Thanksgiving 2009

We enjoyed our first Thanksgiving holiday in Nebraska, and also as a family of four (!). I spent the better part of two days making everything, but it was all delicious. And, if I may say so, very yummy.

We have forgone the traditional turkey because we're not a big enough family to merit an entire bird- and turkey leftovers are only good for so many days before they become a chore to eat. AND, I don't know how to smoke a turkey like my dad- he's the best! So, instead we roast a duck. This year was SO much better than last year because I'm not preggie, so everything actually smells good! I'm really happy with the way the duck turned out. So, here's what I did- just in case you want to make one too:

Rinse in cold water and dry with paper towels. Pierce skin all over with a fork or sharp skewer.

Make a rub with about 2 t salt, 1/4 t pepper, 2 T orange zest. Rub a dub dub the bird.

Roast on a rack in a shallow roasting pan at 350 for about 2 hours. Every half hour, baste with the orange sauce that usually comes with the bird.

You can stuff the bird. I made a Whole Wheat Apple Orange Sage stuffing. It was FANTASTIC, and I'm not really THAT into stuffing.

Anyways, this is the end result of the stuffing:
And the end result of the rest of the duck.
Of course, no feast would be complete without Jaquay Potatoes, mashed potatoes, gravy, glazed carrots, martinelli's and rolls and for dessert, pumpkin or apple pies!

During the course of our dinner we do a thankful ABC wherein we take turns going through the alphabet finding things we are thankful for. It is sweet to count our blessings this way.

And now, I need to go prep for the Ward Christmas Dinner. It's gonna be delicious!