Because I want you to feel like you were there

For the first time in history, the Wickstroms spent Thanksgiving alone (as in with only each other). At first I was sad, but an ensuing (nearly fatal) case of bronchitis/sinus infection/fatigue helped me to be thankful for staying home. I had grand plans of taking pictures of us dressed up with our feast to document this milestone, but sadly, my lack of energy meant eating in pjs. We did capture some pictures of the food, though. So, bon appetito! I know it's Jell-o, but doesn't it look chic? Delicious apricot, orange, pinapple jiggly delight!Thanks to a cool Jell-o mold from my grandma, my cranberry-orange relish looked very fancy in the making. (Sadly, when we removed the mold, it didn't retain it's shape. Luckily shape does not affect taste). A triple threat: Jell-o, cranberries and refresher!
So the stuffing looked and sounded good, but tasted like it was spit up by the garbage disposal (soggy and not yummy at all). I need to find a better recipe. As is tradition with my parents, these are Thanksgiving "appetizers" - jalapeno jelly with cream cheese on crackers and Wheat Thins, pepperoni and cheese. Fancy, right?
Ta-da: the table. Don't you love my grandma's vintage tablecloth??!! I used many of the lovely keepsakes she gifted me with while in California for cooking and serving.
Here's my disclaimer for this picture: this isn't the whole turkey. I only served a tiny bit (two people, duh) of the 12-pound foul. Chris thought the garnish of sage looked like weeds growing from the plate. Yes, I floated cranberries in the water - I wanted to be festive! And one of my favorite touches was the footed dishes (again from Grandma) holding the Jell-o. Can't get enough of those dishes!
Are you ready for your close-up Mr. Thanksgiving feast?And what's Thanksgiving without pumpkin pie?!