Bird Is The Word

Last year was the first time I hosted Thanksgiving Dinner at my house. Lucky for me, I had plenty of help...especially since the turkey was not completely thawed and we didn't get to eat until about 7:30pm. I was thankful everyone had consumed plenty of wine and didn't mind the additional wait for dinner.

This year, because we are so far from family and friends, it was all me. Sure, help was just a phone call away, but it's just not the same.

I let everyone choose something they wanted to eat and then I threw in some extras. The Girl wanted cole slaw. Mr. LH and I HAD to have the onion casserole. The Boy wanted his special corn dish - a side dish Mr. LH created and named for him) and Elder Boy wanted the mashed potatoes and gravy or Mac and cheese. Of course, no Thanksgiving meal is complete without the stuffing and the pumpkin pie!

I did most of the prep work the day before so it was all about the turkey Thanksgiving Day. I was stressing a bit about it but I had my game plan...Then there is the high-altitude baking thing...sometimes meat burns before it's fully cooked. Sometimes it's actually still RAW on the inside. I didn't know what to expect with the turkey. The last thing I needed was to cut into a nice brown turkey only to find it still pink inside. I kept the oven at 325 and let it go. 5 hours later (and a well-used meat thermometer later), we were ready to eat.

I am happy to announce everything ran smoothly. The turkey was yummy, the gravy was fabulous (even though Daddy wasn't here to make it like he normally does) and Mr. LH even enjoyed the sweet potato casserole (he's never cared for sweet potatoes before).

Our first successful Thanksgiving dinner in Colorado! Hope the ones that follow go as well!