This year, my family spent Thanksgiving in Pittsburgh with my grandmother. For the first time in a very long time, Kath (my momma) took the reigns and did most of the cooking. She made a great spread- turkey, stuffing, corn pudding, green bean casserole, and sweet potato casserole. I just sat back and helped when asked- I can only take credit for the gravy and mashed potatoes. She did an amazing job, and here are the results..

Meet Big Bird! Mom’s first turkey in years turned out great. While watching the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade, we heard a little tip from the people at the Butterball Turkey Hotline that was extremely helpful- stuffing should register 165 degrees, thighs 180 degrees – to make sure the turkey is moist and not overcooked. A great tip. We used the plastic oven bags, no brining here. Moist and delicious!

My gravy. The recipe: Make a roux of flour and butter over medium heat. Strain turkey drippings; whisk into the roux. Bring to a boil, reduce to a simmer. To thicken, make a paste of flour and water (or broth) and whisk in as needed. Season with salt and pepper.

My potatoes. The recipe: Peel and quarter yukon gold potatoes; place into a pot. Add water into the pot until potatoes are just covered. Bring to a boil, cook until potatoes are very tender. Drain water. Add butter and milk (or buttermilk, or half-and-half, or cream.. whatever you have) and mash the potatoes to desired consistency. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

New addition to the Thanksgiving table: Mom’s new corn casserole. She got the recipe from the December edition of Cooking Light. A quasi-veggie for a carb-filled meal.

The old stand-by: green bean casserole. We actually never have this dish, but my dad insisted this year. It’s the basic French’s recipe– American cooking at it’s finest? Not my favorite, but apparently some people live and die by it.

And the finale.. Grandma’s sweet potato casserole. We don’t mess with that marshmallow stuff. We get down with brown sugar and pecans. I don’t have the recipe on hand, but I’ll be sure to post sometime in the future. SO good.

Overall, a terrific time with family, a delicious meal thanks to Kath. The fun continues tomorrow!