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Friday, November 28, 2008

In the morning, thoughtful moments with Earl Grey tea before the cooking begins. Our dinner was scheduled late in the day so that Derek, who had to work, could join us. Aaron worked midnight shift the night before, so a late dinner allowed him to get a few hours sleep before traveling to our house.







My parent's big banquet table has leaves added (only 2 of 4, this table can stretch to 12 feet with 4 leaves) is set and ready for dinner in the log room. This table is perfect for big dinners, parties, craft projects, you name it. We keep enough folding chairs so that we have seating for about 17 people. This is the first time we've actually used the table for sit-down dinner. We've had it for about 2 years now and in future it will be put to use much more often. Having dinner in here means no dirty kitchen in view.



Youngest son Tommy (the bodybuilder) will break his strict diet regime for the day.




James and Michaela wait impatiently for dinner to begin. James said, "This is the best Thanksgiving ever!" Both started the day with stomach viruses which made for an interesting 3-hour trip to Granny's house, but by dinner time they were fully recovered, including their appetites.


The meal begins!

(Apparently my camera is having issues again. Time for a new one, I think )


What ended up on the menu?

The turkey of course, and gravy
Mashed red-skinned potatoes
Beets in orange sauce
Green beans with water chestnuts and mushrooms
Sweet potato, spiced apple and cranberry casserole
Zucchini, squash, and aristocrat pickles
Pears in raisin-cider sauce
Corn bread
Shiraz and Sauvignon Blanc wine for the grown-ups
Hickory nut cake
Pumpkin pie
Mincemeat pie
Cheeses with water crackers
Apple cider

What made this year really special for us is that almost everything prepared for this meal came from our own place.

And the funniest things?
*Only two pieces of pie were eaten, but Jaime and I had to try the hickory nut cake.
*That cake took 4 hours of picking nuts (thank you, Larry!), an hour to make (it's a complicated recipe and I think I had every counter in the kitchen covered with bowls by the time it was done), and an hour to bake--and then would not come out of the pans. It was by far the ugliest cake I've ever made, all falling apart. I made the icing for it anyway and "glued" it together. But the taste? Oh my. Worth every minute of work and frustration. Thank you for the recipe, Matthew! I'll have to figure out why it stuck to the pans.
*James reporting that because they came in Uncle Tommy's truck (car swap so Aaron could haul an engine) he had to sit in the jump seats in the rear, and had to "stare at Michaela (in the other jump seat) for three hours!"

It was a lovely day, and we were all so sleepy after dinner that everyone was in bed by 9:00 pm. Amazing--I can't remember the last time I went to bed so early.
How was your day, and your dinner?

6 comments:

  1. Sue - I LOVE the hazy soft look of these photos, especially the ones of you and the table. I sent my sister to your blog because she is looking forward to letting her "graying" hair grow long and natural and yours is so beautiful --- although not gray yet as far as I can tell!

    Your table is so appealing and inviting! Sounds like a fantastic meal and wonderful day!
    BW

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  2. Wow! How awesome to have grown almost everthing you had for your your Thanksgiving meal...must be so rewarding!

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  3. Your feast sounds wonderful. Your table sounds wonderful. I inherited my Grandmothers extension Oak table. It also has 4 leaves and can seat a bunch of people. I made sure to tell the grandchildren it's history before we sat down and the 3 year old ran right in to the table and looked under it. Not sure what he was looking for. I'm also inpressed that almost everything came from your yard. Love your posts.
    Judy

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  4. BW, thanks for recommending my blog to your sister! I hope she likes it. Tracey, your Thanksgiving sounded like fun too. And Judy, I would love to see a photo of your table. Mine is dark wood--mahogany, cherry or maybe walnut, I'm not sure. You are so right to pass the story to your grandchildren. And hopefully one day one of them will have your table in their home.

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  5. Thanksgiving was wonderful. thankyou, thankyou, thankyou. I loved the herb green beans, the cranberry/yam dish, the spiced pears... I loved it all.

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  6. Granny,
    I wonder what happened to the hickory nut cake? That's never happened to me. Hummmmmmm. Oh well, at least it still tasted good.

    And I can't stop thinking about something you said, and I read this post on this past Sunday, but what are Aristcrat Pickles? Could there be a pickle out there that I don't know about. I've always had an intimate relationship with pickles. Do tell!!!

    Your table setting was just perfect. Of course, you already know that my idea of Heaven looks alot like your and Larry's farmstead!!!

    Now about those pickles......?

    Matthew

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