San Diego Thanksgiving: The Meal

We went back and forth for the entire month of November about what we would do for Thanksgiving. At the last minute we decided to make the drive to San Diego to spend the holiday with my parents for their last Thanksgiving in the mission field. I am so glad we did.

The meal was a complete success. There are few things that I love more than cooking with my mom. We started Wednesday by preparing the brine for the bird and the pies. I convinced my mom to let me do all the crusts from scratch and I do believe she has been converted. We went to bed on Wednesday with the bird in the brine and the pies all cooked and waiting.

I made a case for starting with a cheese course. I think that all fine dining should involve a cheese course (maybe it's all the years we spent in Wisconsin). We nibbled on fruit and cheese throughout the day on Thursday while we cooked away.
Luke spent the morning making place cards for all the members of the family. I love this happy little turkey.
Here is his pilgrim:
His native American:
The mayflower:
And a cornucopia: