The Sullivan 5

We had a great Thanksgiving here in Chicago! We decided to host, for the first time, both our families this year...just look at this handsome group. (Yes, that's Conor on the right running back into the frame after setting the timer on our camera.) With 16 people to feed, we had so much good food, I'm going to post the menu so that I'll know where to look in case we do it again.

For starters, Conor worked hard to perfect the brined, grilled, turkey, and it was awesome! If you've never brined a turkey, it can be a lot of prep work, but it's sooo worth it. He cooked a 12 pound bird on the grill and a 23 pounder in the oven. (Oh, and thankfully our ovens were in working order...that's a whole other story.) The turkeys were the real winners of the menu, as they should be. Our moms took care of the pies: two varieties of pumpkin and a tawny apple, all family recipes. Moira made the Berry Mallow Yam Bake, a staple at Sullivan Thanksgivings, and did a wonderful job at keeping the marshmallows from catching fire (I can't say the same for the bread I toasted for the stuffing!) The rest of the menu consisted of:

• This holiday punch. It was light and refreshing...I'll definitely use it again.
• The fondue pot had to make it's yearly appearance from out of storage, so I made this queso dip. It was a huge success based on the constant circle of people around it.
  
• Ina's buttermilk mashed potatoes. They were yummy, but I'll make more next time. Lesson learned, mashed potatoes are the first to go!
• These carrots are so easy, and I loved the subtle ginger flavor. Yes, I love the Barefoot Contessa.
• Of course there was GBC. What Thanksgiving is complete without a Green Bean Casserole! I made my Aunt's modified version of this recipe.
• And I attempted to make my cousin, Scott's, favorite cornbread & sausage stuffing. I don't think I quite pulled it off, but I did keep things exciting by forgetting to pull out the toast from the broiler!

We ended the day with our annual Christmas craft, which did involve a little sewing, but I think everyone did a great job on their Gingerbread houses. I'm very proud of you all!

So there it is, our first Thanksgiving! Can't wait for next year!