The Spread

Our Thanksgiving trifecta went off without a hitch yesterday - we were able to see our families and ate very well, two things which we are very grateful for every day.

I shared some of the Thanksgiving recipes we'd be preparing and I promised to include results! So here they are. All of our dishes turned out to be delicious and affordable. And we all know that even our most natural, signature dishes can be come nightmarish when paired with the stress of the holidays, but we had our schedule mapped out so well that prep was a breeze and we weren't frantic and aggravated - which is a blessing within itself. Take a look at our beautiful dishes and you can refer back to the recipes here.

My dad signed on to make the dressing, smoked turkey and desserts. He'd asked us what we wanted for dessert and we just let him choose. He made two delicious pies - one a total surprise for me!  One was a salted chocolate bourbon pecan pie. The filling was incredibly rich with sweetness and only the slightest hint of bourbon or saltiness. It was delicious but far too sweet for me and mom, dad and Jordan are going to "take care" of this pie; I'll just pick off the pecans. But then he surprised me by using the remainder of his pie crust recipe to make me an all-meringue pie! I love meringue, especially when it's "this high" on top of a good custard, but I usually peel the meringue off to eat the custard and save the fluffy goodness for last. This pie was heavenly! Sweet and airy with a very simple crust that highlighted the meringue's flavor that much more. I will not be sharing this pie. Try me.

Jordan's Mock Apple Pie - No one believed that it was made out of Ritz crackers!

 All of the veggies we made for dinner with my parents
- clockwise from left: roasted cauliflower, glazed carrots and twice-baked sweet potatoes

Smoky roasted cauliflower with paprika, garlic and parsley

Twice-baked red and white sweet potatoes stuffed with pecans and apples

Beautiful, rustic and insanely rich pie courtesy of my dad.

Mine!