thanksgiving 2016

Welp, it's the last day of November so I better post about Thanksgiving. Good grief, you guys. I am so behind on everything... except decorating for Christmas (which we did the day after Thanksgiving cause I couldn't wait any longer) and I am almost completely done with my Christmas shopping so I think I deserve a huge mug of really good hot chocolate. Right? Right.

OK, on to this wonderful holiday. It was really quiet this year since we decided to stay here for the holidays this year. Traveling to California or Arizona with five people is a PRETTY PENNY around the holidays. Hopefully we can see family in February and I can indulge in all the family time, navel oranges and Mexican food my little heart desires! Anyway, we watched the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade, football while Fritz and I cooked away in the kitchen (he always wants to help in the kitchen). Then, David helped the boys write down some things they were thankful for before we ate so they had plenty of time to think about it.

I made the whole thing this year by myself which was a LOT of work but also fun because I got to pick what we ate. I made a turkey, of course, and it was perfect. Fritz helped me brine that little guy and named him Mr. Yumm. He was. We talked about being grateful for the turkey a lot that day. I also made mashed potatoes (with a mixture of russet and Yukon gold - a great combo) + Gravy, Sweet Potatoes with Marshmallows (the way I like them), Lion House Rolls, Sausage, Cranberry and Caramelized Onion Stuffing, Haricot Verts with Lemon + Pine Nut Gremolata. The only thing I didn't make from scratch was the cranberry sauce because, who really cares? I like a tiny bit on my turkey but not enough to make it a big deal. Canned Trader Joe's cranberry sauce did the trick. I did add a little bit of orange zest when I heated it up in a saucepan, but that took like 10 seconds so I don't count it.

Thanksgiving dessert is one of my favorite things but since there was just the five of us, I settled for two kinds. David wanted my pumpkin cake with cream cheese frosting and I wanted my Chocolate Cream Pie with Cinnamon Pecan Graham Cracker Crust so I compromised (ha) and made both. It was all delicious and we just finished off all the leftovers.

We actually began eating while Louisa was taking her nap but she woke up right after we took this picture using the tripod. Then we all sat down and the boys read off their lists of ten things they are thankful for. It was really sweet to read their gratitude. I love these babies.

I'm so thankful for all the wonderful things in my life. Health, our home, my children, my husband, cooking, jazz music, good books, a job that I like and all the things I've learned about myself, parenting, the world and how to be a better person.