Thanksgiving

It has been about a couple of weeks since the Thanksgiving holiday has come and gone. I had a blast this year planning and executing a meal for 10! It was my first big Thanksgiving to do all on my own, and Drew's family was here to experience the fruits of my labor. I cooked for a couple days before Thursday, and had some help in the kitchen on Thanksgiving morning with all the last minute things. We had a very small window to eat, between the arrival of Jenny and Kyle's flight at 2:00 and the start of Drew's shift at the hospital at 5:00, so everything had to be timed perfectly, and thankfully it all went off without a hitch! The weather was gorgeous for most of the weekend, and so in true Tucson style, we were able to enjoy our feast outside in the sunshine. We set the dining room table up on the back patio, and had a Thanksgiving picnic. We all had a great time all weekend!

The Menu for the Sanders Family Thanksgiving Feast 2009

Turkey (a 20 pounder!) I ended up brining the turkey overnight, and seasoning with various herbs and spices...it turned out very tender and juicy!
Honey Corn Bread Muffins (a new recipe from Real Simple)
Spinach Salad (with Craisins, Feta, and Pecans) I tossed it with this sweet dressing from friend Abby: 2 tbsp sugar, 2 tbsp white vinegar, 1/4 cup vegetable oil, pinch of salt
Mashed Potatoes
Baked Sweet Potatoes (with large marshmallows per Drew's request)
Broccoli Casserole (the Levis-Phy version...very fattening, but also SOOOOOO good)
Scalloped Corn (a Sanders family recipe with a few green chiles added in to give it a little Southwestern flair)
Cranberry Sauce (in the shape of the Ocean Spray can it came in of course...)
Stuffing (well I guess technically it was dressing, since I didn't actually stuff the turkey with it)
Green Beans
Gravy...yum! (my favorite part!)
Pumpkin Pie (we started out the evening with 2 of them, but somehow ALL 10 people were distracted for about 10 minutes, and Annabelle managed to snag half of one of them off the counter...I guess she was feeling left out) with homemade whipped cream (add a couple of shots of Jack Daniel's while whipping for pure goodness...)
Bissinger's Chocolate Mints (a Levis family tradition)