Home Again!

How was your Thanksgiving?  We had a wonderful few days with the Wild Child and Manager Man.  MM's parents joined us for Thanksgiving and everyone contributed to the meal.  The lack of conventional appliances wasn't nearly the challenge we thought it might be.  MM's mother brought a couple pies, sweet potato casserole, and salads, and I brought the stuffing, which we cooked in a crockpot.  I also picked up some turkey gravy from Trader Joe's, and it was nearly as good as homemade.  MM barbecued the turkey (which the Wild Child had brined and then applied a rub to), and the Wild Child made mashed potatoes and cranberry dressing.  Before all that though, for appetizers she made an artichoke and arugula dip, stuffed mushrooms, and smoked salmon with dill cream cheese and capers on crackers.  Yum!  She found several of the recipes she used in the Food Network Thanksgiving magazine, and she carefully picked dishes she could make without a conventional oven or stove top.  I was SO proud of her and what she was able to accomplish the first time she hostessed a holiday meal.

Our dinner wasn't fancy or formal, but the food was excellent and the day was spent with family and friends, which is the most important part of Thanksgiving, after all.  I'll tell you a little more about our time away in my next post.  And although we had a great time, it's still good to be home again!