Thanksgiving

We had friends over for our Thanksgiving dinner this past Saturday. I love Thanksgiving. It is a time to share my traditions with those that either are not from America or Canada (and therefore do not celebrate this holiday) or those that are from places where we celebrate, but like us, are away from family.
It was a wonderful evening. I love to host, and so does my husband. He served all the drinks and cut the turkey, I got everything to the table, made the flowers and helped out in general. Our friends also helped out by bringing their favorite dishes.
Let me take you on a stroll through my decorations first: As you all know by now, (I believe), I am a floral designer. So, I wanted to have an elegant feel to the evening. As you walk in my front door, we have a yellow wall....so I decided to match it with these beautiful flowers in a mix of red, oranges, yellows, purples and pinks.
The living room was then decorated with a mix of soft, velvety purples, greens and pinks. The other side of the living room had a mix of candles and lilies, ever so stately by themselves... and for outside on our porch I made a small, low arrangement with purple roses that are just gorgeous! The centerpiece for the table was so elegant. I loved it!
Which will also bring us to the food! We started off with cheese and crackers, vegetables and a spicy hot pepper dip. For the main meal I had made 2
turkeys with gravy and stuffing...warm, moist stuffing filled with apricots, raisins, apples, celery, onions and bread... I also made fresh cranberries, which I bring back to my destination every January because they are impossible to find. They freeze really well, and therefore I can have them fresh for Thanksgiving! Pictured with them is a green salad and layered salad that friends brought. My next dish is a family tradition in our home Potato Dumplings. They are delicious!! Other friends also brought ginger carrots, green beans and potatoes (in a typical Southern style, which I had never had before!), and a small pork loin (in case we didn't have enough turkey!).
The table looked beautiful!
The desserts were calling us even before we started dinner, but we were good and waited until the table was cleared!! We had pumpkin pie, apple crisp, ice cream, chocolate cake with strawberry topping, cheesecake and pizzelles, another tradition from my family.

They are an anis cookie, and incredibly scrumptious!
That was our Thanksgiving in Brazil. I hope that you have enjoyed sharing in my feast. My wish for you all is to have a blessed and wonderful day this Thursday.
I am thankful for everything that I have been given...my family, those close and far, my friends, the opportunity to be able to live in health, happiness and to have my heart filled with love every single day.
Happy Thanksgiving, from our house to yours!