Thanksgiving

It's over!  There were a few mishaps.  I forgot to make the pierogies until the last minute and then frantically boiled 200 of them.  That was slightly chaotic but they made it to the table just in time.

 The preparations pooped the pups right out.  Winnie napped by the fire.

 We made exactly the right amount of desserts.  Had we made more, there would have been no room.

 Pumpkin pie, rosemary shortbread, Canadian butter tarts, gingerbread and walnut bars.

 Pumpkin and pecan pies, cranberry orange cake and a walnut bundt cake with maple frosting and candied walnuts.

 It was a perfect Fall day and we had a fire in the outdoor fireplace.

 I was going for magical and I think I achieved it.

 Three people did not show up so I had exactly enough seats. 25 guests.

 I worked on the centerpieces for 10 months.

 I went to every thrift shop I could find and bought vintage metal candle holders. (Click for a closer look)

 I painted them and covered them in moss, dried grasses, twigs, mushrooms and all things woodsy.

 There were about 20 pieces to the entire centerpiece.

 Each candle holder held a miniature dessert.  My daughter made cupcakes and I made mini cakes and cookies. The centerpiece held 42 desserts.

 Some of the candle holders had dragonflies, bees and butterflies on them.

 There were a few birds sitting in their nests.

 The table, itself, is about 22 feet long.

No one remembered to take pics of the food. We had 3 turkeys (one smoked by The Chef), 15 smoked turkey legs, a ham, mashed potatoes, gravy, stuffing, sweet potatoes, creamed corn, collards and braised celery, made by The Chef.  My daughter's boyfriend is the head chef at the most popular restaurant in our city.  Guests walked in and asked, which food did The Chef make?  Then they made a beeline to his food and it was gone in minutes.  A humbling experience for this little old cook!

 People had fun with the Ouija board during cocktail time.

 The radiator covers were used as dessert buffets.

 Here are some of the cakes and cupcakes sitting on the candle holders.

 Guests really enjoyed the jukebox.

 And so another Thanksgiving is behind me.

 Everyone voted for me to have a comfort food New Year's Day party so after I get my Xmas decorations up, I will begin planning it.

 And I have to come up with an idea for next year's Thanksgiving centerpiece.  What will it be?  I have a few ideas!

 And I have to figure out what to do with this years.

 My daughter suggestd donating them back to the thrift shops from where they came.

 BTW, guest left with take home containers piled high.

 This year, I added a Polish Thanksgiving table which held sauerkraut, kielbasa, homemade pierogies and halushki.  People were both surprised and thrilled when they saw it. There were 6 Poles, 2 Croations, a Slovak and a lot of Polish food lovers at this dinner.

Many of the guests ate the Polish food first.  I also made 12 loaves of salt rise bread and jars of canned cranberry sauce and apple butter for everyone to take home.  I had many texts yesterday from people saying that they were eating halushki and pierogies for breakfast!  It was a fun time!