Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving is such a wonderful holiday. Good family and friends, wonderful food, and, best of all, virtually no commercialism. We refuse to buy into the Black Friday gimmick and prefer to focus on the real Thanksgiving message: Be thankful for all you are given, help those less fortunate, and enjoy a festive, yet relaxing, day of sharing the bounty on your table.

My husband and I do not have much family and this year it would be just the two of us. So we invited friends to join us. Because Thanksgiving is just another meal without a table full of family and friends.

The Menu

Turkey
Celery stuffing
Oyster stuffing
Mashed potatoes
Gravy
Jellied cranberry sauce
Cranberry compote
Sauerkraut
Creamed spinach
Green salad with raspberry vinaigrette
Mincemeat pie
Pumpkin pie

The turkey was a very large turkey breast. Most of us present don't care for dark meat, so why bother? The meat was moist and flavorful.

Two stuffings because I love oyster stuffing but most others did not. I made a lot of celery stuffing and just a little of the oyster for myself and anyone else who wanted to have a taste.

Mashed potatoes. Yum. Creamy and flavorful and need I say more?

Ditto the gravy.

Again, two cranberry sauces. My husband likes jellied and I prefer a whole cranberry chutney.

My husband loves sauerkraut. I mean REALLY loves the stuff. As long as I have lived here, I did not know until this year that sauerkraut was a Baltimore Thanksgiving Day tradition. I thought "how very strange!" So when the Hubs saw a new recipe in the Baltimore Sun for sauerkraut with bacon and potatoes, he wanted it. He Needed it. As in HAD TO HAVE IT! I dutifully followed the recipe. It was beyond awful. I put it on the table anyway, because Hubs will not believe it is that bad unless it is properly presented and tried with the meal. I will not share a recipe for something that promised so much but in reality was bland and beyond hope of rescuing.

So what's next? Ahhh . . . creamed spinach and green salad with raspberry vinaigrette. Both wonderful.

And dessert? Here I make my confession. I bought the pies from a small gourmet grocery. They were wonderful, but alas not homemade.

There you have it. I did take some pictures of the table pre-food and want to share the recipe for the cranberry compote. Maybe tomorrow.  ;)

Happy Thanksgiving to all.