Thanksgiving...Chicken

Thanksgiving, naturally, is my favorite holiday.  Because it's all about food. 

This year was particularly exciting because we hosted Thanksgiving at our house for the first time.  It was an intimate affair, my husband, mother, and grandmother.  We had a wonderfully relaxing day at home, decorating for Christmas and of course feasting.

The dinner menu was carefully planned with some of our favorite foods.  Our poultry was chicken instead of turkey, since the crowd was small.  I did a cranberry chicken, which I brined in a mixture of red wine, cranberry juice and some spices for two days beforehand.  The chicken turned a spectacular red color, looking like it came straight out of a magazine.

To accompany the chicken we made mashed potatoes with celery root (I love this combination, the celery root adds such intrigue!), Aunt Donna's cranberry sauce, cranberry pecan stuffing, and brussel sprouts.  For dessert we made a brandied chestnut pumpkin pie.  I really love chestnut, but found this recipe disappointing.  Both the pumpkin and chestnut got lost to each other and neither was as strong as it is on its own.


Thanksgiving was lovely with full tummies and sleepy heads...Grandma really bonded with puppy during her visit, as you can see.