Our Thanksgiving
2 Dec 2013
Hello, friends! I hope you all had a majestic holiday weekend! I ended up taking an unintentional break on Friday (…mostly because I fell dead asleep as soon as we got back from our dinner), but that’s what holiday weekends are for, right? It was so nice to have Eric home for four days, and we had a nice lazy morning on Thursday. Then I made these two pie buddies: apple and pumpkin. I love my pumpkin pie recipe because it calls for heavy cream instead of condensed milk. I found it online about a month ago when one of my favorite five-year-olds wanted to make a pumpkin pie, but now, alas, I cannot find it anymore! I am so glad I scrawled it out on my grocery list pad. This was my first time making a graham cracker crust, and I will never go back. So delicious.
Once I cleared out of the kitchen, Eric made this kale and squash salad and this quinoa skillet cornbread. Both were hits. Let’s not pretend that potatoes are not the best part about Thanksgiving…because they are.
In the afternoon we went over to Hillary’s, where we were very warmly welcomed. It was so lovely to spend a cozy afternoon by the fire. Dora thought so too.
We played some games and made these clove-studded tangerines while dinner was cooking.
Eric read a book to two princesses.
We had some yummy snacks (read: I ate all the cheese in the house), and then it was time for dinner. Danny made the most delicious roast and vegetables. It was really nice to have a turkey alternative and to have a limited menu–no need to figure out how to fit twelve things on your plate! This left us plenty of room (er, some room at least) for dessert.
Since we moved here, Eric and I have always done Thanksgiving on our own, so it was really special to be welcomed in by a family we love so much. I didn’t take as many pictures as I wish I had, but this is my favorite Thanksgiving souvenir.

Dec 02, 2013 @ 05:27:10
food tastes better when it is shared. I’m happy the two of you have “family” to share your celebrations!
Dec 05, 2013 @ 17:37:06
Thank you! That is so true!
Dec 02, 2013 @ 10:23:16
the food looks great.. it’s always great to be able to share holidays and special occasions with friends and family.
E reading to the two princesses.. so cute
Dec 05, 2013 @ 17:40:32
Thank you!
Dec 02, 2013 @ 20:51:38
Ok, for some reason my appetite came back. You have any leftovers??
I assume your parents will be visiting y’all next Thanksgiving. 😉
Dec 05, 2013 @ 17:41:51
Oh, the leftovers are long gone by now! Much to our sadness! I hope we can see our parents for Thanksgiving next year, but it is a difficult time to travel–we always like to have long viists at Christmas, not that the flights are any cheaper then!
Dec 06, 2013 @ 09:29:16
It looks like you had a beautiful holiday; I love the scenes from Hillary’s–how wonderful to have a fireplace!
Also, your pumpkin pie sounds delicious; does heavy cream ever *not* improve a dish? 🙂 One of these days I’m going to have to get back to tradition and make pumpkin pie for Thanksgiving, but I suppose pumpkin cheesecake isn’t such a bad substitute.
An Ode to Thanksgivings Past and Present
Nov 28, 2015 @ 21:14:41
[…] The year before that (2013), I was 5 weeks pregnant, and as soon as we arrived at Hillary’s house, Maggie and Rosie ran out to the car and said, “We invited your baby to Thanksgiving!!” It was the sweetest thing ever. […]