Whew!

How do people manage to update their blogs AND have a life outside of cyberspace? We had a full house this holiday weekend and I could barely fit in the time to brush my teeth, and somehow I still received updates on the blogs that I follow?! WHEW! I have a long way to go as a blogger, but it's something I do aspire to....

Our family left earlier this morning and I have been busy catching up with the housekeeping and responding to emails that I ignored all weekend. I will definitely sleep well tonight! All in all, we had a fabulous holiday...and I AM THANKFUL the turkey turned out so well. We used a dry brine from Williams Sonoma and then snuck some home-made compound butter under the skin which made the bird exceptionally tasty.


If you haven't made compound butter, it is incredibly easy. Just let about half a pound of butter sit out and soften, and then whip in some fresh herbs (we used rosemary, sage, and thyme and about a teaspoon of this delicious dry brine). Roll it into a little log, wrap it in plastic wrap and refrigerate it until needed. When you are prepping your bird, cut it into medallions and sneak it under the skin of the turkey before putting it in the oven...YUM YUM! We used the rest of the butter on the table at dinner for rolls, mashed potatoes, etc....

In my opinion there are three keys to maintaining sanity during this holiday:
1) The early prep-work that was done the week leading up to Thanksgiving day...the pies (pecan, pumpkin & pumpkin layered cheesecake) were made Sunday, fresh cranberry sauce Monday, compound butter Tuesday, balsamic scented pearl onions and green bean almondine Wednesday night and Grandma's yummy sausage dressing was done Thanksgiving morning - but the celery & onions that go in it were chopped the night before!
2) Let your guests contribute! We had a juicy ham that my in-laws brought, beautifully light mashed potatoes thanks to my sister in law, delicious cornbread dressing from a sweet friend, a variety of cheeses & crackers thanks to my other sister in law and of course, everybody brought wine!
3) Finally, keep perspective. If the turkey is dry, the potatoes lumpy, or you don't have enough matching plates, as long you have your loved ones around you - isn't that what really matters?

(Oh, and the table turned out beautifully, although my chandelier still has not arrived. (Boo!) We had a last minute guest addition that we managed to squeeze in about three hours before we ate - so I'm not sure if I had a clear enough mind to take pictures of the table fully set, but if I find them on one of the cameras circulating this weekend, I'll be sure to post because it was gorgeous!)