Friday, November 26, 2010

E: Apple Tart & Thanksgiving Day

Hey All! I hope that you had a fantastic Thanksgiving. Is anyone doing black Friday today? I’m doing a little shopping with my Mom & Aunt, but nothing major.

We had a great Thanksgiving at my parents. Last minute, I switched up my dessert and made two apple tarts. I used the dough from my apple strudel and a recipe for the apples from Southern Living. The outcome:

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When we got to my parents house, we started with a few appetizers. The nice people from Food Buzz and Hickory Farms sent us a gift pack that I thought would be PERFECT for pre-thanksgiving eats (meats, cheeses, mustards, crackers and candies, disclaimer: I received these goodies for free):

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This was a GREAT gift pack. I’m considering ordering from Hickory Farms for Christmas. They have lots of great gift packs for around $30.  My Mom also put out shrimp and cocktail sauce:

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The main cooks, my Mom & Dad:

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And now for some of the eats! My FAVORITE part of the meal, the cranberry sauce! We do not cook ours. We grind up the berries in an old school grinder with apples, oranges, walnuts and then add sugar. Amazing:

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My butternut squash dish. It may not be pretty, but it is super tasty. And with all the black beans and nuts, its a great vegetarian dish.

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The turkey:

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And the professional carver in his pink apron:

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There was also green bean casserole (made by my Aunt), mashed potatoes, dressing, creamed onions & gravy. Everyone enjoyed their meals.

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We took my parents dog, Tedy, for a walk after:

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and then sat down for my Mom’s Pumpkin pie and my apple tarts:

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After lots of great conversation, Josh and I were exhausted:

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I’m so thankful for the time with my family and delicious food. Off to shopping!!

40 comments:

Lauren said...

Glad you had a wonderful and delicious day! Happy Thanksgiving sweet heart!

Anonymous said...

Yummy!!!! Those tarts look fantastic!! I'm glad you had such an awesome Thanksgiving!

CaSaundraLeigh said...

Looks like a great time to me--your fam always looks so happy and cheery..love it! :-) I am off to shop too. Buy lots! ;-)

erica said...

Looks like you had a wonderful Thanksgiving! All the food looked amazing and you can't go wrong with Hickory Farms products!

xo

Tiffany @ The Chi-Athlete said...

I just knew you'd have a gorgeous Turkey day! I love all the pictures, and I never realized how Josh TOWERS over you! LOL! So adorable!

Julie said...

those apple tarts look to die for! for some reason it kind of reminds me of mcdonalds apple pie but in the most delicious way ever hahaha. i loveee apple tarts especially when the dough is delicious and makes a perfect crust :)

my thanksgiving was super tasty too! we made the pioneer woman's pecan pie (among other treats) which was faaabulous haha

marla@familyfreshcooking.com said...

Your free form apple tarts look awesome! Looks like a super fun Thanksgiving with your family :)

lynn said...

everything looks WONDERFUL. happy belated tgiving!

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Ashley @ the fit academic said...

Those deserts look amazing! I always love to go on a post-feast walk with the dog, too! It's a great way to help digestion, otherwise I always slip into a food coma on the couch (although.....i slipped into food coma anyways, lol - oh well!) Glad you had a good one!

Faith said...

Your apple tarts are gorgeous! I'm glad you had such a wonderful Thanksgiving! Hope you had fun shopping too! :)

tam said...

Wow that pie looks like a yummy one. Sounds like you had a fun day x x

teresa said...

lovely thanksgiving! i'm glad you had such a great day!

Simply Life said...

looks like a wonderful holiday with a fun new package to try! :)

Mary :: A Merry Life said...

Yummy pie! Glad you had a great hanksgiving!

Heather said...

What a great day you had. Love that picture of your dad in his pink apron - cute!!
Those tarts looks delish - I love anything with apples in it.... :)

Paige (Running Around Normal) said...

