The First Day of December

We made it through Thanksgiving quite well. It was just us and Jason's dad and it was a very nice and quiet day. For the second time I made the entire meal except for turkey and stuffing (which my FIL does). When I cook a big meal like that, I feel very grown up and capable. I know I am grown up and all, but still. It's a funny feeling, like, whoa, I'm totally like responsible for people's THANKSGIVING DINNER. OMG! The meal was fine and good. I made the same as last year, which were all recipes from last year's November issue of Real Simple Magazine:

garlicky green beans with pine nuts
buttermilk mashed potatoes with caramelized shallots
cranberry sauce with ginger and apricot preserves
white wine gravy with turkey pan drippings

Then I made my own versions of pumpkin pie and apple pie with a crumb topping. About the pies: So we all know I don't do crusts. I bought some pie dough from Trader Joes frozen.They are slightly more homemade-like than the ready to go tins at the supermarket. You need to thaw the dough and it supposed to be like two perfectly round pieces of dough in which you then place into your pie tin. Well, they always break, but it's no biggy because you just mend them back together with your hand once they've defrosted. Well anyway, the instructions call for you to have them thaw unwrapped. So I had three crusts on on the counter top. One for pumpkin pie, and the other for apple - of which I had PLANNED on making a double crust. But I seriously underestimated how devious my dog is when I let him inside for a while. Wouldn't you know it, that weasel hopped right up on to my counter top and very quickly scarfed down one of the entire crusts. I angrily shouted inaudibly at him and shoved him outside sounding much like the father on A Christmas Story when the pack of unruly dogs devour his beloved turkey. I was glad it was just a pie crust. So I said to myself, "Crumb topping it is!"

Just a couple of other mishaps occurred to remind me that I'm an incompetent hostess:

1. No yams. I have a famous recipe (well sort of - I have a theory* about this) for honey yams. As I reached into my cabinet to prepare them I noticed a foul smell and some fuzz growing along the side of the bag. Not. Good. I bought them about three days prior. I was miffed. I love yams.

2. As we sat down to eat I forgot to heat up the cranberry sauce that I had prepared earlier that day.

3. I completely forgot to put out the dinner rolls. We noticed them the next day sitting poised on top of our refrigerator.

*As for my yam theory, before I started hosting Thanksgiving and we designated that holiday for Jason's Dad, I had been asked to bring yams to a couple gatherings. As a young wife I wasn't much of a cook and could barely make anything. But my yams were decent. Everyone always raved about them, but now I kind of think everyone knew what an inexperienced cook I was and how nervous I was in the kitchen that they all overdid it on the praise of my yams. They were just being polite.

Hope you all had a lovely Thanksgiving Day and weekend. Me and the kids got used to Jason being home for FOUR whole days in a row, so we are missing him today. We spent a lot of time hanging out in the garage working on our Christmas presents. Friday we got our system down and worked out all the kinks, and we actually got some good production on Saturday. The weather has been splendid - though on the warm side today. I love days when the kids just run and play all day outside. That's a day well spent in my book.