The Turkey Stood No Chance

Yesterday was such a wonderful day. We were invited to a few different places but were really excited to hear from the Jensen family about a month ago. Not only did they want us to spend the day with them for Thanksgiving, but they didn’t need me to make the turkey.

Done and done.

Of course, I did get a little carried away with making things to bring. I got to make some Pumpkin Spice Cupcakes with Cinnamon Cream Cheese Frosting. Other than the frosting being just a tad too sweet, these were incredibly yummy!

The cake was moist and spicy…in a good way. I shaved some 72% Ghirardelli Chocolate on top to bring the frosting back into reality. It didn’t do much to cut the sweetness, but these were still enjoyed by all.

Dessert wasn’t the only thing that I got to make today. Since I didn’t have to make the turkey, we slept in until 8:00 AM. Nice! I woke up and made some cupcakes, and then some savory dishes to take to the pratty.

These are the only spuds that I make any more…Pioneer Woman’s Creamy Mashed Potatoes. After adding butter and cream cheese (and more butter), they go back in the oven to bake for a nice crust on top. These are simply heavenly.

I also made honey butter for Karen’s homemade rolls, which were out of this world. And a Green Bean Casserole, which shamefully didn’t get a single photo op during the whole day. How is that even possible?!

Karen’s mom, Barbara, brought the turkey goodness today. It was so moist and perfectly done. I really love turkey. Every time I eat it, I wonder why on earth we only do this once a year.

There were seven of us today at the Thanksgiving Feast. Chris and Karen are dear friends, and they have two adorable teenage daughters, Rachel and Hannah. Barbara was there, too, since it’s rude to just accept a turkey and not invite her to dinner. And then Hubby and I brought up the rest of the attendees.

And Jack, the Russell Terrier, was also there. He was so excited for today but didn’t get much turkey from anyone. Did you know that Russell Terriers shake when they get too excited? There was lots of shaking going on today.

I love walking into a house with incredible Thanksgiving smells. Turkey, rolls, turkey. This is going to be good.

This is sweet Hannah, whom I love. These girls are just incredible…smart, funny, and cute. What more could you want in a teenage daughter? Hannah is fun and witty. All of her friends try to sit next to her because she is just awesome. I have Hannah in the Beehives group at church, so I get to enjoy lots of her during the week, too.

And this beauty is Rachel, who just turned sixteen. Hannah’s arm photo-bombed the picture, which only makes it more fun. There was a lot of photo-bombing going on today!

Rachel is musical and is always selected for the All-State team for choir. She plays piano and was building a bridge for her Advanced Physics class before dinner started. And she is beautiful, but you could tell that already. Rachel is one of my Laurels at church.

Hubby and I also brought some Cranberry Fizz drink for today’s festivities.

And, like always, I made a ton of it. You never want to be without a drink when turkey and spuds are involved.

Chris, being the man of the house, got the esteemed privilege of carving the turkey. We all stood around and “oooohed and aaaaahed” with each cut. Do you think that we were hungry?

This guy is just wonderful and oh so funny. We made bets before arriving to see if he would be wearing an Oakland Raiders t-shirt or Star Wars t-shirt. It was the Raiders today.

And this pretty lady is Karen. She runs The Cupcake Stand with me, but I like her for more than her mad baking skills. We are so blessed to have such wonderful friends. Karen is always such a great conversationalist. It’s a treat to have such a neat lady just a few blocks away.

Here are the girls with their grandma, Barbara. She is an excellent cook and sure loves these girls.

Barbara also made stuffing, which was scratch-made with homemade bread! Holy smokes, this stuff(ing) was amazing. My stomach is growling just thinking about the wonderful feast that we enjoyed for Thanksgiving!

The veggie tray was a good idea…kind of like a fruit tray at an Annual Family Christmas Snack Table. I didn’t waste much time with this “filler.”

Here is a picture of Karen’s incredible rolls. And I brought some flowers as a hostess present that were only on the table long enough for us to realize that they were too stinkin’ tall to keep there while we were eating and talking!

Olives at Thanksgiving is an absolute must, so I’m glad that someone thought of them. Because I didn’t until I ate half of these!

Karen had a beautiful green cupcake stand to display some of our desserts. Is this almost the best day of the year or what?!

I love how everyone pitched in to get dinner ready. It was really nice today to not be making everything for dinner. I got to relax and enjoy most of the day. While stuffing my face, of course.

Wow, how do you pick a favorite thing when stuff like this arrives on the table? The turkey was simply divine. I think I will have some for lunch today, just to remind myself of how yummy it was.

Hubby is coming home from work today to enjoy some of these leftovers with me. I guess he had the same idea, too, huh?

Here is my first plate! Turkey and gravy, Green Bean Casserole, spuds, olives, corn, and a pickle (why?). Later, I would also add a few rolls with some honey butter, and some delicious stuffing.

I really love Thanksgiving. I wonder why?

With so many incredible things to enjoy eating today, you would think that it would all start to blend together. But let me say this…Chris made this homemade Apple Crisp Pie. We added vanilla ice cream and homemade caramel sauce, of course, and then died. This was one of the best desserts that I’ve ever been privileged to gain weight from.

And it was worth every single pound.

We had such a wonderful holiday. Blessings beyond believe!

How did your special day go? What did you eat?