Thanksgiving

Hey peeps!

Can you believe Thanksgiving is this week? Isn't it crazy?!

Speaking of crazy, I didn't pare down my menu at all. Here's what I'm planning to make:

• turkey
• gravy
• cranberry sauce
• stuffing (I am cheating--I bought a mix from Whole Foods)
• mashed potatoes (my Granny's recipe)
• green bean casserole
• salad (made by Bonnie & Dave)
  
• rolls (also made by Bonnie & Dave)
  
• butternut squash with chestnuts (made by Nora)
• pumpkin pie (also made by Nora)
• pecan pie (I'm going to use my mom's recipe)
• Hershey bar pie

Depending on how much time and energy I have, I might also possibly make:

• corn casserole
• roasted carrots

I decided to pretty much keep everything on the menu because 1.) Bonnie and Dave will be joining us, after all, which means they will be bringing a couple of things, and 2.) I can enlist help from Deb, Nathan's sister, who will be arriving today(!).

To me, Thanksgiving and Christmas always mean like 15 people in the house. If there is not a crowd, it's not a holiday--or that's how I used to feel, anyway. This year, I am looking forward to having a smaller group. I think it might have something to do with being pregnant and tired. But there's more to what a holiday should feel like than the number of people, right? I recently read an awesome post on Courtney's blog about her grandparents' dining room table. I would love for my family to look like that one day.

For the day after Thanksgiving, I'm going to make this soup with the leftovers. It was sooo good last year: Turkey and Potato Soup with Canadian Bacon.

If you're looking for turkey tips, I posted a basic little turkey tutorial last year that might be helpful.

I'll post a few other Thanksgiving recipes later today or tomorrow. In the meantime, tell me what it is about Thanksgiving that's exciting to you. Family? A particular tradition? Successfully making a turkey? Pumpkin pie?