GIVING THANKS CHALLENGE - Day 25 and 26

I'm going to combine a couple of days again in the Giving Thanks Challenge.  Yesterday was a busy day and I didn't get a post written.

On Thanksgiving Day I was thankful that our family could all be together once again.

I know they look a little hot, tired and bored, but there's a good explanation.  (And please don't look at all the junk piled on the coffee table.  It's actually sometimes worse.)

As I posted previously our A/C went out again.  It was warm and humid and with the oven going it was over 80 in the house.  I had planned dinner for around 4:00 and thought the turkey would have to cook for 3 1/2 hours.  Well, I was wrong.  I guess I read the directions for an unstuffed turkey by mistake and our turkey took a lot longer.  I was using two thermometers and it was like waiting for a pot of water to boil.  They just weren't going up.

I had planned to serve dinner buffet style so we could take our plates outside on the deck.  The idea was to get out of the hot house, but by the time the turkey was done it was dark outside and starting to sprinkle.  So, we quickly set the kitchen table and ate there.  (You'll notice in the above picture that it's dark outside.)

The turkey was very good.  Nice and moist.  Done to perfection if I must say so myself.  The family assured me that it was worth the wait.  Of course, I forgot to take a picture.  No picture of the turkey and no picture of the family sitting around the table.  (I was hot and tired and not thinking clearly.)

I did take a picture of the cranberry casserole and edited my previous post to include the picture with the recipe.

Troy made some pumpkin bread and it was very good.  I remembered to snap a picture.

I also managed to take a picture of the apple pie.  It had a praline topping.  (Just in case a regular apple pie doesn't have enough calories.)

We also had fresh asparagus, potatoes, bread stuffing, and giblet gravy.  No sweet potatoes this year and I forgot to put the Taffy Apple Salad out on the table, but no one missed it.  Things weren't exactly perfect, but we had a good time anyway. 

I've posted the recipe for the Taffy Apple Salad in the past.  I believe others were having it this year too because I noticed people arrived on my blog after doing a google search for "Taffy Apple Salad" or "salad with apples and peanuts."  (That's something you can check if you use Blogger In Draft.)

Within an hour or so of eating the temperature outside took a nose dive.  Within a few minutes it probably dropped ten to fifteen degrees.  I went around closing windows.  I just wish the cold front could have moved in a little earlier.

Right now Keith is out in the kitchen making turkey soup which we'll have for dinner tonight.  He doesn't head back to Austin until next Wednesday, so we'll have some extra time together.  He brought Reid a couple of shirts and today he's wearing one.  I hope I remember to take a picture.

Today I am thankful that it's cooled off and it's finally turkey soup weather!

For information on the Giving Thanks Challenge click on the button on my sidebar.