Thanksgiving: Fabulous or Flop?

Well, I'm pleased to say...the list/schedule worked; Thanksgiving dinner was on the table early; and it tasted great! Next time I'll want to improve on getting everything to stay hot because in general most things were lukewarm by the time we got it all done. But in general, the meal was a success, and it was wonderful to spend it with my husband, kids, grandparents and friends Laurel and Wendy.

Here were the recipes I used, along with my reviews of how they turned out.

Turkey breast, made in the CrockPot, with gravy made from the drippin's. This was delicious! It was so moist. I used Herbes de Provence (sold in spice section) as seasoning, along with the garlic powder, salt, and pepper called for in the recipe. The herbs were excellent. I also stuffed it with apple and onion, per the recipe. The turkey breast cooked a LOT more quickly than I expected. After 2 1/2 hours on low and 1 1/2 hours on high it was done. Mamma's gravy was yummy too!

Half a ham with apricot honey glaze. This was great too, and just like the turkey, it cooked more quickly than expected. Great flavor! I used bone-in ham which I think helped it stay juicy. I'd happily use the same glaze again.

Stuffing, which I'll be making in the oven--I'll try 350 degrees for about 45 minutes. (The recipe calls for it to be made in the CrockPot.) I wasn't thrilled with this stuffing recipe and will seek another.

Mashed potatoes with cream cheese and sour cream--I'll add bacon to these, and I won't make them in the CrockPot. (Unlike the awesome CrockPot Lady, I only have one slow cooker.) These were great, though I took them out of the oven too soon and they got lukewarm. They were much better later when I had leftovers that were nice and hot. Instead of using water and boullion, I used boxed chicken broth. I added bacon and chives--mmm. In the oven on 350 I'd say they need 30-40 minutes if you make a big batch like I did--the sour cream and cream cheese really cooled them off. Really a tasty recipe!

Broccoli salad. This was VERY good. Between the three ladies there besides me, I got two recipe requests. I used craisins instead of raisins, and used almonds instead of peanuts. Note that you need to make this the day before so it can marinate overnight. I do think the marinating time helped with the flavor.

Green bean casserole. Green bean casserole is so yummy--but I should have thawed my frozen green beans first; it took too long to cook and didn't get quite done.

Caramel apple pie. To die for. Make it. Seriously, SO good. I used a Pillsbury crust (the refrigerated kind that you just unroll) because they are so good and so easy. The recipe called for caramel squares, unwrapped and cut in two. Instead I bought a bag of little caramel pieces in the baking aisle, made for melting (for apples.) They were easier to use than whole caramels. And per my Mamma's suggestion, I beat an egg white a bit then brushed it on the unbaked crust, followed with a sprinkling of sugar. It was gorgeous, nicely browned on top.

It felt like a huge accomplishment to pull this off--and I had lots of hands helping me do it! Even better, The Engineer's hands did all the hand-washing of pots and pans and such afterward. What a guy.

And I'm very pleased to announce that before bed Chickie gave me a great reason to be thankful--again, for the second day in a row!