Thank-Full

This post is so long over-due (or maybe it's really early for next year?), I actually thought about not blogging about this. But then I thought....nope, I need to because I'm proud of my efforts. My mom came to visit from Upstate (well really Northern to be exact) New York. Yes, I know it's hard to believe that there really is more to NY than just the city. Google map it, I swear there is. Anyway, it was Donald and my first official Thanksgiving dinner that we were going to host for someone else, and although it would have been awesome to have all of our family members gathered around our table, we were very pleased to have my mother here to share it with us.

I began the morning before Thanksgiving by making the muffins that you see below. It was a twist on a family favorite...cranberry-orange bread. Although, this time around, I wanted to make something that would be a bit healthier than the recipe that we normally follow (thanks Ms. Betty Crocker for feeding me during my youth). I'm not going to post my version of the recipe now, for a few reasons. One, I usually leave the baking up to these two ladies. And two, I need to perfect the recipe a little more to get it exactly like I want. Then I'll post the recipe. They still tasted pretty good, and looked really cute. But I know I can do better.

Which leads me onto the main course. It was my first time making a turkey...and I'm proud to say, I nailed it! It was so perfectly golden brown, and juicy (and cooked to the correct temp! YAY!), gosh, it almost makes me want to go make another one right now. I think I had beginner's luck or something, so I'm really tempted to make another one for Christmas just to see if I really do know what I'm doing. Donald helped make dinner too.......his mashed potatoes were delish! And I'm proud to say, that all of the other food made it to the table without getting cold. That's something I don't do well with when it comes to multi-dishes in the kitchen....I am getting better, but there's almost always something on the verge of being cold when it hits the table, and more devastatingly, my plate!

It was a great Thanksgiving dinner, and my mom had a great visit. There's something so satisfying about being able to show my mom after all of these years that I have become quite an amazing young lady (that's right...I'm not afraid to give a little credit where credit is due).

So, this past Thanksgiving, I was very thankful to be able to have the chance to have another Thanksgiving with my mom, and do a little role reversal for once. And of course, I'm very thankful to have all of my family, friends, my canine daughters, and especially my Donald. Here's to wishing everyone a safe and happy holiday season!