The table cloths and flowers worked beautifully. You know how you try to picture in your mind what the colors will do to each other…will they play nice and  make each other shine?  Well this is a combination I’m going to use again.  We planned to eat dinner about 3:00 p.m.  The day before was bright and sunny so I didn’t put candles on the tables. But, Thanksgiving  Day was grey and low light. So, I slipped on some votives at the last minute.  Candle light with yellow roses is like being in Tuscany in the late afternoon.

The turkey was gloriously golden.  Basting really is key to moist turkey and crisp skin. The mashed potatoes were to die for and made delicious fried potato cakes the next morning.  The steamed green beans with almonds, spinach salad, yam soufflé, Rachel Ray’s apple, onion stuffing, rolls and (of course) our traditional cherry jello “salad” were all delicious.

Pie was a different story.  We made two pumpkin pies the day before.  And….you know how you turn down the temp for the last 40 min…???  I turned the timer on but didn’t turn down the temp.  Then I left to pick up a few last minute things. Thankfully, my husband discovered the problem 20 min. in and lowered the temp to 275 degrees. The lesson was learned for this year:  finish one task before rushing off to do another. “Slow down and actually enjoy the process.”  Then your crust won’t be burned.

Then, consider the banana cream pie..  If you haven’t made one since last Thanksgiving,  and haven’t made a note on your recipe card, be sure to make it a day ahead.  Yes, put the whole thing together the day before and refrigerate.  It needs to SET.  If you put it together right before you are going to serve it,(so it will be fresh, what other reason?), you are doomed to sloppy banana pudding in a crust.

Plus…we talk about miracles around Christmas, but, Thanksgiving?  We had three babies under 18 months all asleep during the entire dinner.

Other than a last minute surprise guest, rushing the turkey out of the oven to accommodate guests needing to leave for another scheduled dinner and other guests arriving late, everything was lovely.  If this doesn’t even remotely sound familiar to you, that’s okay, around here, it’s perfectly normal. Thankfully, we won’t have to do that again for another year.  That’s my Thanksgiving Assessment.