Thanksgiving #1

Philip and I got to host my side for Thanksgiving on Saturday.  What a fun, fun day!  Philip has always really enjoyed cooking, baking, and entertaining, so it's a treat to get to have our family here for celebrations.  We had a great time selecting the menu together, assigning dishes to family members, and working together to prepare for the big day.  We didn't even fight once!  Yay!

Philip insisted on making 2 birds this year.  The original plan was to smoke 1 and brine/bake the other.  After the first one smoked so beautifully, Philip decided to smoke the second as well. 

First, the food:

Veggies and spices to add flavor while bird is smoking in the grill

Bird #1

Da Bird & 2 chocolate bourbon pecan pies

The pans of water, veggies, and turkey "stuff" to make the gravy

While he was pumping turkey #2 full of buttery goodness, Dr. Phil joked, "Even turkeys need shots!"

Gobble, gobble!

Good gravy! Ya outdid yourself, Philip!

My favorite picture! We learned a new cooking technique called spatchcocking a turkey. Basically, you apply pressure like you're giving the bird CPR, and you crack the bird's sternum so that it cooks flat. Between giving the bird shots and rescue compressions, I'm sure glad Philip had all of his medical training!

Second, the table:

You might be Catholic if Thanksgiving with your immediate family (Mom, Dad, siblings, spouses, kiddos) requires a dining room table with two leaves, two banquet tables, a kiddie table in the entrance, and a big kid table in the kitchen. I! LOVE! IT!

It was so much fun to have all of the adults and wee little babies in the same room!

Up close of the table setting. I used recycled wine corks for the place cards. I cut the bottoms off of them so that they'd lay flat and slit a cut at an angle for the name card. I wrote everyone's names in cursive with a gold metallic marker on espresso-colored card stock. 

There's a whole lot going on in the middle of the table. Atop the gold and silver metallic table runner are mason jars with cranberries, greenery from our shrubs, and float candles. I mixed in a few hurricanes, votive candles, more greenery, and faux fall vegetation (pumpkins, gourds, pears, berries, red Maple leaves). I alternated gold and silver chargers beneath the white dinner plates, and I used cloth napkins in fall colors.

Third, the fun:

Pictionary after dinner. My sister-in-law Katie is able to give my dad a hard time like no one else, and she totally dominated this round of Pictionary. Ha! Go, Girl Team!

Poor Dan had to draw "stick out like a sore thumb." We weren't using a timer, and he persevered for what felt like 5 minutes. My family is just a *TAD* competitive, so you can imagine the heat he felt in his five layers of clothing. Love you, brother!

The girls!

Jane and Lucy got their hair done. Do you like Lucy's bandaid? I think she had a little scratch and Jane helped her apply the largest one possible. It certainly got the job done!

After the party, Philip and I found this on our bed. Fortunately, everyone's coats that were on the bed were spared. I hear a product called Goof Off (not to be confused with Goo Gone) is supposed to help get this stuff off of my bedding. Oh, well! It's just stuff, right? Not even some purple nail polish on our ivory bedding could ruin our fun Thanksgiving.

Thanksgiving #1 was a blast, and we're just as excited to have Thanksgiving #2 with the Boucher crew on Thursday!  Safe travels to everyone who will be journeying to celebrate and feast with their families!  Have a blessed Thanksgiving!