For the past few years, we have had a tradition in our house of making a Thanksgiving style dinner on or around my birthday in mid-November. This allows us never to miss Thanksgiving dinner at grandfather's house--with all the aunts and uncles and cousins--yet still have the fun and bustle of preparing a huge feast at home. The one rule of Thanksgiving before Thanksgiving is that every single child in the family must prepare something. Even the two year old helped stir the cranberry sauce. This is their annual birthday gift to Mom, and it is always a memorable day working together in the kitchen.
This year's menu:
Caesar Salad
Roast Turkey
Gravy
Mashed Potatoes
Mashed Sweet Potatoes
Mashed Turnips
Roasted Carrots
Roast Cauliflower with panko breadcrumbs
Cranberry Sauce
Apple, Sage, and Sausage Stuffing
Pumpkin Cream Pie
Mince Tartlets
Homemade Fudge
Apple Pie
Four kinds of ice cream
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To tide us all over before a long morning in the kitchen, Clair whipped up a round of pumpkin smoothies.
(Those are my cream scones in the background. Another light breakfast treat to begin the day.)
Little Rebecca had fun making mince tartlets:
Made from refrigerated dough and jarred mincemeat, it was the perfect independent project for a seven year old.
When I was growing up, my mother would always buy three pies at the bakery every Thanksgiving--mince, pumpkin and apple--and we all had a sliver of each with a scoop of ice cream. Although I am the only member of the family who loves mince pie, we keep the tradition alive.
Big sister Clair made this fancy lattice tartlet. I am thinking we will make a slew of these for our next doll's tea party:
Into the oven they go!
Here is a photo of some of the younger members of the production staff (below). If you think the kitchen is starting to look a bit messy, you should have seen the pile up of plates a few hours later. Pictures will NOT be forthcoming.
A solemn lad surveys the bird:
Caesar salad (homemade croutons passed separately):
Pumpkins, birds and candlelight:
We dragged in an old coffee table to serve as a child size server. No more getting up every time the under ten crowd wants seconds on the sidedishes:
My only regret is not getting a picture of the family sitting down to dinner. I will leave you instead with Bernadette's apple pie . . .
. . . and Cecilia's Pumpkin Cream. Another blessed birthday!