Belated Friendsgiving

Today I roasted my first ever turkey. The end.
Kidding not the end but whew! That should be celebrated in and of itself, but that's for another time. Today we celebrated thanksgiving again. This time we ate alongside our friends who had to work on thanksgiving or couldn't go home to celebrate with their families. I nervously accepted the challenge of fixing my first ever thanksgiving dinner. And now that it's over I'm really quite proud of myself. The task seemed daunting at first but once I was in my zone there was no stopping me.
I conquered my first thanksgiving dinner. 

I made an autumn sausage stuffing. Packed full of green apples, pecans,  cranberries, and sage. It was absolutely as delicious as it sounds.

I also made a chopped salad with two types of apples, candied pecans and white cheddar.

 Of course there was the turkey. And can I tell you how amazing it was? The skin was crispy and the meat was moist and flavorful and just divine. It's all in the brine I tell you. I let it sit in salty liquid overnight. The liquid was half water and half apple juice flavored with orange peel, rosemary, peppercorns, and brown sugar. Before I roasted it the next day I stuffed it full of fresh herbs and aromatics, onions, apples, even cinnamon sticks helped to contribute to the flavor of the meat.

Adam even carved it up like a pro!

The turkey was served along thyme-glazed carrots, garlic and Parmesan mashed red potatoes and homemade rolls. 

There was plenty of sparkling cider to go around and of course we finished off the meal with homemade pie. Chocolate cream, pumpkin and pecan. 

The chocolate cream pie was by far my favorite, but everyone had their own favorite picks.

It was a fabulous afternoon, filled with good food and great company.