This year is the first year one of our kids isn't in college, our oldest, Bryan, is a working man now so he doesn't have the long weekend off from school. So our plans are a little different this year since he won't get here till between 5:00 - 6:00, which means dinner will be later than normal.
When we used to have Thanksgiving at my MILs, her husband Santo used to make a huge antipasto platter for later in the evening for us to munch on. I decided to keep that tradition alive, but a lil twist. I made it at noon as a snack and the family demolished it!
Whats on the antipasto platter? Usually meats such as different salamis and dried ham and a few different cheeses. Plus lettuce, tomatoes, olives, roasted bell peppers, artichoke hearts, peppercinos and anything else you want to include. And a few different oil and vinegars to choose from. I used cappocola, mustard seed salami and a hot picante salami for the meat. The cheeses were sharp cheddar, asiago and greyere. The secret to cheeses is to get a semi soft one, a sharp one and something in between. The oils I used were a basil oil, olive oil, red wine vinegar and a really good aged balsamic. Here's a pic of the one I just made.
They liked it so much that a new family tradition has been born. I really think that if I don't make one of these from now on for Thanksgiving snack there will be a revolt.
Now I have about 30 minutes till its time to get the turkey in the oven. My Thanksgiving dinner is very simple...Turkey, stuffing, mashed potatoes, corn, green bean casserole, gravy and cranberry sauce, nothing fancy. The best part of making this dinner is that Meagan and I have been doing it for so long together we can whip it out in a flash, we have such symmetry in the kitchen we don't even have to talk about the cooking. The hardest part of the meal is making my family wait till we are all seated before they start digging in.
And for the first time I made a homemade pie! I was nervous, but the friends who live in my IPad helped me thru it and it looks great!
Here's wishing you and yours a Happy Thanksgiving!
Glad you had a great Thanksgiving! The antipasto platter is a neat idea - my family usually just did summer sausage, colby jack & cheddar cheeses, Triscuits, and Ritz...yours sounds better :) Congrats on your first homemade pie! I made my first homemade pumpkin pie this Thanksgiving and it was a huge success.
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