Thanksgiving Pics

Little helper Henry:

My dear friend Sharon, who I have known since she was a mere child of eighteen, stayed at our house for two days over the holidays. She and her husband and two boys live two hours away and with our lives in different directions it has been a year since we have seen them. Her boys are five and three, and on Thanksgiving morning while I was starting my pumpkin cheesecake baking, her three year old offered his assistance.

Turns out he was a great helper. He crushed the graham crackers and almonds.

He added the melted butter and stirred.

 He whisked eggs and added ingredients for the filling.

He mixed it all up.

 And then he cleaned the dishes.

He was amazing; very calm and relaxed. We chatted while we worked, and he told me how he helps his mother cook at home. After cleaning while the cheesecake baked, he helped me snap the beans.

Chef Kelly:

Kelly worked hard the night before getting the turkey ready for the oven.  She made some sausage and apple stuffing, as well as the traditional pan of stuffing.  She had recipes for some holiday cocktails, green beans, and a specialty cheese puffy bread thing.

But the most amazing thing she brought with her were her brand new turkey flipper tongs.  These she used to turn over the turkey for browning, and she used them to transfer the turkey from the pan to the serving plate.

Connie's Milk Giblet Gravy:

This year Connie agreed to talk us through the making of her family's milk gravy. 

First combine flour and milk

Second using the "powerful broth" from the turkey, I heated it on low

Then I slowly added the four mixture to the broth mixture and stirred and stirred

Then I turned that stirring job over to Madison who finished up the gravy with more mixture, more milk, and some seasonings.  We added the giblets and had delicious gravy!

A beautiful table:

Our guests, who did not eat with us as they visited family, made our centerpiece for the table.

And we added a few leaves and some candles.

And then used the fine china and crystal glasses for a finished and very festive table.

It was a very relaxing and quiet day with lots of good food, good wine, and great company.  Happy, happy!