Thanksgiving Feast

This Thanksgiving was great.  I totally went all out.  We had my in-laws coming so it was fun to plan and make some of the traditional things I kind of skip because we don't really eat them.

First off, appetizers.  I got the idea from a picture on pinterest.  After making them I realized waffle cones would have been a much better 'cornucopia'.  That's Caramel Toffee Fruit Dip in the middle.

 I saw Alton Brown's turkey recipe last year but didn't do it.  I knew I wanted to try brineing a turkey this year so it was very fortuitous that my favorite food blog simplified Alton's recipe.  It was AWESOME.

And here is the whole feast.  We used a mixture of red potatoes and russets for the mashed potatoes and Stove-Top provided our dressing.  I made my favorite cabbage and ramen noodle salad, Roy's favorite green jello/cottage cheese salad and our family's favorite crescent roll recipe.  I also tried some new recipes: candied coconut sweet potatoes, bacon-wrapped green bean bundles and cranberry sauce.

 How did it turn out you ask?  Well, the sweet potatoes were loved by all.  Even my FIL who doesn't generally like sweet potatoes had seconds and enjoyed the leftovers.  The cranberry sauce was better than canned but there was way too much of it.  I don't think I'll do the green bean bundles again.  I like my bacon really crispy and you can't do that when it is wrapped around green beans.  The salads and rolls were good. The rolls were a little dark on the bottom because they were on the bottom rack.  That's where a double oven would come in handy.

 I think everyone was well satisfied.  Dessert was good too, layered pumpkin pie toffee cheesecake and Grandma 'Net's Dutch apple pie.

It was a great meal with great company.  I love Thanksgiving!