Thanksgiving Weekend

It is December 19th, and I am just now posting about Thanksgiving. Yes, I know it is a little late, but life has been crazy busy with all the shopping, baking, parties, and so forth, all while trying to deal with some pretty nasty pregnancy sickness. Blogging has been one of the last things on my mind. So without further a due, here it is:

Thanksgiving weekend was a huge success. First, we went over to the Jensen's house for the big Feast. We go way back with these guys. Adam worked with Kyle at BYU, and now they work together at ValleyCrest. Wendy was my boss in Provo at her IT company. We were so excited when they decided to move out to CA a few months ago. We did our Sager family tradition of going around the table and telling what we are thankful for. This year, Kyle and I definitely had a ton to be thankful for!

Here is our craptastic picture around the table. It's a must, even though it is always the most awkward picture.
As you can see, there were only 4 of us, plus a babe. But, we did not let that get in the way. We still feasted like kings - which meant more leftover turkey sandwiches for all!

On the menu:

Made by the Sagers: Turkey, Stuffing, Candied Yams, Frosted Cauliflower, Homemade Cranberry Sauce, and a non-traditional Pumpkin Cake

Made by the Jensens: Mashed Potatoes, Fruit Salad, Homemade Rolls, and a Homemade Apple Pie.

The turkey was, hands-down, the best turkey we have ever had. It was so juicy, delicious, and cooked to a golden perfection. There was not a single dry piece of meat.

The secret: CHEESECLOTH! I made the turkey as usual, stuffing the cavity with aromatics, and stuffed the skin with an herbed butter. Then, I took a pot of melted herbed butter, and soaked the cheesecloth in it. I laid the cheesecloth over the turkey and baked to perfection. If you want details, let me know. I will never cook a turkey any other way. The cheesecloth is the way to go!

If you are not a stuffing lover, than I can convert you. I promise. My family has converted many people to loving stuffing after this one. Please don't mention "StoveTop" around me. I may say something rude. This stuffing is a bacon, sausage, sage stuffing that is to die for. It is a Stevens family tradition, thanks to my Dad!

In the back of this picture, you can see the candied yams. This is a Sager family tradition, thanks to Kyle's Grandma Lambert. Kyle made them himself! It is seriously like eating a candy bar. You can also see my homemade Cranberry Sauce, which has a hint of orange and cinnamon. This is my Grandma O's recipe, and it is a favorite in the Stevens' household.

Instead of Pumpkin Pie, I decided to make a Pumpkin Bundt Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting. I did this only because I made a pumkin pie the week before. You can see it peeking out of the back of the picture. And Wendy's Apple pie was beautiful. She makes amazing crusts!

As you can see, we do not mess around when it comes to food. Even though there were only 4 people for dinner, it did not stop us from eating delicious quality food.

That weekend, we decided to head up to Temple Hill in Oakland for the Lighting of Temple Hill. First up was the concert before the lighting. It was "breathtaking." That's all I will say. Here are Sariah, Brett, Kyle, and I taking a lovely picture right before the concert.

The lights on Temple Hill were beautiful. Before lighting, they said they were going to be reading a scripture when they turned on the lights. We listened, and listened, and we could never hear the scripture. I turned around for one second, and boom, they turned on the lights when I wasn't looking. I was a little sad. But the lights were beautiful. The palms matched the temple with the gold on the top, which was really neat.

It was a great way to set off the Christmas Season after a great Thanksgiving weekend!