Hello dear friends, I am taking a brief renovation update
break to share some photos of our Thanksgiving dinner. Many people have pointed out that it seems...odd? irresponsible?? just strange?? why bother?? you are crazy!! to host a dinner while our home is in such a state of turmoil. I agree! Have you noticed that over the years that fewer and fewer people are interested in hosting gatherings? Perhaps it is just too much work! I would love to know your thoughts. We however really enjoying having friends and family come to visit and would like to think that they really enjoy their time here.
The interior of our old stone house has a subfloor and framing. We moved our veranda furniture inside along with an outdoor rug. It felt very cottage-y. Everyone enjoyed the vibe and it was the last great use of our Adirondack furniture before we get ready to start storing it for the winter. We shared this photo with the contractor who was very amused!
We retrieved our old electric fireplace from the basement. When we had our addition built 11 years ago we purchased this and set it up in the new dining room. While construction was being completed this little fireplace provided some heat for the workers when they stopped for coffee break or lunch.
I didn't realize that this is actually an extension for a construction staircase. It was in the old living room so we took advantage of it to hold wine glasses and appetizers. It made a great impromptu serving table.
We kept pre-dinner snacks to a minimum. Some crackers and a small assortment of cheeses was just enough to get everyone to the main event!
We had to eat in the kitchen as our dining room is currently our bed/sitting room while the house is being renovated. When we were preparing for the renovations to start we packed and stored everything from the stone house. At the time I didn't think we would invite anyone over so I also packed up most of the items we used when we have guests. It was a bit tricky finding enough plates and servingware but I managed.
We have been raising our own turkeys for several years. Some of them got a little big this year! This turkey was just over 22 pounds. We roasted it on a bed of onions, carrots and celery and baked it for about 6 hours.
Our friend Christopher prepared a delicious cranberry fig sauce to accompany the turkey.
My sister in law is not fond of turkey so we usually cook a ham as well. I add a bone in ham to the slow cooker with a generous helping of brown sugar and let it cook on low for about 8 to 10 hours. I am not a fan of ham but when prepared this way it has a rich and sweet flavour and is very tender.
I love to bake bread. I had meant to bake dinner rolls but am so used to baking bread that I had already prepared the ingredients before realizing my mistake. Bread it was! I baked two kinds...a regular white bread and a whole wheat bread with cranberries and walnuts.
We love having stuffing with our turkey. For decades my mother used to follow a recipe she had cut out of the newspaper to make a true stuffing which was placed inside the turkey before baking. I can't find the recipe but I do remember the ingredients which include bread cubes, pork sausage meat, dry sherry, onions, seasonings and cream. It comes out a little differently every time but is always delicious. I used to stuff the turkey but for the last few years I prepare the dressing in advance and bake it separately.
On the Thursday before dinner I made a quick trip to St Jacob Farmers Market for fresh produce. I purchased Yukon Gold potatoes from a vendor which we mashed with an herb and garlic cream cheese. I also bought multi coloured carrots, honeycrisp apples, zucchini, sweet potatoes and butternut squash.
I love to try new recipes. This year I tried a Maple Dijon roasted carrot and apple recipe. Everyone said they liked it but I wasnt a fan. We also had roasted brussels sprouts with balsamic vinegar and parmesan cheese but it seems we didn't get a picture. The sprouts were delicious!
We also missed documenting our dessert which was also prepared by our friend Christopher. He prepared a lovely bread pudding infused with rum and drizzled with a vanilla sauce. It was divine.
And that my friends was our Thanksgiving. I will have more to share lots of renovation updates soon!
