My personal favorite was courtesy of Paula Dean...Pumpkin Bars with Cream Cheese Frosting. YUM!
For apple pie, I turned to the Hampton's Queen Ina Garten for advice. While tasty, I think I might have overdone it with the orange and lemon zest because the pie was VERY tart.
Thankfully, we had Jaxon's peanut butter brownies to fall back on! Gooey & delicious!
Speaking of Jaxon...he got a little extra hands-on time in the kitchen this year. Jax served as Brad's sous chef when stuffing the turkey. Personally, I'm shocked Jaxon was willing to assist with stuffing the bird. He has never liked getting his hands dirty & was up to his elbows in herb butter and aromatics!
As always, Aunt Kelly set a beautiful table...
which served as the perfect backdrop for the lovely spread that Brad prepared for us! The turkey was the source of much debate this year. I'm a bit of stickler for tradition and wanted to prepare a whole bird. Brad, however, convinced me to try a turkey breast and to purchase additional turkey legs to provide the dark meat. I will say that there is no right or wrong choice here. If anything, Brad's method scored points for a mere reduction in the amount of oven time required. The end result was a moist, juicy, flavorful bird. So, clearly, the family was pleased.
We turned to Bobby Flay's Bourbon Glazed Sweet Potatoes for a bit of cooking excitement. Imagine a sweet potato version of Bananas Foster. I dare say this was my favorite dish. Of course, we threw in a few roasted mini marshmallows to win the boys' approval.
The final result of Brad's efforts was definitely a traditional Thanksgiving spread because the menu was planned by me and that's how I like it, but traditional in this case certainly did not equate to boring. Either I chose some great recipes or it's true that food prepared by others always tastes better! We'll give Brad the credit he deserves for treating us to an incredible Thanksgiving feast!
I can't wait to see the Christmas spread!
For apple pie, I turned to the Hampton's Queen Ina Garten for advice. While tasty, I think I might have overdone it with the orange and lemon zest because the pie was VERY tart.
Thankfully, we had Jaxon's peanut butter brownies to fall back on! Gooey & delicious!
Speaking of Jaxon...he got a little extra hands-on time in the kitchen this year. Jax served as Brad's sous chef when stuffing the turkey. Personally, I'm shocked Jaxon was willing to assist with stuffing the bird. He has never liked getting his hands dirty & was up to his elbows in herb butter and aromatics!
As always, Aunt Kelly set a beautiful table...
which served as the perfect backdrop for the lovely spread that Brad prepared for us! The turkey was the source of much debate this year. I'm a bit of stickler for tradition and wanted to prepare a whole bird. Brad, however, convinced me to try a turkey breast and to purchase additional turkey legs to provide the dark meat. I will say that there is no right or wrong choice here. If anything, Brad's method scored points for a mere reduction in the amount of oven time required. The end result was a moist, juicy, flavorful bird. So, clearly, the family was pleased.
We turned to Bobby Flay's Bourbon Glazed Sweet Potatoes for a bit of cooking excitement. Imagine a sweet potato version of Bananas Foster. I dare say this was my favorite dish. Of course, we threw in a few roasted mini marshmallows to win the boys' approval.
The final result of Brad's efforts was definitely a traditional Thanksgiving spread because the menu was planned by me and that's how I like it, but traditional in this case certainly did not equate to boring. Either I chose some great recipes or it's true that food prepared by others always tastes better! We'll give Brad the credit he deserves for treating us to an incredible Thanksgiving feast!
I can't wait to see the Christmas spread!
