Thanksgiving 2011, or How To Slip Into A Food Coma

Have all of you recovered from your food comas yet?  I dunno, I might need a few more days of this glorious long weekend..

The kick-off for the season has come and gone, and now there's no looking back until January - it's holiday time!

I love food.  I love cooking.  Therefore, Thanksgiving is alright in my book.  We traveled to my parent's house for the Big Feast, and here's a look at all the yummies that were consumed:

Top left: fried okra (mom).
Top right: cherry salad (mom). This stuff had a crushed pretzel crust that was to DIE for.
Middle left: Sausage balls (my sister).  It's an annual tradition to have these sitting around for pre-dinner munching.
Middle middle: Green beans with shallots and crumbled bacon (mom).
Middle right: Mashed sweet potatoes, or 'candied yams' depending on where you hang your hat (mom).
Bottom left: Creamed corn (mom).
Bottom right:  Ham AND turkey (mom).

The dressing (again, you can call it 'stuffing' if'n you like).  I know I teased you guys with this a couple of years ago but never shared the actual recipe.  This year, I just might do it!  My mom made it this year.  It was deliiish, as always.

My family would riot if Amy didn't bring her famous Italian creme cake for dessert.  You're looking at the physical manifestation of a heart attack right there, folks.

Not pictured (because I suck):

Deviled eggs (my sister)
Braised Brussels sprouts (us!)
Homemade cranberry sauce (us!)
Macaroni & cheese (my brother's girlfriend)
Yeast rolls (my sister)
Turkey gravy made from scratch (my mom)
Fudge pecan pie (my sister)

My Plate O' Sin.  Hey, I passed on the Mac & Cheese and the rolls to save the bulk of my carbs for dessert.. so that counts.. right?

Right??

That's what I thought.  Sheesh.

My mom's dining room, all set up for the meal.

Few centerpiece details

Now for some photos of the peeps.  Missing from these are my niece, nephew, sister, and brother-in-law, who were also there, but left a bit before I took a few photos.

My bro and his girlfriend.

This is a MUCH more representative photo of them.  Excuse me, I need to go enter the witness protection program after posting this.

Me and some hot guy who agreed to be my date.

My Mawmaw!  I hadn't seen her in a long time and we were all so happy she got to visit this year.  She is the coolest lady with a mind and memory as sharp as tacks.

My dad never, ever smiles for pictures.

.. unless you catch him in a somewhat candid moment.. then you might catch one!  That's my mom on the left, obviously.

And we can't forget the shorter, yet just as loved, members of the family - Dewey, Dexter, and my parent's lil guy, Max.

Dew 'n Dex are veterans to this group photo business, but we had to introduce Max to the idea.  He did a good job!

Now it's time to bring on Christmas!   I have lots of fun things planned for Brownie Bites throughout the holiday season.  Recipe, craft tutorials, and photos of our lights & decor are all to come!