This year was a Vigil Thanksgiving. But since Grandma Candy was going to Georgia to spend the holiday with the Downs, and Jessie and Devin had moved to South Carolina...it turned into a Call/Martin Thanksgiving. Danny and I were so excited to prepare and host Thanksgiving! We've never done it before, so we were pumped. I worked on the menu for a couple of weeks until it was just perfect...from appetizers to pie. Then Jenny got a shopping list of ingredients to bring and a salad assignment.
The cooking began the day before, of course. Danny got his turkey ready for smoking by injecting it with butter and oil...yes...he literally injected the turkey with butter! He also rubbed it with his herb rub, both on top and underneath the skin. Then he left it in the fridge uncovered overnight so the skin would dry out and become crispy while it smoked. I made the cranberry sauce. Then we worked together on getting the cherry pie and coconut cream pie done. Everything from scratch, of course. Both Danny and I really want to get good at making pies, and this was our first real attempt. I was so nervous! But they both turned out amazing...at least they looked amazing. :)
The next day, Thanksgiving day, we started cooking straight away! Danny prepped his au jus and put that as well as the turkey in the smoker. It was definitely a non-traditional way to prepare a Thanksgiving turkey, but we were pretty optimistic is would be awesome. Here's how it worked: Danny placed water, veggies, herbs, and seasonings in a pan that would be placed underneath the turkey. As the turkey cooked, the drippings would go into the gravy pan with all the other ingredients and cook together. When the turkey was done, you simply strained out all the veggies and you would be left with a beautiful, flavorful au jus that could be used to pour over the turkey, or as a base for a more traditional gravy. We didn't really see how it could go wrong, but we imagined all the ways it could go right! :)
Jenny and her family were due at our house around 11:30 am for appetizers and hanging out while we finished the rest of the meal prep. We figured we'd eat around 2:00 pm. Now, Danny and I have both been really good about our eating for months, and we were looking forward to indulging. So for me, the appetizers were almost as important as the actual meal! That portion of the menu included sushi, garlic artichoke dip with baguette slices, summer sausage with cheese and crackers, olives, and stuffed pumpkin pull-apart bread. Well, the pull-apart bread was a new recipe...and it was a disaster. It totally burned in the crock pot, and was nearly inedible. And it ended up destroying our crock pot! I don't think that recipe made the cut for years to come. :) But everything else was delicious! We ate and visited while we cooked and the kids played.
The turkey was coming along beautifully, though a bit slower than Danny had anticipated. He pulled the gravy off so we could get it strained, and Ava helped me get the tables all decorated and set for dinner. She was such a good little helper! Apparently she loves to work in the kitchen, so it became her job to get our drink ready to go as well. I think having her follow me around and say, "What next, Aunt Katie?" was one of the highlights of my day!
It took almost an hour and a half longer than we planned, but finally the turkey was ready. And it was a beauty!! I also think the tablescapes turned out amazing. I used the pumpkins from the pumpkin patch, and it was just perfect. Also, it worked out good that Grandma Candy wasn't using any of her beautiful white dishes this year. :)
With the turkey carved and the tables set, it was finally time to eat! The Thanksgiving menu this year consisted of the following: smoked turkey, mashed potatoes, traditional gravy, au jus, macaroni and cheese, Grandma Candy's fruit salad, fresh cranberry sauce, rolls, and ginger lemonade to drink. It was the perfect table full of delicious food, and just what I had envisioned!
But I wasn't prepared for how beautiful the plates would look. Is it totally weird that it almost brought tears to my eyes? And oh my goodness, it was beyond delicious. Everything was perfect! The turkey though, that was out of this world. I've never had a turkey taste so good! Danny and I couldn't have been more pleased with how everything turned out. Matt and Jenny asked if it was too early to book us for next year. ;) And this was Joey's first Thanksgiving, so he enjoyed a bit of table food, too.
After we had eaten more than should be allowed any single person in one meal, we vegged for a while and then cleaned up the kitchen. Johnny and Eli took selfies to pass the time. :) These two are the best of friends!
And then it was time for pie! I don't know what happened to my picture of all the pies before they were cut. :( But we had cherry pie a la mode, coconut cream pie, and pumpkin crumble. They were all delicious! But the cherry pie was everyone's favorite, hands down. Both the cherry pie and the coconut cream pie turned out better than I could have hoped for!
And with that, Thanksgiving was over. It was one of our best Thanksgivings yet! The food, obviously, was off the hook. But it was also so nice to have time just with Jenny's family. It made it a more chill day, and that was just so perfect.
Happy Thanksgiving!! And now on to the holidays...full steam ahead!
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