Thanksgiving 2011 - Great Food and New Traditions

As always, the food this year was TERRIFIC! And even more terrific because we got to enjoy it. We are very lucky because our families live so close, but it also makes it more stressful than it probably should be. The holidays are always so jam-packed and hectic - from the coordinating of multiple homes to visit, and rushing from one family's home to the other - to carting the kids around, and trying not to eat too much at one house because we know we have to eat again in just a few short hours at the next house. It just doesn't always make for the most relaxing and enjoyable holiday experience.

But this year was so much better. We had dinner at Beau & Stacie's house at 5pm on Thursday, so I spent the morning baking. I made my first Homemade Apple Pie - even the crust was homemade. It really turned out beautifully.

 Just finished the crust. Yes, my laptop is out

because I got the recipe off the internet.

The apple filling has been added. I used 5 fresh

red apples, sugar, cinnamon and apple cider vinegar.

Then topped with chunks of butter. Yum!

Here it is -- ready to go in the oven. 

 And....the finished product. It's so pretty!!!

Everyone said the apple pie tasted great. I tried it and didn't think it was sweet enough (go figure!). JD ate 3 pieces of it over 2 days, so that's a great sign. Most of all though, I really enjoyed baking it. And I never would have done it if Stacie hadn't asked me to bring an apple pie to Thanksgiving. I was a little disappointed at first because I have my "traditional" dishes, but after I got used to the idea, I was excited about baking something new. All in all, I enjoyed the process and was pleased with the results.

On Friday, we went to my dad and Linda's for Thanksgiving with my side of the family. It was really nice having Thanksgiving two days in a row, rather than twice in one day. We got to enjoy time with both of our families without feeling rushed - plus, we got to eat a Thanksgiving Feast twice! This is our new tradition - we will celebrate Thanksgiving on my dad's side on Friday from now on!

Here's a picture of all the grandkids over at my dad's house:

L-R: Seth, Boyd, Timothy, (sitting) Sean, JD, Ryan, Sheyenne, (standing) Bailey, Sawyer and Ashton.