All Quiet After the Thanksgiving Storm

They were all here:  Gran and Van, Wiley and the kids, Pa Pa and all my little ruffians.  We ate, we drank wine, we fought, we watched football, we slept, we played ping pong....  Even Annie got in on the fun when she threw up during dinner at Pearl's the last night!  Lots of excitement during a wonderful Thanksgiving holiday. 

Growing up we always took a family picture before dinner.  Why do we keep forgetting to do that now?  I love running across those old photos and seeing how our little family changed over the years, growing smaller as we lost loved ones, but then growing ever larger as Wiley and I added spouses and grandchildren.  Sadly, it grew a bit smaller again over the past two years with the death of Scott's dear mom, Jackie, and the heartbreaking divorce that my darling brother has had to endure.  But all families must go through such sad times, and in a way maybe it strengthens those left behind, binding us ever closer together. 

Of course the last night I panicked about the lack of pics and forced the older kids to pose:

(Jack, 12, Natalie, 14, Trip, 10, Sam, 8)

(did I mention the new ping pong table?)

Unfortunately, Annie didn't make it into these because she spent most of the last few days cranky because of a bad cold.  Now, wouldn't it be fun if I could find one of the old pics to post here as well!

We had both new and old recipes for Thanksgiving dinner (not lunch -- I am not that girl who gets up at 6:00 am to "put the turkey on" as Nana always did):  We tried Sage Butter Roasted Turkey with Cider Gravy, Mashed Potatoes with Gruyere and Sage, and Garlic Roasted Sweet Potatoes with Fried Sage for the first time -- all winners!  One year I tried a different dressing recipe (that's what we've always called it -- not stuffing), and was almost kicked out of the family.  Never again -- we had Nana's amazing cornbread dressing recipe that I've adjusted only so slightly that it is still acceptable to my dear brother.  Scott also requested a throwback to his childhood, broccoli casserole.  Unfortunately that did not turn out as well.  (Not sure if it was the recipe or just the fact that our palates have changed in the past twenty years!) 

Then there were the pies.  Everyone in my family loves pumpkin, so I made two versions.  Again the traditional which Nana made -- literally followed the recipe on the Libby's canned pumpkin label.  (Luckily I still had pumpkin in the pantry that had not expired -- apparently the county is in the midst of a pumpkin shortage!!!)  That one was for the kids, because the new one had the dreaded nuts in it.  (Yea -- more for the adults!)  It was adapted from the November 09 issue of Southern Living, and it was a definite keeper:

Pumpkin Pie Spectacular:

One frozen pie crust (sorry -- I have yet to attempt a real crust -- maybe some day!)
2 cups crushed gingersnaps (about 40 cookies)
1 cup pecans, finely chopped
1/2 cup powdered sugar
1/4 cup butter, melted
1 (15 oz) can pumpkin
1 (14 oz) can sweetened condensed milk
2 large eggs, beaten
1/2 cup sour cream
1 t ground cinnamon (it was heaping for my tastes -- I like the spices)
1 t vanilla extract
1/4 t ground ginger (again, I used a little more)
Pecan Streusel

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  (Can't find the little circle symbol on my keyboard!)  Thaw frozen piecrust according to package directions.
2. Stir together crushed gingersnaps and next three ingredients.  Press mixture on bottom and 1/2 inch up sides of piecrust.  (I had extra; a 10 inch crust would have been perfect -- I could only find a 9 inch)
3. Bake at 350 for 10 minutes.  Let cool completely on a wire rack (about 30 minutes).
4. Stir together pumpkin and next six ingredients until well blended.  Pour into prepared crust.  Place pie on a foil-lined baking sheet. 
5. Bake at 350 for 30 minutes.  Sprinkle Pecan Streusel around edge of crust.  Bake 40-45 minutes or until set, shielding edges of crust with foil during last 25-30 minutes of baking, if necessary.

Pecan Streusel:

• Stir together 1/4 cup all-purpose flour; 1/4 cup firmly packed dark brown sugar; 2 T melted butter, and 3/4 cup pecans, coarsely chopped.  (Again, this made extra.)

So... we ate, we drank wine, we fought, we watched football, we slept, we played ping pong.... And a few of us cried when it was all over.