A homemade Thanksgiving

Surely I am not the only person in the blogosphere who is posting about the Thanksgiving meal that awaits our families in a few days' time.  But I am really excited about Thanksgiving this year and I just have to share!  Unfortunately Randy & I are not able to spend the holiday with our families - but I jumped at the chance to make a Thanksgiving meal (albeit, scaled down for 2!)

I also made the decision to make the meal 100% from scratch. Not just avoiding heat-and-eat meals, but making an effort to make everything homemade.  I really want to make this meal memorable and hopefully make our own traditions!

Our menu:
Turkey
Mashed Potatoes & Gravy
Challah, Wild Mushroom & Herb Stuffing (recipe here)
Rolls (curteousy of my mom's favorite 1970s Betty Crocker cookbook)
Corn
Roasted Root Vegetables
Mini Chocolate Cheesecakes

I found an amazing-looking recipe for stuffing, which happens to be my most favorite Thanksgiving food item. I knew that I wanted to make the bread from scratch - so this weekend I spent an entire day making Challah bread (and the rolls).   While it was rather time consuming, the results were phenominal and it was well worth the effort.  I can't wait to make this into stuffing!

And I decided to make a chocolate cheesecake for dessert. (I've never made a cheesecake before! I have cute mini cheesecake pans so I am at least limiting the amount of rich dessert we have in the house over the holiday weekend). My mother-in-law shared a recipe with me to try out - and she makes a mean cheesecake!

I realize the last post was all about healthy eating and wellness - so don't be mislead. I am doing my best to make the meal as healthy as possible - including using whole wheat flour in the breads, and limiting butter by cooking with olive oil. Every little bit helps!

Happy cooking and happy Thanksgiving!