting marshmallows on top. I made them in a round dish like Grandma does, 'cause that's just how yams are supposed to be. I can't even fathom them in a square dish...

I made the fresh cranberry sauce yesterday. It was Dillon's favorite part of the meal. I didn't add the cinnamon or cloves because "the mood didn't move me". I think I like the recipe I used a few years ago better...but I have no idea where to find it.

I made the World's Best Dinner Rolls, and they were good, but not as light and fluffy as I expected. I'll try them again, but if they aren't "the best", then I'll move on to a new recipe. It's probably just me. Or the altitude. Or the weather. I've had lots of issues with bread making lately.

I made Aunt Anita's famous Orange Jello last night as well. It takes one large box of orange Jell0, and one large box of COOKED lemon pudding (not instant). You make each one according to the package directions, leaving 1 of the cups of COLD water OUT of the Jello. Then you whisk the Jello and Pudding together and refrigerate.

For dessert, after everyone has finished digesting, we'll be having this Pumpkin Roll. I changed the servings to 15 and re-calculated the ingredient list to make it in my large baking sheet rather than a 9x13 pan. It ended up being just the right amount. I made this a few weeks ago and the kids all loved it. I nearly made this Pumpkin Cream Trifle today, but Todd wasn't feeling brave enough. I have leftover pumpkin so I'll be making this in the next day or so and I'll try to remember to give a review.

I wish I would've made the pumpkin roll yesterday, but there wasn't room in my fridge until I had the turkey in the oven. I was in the kitchen yesterday from about 6:00-10:30 PM, and from 9:00-2:30 today. I think if I had to cut something out next time, it would be the homemade rolls. They took up a lot of space, time, and dishes. If only Dad's bakery were closer...