Thanksgiving 2009

This year we had Thanksgiving at our house in Davis for the first time. Our family friend, Gayla, and her daughter, Amanda, joined us from Livermore.

Normally I do all the cooking for big meals like this (except for the gravy, which m dad always helps me do right before we eat). This year I knew that in order to get it all done and ready to eat at a civilized hour I'd have to do a lot of the prep work beforehand. So on Monday while Eddie took a long nap I chopped all the veggies for the stuffing, cleaned and trimmed the green beans and made the dressing for Dave's cold bean salad, baked the yams, cooked up the wild rice for my pilaf, got the jars of wild mushrooms defrosting for the stuffing, gravy, and pilaf, dusted the living and dining rooms, and cleaned the guest bathroom. Whew.

On Thursday we were able to get everything done and ready to eat by about 5:30pm. The biggest help was that I made sure to clean as we went--something I always do. But this time I took it a step further and made sure the dish rack and dish washer were empty before we sat down to eat so that it would be super easy to clean up after.

Like last year we bought a heritage turkey and it was worth every penny (nevermind that my mom paid for it!). Knowing how good it was last year, we opted for a 17 pounder instead of a measly 12 pounder like last year (there were no left overs last year). Unfortunately, I didn't think about whether or not the larger size bird would fit into the roaster oven. The lid didn't quite close all the way...but Dave came to my rescue and mounted a brick on the handle to keep it down.
A couple of years ago my dad and I found a delicious olive bread recipe and we made a double batch. I couldn't resist taking this picture. =)

Ahhhh...it was a great meal! Eddie was such a good boy, considering we didn't start eating until his nightly "fussy time" (around 6:30pm). He turned 15 weeks old on Thanksgiving and I haven't eaten a full meal straight through that whole time. I guess I won't be able to for another several years after he and his future siblings are old enough to eat at the table unassisted like the good mannered children I hope they will be. Sigh...

My mom did a nice job setting and decorating the table. This year I'm thankful for having another holiday with my mom, for my darling baby who was apparently already in the works during last year's meal but we didn't know it yet, and for my hard working/loving/supportive/handsome husband.