What a great Thanksgiving! Your tarts look simply amazing. I just finished my second Thanksgiving - at our house. Turned out to be a great success!

Averie @ Averie Cooks said...

that tart looks awesome!

and sometimes the least photo worthy food TASTES the best! I have these great salads that i never show b/c they look gross but they taste great...same with certain beans, chickpeas..they just dont photograph well LOL

so glad you guys had a great day!

hick farms...that stuff is very$$ .. NICE score! :)

Simply Life said...

Thanks for the comment on my blog - so I was able to find all the Indian spices REALLY cheap at a local Indian market. However, I've heard that Whole Foods carries A LOT of them, they just will probably be a little more expensive! Also, I actually "cheat" with the dhana-jira powder- it's equal to "2 parts coriander to 1 part cumin" and I have both of those spices so I just mix it on my own! I added that to the recipe so I hope it helps - THANKS! :)

Kelly said...

Looks like a gorgeous spread. I love the color on the turkey, such beautiful caramelization. And that rustic tart looks so gorgeous as well.

hbobier said...

Your butternut squash dish turned out great! I might need to try that recipe...I love squash!

Happy Thanksgiving!

Krista said...

I love the sounds of that cranberry sauce! I bet it packs a big punch of flavour...

Jersey Girl Cooks said...

Glad you had a nice Thanksgiving! I love how the apple tarts look rustic and delicious!

HEAB said...

The apple tarts look amazing Erica as does your butternut squash dish, and I love your cranberry recipe. I don't think I've ever eaten cranberries ground up like that. I'll have to try it someday as it sounds delicious. So glad you and Josh had such a nice Thanksgiving. However, missed you in Nashville!

P.S. Your parents are too cute. :)

Amelia said...

Those tarts look delicious! We did a little shopping on black Friday, but it was after the craziness subsided. We actually walked into Whole Foods at 5pm on Friday and it was almost empty. It was AWESOME!

Nicci said...

Everything looked delicious! Love the apple strudel.

Amanda said...

I did a little Black Friday shopping but didn't find anything good unfortunately.

That cranberry sauce sounds so good! I have a ton of cranberries left over I'll have to try it!

Kat said...

That tart idea is just beautiful - I love how rustic it looks.

I'd never thought about a raw cranberry sauce before but that bowl looked delicious!

Mother Rimmy said...

Baking and I don't get along, but I bet I could make this tart!

Sarah said...

What a beautiful spread for the holiday! And your apple tarts look so delicious! Apple desserts are my very favorite.

Nutmeg Nanny said...

Wow look at all those delicious Thanksgiving treats...yum!

fittingbackin said...

Hope you had a blast shopping and got some good stuff! That mustard sounds good - like the pineapple in there - i'm intrigued!!

BroccoliHut said...

Beautiful tarts--they belong on a magazine cover!!

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Glamour Marmalade

Seglare said...

It sounds like you had a great Thanksgiving. :)

The apple tart and butternut squash dish sound really delicious. Oh, and of course, Tedy looks adorabl! He is a Lab, no? It's a funny coincidence, as my (late) Labrador loved nothing more than apple strudel. He would never steal food; but when he first moved in with us, he just couldn't resist and ate a whole, fresh from the oven, apple strudel off the countertop. Now, years later, it's a sweet memory. :)

carla said...

I adore adore that last picture.

adore.

Bridget said...

Happy Thanksgiving!! Your apple tarts look so delicious! Hope you had fun with your fam!
Oh man I should get Brian one of those Hickory Farms gifts, he loves that kind of stuff!

Natalie said...

finally catching up on blogs---your apple tart looks perfect! so glad you had a good Thanksgiving :)

Kerstin said...

What a great spread, especially with your lovely apple tart! Glad you had such an awesome TDay!

Holly said...

Your parents are so cute! All of the food looks incredibly delicious....especially your apple tart!! Of course as a dessert girl my eyes go straight to the baked goods. ;-)