Thanksgiving Sweets

Each year, as the holiday season begins, we have so much fun deciding on what delicious goodies we will prepare for our Thanksgiving feast. It never fails that our eyes and tasty buds are not even considering that we would never be able to consume all of the dishes we hope to prepare, even if Ignatius J. Riley himself graced us with his presence......but we do it anyway. This year we put parameters in place since it looked like there would only be 5 of us: 1 meat, 4 veggies, 4 salads, 4 appetizers, relishes, bread, and 4 desserts. Sounds perfect for all of our favorite recipes with a little room for newbies.
 
This year, upon our precious Poppy's arrival, we all decided that it would be much better for her, being only a few weeks old, to be at her home for Thanksgiving so that she didn't have to travel all the way to the Panhandle. With this decision, Wade & I made plans to drive down to Bryan, TX and spend a few days enjoying the days cooking, eating, and rocking Poppy. 

As the time drew nearer, we were watching some nasty weather come through the Panhandle and began to worry that it wasn't going to be smart to leave our newly weaned calves in someone else's care while we were away. Sadly, I headed to Mitch & Cordia's without Wade, knowing that he was very disappointed that he was not going with me to enjoy the days ahead. He wouldn't have stopped me for the world though, because he knew my heart was set on spending this time there.......and did I mention rocking Poppy? :)

Once I arrived there were lots of things to do. Everyone was excited about the plans we had in store. Reviewing our menu, making a grocery list, filling our shopping basket with great expectations, and getting started on preparing for the festivities. Mitch, Cordia, Lindsey, Jose, Poppy & I all had our roles planned out. (Will was spending Thanksgiving with a friend of his up in Chicago) Mitch & I would get started with baking the pies. Mitch was responsible for drawing Poppy's face on the crust of the apple pie :) Lindsey would make her focaccia bread from scratch and Cordia would fill in with anything needed in between Poppy feedings. Grandmaw (me) would be in charge of rocking Poppy anytime she (Poppy or Grandmaw) wanted. Poppy was in charge of being the cutest & sweetest of us all. The joy of being together while we move in sync throughout the day as we prepare for our grand spread is a time filled with sweet spirits in every move. This year was no exception!

For history's sake I am sharing our menu:

Prime Rib -- cooked to perfection with a sauce made from  salsa & wild plum jelly

Veggies:
Blistered Green Beans
Confetti Corn
Papas con chile potatoes
Bacon-Wrapped Asparagus Bundles -- a new favorite

Salads:
Okra Salad
Broccoli & Cauliflower Salad -- Lindsey would have rather had the Broccoli & Grape
Sweet Potato & Black Bean Salad
Butternut Squash Salad -- newbie that needed quite a bit of tweaking for a comeback

Appetizers:
Jalapeno Poppers
Smoked Salmon dip -- fresh salmon caught by Will while fishing in Alaska
Deviled Eggs -- without pickle relish per Lindsey's request

Pickles & Pickles Peppers of all sorts

Focaccia Bread -- Lindsey learned this recipe while working in Angel Fire
 
Desserts:
Apple Pie -- garnished with a picture of "Poppy wearing a beanie" carved in the crust
Cherry Pie -- with a berry blend instead of cherries because the store didn't have any
Cinnamon Roll Cake -- a newbie that has become a favorite
Pumpkin Coffee Cake -- that didn't turn out just right this time....but still a keeper

Thankfully we had several friends join us during these days which helped to dwindle down this mound of delightful dishes. Kevin & Sarah, Nick & Emily & and even our friend of Alaska, Pat Peterson. Will didn't completely miss out either. There were still plenty of leftovers when he returned from Chicago on Tuesday.

These days shared are truly a gift to us all. They are filled with joy, love & laughter and it's always difficult to bring the days to an end. Thanksgiving brings families together each year as a tradition, however when those relationships are nurtured throughout the year it causes these times to become even sweeter. Feeling Stuffed <3