I hope you are all having a great day!  The sun came out to play today, which made my life so much better around here.  Even my car trips to pick up the girls from school was better with the sun shining and window down.  Fresh air!

Today is the day I really started thinking about Thanksgiving next week.  My family is having a very laid back Thanksgiving this year.  My mom and I have split the cooking duties.  The guys will be frying a turkey.  Usually we do all the cooking together, but this year everyone has been so busy that we decided to just make everything ahead of time so we can really relax on Thanksgiving day.  

This is not the day for us to experiment with new recipes.  We are one of those families who make the same meal every year.  There is something comforting about eating a meal I've been eating since I was a kid.  Here is what we have planned for this year.  Nothing fancy, just tried and true dishes sometimes amped up a bit.

Turkey- preferably fried.  If we fry it we always have to get two, because the meat is so good we don't have leftovers.

Dressing- Notice I did not say stuffing.  It is old school Cornbread Dressing passed down from my great-grandmother and it is amazing, almost a bread pudding consistency.  

Green Bean Casserole- I am making it completely from scratch this year instead of the old cream of mushroom soup version of my childhood.  But there will still be plenty of fried onion strings on top.

Mashed potatoes- It's just a requirement in a Texas house.  Honestly, I would prefer sweet potatoes, but I am overruled.

Giblet Cream gravy- in a word, heaven.  Don't throw away that neck, liver, and other organ meats.  they are the secret to delectable gravy. Oh, and we put in some sliced hardboiled egg.  Don't ask me why.  It is just always been this way.

Cranberry Sauce- I have kind of become the cranberry lady in our families.  It has to be homemade and I use it for weeks afterward on toast.

Parker House Rolls made by me.

Jello salad made with manderin oranges, coconut, pineapple, cottage cheese, and whipped cream.  How is this salad so good?  I don't know, but I love it.

That's it.  Oh, I do always make a batch of Oyster Stuffing as well because it is what my husband grew up eating and it is scrumptious.  We are the only two who eat it, which is fine by me!

Now, here are the rules to serving- First, put down the turkey.  Next scoop a big spoonful of dressing over top.  put the mashed potatoes slightly to the side.  Then top it all with gravy.  Finally ladle on some cranberry sauce over the mountain.  Yum.

This year I am in charge of the dessert and I am thinking of making buttermilk pie.  I can't wait!