Thanksgiving Flashback, Two

Continuing where I left off, this post focuses on the main event -- the Thanksgiving dinner. Above is the cranberry sauce I made the night before. Very simple, but it's one of my favorite things to make. It tastes great on just about everything and can be used in more ways than as an accompaniment to turkey.

For the rolls, I went with the standard refrigerator rolls that I've used many times before. These keep all the prep we did on Thanksgiving to a minimum. Very soft, flavorful rolls with a pretzel-ish crust, everyone enjoys eating these.

Green bean casserole; one day, I will try making this from scratch

Sometimes the marshmallows deflate after browning. I've found that it's because you bake it when deflation occurs, because this time I broiled the mallows and it didn't shrink at all. The only difference is that, since the marshmallows retain their shape, it won't have that melted creaminess coating the sweet potato chunks.

I don't think so, Merry

D.W. cooked quicker than we planned, but Mom was able to keep it warm without overcooking and drying out the meat much. Bad, D.W.!

Pretty table

I'm not sure how we ever got along trying to put all the sides on the main table before, but it's much easier to set everything buffet-style and have each person get their own food. Except the turkey.

My plate on the first go-around


Sparkling apple cider


The end of dinner

Since dinner was actually around 1320, there were a few hours between it and dessert. That didn't stop me from snacking while watching a Thanksgiving episode of Gilmore Girls. Pumpkin dip made from cream cheese, marshmallow fluff, pumpkin, and besides the spices and orange zest, there may have been another ingredient I am forgetting. Anyway, it was really good, though not as thick as I would have liked it (I scaled back from the original amounts and wasn't really trying to figure it out since this was last-minute the night before Thanksgiving). I served the dip with cinnamon graham crackers, but it would have tasted better accompanied with mini gingersnaps. This also tasted really good spread on pancakes.

My apple pie was renamed to 'Elephant Man Apple Pie' by my mom. I wasn't insulted, I was thinking myself that it looked... rustic. All joking aside, it actually looks nice.

Taste-wise, I thought it could have been spicier, just a little sweeter, and it could have had a bit more 'sauce' on the inside. Other than that, the apples weren't mush and it did taste fine.

What do all these pictures have in common? The dominant color is golden brown. Seriously, all the food has the same color!

But I digress.

A pumpkin roll is nice if you don't feel like eating pie, and you don't want to bother with a layered cake. Simple to make, you could even pre-slice it and place the slices in a container separated by a layer of wax paper. Have any leftover cranberry sauce? Place a spoonful on the plate.

I'm missing a picture of pumpkin pie because I never took a picture of it. By the time I ate a slice, I was simply too tired to bother, so I'll tell you about it (again) now. This is the best recipe I've found for pumpkin pie. Perfectly spicy, very custardy and smooth, there's nothing to hate about it. It's not overly sweet, either.

So ends another year of Thanksgiving blogging!