Give Thanks

For Thanksgiving this year we decided not to make our usual trip down to California since we had just been there in August. I contacted our friends, the Westons, to see if they had plans to come up for Thanksgiving and was hoping we could have Thanksgiving together. They didn't know what their work schedules would be like yet, and in the meantime we were asked to join the Ashby's for their Thanksgiving since they wouldn't be having any family in town. Mark serves in the bishopric with Bro. Ashby and when invited, informed him that I was looking forward to cooking Thanksgiving dinner. He said that was fine, and that I should cook at their house. A few days before, the Westons found out they were able to make it up for a short trip and so we all had a great Thanksgiving together.

I planned the menu, did the shopping, and spent the day before prepping and making what I could in advance. (The turkey was taken to the Ashby's to cook.) I felt like everything went smoothly, especially with the help of Trinka and Haylie, and it was all delicious! Along with the turkey, the menu consisted of buttermilk mashed potatoes, Brussels sprouts with hazelnut butter, pomegranate-balsamic-glazed carrots, homemade orange-cranberry sauce, green beans with pancetta, mushrooms, and shallots, roasted sweet potatoes with maple pecan butter and marshmallows and for dessert was a pecan rum tart and pumpkin-coconut pie.

The ladies and the food

The Turkey

(creatively trussed with toothpicks by Haylie, Trinka and Nicole)

Trinka's festive table

Serving up the desserts

Enjoying dessert

Lastly, the picture below shows the extent of the snow we received in Oregon this winter (and yes, I believe they closed the schools down for it!). Cee was so excited to play in it, but it melted within a couple of hours. We have gotten plenty of rain though!