1200 people were able to eat today that may not have otherwise. Thankful for a wonderful (new) church family and all that they do. That is not to say I am not thankful for my (old) church family and all that they do because I am equally grateful for both. I wouldn't be where I am today if it weren't for crossroads. Enough about that, lets talk FOOD!
(Because I have a lot to say I am not going to write every recipe out, so feel free to ask for any you would like)
After we returned home I started my first ever attempt at making Thanksgiving dinner(98% by yours truly). First I started dessert( my favorite pumpkin cheesecake recipe). Something I am well aware of how to make, dessert is my strong suit. I am a baker through and through. I felt very in my element starting with the cheesecake which made moving on to the turkey and fixin's feel even better.
The cheesecake was placed in the oven for 1 hour, while I prepared our stuffing.
As I was making the stuffing for the day, Walt was prepping the turkey(cleaning it, and placing it in the pan, THAT'S IT! we were just trying to save some time). After both were ready, I stuffed the bird, added some butter, celery salt, and pepper to the top of the turkey, and placed it in the oven. The cheesecake came out and was placed in the oven for the rest of the afternoon(yay dessert was done).
I moved on to prepping the rest of the side dishes as I could so that when I pulled the turkey out later they could go right on in. First thing I made was green bean casserole(recipe, definitely not inlcuded, because honestly who doesn't make green bean casserole), up next was party potatoes. Party potatoes were a staple in the Baltzer family house during any holiday celebration. I feel like I made my grandmother proud today making her famed party potatoes. Really, her party potatoes are just mashed potatoes with cream cheese, sour cream, and some seasoning in them. I think they are fabulous though and look forward to eating the leftovers for days.
When all the prepping was done it was FINALLY time to sit for a few moments.
After a quick 4(ish) hours the turkey was done and I pulled it out of the oven to rest while our sides were placed in the oven, toaster oven, and microwave. In went to the stuffing(yes more stuffing), potatoes, and green bean casserole, all for 30 minutes, how perfect is that. Also, I made Pillsbury crescent rolls(for the first time ever in SC, our oven can be finicky) perfectly browned on top and bottom. Corn went in the microwave to heated up, afterwards I added some butter and that was that. Also, we had applesauce(frozen from when we made it in September) and canned, yes, canned Cranberry Sauce(whatever, it is the way I like it).
The only thing I didn't make was the gravy, the compliments for that have to go to Walt. Gravy is not something I eat almost ever so I didn't really know how to make it or what it should look like, so I was not embarrassed to ask for some help.
Time to eat, the turkey was wonderfully juicy and full of flavor. All the sides were absolutely perfect, it was just like Thanksgiving as a kid :). I tried everything I made today, even the green bean casserole and the in the bird stuffing, both of which I did not finish but didn't turn my nose up at either. Cooking took a lot out of me so I didn't eat as much as I normally would have, but I got compliments from both Mom and Walt, which mean a great deal to me.
Again it was time to sit and digest all the wonderful food. After a short nap and some James Bond/Football dessert time it was. The long awaited pumpkin cheesecake(I'm not a big pumpkin pie person so this is my compromise) came out and warmed for about 5 minutes. It was perfectly baked and chilled, barely any cracks, fabulous texture. But one big problem arose, while eating the cheesecake(the thing I am supposed to be really good at making) we discovered the lack of SUGAR. It was a good thing we had ice cream in the freezer because all 3 of us left almost all our cheesecake on our plates. Unbelievable that the one thing I was least worried about is the one thing that I made a mistake on. I believe what I did was put 1/2 c sugar in and forgot to go back and get the other full cup that also needed to go in. It tasted like a side dish more than dessert.
Again, Happy Thanksgiving! Enjoy the rest of your night and weekend :)
This is a great blog Jamie. I am so proud of you. We all make mistakes. It's part of learning. I made Cream of Zucchini soup from scratch once and it was so sweet. We did our best to eat it and then when I went to wash up the dishes I found the can of Chicken broth on the kitchen counter. I forgot to add it. Everything looks really deliscious. We had good food too. I made turkey pot pie for dinner tonight and can't wait to try it. I line the bottom of the casserole dish with leftover stuffing. Then I mixed a big can of cream of mushroon soup, leftover turkey, frozen mixed vegetables (thawed) and canned dice potatos (drained) I pout that mixture on top and covered with a pre made pie shell, Bake 30 minutes at 350. I'll let you know how I make out.
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