Thanksgiving 2013

Thanksgiving Turkey Dinner with all the Trimmings ~ 2013.   I decided to keep it simple this year, really simple.  How simple?  Well, over the years, I've become a big fan of the 'pre-cooked' holiday boxed 'complete dinners', the kind that all the supermarkets offer.  So, that is what we had...I have been seduced by the convenience of it all.  :)

I know that many people turn up their noses at the thought of serving 'that kind' of meal for their family holiday dinner, but for us, it just makes sense.  For a big family gathering, with lots of help in the kitchen, I'd be up for doing it from scratch...but, we don't have a family like that.  Here, it's just the three of us, and sometimes we have a few friends who join us.  To be honest, I just don't want to spend all day in the kitchen cooking for just a few of us and then all night washing up.  That's not my idea of a holiday.  So now, I just doctor up the box and we're good to go.

The hardest part of making this meal is deciding what time we want to eat and then making a timetable of when the side dishes need to go into the oven so everything comes out at the right time.  I must admit, I do like to doctor up the side dishes a bit ~ just to give them a little 'homey' touch.

Tonight, to go along with the meal, I made a homemade Waldorf Salad with Cranberries & Cinnamon and a quick side of canned candied yams with brown sugar & marshmallows.  I made sure to present all the side dishes nicely, and I got compliments all around.  No muss, No fuss!

    

We ended the night with a delicious selection of desserts and a game of Trouble.  A nice end to a nice day.  Hope you all had a wonderful & Happy Thanksgiving!