Beer is proof that God loves us and wants us to be happy.*

While setting the table this seemed like such a big and elaborate spread!  I think you'd have to see our normal 1 or 2 dish meals to appreciate the bounty shown here.  Plus we layered our service like fancy times.

Two 17-hour round trips in 2 months seemed a little much, so we decided we'd spend Thanksgiving here in the woods and Christmas back in Portland.  In order to make it not just another Thursday (which right now is just like any other Monday or Saturday or any day), we are making a special dinner.  Just not that special dinner.

Eric made this beer-cheese soup (with turkey kielbasa).

I made these Hasslebeck Sweet Potatoes (thanks to Dale for posting the recipe on Facebook)

Flavored with maple syrup, cinnamon, applesauce, apples, dried cranberries and pecans.

 
... and beer bread from my mom's recipe.

We used Guinness this time around.

We threw together this yummy green salad with dried cranberries, candied walnuts and blue cheese.

A very friendly salad: served in a housewarming gift from our neighbors, the Baetens, and dressed with oil and vinegar served from the cruet set I was given by Cinda!

Of course, we paired the meal with Jubel Ale and what was left over from the above recipes. No one is thankful for wasted beer.  No one.


And for dessert, I made slow-cooker cinnamon almonds using this recipe from the Detrimental Beauty blog that I found via Pinterest.  I'm not sure we're going to even be able to look at those almonds we're so stuffed.  Oof.

HOLIDAY BONUS ACTIVITY: Bigfoot somewhere in this post!  Can you find him?

*This quote is attributed to Ben Franklin**, but apparently he didn't actually say it.
** Ben Franklin was not really a pilgrim, but he wore old-timey clothes and is a long-dead, American historical figure, so I think that's close enough of a connection for my Thanksgiving post, thank you very much.