Belated Happy Thanksgiving!
Happy Day After Thanksgiving! This day is just as enjoyable as Thanksgiving, a day for cozy relaxation, digesting, reading, and grazing on leftovers.
Thanksgiving Day was devoted even more to the cooking of the meal than to the meal itself. For our family, the fun is mostly in cooking together. As we have no relatives to speak of within driving distance, it’s a small gathering: Judy and I, Daniel and his intended Beckee, and David (David’s partner was visiting family).
Even so, Judy strictly enforces her Turkey Rule: no turkeys under 20 lb. are acceptable. I’ve pointed out to her that this means we would have at least 4 lb. of turkey per person, but she says that is beside the point. There should be turkey to send home with guests, plus plenty of leftovers.
I also think that she enjoys demonstrating her skill at cooking such a large bird, not something that everyone can do well.
Cranberries are essential, for the color they add to the table as much as for the flavor.
Aren’t cranberries just beautiful?
I always ask for brussel sprouts – and Judy bought 2 entire stalks, which was definitely way more than we needed. They were halved, then fried with bacon and a little balsamic vinegar.
The kitchen in our house is on the small side; there is little room for non-essential personnel.
Finally the food is laid upon the table. Beckee made a massive quantity of macaroni and cheese, a Thanksgiving staple from her family. She also made a fancy banana pudding for dessert. I’ve always thought banana pudding came from a box, so her dish was a revelation.
There’s also fruit salad, which is a Hertz family tradition. And mashed sweet potato, which given all the other dishes was entirely redundant. Hardly anyone took a bite. I think I will advocate nixing the sweet potato for next year.
Instead of prayer, everyone whips out their cell phones to take pictures of the table and each other. This could be considered a newly emerged tradition, I suppose.
Hoping you all had an enjoyable holiday.
gardeninacity 
I’m glad you had such a good time!
Thanks!
Looks like it was a lovely day. Thank you for sharing!
Hope you had a lovely day as well!
Delicious dinner surrounded by loved ones – life is good. 🙂
Yes, it is.
Sounds like you had a good time.
We did.
Perfect! I personally believe in 10-12 lb turkeys (hey, it’s often just us two), but bigger ones for a larger group – send them home with turkey!
My hubbie loves turkey, so we ALWAYS have to have one at home, regardless of whether we’re home or not (New Years Day has always been a turkey day if we were traveling during Christmas).
We’re usually at home during Thanksgiving, but I’ve pared down what I cook, so we have just enough to have a day or two of “leftovers” with plenty of cooked turkey and dressing to freeze, too.
So glad that you and Judy and family had a nice time!
It’s just not a turkey to Judy if it’s not at least 20 lb. But I have to admit, the leftovers are always gone before you know it.
Your day looks fabulous. Talking about homemade banana pudding took me back to my youth. My mother made a mean banana pudding. Yummm Everyone makes way too much food. That is what the day is all about. Glad you had a good one with family and friends.
I guess that is what the day is all about.
Your festive table looks good. I cooked for eight including one vegetarian and one vegan. They challenge my repertoire — lentils and quinoa are now added. Cranberries are a must here as well as scalloped oysters! It takes two days to prepare and two days to recover from over-indulgence. Happy post-Thanksgiving.
Looks like so much fun and love. We had a 20 pounder for just three of us! Family is scattered around now, the oldest son on the opposite coast. Your David looks SO much like my Tim did when he was younger! That photo of him and Beckee from the back could have been him and his wife too, he’s about a foot taller than she is!
I love your kitchen. Mine’s yellow too…
Thanks for sharing your family Thanksgiving with us.
You’re right about the beautiful color of the cranberries — and yes, I’m impressed by anyone who takes on a twenty-pound turkey! It looks like a wonderful day. My task this year was pie-baking; it’s just not Thanksgiving without pecan pie. Enjoy the rest of the weekend, and the relaxation that seems to be such a special part of this holiday.
Pecan is good, but my favorites for Thanksgiving are apple and pumpkin.
Belated Happy Thanksgiving, and it looks like a happy family day…we love it when we get together with our adult kids to cook and eat! Enjoy the rest of your weekend.
It’s already over, but it was great.
Very, very nice and so much fun to all cook together! A tradition in our home as well, everyone has something to add, a pot to stir, a specialty of their own. Happy ( several days belated) Thanksgiving to you and yours!
The same to you, a few days late!
Lovely to see a happy family enjoying home-cooked food! Enjoy the rest of the holiday weekend!
We did!
I love seeing your whole family, Jason, together at Thanksgiving. Judy is happy to look at her family and at the table, with delicious meals.
Thanks, Nadezda.
A great time was had by all – what Thanksgiving should be! So true about the time it takes to prepare the meal – I always start a couple of days ahead of time, but then I don’t have to cook for about 2 or 3 days afterwards, so it’s more than worth it! I think that Thanksgiving & Christmas leftovers are the best – in fact, I will sometimes prepare an extra dish, just to make sure I have enough in the days that follow (I would keep the sweet potato, just for that!).
If we go to someone else’s house for Thanksgiving I have to fight Judy to prevent her from making a second Thanksgiving dinner, with a whole turkey, at home.
Happy Belated Thanksgiving to you and your family! Those are great photos, and the one of Judy is special. 🙂 Food, family, and fun–what’s better than that?!
Not much, I think.
Looks like it was the finest kind of a Thanksgiving feast. Small is cozy–there were only three of us this year at our home—and we had a marvelous time. The food looks fantastic. Yay for leftovers!
Indeed. May they last long.
Lovely seeing you all looking so happy. Happy Thanksgiving…although belated.xxx
Thank you! Enjoy the holiday season!