Thankful Reflections + Holiday Hosting Tips

Thankful Reflections + Holiday Hosting Tips

Thankful Reflections. Thanksgiving Meal was held at our home this year and I took my Pastor’s advice and prayed about it in advance, lol! I hosted 2 years ago and I must say, I was a bit overwhelmed with all the cleaning, prepping and cooking and entertaining! This year, I prayed that all will go well, that I would get rest the night before and some Rest & Relaxation actually on Thanksgiving Day. I started cooking on Tuesday night…a couple of caramel and sweet potato pies. And for the turkey, I used  Food Network’s Alton Brown recipe (love his scientific cooking style) for the 2nd time. Although it takes a few days to prep, the turkey is really flavorful. The prep time is 2-3 days prior to cooking the bird and then it includes intermediate steps prior to roasting. I seemingly had many time-consuming recipes due to everything being ALL Homemade…I didn’t want to cheat anyone on taste and flavor. So this was the menu: Turkey, Spiral Ham, Fried Chicken, Ribs (Courtesy of the Hubby), BBQ (Bill’s Barbecue), Baked Mac-n-Cheese, Mashed Potatoes, Stuffing, Gravy, Cabbage (Courtesy of Nicole), Corn on the Cob, Pasta Salads (Courtesy of my Sis), Potato Salad and Collard Greens…a Southern Soul Food Staple!

Then desserts: Pecan Pies (Courtesy of Nicole), Chocolate Cake, Strawberry Cake, Caramel Pies, Sweet Potato Pies, Caramel Cheesecake and Banana Pudding and Punch Bowl Cake (My 1st attempt at my Mom’s recipe)…

And after all that cooking, I’m so very thankful to say that I was not stressed or overwhelmed at all. Thanksgiving Eve and Thanksgiving were SO awesome! I so enjoyed spending time with my family, especially those that I only see around this time of the year! And especially especially these beauties…

So my simple 1, 2, 3 Holiday Hosting Tips: 1. Pray, 2. Plan, 3. Rest!!! Stay tuned for a bunch of Wellness Wednesdays, as we need to talk about how we are going to get these Holiday Pounds OFF, LOL!

Linking up with The Squishable Baby, Her and Nicole, and Mom’s Small Victories!