Thanksgiving

Our first turkey. Michael did an incredible job.

The carving station, and in the background our first Christmas tree together. A skinny prelit 9 foot wonder decked out in red, silver and white ornaments.

The sides.

After the meal we (my family and I) all sat and watched the movie Up. But Michael cleaned up instead. By the time the movie was over he had cleaned up as if Thanksgiving had never happened. So wonderful. :-)

countdown to thanksgiving

Michael and I are hosting Thanksgiving this year for my family. People seem to go crazy about the idea of hosting and doing all the cooking, but honestly this seems not to be a terribly big deal right now. Admittedly, we are only cooking for six, but we are still doing a 14 lb bird, 7 sides, and dessert - so it's not like we're skimping. The menu for tomorrow is:

Garlic and Herb Roasted Turkey
Cognac Sweet Potatoes
Garlic Parmesan Mashed Potatoes and Parsnips
Braised Brussel Sprouts
Sweet Corn and Herbs
Orange-Ginger Mint Cranberry Sauce
Turkey Sausage and Apple Stuffing
Bacon Macaroni and Cheese
Fresh Pear Pie

I just finished my pear pie, now on to boiling the potatoes. Unfortunately, we still have to make another trip to Wal-Mart, ugggh.

dinner and dessert

I got home from work late tonight and look what Michael had waiting for me...lamb chops with green beans and rice. Yummy. He's so sweet.

So as I said a couple entries ago, I had to make two cakes this weekend, my famous Chocolate Guinness Cake ala Nigella Lawson (but I modified her recipe to suit my taste) with delicious whipped almond cream frosting and a German Chocolate Cake. I made the cakes so that Michael's boss' wife could taste them and choose which to order for her dad's birthday. She chose the Chocolate Guinness.

It is Michael's favorite. He loves my whipped frosting. The perfect balance of sweetness and lightness. :-)

The German Chocolate Cake was surprisingly tasty though. The topping and filling is a toasted coconut and pecan mixture and the frosting is similar to a chocolate ganache. Michael was surprised that it wasn't sickeningly sweet, and oh so moist. It is definitely a recipe to add to my recipe book. Thank you, David Liebovitz.

So Wednesday I will be making another Chocolate Guiness Cake, and I think I will test a new recipe this week...either carrot cake or an apple galette. I'm leaning towards the latter.