Thanksgiving at the Janis Home

Wow! What a day! The weather cooperated and stayed nice and cool so it didn't get too hot in the house. We slept in this morning, ate breakfast, played at the park, and then got to work. Fortunately, Esther and Nathan played really nicely with each other (they are loving this week long break from school) while Daron and I spent pretty much the rest of the day together in the kitchen - one of our favorite things to do!

Sister Grant and the missionaries joined us this year for dinner. And boy, was it good! We tried to keep it simple, but it still took most of the day to cook. The difference was that the recipes were not too complicated, I did a lot of preparation yesterday, and we actually had everything cooked and warm right at 5pm like we had intended! Woohoo!

The menu:

The food:

We brined the turkey with chicken stock, candied ginger, allspice, brown sugar, salt, and peppercorns. After a good rinse this morning, he got stuffed with an aromatic mix of sage, rosemary, onion, cinnamon, and apples. Daron smoked some applewood next to it on the grill where it cooked slowly for   a little over 4 hours at about 300F for most of the time. He put it up to 400F the last hour. It was awesome!!! One of the best turkeys we've ever done! A slight smoky flavor, so tender and juicy and just delicious. Angelyn and Brian, you may have changed your minds about turkey if you'd eaten this one!

The cornbread and sausage stuffing was great this year - not too overcooked. Jimmy's sausage and homemade cornbread. How can you go wrong? I have a recipe for leftovers of this stuffing where you cook eggs with it. Looking forward to breakfast tomorrow!

The cranberry mango sauce tasted almost like jam, it was so good. We made way too much of it so maybe I'll be spreading that on bread for awhile. It was a Bobby Flay recipe. The potatoes were similar to scalloped potatoes but with a creamy white sauce instead of cheese. Tender onions with a hint of thyme and nutmeg layered throughout the combination of russet and sweet potatoes. It was so soft and cooked to perfection. 

The carrots were simply steamed and mixed with brown sugar, lemon juice, honey, and butter - and a sprinkle of parsley for color. The elder who said he'd never liked carrots declared he liked these ones!

The salad was yummy - a simplistic version of an Emeril recipe. Bosc pears that had been tenderized in butter and brown sugar, then mixed with greens, blue cheese, and a quick oil/apple cider vinegar/honey dressing. Very light and tasty.

And the piez de resistance....

Triple chocolate pumpkin pie! We served it with a small scoop of Tahitian Vanilla Bean gelato. It was so rich and good! The kids helped me make it yesterday and we drizzled (rather sloppily) dark chocolate over it just before dinner. Yeah....looking forward to those leftovers. But maybe a smaller piece next time!

The table:

I chose a harvest theme this year, pulling in the gourds from around the house and fruit from the fruit basket, pinecones, leaves, and lights. A mini bottle of Martinelli's was a take home gift for our guests.

Esther helped me with the name cards. She did an excellent job! Again, I used my turkey plates. One of them broke last year so it was good we only had seven people at the table. I've been keeping my eyes peeled for more but have yet to find them. If you see any, let me know!

I am thankful that Daron didn't have to work today. It's been a crazy few months with his schedule. But I'm thankful for our wonderful children who keep us laughing, for our nice home, for Daron's secure job, for yummy food and the ability to share it with others. I'm thankful for Christ and His sacrifice for us all. Life is good.

Happy Thanksgiving, everyone!!!