It was lovely to have a white Thanksgiving this year. We had our first significant snowfall on Wednesday and the snow stuck around for a couple of days.

It was a nice Thanksgiving as usual. A lot of our friends were able to join us for the feast. We had 12 adults and 8 children. It felt like the house was full after a long time. We spent most of Wednesday and Thursday morning cooking. All the guests showed up around noon on Thursday. Due to Ashwini’s nut allergies, it was a nut-free event. Here is the menu…

Appetizers:

  • Chex mix
  • Brandied apples and goat cheese
  • Brie with fig jam on crackers
  • Spiced apple cider

Main course:

  • Green bean casserole
  • Broccoli and rice casserole
  • Cranberry delight
  • Acorn squash stuffed with wild rice, raisins and cranberries
  • Creamy mashed potatoes with chives and gravy
  • Pasta salad
  • Broccoli and cheese salad

Desserts:

  • Death by chocolate
  • Yellow cake with fruits
  • New York style cheesecake

Making a real cheesecake was new this year and I was very apprehensive about how it will turn out. It was like a cholesterol bomb with 2 and half pounds of cream cheese and 7 eggs. It was just heavenly. So creamy and soft and silky. Yummm. The only problem is that because it is so big, we can’t make it for just ourselves. I won’t be able to make it unless we have a big gathering. That means I’ll have to wait till Thanksgiving next year.

Unfortunately, I didn’t designate someone to be the photographer, so, we don’t have many good photos. I don’t think I have a photo of the desserts. sob

Ashwini was very excited to have so many kids around. But, at the same time it was really nerve-racking for her as she had to share all her toys and books with them.

Overall, we had a wonderful Thanksgiving. We got to see a lot of our old friends and share a good meal with them. Hopefully, we’ll do this more often in the coming year.