Say hello to Tom, or goodbye really. He was delicious! I'll be honest, while I have roasted plenty of whole chickens, I knew Tom here would be completely different. But after watching the Food Network the weekend before, I found what makes the turkey keep its moisture and flavor! It's called brining. And if you ever cook a turkey, please take the time to brine the silly bird! You won't be sorry!
Here's our spread! Just enough for the two of us! And it was quite tasty! The only pre-made thing we ate were the brown-and-serve dinner rolls. Some herb bread would've been nice, but I have no clue (Mom!) how to make that stuff! Anyways, I had a great time trying new recipes and enjoying myself in the kitchen. I even made the stuffing from scratch! So, our menu was: turkey, corn, rolls, butternut squash, stuffing, and cream potatoes (for you northerners, cream potatoes are really just mashed potatoes with cream, butter, cheese, and I throw in a secret ingredient along with some herbs). And of course the cheesecake for dessert!
Lily decided to tell me the morning of the party that she needed a pilgrim costume! Oh the joys of motherhood! I knew I at least had to make a hat! Couldn't let her be the only one without! So what did I do, you wonder? Grabbed some elmer's glue, some construction paper, and yarn, and headed to work to look up directions on how to make a pilgrim hat! Well, I suppose it turned out all right, you tell me! And in case you were wondering, not many kids dressed up, and Lily was the only one with a hat!
After five minutes of coaxing, she finally made a half-way serious face!
Hudson and his boys trying to wait patiently for their pie!

