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A wonderful Thanksgiving with my family at my parents new house in Lake Forest. It’s been several years now that we’ve had non-homey holidays, so it was very fun to be back at mom & dad’s for a full day of family togetherness.
This year marks my second year in a ten year plan of being able to prepare a Thanksgiving dinner, by myself, by the time I’m 38. Last year I made my first (and I must say outstanding) turkey. Rubbed with a sage butter and covered with bacon, then basted with maple syrup. Hello! Very good. My gravy wasn’t all that so I’ll continue to research a good recipe to add to my final repertoire.
This year I was responsible for the mashed potatoes for the family meal. Lots of pressure to be cooking among the greats such as my father, my aunt and grandma. They were a hit though, and I thoroughly enjoyed being among the adults in the kitchen, instead of just an eater all day. I made a Barefoot Contessa recipe (tripled to accommodate). At the last minute I passed on an extra 2 cups of buttermilk as it looked very creamy as is. Now I know that mashed potatoes continue to absorb. Although still good, creamy and buttery – I’m aiming for amazing – I will add the extra fat in years to come.
My second challenge for the year was a pie from scratch. I went with pumpkin, a holiday favorite. Totally easy, the hardest part was the crust – but still not hard, just time consuming. Warmed up with a scoop of Haagen Daz Vanilla Bean ice cream, makes for a little slice of holiday heaven.
Next year, I’ll aim for stuffing. I took some good notes this year: more ingredients. I think I’ll add some walnuts, cranberries, and even more celery and onions than usual.
Other than the food, it was just wonderful to be with family. Nothing better than a family that enjoys being all together. We have so much to be thankful for.
Growing a baby is a lot of work, but it’s been a very enjoyable experience. A little over half way now. Here’s a picture of my growing belly that a co-worker took this week for our Christmas catalog. To get in the spirit we’ve been playing Christmas music around the clock and eating lots of candy canes. I attached the finished product below.
We had another ultrasound this week…it’s still a girl. She’s currently 1 pound and 11 inches long. We got to see the four chambers of her heart. No holes, or spots, and beating at 150 bpm. She has a large cerebellum which means she’ll have good balance – good for dancing. The doctor measured a part of her head which is how they check for down syndrome – she’s all clear of any concern on that. Healthy kidneys and lungs…It was pretty amazing (and comforting) to be able to see everything so clearly. She’s moving like crazy, sometimes so strong that it startles me.
