Thanksgiving Dinner

I was too tired last night to sit here and type. After our company left, my husband and I sat in the TV room and watched the two episodes of The Apprentice that aired last night. Actually, the first episode was just a week by week review of all the previous weeks, with some added scenes put in to make it seem like the whole hour wasn't just a re-run. The second hour was an entirely new episode. So we just relaxed and sat, and talked about the day.

The dinner was delicious, from salad to dessert. The spinach salad, with pears and pine nuts and parmesean was absolutely delicious. I even took the time to pull all the little stems off of every spinach leaf-- something I don't normally do when I toss fresh spinach into our own salads every week. That salad was a new recipe I had found in a Thanksgiving cookbook, and it was light, and pretty to look at because I fixed all the salad plates in the kitchen and sprinkled the cheese and pine nuts on the tops of each serving of spinach and pear slices.

Our friends R and C brought an Italian zucchini pie as their vegetable dish. It looked as pretty as a picture, and tasted like the zucchini pies my grandmother used to make. C's mom L baked a spinach and cheese casserole for her vegetable dish, plus she brought her cranberry/apple sidedish to go with the turkey.

My husband's oyster stuffing was the best yet, and his mashed potatoes with cheddar cheese is always a hit. I made sweet potatoes with apples, pecans, pineapples & brown sugar, and those are always a hit with me. (I'm not a fan of white potatoes). The small 8-pound turkey and the 5-pound turkey breast was more than enough--- and both came out very moist and tender. I had put half an apple into each of them, along with a cinnamon stick and a sprig of rosemary--- sure made for a flavorful bird, plus it gave extra taste to the gravy.

The dining room table was filled with food... too much food for 6 people, but that's what usually happens on Thanksgiving--- too much food. I sent everyone home with left-overs, so I'll bet that's what they're all eating for either lunch or dinner today. Everyone liked the vintage Thanksgiving postcards that I used for placecards, and they were happier still to know they could take them home. I had found a great Thanksgiving cookbook last month, and I went back to the store and bought extra copies to give as favors.... one for L, one for R and C.

One thing I will do for the next holiday, or for the next sit-down dinner here--- I will warm up the plates like my Aunt Dolly used to do. She used to rest the plates on the door of the oven to warm them up, this way the hot foods would stay hot when she plated them. Hot food going onto a cold plate will cool down quickly, but a heated plate will keep the food warm for a longer time.

We had the air conditioning on yesterday, too--- and it's on today as well. Warm temperatures, but that's not a complaint. I'd rather have it warmer than colder, and if it stays like this for the rest of the year, I'll be perfectly content. I'm glad I decided on another outfit for yesterday... the sleeveless top and silk slacks was the perfect thing for a busy time in the kitchen.