Our Thanksgiving Recap

Nothing like a little November in December, right? I spent the last few weeks getting the house decorated, making (and eating) the Christmas cookies, and mailing out our Christmas cards. I’m feeling pretty content with the level of holiday accomplishment so I wanted to share how our Thanksgiving went.

We’re so fortunate to have a family place up in northern Wisconsin that we get to enjoy a few times a year. Thanksgiving is one of my favorite visits. The odds of snow are high and we all get to “hibernate” for a long weekend with puzzles, parade watching, laughter, and some pretty good food.

Speaking of food, this year was pretty epic. Our extended family always cooks a minimum of two turkeys. First, we usually have quite the crowd and second, this crowd loves their leftovers. My husband and I always smoke a turkey (if you want our simple method, click here) and my grandmother does a more traditional bird in the oven.

The other staples every year include:

Stuffing
Corn Pudding
Mashed Potatoes
Green Bean Casserole
Roasted Root Veg

This year, I also made Vivian Howard’s Candied Sweet Potatoes with Pecan Bacon Syrup and they did not disappoint.

Usually we load our plates and plunk down for dinner in the main family room. This year, my sister, brother-in-law, and I did a little foraging and decided to do a bit more decorating to the table.

I also cut place mats out of parchment paper and everyone spent a few minutes writing down what they were thankful for about each person. It was a really fun little activity and reading everyone’s notes warmed your heart during the meal.

Here’s the whole crew this year.

The day after Thanksgiving, we usually head into the little town nearby for some shopping. A stop at Otto’s is also mandatory. They have booths that can fit our whole family and serve some of the best bloody mary’s and brats around. Their decorating for Christmas is so beautiful too.

You can’t leave town without a stop to Dan’s Minocqua Fudge. Their fudge and candy counters are chock full of yummy treats. I snapped this photo as we walked in. It’s the first time in my life that only our family members were in the store. Usually the whole aisle is packed! About 5 seconds later, I turned around and 20 people walked in! It was fun while it lasted. Don’t leave without a Bear Paw. Salty pecans, chewy caramel. and a thick dollop of chocolate. Heaven in the northwoods.