Fakesgiving!

Today some of our family held the first annual Fakesgiving at my folks house in Richmond! We all love Thanksgiving food so much that we decided to add a second one to the year.

Our feast was excellent, but is no comparison to all the festivities, atmosphere, and the rest of the friends and family around during the real Turkey Day, at least in my book! My mom, sister, and I spent hours and hours in the kitchen and that's my idea of a good time. My sis Jessi is not a natural cook ("How do I cut the ends off the green beans? Is this right? Do you feel like you're cooking with an 8-year old?" "Yes."), but she's a natural at doing things like refinishing old tables, decorating, and gardening. My mom is great at pretty much all things, so I got the cooking and nurturing stuff and Jessi got the other stuff and common sense and logic stuff (sometimes I lack there, too).

I will post all of our recipes, so there is a LOT to come! Here was our menu:

Poinsettia Cocktails (champagne punch)
Gougeres (cheese puffs)
Spiced Pecans and Walnuts
Turkey and Gravy
Green Bean Casserole
Sweet Potato Biscuits
Roasted Brussels Sprouts
Glazed Carrots
Sausage Stuffing
Cranberry Sauce with Blueberries and Candied Orange
Peppermint Chocolate Cake

Aunt Carroll brought the Cheddar Mashed Potatoes and it was a complete Thanksgiving meal! Most of our recipes came from my collection of holiday issues of Bon Appetite, Gourmet, and other cooking magazines. So I have a lot of typing to do! The star recipe is my mom's gravy, which she's been using for years and it's always incredible.

A happy oven:

P.S. A messy kitchen, and it's not MINE! YES!!!!!!!!!!!!! This was from dinner the night before: sloppy joes, fried fish (that my dad and Jessi caught that morning), salad with croutons and ranch dressing, and apple cream cheese tart (I'll post these recipes if I ever finish posting the Fakesgiving recipes!).