Food!

I adore Thanksgiving food.

Sadly, Katie did not join me for Thanksgiving, but Laynie and I still did a rocking job this year. The turkey was very good (although the pink around the edges freaked me out and I had to google it--darn nitrites). The stuffing was GREAT--Pepperidge Farm. We did regular green beans instead of a casserole, since I detest green bean casserole. I told Laynie to make it for herself anyway, but she decided not to. I, on the other hand, made sweet potatoes basically for myself. That recipe is too sweet for Laynie, although she said it was "okay," so I'm planning to modify it next year. I couldn't remember if I cut the sugar last year or not, and I'm thinking I probably did. For me, it's fine, because I'm a food mixer anyway. I rarely eat foods on their own, especially side dishes.

We used Alton Brown's mashed potato recipe and did not like it. Too garlicky! And it really needed butter. I tried to save it with butter and pepper, but it was a big disappointment. I should have just made potatoes the way I know how. I will say this: Alton's suggestion of using half russet and half red potatoes was great. I would definitely do that again.

Apple pie.

Laynie made a nice apple pie (with a bit of help) for dessert. Very good, especially for a first try! My bakerhood is rubbing off on her. I love to bake, and I love to eat baked goods! This apple pie had a good crust, although I still like my mom's recipe better; I will have to get that from her. The filling recipe Laynie used is here. It was weird to pour the liquid over the top of the crust rather than just mixing it with the apples (we followed some reviewers' advice and mixed about 3/4 of it with the apples and poured 1/4 over the top). But it was good.