A Coastal Virginia Thanksgiving

As the alarm goes off this morning, I groggily reach out to hit the snooze button.
It dawns on me as I do, today is Thanksgiving.
I know that I still have so much to do.
As I dreamily stagger into the kitchen to make a hot cup of coffee.
 The Keurig Coffee Maker the hubster bought a few months ago, beckons me over like an old friend.
It make a quick cup of coffee.
As I enter the den, I stir my cream into my coffee.
 I sit down to my computer and check my stats, e-mail and Facebook.
 As I happily sip my coffee, the cobwebs begin to clear and I go over in my mind what I need to do today. This year, our family will be rather small compared to other years.
 My sister-in-law Janet has decided to skip the turkey and enjoy poolside down in Florida.
 Mary has decided to take the kids to Disney  this year.
Jill and Carl will more than likely go to New York to help Carl’s family that were hit pretty bad by Hurricane Sandy. We are having Thanksgiving at my mother-in-law Dorothy’s house.
 She turned 85 a couple of months ago and I told her I would do the heavy lifting so to speak.
 I will be making the turkey and the ham.
She will be making most of the pies and some of the sides.
 Its a good thing she lives right around the corner.
  I might as well make things easy on her, but I have a feeling she will not go for that. I actually started the preparation for this feast months ago.
 Do you remember those pickles I put up over the summer?
You guessed it, they will grace our table along with my Apple Butter.
Not all my preparation was canning.
 I froze some squash to make my Squash casserole.
 No Thanksgiving feast would be complete without My Moms Yeast rolls.

For me, it is a coming together of all my favorite foods and traditions.

Here is the menu plan for today. Click on the dish to see the full recipe.

A Coastal Virginia Thanksgiving Menu
Honey Brined Black Pot Turkey

  Irish Mashed Potatoes (Colcannon)   Deviled Eggs   Macaroni and Cheese   Baked Beans   Squash Casserole   Bread and Butter Pickles   Apple Butter   Yeast Rolls   Sweet Cornbread   Iced Tea   Irish Coffee   Carmen’s Sangria   For dessert I decided to make Rustic Apple Pie and a Cheesecake. . On this Thanksgiving day, I have time to reflect back and realize,
I have so much to be thankful for.
I thank God everyday, that I wake up every morning.
I thank God that I am healthy enough to make this and other meals for my family.
I thank God that I have the resources to purchase the food for this menu. So many in the world go hungry.
I thank God that I am surrounded by friends and family that support and love me.   I would like to take this opportunity and wish you a safe and happy Thanksgiving.
There is so much I am thankful for. How about you?   Peace be with you, Veronica