Like most folks, Caleb and I had our own Thanksgiving at home. This is the first time Caleb and I have cooked an entire Thanksgiving meal all by ourselves. In the past, we would be responsible for bringing a side dish, as we would be visiting other family members. With help from Google, a few calls to my mom, and a little trial and error, I think we did a pretty good job!
Wait.
I am going to toot our own horn: BEEP! BEEP! We did an AMAZING job!
Our Thanksgiving 2020 Menu:
- 14lb Smoked Turkey (Caleb used his amazing smoking skills, check out his blog: Beer Meets Meat)
- My Mom’s Stuffing
- Homemade Gravy (made from the smoked turkey drippings & boiled turkey neck/herbs/lemon)
- Homemade Cranberry Sauce – the kind I remember my Dad making the one year we didn’t have canned cranberry sauce, we added Rum instead of Brandy
- Mashed Potatoes (we hand mashed them after steaming them in our Instant Pot)
- My Mom’s Pumpkin Pie (made with a freshly roasted Pie Pumpkin)
- Roasted Butternut Squash + Sweet Potato “Casserole” with Mushrooms and Caramelized Onions (our “close enough” version of Closet Cooking’s Roasted Butternut Squash with Caramelized Onions, Gorgonzola, and Crispy Fried Sage, because the grocery stores were all out of sage)
While we were cooking, we Facetimed with family. I am so grateful for so many things, one of them being technology! It is amazing to hear our families’ voices and laughter and see their smiling faces. 
During our Facetime calls, I got many compliments on my “Oh Snap” teeshirt and my “Thankful, Grateful” coffee mug from TeeChip. If you’re looking for some fun gift ideas this holiday, I highly recommend checking out their site! Both the product quality, variety, and prices are amazing! I especially love their selection of holiday items! It is fun to pick out a unique shirt to wear, especially with Christmas coming up! I think it would be so fun to get matching shirts for our entire family or our close group of friends.
While Caleb was tending to the turkey, we had a warm fire in our new chimenea. If you’re looking for a new firepit, check out my most recent post for staying cozy and warm outside this winter!
The food all turned out really delicious, and I am not just saying that! I had so much anxiety going into this holiday because it wasn’t like any holiday in previous years. I am incredibly proud and impressed by how well Caleb and I pulled our Thanksgiving meal together.
Although 2020 has been quite difficult, I am so thankful for so many things: my husband, my family, my dogs, my drive to be a successful entrepreneur, my health, my friends, my safe and warm home, food in my belly, and overall wellbeing.
