Early Thanksgiving

We had our family (minus two) over for an early Thanksgiving dinner yesterday.  Since four of our kids and their families were here this last weekend, we decided to go all out and have a full blown feast with those who were here.  It was so much fun to have Dan, Debbie and Jordan, Erica and Nate, Stephanie and her boyfriend, Rodney, Anne and my niece Katie over for dinner.

While I was making gravy, I heard a high pitched scream and thought in a split second panic, "Where's Jordan?!?"  Debbie calmly said, "She's just excited.  Welcome to my world!"  What an exuberant way to show joy - scream at the top of your lungs.

I tried a new brine recipe for my turkey that turned out really well.  I usually just use salt and water but this looked interesting.  Its a citrus turkey brine I found at allrecipes.com.  I didn't have any lemon wedges so I used RealLemon instead.  It was delicious!  The white meat was a little dry, but its usually drier than the dark meat.  Next time I'll turn the turkey upside down and roast it with the breast sitting in the juices.  I've done that a few times before and it sure comes out moist.

And I love homemade country-style mashed potatoes, with the skins left on.  One year I made mashed potatoes for a family Thanksgiving dinner that turned out beautifully.  I heard from my sister-in-law that her daughter commented on them.  "Mom, these potatoes are heaven!"  :-)  Yay!  That made my day.

Just add lots of butter and sour cream!  If you're a wimp like me, use reduced-fat butter spread and fat-free sour cream.  At least that way I don't have to feel too guilty about over-indulging.

I hope you all have a delicious and fun Thanksgiving, surrounded by people you love.