Thanksgave.

I hope you all had a fun and food filled Thanksgiving! We woke up early yesterday morning to make a huge batch of crescent rolls. For whatever reason, the dough didn't rise as quickly as it was supposed to and the whole process ended up taking 5ish hours.

 Charlotte waiting for the dough to rise.

We also prepared the potatoes before heading to the dinner, so we had a full trunk of goods to deliver to Mari and Holly's. Some of the cream from the potatoes leaked into the bottom of our oven (even with the tray in place), and thankfully we avoided a fire since, according to Thomas, "cream doesn't have a flash point. The house and our hair ended up smelling good and smokey, but overall our preparations were a success.

Here are the desserts I made: Pumpkin Pie, Pecan Squares, and Chocolate Chip Pound Cake.

Once we got to Mari and Holly's, we milled around and nibbled feasted on appetizers. I'm a HUGE appetizer fan, and we hadn't eaten all day in preparation for the evening's events. My absolute favorite appetizer (and maybe food in general) was the Charlston Cheese, which I hadn't had before. HOLY HELL. It is amazing, and I have no idea why no one has ever made it or even mentioned it to me over the last 21 years of my life. It's literally comprised of some of the earth's best ingredients: Mayo, cream cheese, onion, cheddar cheese, and bacon. I mean come on.

While I lounged around stuffing myself with various cheeses, Thomas, Mari, and Holly gathered around the stove to move the Turducken [a chicken inside of a duck inside of a turkey] to a serving platter. It was a process, but the results were worth it.

The Turducken in all its glory.

There was even a small oven fire during the preparation process--turns out french fried onions do have a flash point--but sadly I didn't get pictures because it was put out so quickly. Darn!

After appetizers, we all gathered on the patio for dinner. The weather was perfect and we all fit at the same table (everyone was at the kids table at this party)! Here's Thomas' plate--his was cuter than mine because I was already pretty full from appetizers and just got a sampler.

Aren't those crescent rolls georgeous?!

 I'm a proud crescent roll parent.

It got a little chilly out, so we moved inside after dinner. Everyone gathered in a living room, and we played a spirited game of Apples to Apples. Team Gladys (Mari and Wayne) ended up winning, but Team  Holly came in at a close second. I didn't get pictures of the game, but I did get some pictures of Thomas and I being ridiculous.

My double chin is obviously temporary and due to the Charlston Cheese. Right...?

Here are some of the normal ones, for our moms and stuff.

When I said 'normal,' I meant 'as normal as it gets.'

If you're braving the Black Friday waters today, I wish you good luck. There is no discount in the world that would force me out into Atlanta traffic today--and that's saying a lot. 

-T, K, J, & C