My Thanksgiving Menu

I was all ready to post about all the things for which I am thankful, but that started to get a bit sappy. And since I prefer to keep emotions bottled up, I'm opting to post about my favorite thing-food!

The following is my ideal Thanksgiving menu:

Doughnuts for breakfast. Ok, this really isn't part of the menu. Every year, I run a turkey trot race the morning of Thanksgiving. When I lived in Toledo, my dad would always come to watch me run and he and I would get doughnuts afterwards. It was our little treat and I loved it. And hey, if you're already indulging-why not go all the way with a delicious doughnut!? Except the cream filled-sick.

My grandma's mashed potatoes. My mom's mom is now in a nursing home and sadly has had a tremendous amount of health issues in the last few years. My mom (and sister) now try to recreate my grandma's delicious mashed potatoes-but they are never quite the same! No skins for my grandma and no lumps. Just creamy, buttery tastiness. You do not need gravy to get these down the hatch, they are incredible. I'm pretty sure it's the 2500 sticks of butter and 700 cans of evaporated milk she uses...but they are amazing. Once I had mashed potatoes that were lumpy and dry--someone had literally just mashed up potatoes and added milk and a little butter. NASTY. If a potato has no flavor-I'd rather not waste the calories!

My grandpa's favorite dried corn. My dad's dad died when I was 12. BUT, I have many fond holiday memories of eating dried corn (which I believe has its origins with the Pennsylvania Dutch). It's delicious and I have no idea how you make it because since he died my grandma hasn't made it. She thinks it's way too time consuming and bland. But in my ideal Thanksgiving, we'd have dried corn. None of that canned nastiness.

My mom's turkey. My mom does not know bland food. She is the master of spices and flavor-and she doesn't just add salt and say that's flavoring. She makes tasty, moist turkey. I've never eaten dry turkey because my mom simply can't fail at making it. I think the trick is she gets the seasonings under the skin, rather than just on top of it. Yummmmmmmmmmm.

Canned cranberry sauce. Do not serve me fresh cranberries. If it's not in the shape of a can, I don't want it!

Kentucky Derby Pie. This is an amazing pie I stumbled upon in the Three Rivers Cookbook (yes that's Pittsburgh! Go Steelers!). You make it with chocolate chips and pecans and yumminess. It's extremely rich but good. It was one of the first things I ever contributed to Thanksgiving and I think it's a keeper! Although I am making apple pie instead this year.

Apple Pie. Who says you can't have more than one dessert at Thanksgiving? I made this apple pie a few weeks back and changed the crust to a crumb crust and mmmm it was good. Add some cinnamon ice cream from Graeters and you have a fall masterpiece.

Combine all of the above with some delicious bread, a simple salad and a glass of Pinot Grigio and I'd be one happy lady!

Am I missing anything??

Happy Thanksgiving!!