Because race-directing wasn’t busy enough, I also hosted Thanksgiving for my parents and my in-laws! (It turned out well but I don’t want to do it again any time soon…)
Of course it was amazing to host a big meal in my new kitchen, and my parents are always good helpers. I also worked my butt off in the days leading up to the race to get all our sides ready ahead of time. We even cooked the turkey the day before! (It turned out beautifully.)
Maelle and I used her bead kit and some pipe cleaners to make these adorable little Indian corns. We used them on the table as decoration for the big meal.
On Wednesday morning, I made these cinnamon roll turkeys for breakfast, which were featured in Maelle’s latest issue of Clubhouse Jr. (If you aren’t familiar with that magazine, think of it as a faith-based version of Highlights.). I would have liked to do them on Thanksgiving morning, but I have to be up and out too early for that…
Once I wrapped up with all my race obligations, it was time to start prepping the big meal. We started with charcuterie, mostly supplied by my mother.
I set the table days ahead of time, and was pleased with how it turned out, using only plastic tablecloths, some brown butcher paper and some scrap ribbon.
It was so fun to cook and host in our new kitchen! I also used my new Nutcracker apron; when I saw Hedley & Bennett had a mommy-and-me set, I had to get one for Maelle and me for the Christmas season.
It took the whole length of the island to line up all the side dishes!
For dessert, we had decorated cookies, apple pie and pumpkin pie. Maelle helped me make the little pilgrim hats for our utensils.
One of our Thanksgiving traditions is to get our Christmas tree that weekend, and my parents have joined a few times in recent years. I prefer to go when there is snow on the ground, but sometimes the weather just doesn’t cooperate!
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