Thanksgiving: Part 1 - The meal

Happy Thanksgiving!!

I know I'm a late, but better late than never, right?! I was having problems with storage and pictures. But I got it all figured out for now, at least.

I don't think I could begin to list all that I am thankful for this year. The LORD is truly Good, and I am so blessed in so many ways. I am beyond grateful for this life that He has given me. 

This Thanksgiving we spent in Charleston with my family. Hanna drove to our house late Tuesday night, and we caravaned down to Charleston Wednesday morning. Meredith and David had beat us there, so we had a wonderful welcome committee! 

Wednesday was spent catching up, playing a game of Settlers of Catan, going for walks, and preparing for Thanksgiving dinner. 

Growing up, my family would drive from Atlanta to Cleveland to spend the holiday with my Mom's side of the family. We would have 30+ people at my grandfather's farm, and we would all cram into the small kitchen to cook. One of my favorite dishes was my grandmother's applesauce. I loved her homemade applesauce. And in honor of her, I have carried on her tradition of homemade applesauce for a number of Thanksgiving dinners. It still remains my favorite part of the meal, even though the recipe may have changed a little.

My Dad was gracious enough to drive over to Boone Hall to get me some fresh mountain apples - tons of various apples that you wouldn't find in a regular grocery store.

Chop them up into bite size pieces. I left the skins on about half of them because I think the skins add some flavor, not to mention some color.

Toss them into a big pot with some water while you finish chopping - this prevents browning. When you're done chopping, drain out most of the water - leave maybe an inch on the bottom. The apples will actually release their own juices during cooking so you don't have to start with a lot of water. 

Put the pot on the stove, let the water boil, and let it sit for a while. Cue the amazing aroma of cooking apples. Every once in a while, give it a nice stir.

When the water starts covering the apples, you have to drain it out. I used a measuring cup and just scooped it out. As you stir, some of the apples will start to smash.

Depending on how chunky you want the applesauce depends on how long you let it cook. I like my applesauce a little chunky, so I took it off just a short time after this. However, we got so excited about eating lunch that I forgot to take a picture of the bowl on the table. I can tell you though, it was amazing! No added sugar - only the natural sugars and flavors of the apples. AMAZING!! And great as left overs and chilled too!

This was my Mom's turkey. She spent all day brining, baking, and cooling it. Doesn't it look wonderful!

Hanna didn't want to wait to cut in to it!

 Me on the other hand, while it smelled wonderful, I still maintained my vegetarian status. But from what everyone says it was amazing! 

Many, many turkey sandwiches were made with leftovers. My brother in law David was the left over king, I think - he would put mashed potatoes, stuffing, turkey, gravy, cheese, and cranberry dressing on his sandwich! Seriously!

Through a good friend, my Mom met Mark. Mark was a chef at the Grove Park in years ago, and then had a chocolate shop downtown. Now he just cooks and bakes on the side, and provides meals for food banks. Anyways, Mark graciously baked us three AMAZING pies for Thanksgiving.

Apple - my favorite!

3 Nut - forget just pecan pie, this one had pecans, almonds, and walnuts!

Pumpkin - oh so light and fluffy!

SO GOOD! I sampled all three!

And a picture of the whole family!