Thanksgiving 2010

I was a bad picture taker this Thanksgiving. Too busy cooking or chasing kids, I guess. I have just a couple to highlight the holiday.

The big thing that happened this Thanksgiving was taking the front off of Mathis's highchair. Now he has a big chair like Brother and he can climb in and out by himself. He was very intrigued by my use of the allen wrench and in this picture, he is doing his own modifications to the chair.

Thanksgiving is, in large part, a tribute to my grandmother. It starts in earnest on Wednesday night with the Italian meat fest. My brother has pretty much perfected my grandmother's sauce, meatballs and braciole. I've perfected Domonic's salad. It's a perfect tribute to them both.

I typically use my wedding china for Thanksgiving, but this year opted for this set that was my grandmother's back in the 60s. When I moved to my 1st (solo) apartment, Gram sent me the few pieces that were left- a couple plates, a couple bowls, some cups and saucers. Over the last 7 years I have been piecing the set back together from eBay and Replacements.com. I've always loved the funky 60s colors and the name of the pattern in Camelot, which takes my mind to the glamour and style of the Kennedy White House.

The thing I've found really sets our Thanksgiving apart from most other families I know is the dressing. This is a recipe that was handed down to my grandmother from her mother-in-law. It's a French style meat dressing, made with ground pork, beef, veggies and "tons and tons" of Bell's Seasoning. Here it is in the pot. We make it the night before, then it cools and the next morning gets cooked again inside the turkey.

We had a slight misstep with this year's turkey and I think the stuffing may have been the culprit. The meat thermometer gave the right temp but I think we should have adjusted for the turkey being stuffed. When we took it out of the oven, it looked like it was done but the juices weren't running clear. It took another 45 minutes to get it just right, but it was tender, juicy and delicious so the bump in the road did little to spoil our feast.