After three days of preparing our Thanksgiving dinner, the family approved everything. It was the first time making a dinner for my daughter-in-law and grandson and they really liked having a traditional American-style meal. The cuisine in Panama is very different than here in the US so they enjoyed trying something new.
Instead of roasting the 18 lb. turkey whole, I decided to carve it into sections before cooking. It worked out nicely and it only took 1 1/2 hours compared to 4 hours. The only thing was that the skin did not crisp up as much.
Three days ahead, I made the cranberry sauce, and this delicious Sweet Potato Casserole with a Pecan topping, it was outstanding if I do say so myself.
Two days before, I prepared the sausage and herb stuffing which is always delicious. The green bean casserole was made with mushrooms, cheddar, and brie cheese.
One day before, I baked fresh apple and pumpkin pie. They were the two deserts my son requested for Thanksgiving. I found a recipe for cranberry salad which I made as well since it needed one day to meld the flavors. I was apprehensive about making it for the first time, but to my delight, it was very good. My husband said that it could become a traditional dessert from now on. :-)
The only thing left to prepare was carving up the turkey and seasoning it with herbs and butter. The mashed potatoes and gravy were easy enough to do while the rest of the meal was cooking. I love that the cooking time was so much shorter than cooking a whole bird. The casserole dishes took less than an hour and they were done. All in all, I'm sure I will always carve it up before cooking for future holidays.
My son has been enjoying the leftovers for two days and is slowly eating the pies too. They never get to have turkey so he loves having it for lunch every day.
This was the meal that I prepared for my family this year. I hope you all enjoyed your Thanksgiving dinners with your families too.
Until next time, this is Sunscape
Sun. Scape. Ing Your Day
Yummy! The table is full of goodies! So nice to be in a house with such an excellent cook!
I bet the cats could smell how nice the food was.
Desserts looked so divine too!
Thank you. Everyone enjoyed dinner for sure. They have been touring the city and visiting places with my son's old friends. We went to the zoo and it was so cold outside. I will share in a post after they leave tomorrow.
They definitely enjoyed the meals.
They look yummy too.
Weldone Grand ma.
We sure did, dinner was delightful. Thank you for visiting today.
My pleasure.
Oh my god what a rich table!!! The kind of table I will love to sit 😊
Yes, it was a very rich meal. Everyone was very satisfied and full bellies.
Happy thanksgiving @sunscape. All foods look so delicious. 🫶
Happy Thanksgiving to you too. We had a great time at dinner with my family from Panama. They leave first thing Monday morning. :-(
Boy oh boy that looks like a wonderful traditional Thanksgiving dinner! I bet that cranberry salad was good. Good thing it was a big turkey so he can get his fill of it while he's there.
Thanks, Pam they really enjoyed everything and he has eaten all the leftovers. They leave Monday morning so we are doing an Italian dinner tonight with Christmas presents and then watching the Bills game in the snowy stadium, of course from the comfort of home.
Sounds like a lovely family Christmas. :))
By the end of the holidays, your son and his family won't want to leave. Everyone loves good food.