We'll start with appetizers. We only have our family of 4 plus my husband's mom, stepdad, step-brother, and his sister so nothing too fancy.
1. Who could go wrong with deviled eggs. Last year I made a dozen (which is 24 appetizers if you're counting) and they were gone way too quick so I made need to bump that up by another half dozen.
2. Ok, sorry I posted this last week but we decided for sure that we (we being the kids) are making this too. It's just too cute not to:
3. The in-laws will be bringing a couple of dishes and this is the first. I don't really eat green beans but it looks great:
4. Another must have: mashed potatoes and TURKEY GRAVY. I could live without the potatoes but I have to use my turkey drippings for the gravy. My perfect bite of turkey is like this: turkey-dressing-gravy for every bite. I'm kinda OCD on it. It makes my mouth happy :) :
5. Seriously, if you are going to make mac and cheese you have to make it like this. I follow this recipe (which can be found by clicking on the pin) and you just HAVE to add those buttered breadcrumbs to put it over the top:
6. And if that weren't enough, time to put you into carb overload with the dressing. I have always used the recipe my mom gave me. I don't think it is even written down but I was looking through Thanksgiving recipes a few years back and as it turns out Paula Deen's cornbread dressing is nearly exactly like hers. And she says it was passed down through her family so hey, maybe we're related? You never know:
7. To be honest, I 'm really not sure what bread we are having. It is kind of an afterthought but since I need to finish buying everything by this Friday (2 days from now) I better decide. These are at the top of my list right now, Rosemary Garlic Butter Rolls:
8. Is that it? Wait, the most important, of course, the Turkey! This recipe, from Alton Brown, is pretty close to what we do but I do not add the exact same herbs. Those can be changed to your liking. The big thing that we always follow, though, is brining. I will NEVER cook another turkey without brining it first. Makes all the difference:
9. And on to the dessert. We usually have so much food that we can't possibly eat dessert right away. We usually wait until AT LEAST halftime (go Cowboys). I usually do a cheesecake and this year I think I will add one extra ingredient, a swirl of chocolate. My mouth is already watering:
10. Last but not least, apple pie, my husband's absolute most favorite dessert in the world. This year, he is requesting individual mini apple pies with crumble crust so I'm searching for the perfect recipe. This one looks great:
So, what's going on your table this year? Last year I finally got everything right and the key, in my opinion, is to keep it simple and use fresh ingredients. Can't wait!
