Thanksgiving Dinner 2012

Some of the dishes only made it till lunch, as you can see, 

we still had a table full of goodies. I miss having my pretty plates, 

they're all still in boxes all over the place!!!

Herb Ginger Brined Turkey

This turkey takes a few days to make. I started defrosting it in the

 frig one week before baking. Two days before it was put in a liquid 

brine and was completely room temp and  herb rubbed before 

going in the oven. This is by far the biggest, most meaty 

turkey I've ever made.  So delicious. 21.15 lbs, 4 hours 

baking time, not bad, eh? 

 

 Coconut Shrimp

with a homemade pina colada dip. This was a huge hit as well.

 Brussels Sprouts Salad

I fell in love with this at Le Grande Orange. This is my

 take on this tasty California fare freshness. ♥

Brussels Sprout Stalks

This is what Brussels Sprout look like.  It's very interesting.

My mom once found a package of Brussels sprouts seeds. 

 She planted them about 1 inch apart thinking it's gonna 

grow into 1 little Brussels Sprouts.  I showed her a google image 

of Brussels Sprout and replanted the seeds much farther apart. 

Well...our hen, Buck Buck dug up the seeds and sprouts

 and ate every single one not long after that.  

 

 Apple Hazelnut Stuffing

This stuffing is a great accompaniment for white meat 

meals. It accentuates the taste. I love the hazelnuts in it!!

Buttery Brussels Sprouts

Ginger, sugar, and lemon made this a recurring dish 

on every thanksgiving, back by popular demand!!! ♥

 

 Almond Green Beans

This recipe is a courtesy of Sondra. My cousin Debbie's 

mother in law. I make this dish for every major meal 

now. It helps digestion. Trust me.

Pecan Crusted Yam Souffle

 I created this dish several years ago and it's the most 

requested dish on my Thanksgiving dinner table. 

 Everyone loves it. 

Turkey Pot Pie

A few dishes went into this delicious pie. 

Butternut Squash Soup, Turkey, Decorating apples. The 

butternut squash soup gave this dish a great looking mouth 

watering natural color. This is a great way to make your 

leftovers, a little less leftover-looking, don't you think?

 Turkey Stuffing Shepard's Pie

Again, a few dishes went into the making of this pie. 
First the apple hazelnut stuffing made a tasty crust, 
then turkey and buttery Brussels sprouts made this 
filling. Last but not least, leftover mashed potato completes 
the top. Drizzled with gravy, made me look forward to 
Thanksgiving Day brunch. Don't you?

Signature Mashed Potato
I've always been a fan of the mashed potato at Cheesecake Factory.  
So I made this similar one at home with red potato.  Everyone
always loves it.  It goes perfectly with many different entrees. 

 Pumpkin Pie
This is my signature pumpkin pie. But tell you a secret, 
this particular one in the picture is made of butternut 
squash instead of pumpkin!! Just this one 
exception. (ran out of pie pumpkins!!!)

These two sheets were the planning worksheets of my 
Thanksgiving meals and shopping list.  It works much better
than having everything in my head. 

Fried Pork Chop
This was the dinner the day before Thanksgiving.  But hey, 
it was worth every calories.  

Pie Pumpkin
I got this cute little pumpkin at Trader Joe's.  It's just the right s
ize for one pumpkin pie, rather than having all the left 
over mashed pumpkins.  But it's petite and cute, 
didn't wanna cut it!!! 

Fried Rice
This dish was planned for dinner but only made it to lunch.  
Everyone's still gotta eat lunch and this way we will be 
able to give each dish more attention.