Everyday Explorations: Thanksgiving ... New York Style

Since it has been over two weeks Turkey Day – I should probably blog about the big event! This was my first Thanksgiving in New York and my first Thanksgiving away from my family, but it was fabulous nonetheless! The holiday started out the night before when I crafted my Great Aunt Pete’s famous pineapple cheese ball and baked my world class pumpkin dessert bars. After that was complete we walked down to the local middle school to pick up my race packet for the next day. It was pretty much a (small) town event with fireworks, the high school band and a bunch of activities for the kids.

The next morning was Thanksgiving and we were up bright and early! The Bethlehem Turkey Trot (5K) started at 9 AM but we made sure to get there early so I could stretch and so we could deliver the canned goods I bought to donate to the local food pantry (generally everyone gave a can or two but I opted for giving two HUGE (we are talking Marshall/TJ Maxx size reusable grocery bags) full of food). The race was more a fun run than anything else and snaked through the historic neighborhoods of Delmar. It was such a pretty day as well – chilly (it is NY in November after all) but not cold, the route was flat and there were tons of people cheering us on. I finished with a time of 33 minutes – although the race wasn’t officially timed and the start/finish line managed to move a good bit from the start of the race to the finish. I felt awesome during the race though and think I probably did better than my time reflects.

After the race I walked back to the apartment to find the stuffing being cooked and the turkey being prepped! This Thanksgiving was a BIG deal as it is the first Thanksgiving that Adam has ever cooked – but despite the stress he did a fantastic job and everything came out beyond delicious! He set such a high bar, I think he’ll probably end up cooking Thanksgiving for many years to come!

Our Thanksgiving Menu

Appetizers

Pineapple cheese ball

Dinner

Oven roasted turkey with an herb butter ‘glaze’

Hot sausage, apple and walnut stuffing (with homemade bread crumbs)

Mashed potatoes (made with a potato ricer)

Homemade gravy

Homemade cranberry sauce

Corn casserole

Green bean casserole

Sweet potatoes with toasted marshmallows

Apple salad

Rolls

Dessert

Apple pie

Pecan pie

Pumpkin dessert bars

Spiced mulled wine

We were stuffed afterwards and it was all SO delicious! Between the race and dinner I ended up falling asleep on the couch around 9 PM; an awesome day all around. And of course one of the best parts of Thanksgiving is getting to have round #2 of the leftovers the next night for dinner!

Here are some pictures of the master at his craft and the final results!