Thanksgiving Day....the Ruiz Way

Okay here it is, a combination of traditions. I enjoyed this day because we had so much fun cooking, as you can see with the spread of food.  Each lady present introduced one of their specialties. Mom-rice stuffing, Bonnie-green bean casserole, and I made ham loaf, a Buchko/Breakwell tradition.

I bought a turkey roaster this year so the oven was free.  At one point we had 5 things baking at once.

Let's not forget the pies.....oh pies how I love thee...with coffee...Mom showed me the proper way to make a pie crust from scratch....very wonderful knowledge to know; flaky, light and buttery are the way crusts should be.  Above there are two mince meat, two pumpkins, apple and a cherry cheesecake.

The Kiddy table....taken from the house through the screen, sorry....it was very nice weather that day.

My gluttonous portion...that's not wine btw....Cranberry Sparkling juice, very yummy. We used my mother's bone china and Wedgwood crystal. The table linens are my great-great-grandma Elizabeth Bates'.

It was a family affair, even Dad made the gravy and Michael contributed by making his very own recipe of sauteed corn with green peppers and bacon.