Thanksgiving: The Feast

Everyone knows the three elements of a good Thanksgiving: the Feast, watching Football, and hangout with the Family. Mandy, Lydia, and I were at my parent's house this year. We arrived at my parents house a little after five on Wednesday. We were both surprised at how light traffic was during the busiest travel day of the year. This early arrival was very important as my mom made her famous homemade spaghetti sauce with Italian sausage and meatballs. I love spaghetti and my mom's is the best. We can call this our pre-meal to the feast like preparing for a road race the next day.

Our Thursday, with the Macy's Day Parade in the background, every in the household had a job to do. For hours, there were potatoes peeled, casseroles mixed together, tables and chairs arranged, and of course, the turkey with stuffing in the oven. The family didn't go hungry during these hours of cooking. My dad, the day before, had cajun-seasoned/smoked a turkey for us. OH MY! It was delicious! Juicy. Flavorful. Mouthwatering good! Also, my mom, in her normal motherly-good fashion, had orderves of shrimp and cheese-in-crackers. I want to highlight one kind of cheese we had for a moment. I don't know the brand of this cheese, but it was a pepper jack cheese. Why does one pick a pepper jack over, lets say, a medium cheddar? Spicy. You want the cheese to have a little punch. Sometimes, may I say, most of the time, you don't get that spicy you were looking for in the pepper jack. Well, this cheese which my mother put out was perfectly spicy. It brought the punch I was looking for in a piece of pepper jack cheese.

Getting Ready to Feast:

(my brother and my dad having a little laugh; my sister and her friend enjoying the day)

(Mandy sitting down to give thanks)

I turn to the Feast itself. The Feast at our house was especially delicious this year. I don't think I can remember of having a tastier Thanksgiving. Here is the 2010 Stock Thanksgiving Meal Menu:

1 Juicy Brine Turkey

1 Out-of-This world Cajun Smoked Turkey

1 Spiral Ham

Stuffing

Oyster Stuffing (a family recipe)

Home-grown vegetables from my Uncle's garden in Maine:

Potatoes (mashed)

Acorn Squash

Brussels Sprouts

Green Bean Casserole

Sweet Potato Delight (with the big mash mellows)

Biscuits (my Dad made them)

Pickle/Black Olive/Banana Pepper Tray

Two Cranberry dishes

Pineapple

(just finished!)