beachem -- I'm so saddened to hear what happened to your dad and the level of care he received (or, rather, didn't receive). My dad spent his final 18 months battling ALS in a hospital/convalescent/rehab facility where he wasn't more than check in on periodically. All of our holiday celebrations became rushed affairs (quick bite at home, then back to the facility). Still, at least family was together. Nice job with the room -- it's all worth it.

My one food porny pic -- homemade mac n cheese made its way into the annual rotation at the request of my kiddos:

I had to make another batch the next day. :p

Thanks to a Gooster posting about the Zwilling online store's BF deals, I finally bit the bullet and purchased a set of steak knives. (Why on earth I've been so picky this past year, I have no clue: after all, we've been doing fine with our 25 y/o Target specials for so long!)

Hope your dad's doing better.

I'm really sorry to hear about your dad. Hope his recovery goes smoothly.

Here's a before and after shot of our turkey...

I've been in your shoes, beachem. You have my heartfelt wishes for better tomorrows.

I don't have any food porn from Thanksgiving, sorry. I was too busy celebrating with friends and family and completely forgot about taking photos. But I did remember to take a pic of the meal I made during my first cooking lesson with my neighbor's dad (he went to cooking school, fab cook) on Friday. I made Shrimp with Garlic and Ginger with a side of haricots verts. It was delicious!

I'm swapping my painting skills for cooking lessons. So far, I've painted my neighbor's den, changing it from baby pooh brown walls and ceiling (so very depressing!) to lovely silvery lavender walls and a white ceiling. Her dad says that by the time I'm done painting, I'll be cooking like a Cordon Bleu chef. Sounds good to me!

Beachem- So sorry to hear about your Dad! Not a fun Thanksgiving-

I didn't take any pictures this year. It was my wife's year to work (at a hospital), so I did all of the cooking. I did a spatchcock turkey on the smoker. It cooks so much faster and more evenly, but it's not very photogenic. Since it was just two of this year, I cut back on the sides, but we had mashed potatoes, stuffing, gravy (made from the turkey drippings as it smoked), brussels sprouts, Santa Fe relish, and my signature 4-1/2 lb. loaf of French Country bread. I did an experiment, making an apple pie ahead of time and freezing it (unbaked). I thawed it and baked it, and it was perfect.

I hope 2017 is a better year for you!

Oh beachem! I'm so sorry to hear about your Dad. I think these facilities are chronically understaffed so as to make big corporations more money. :(

My Thanksgiving was back in October, no photos. I worked your holiday as well as Black Friday. I did check some stores online and didn't find what I was looking for at a price I was willing to pay. I did see one guy at work who bought a 49" 4k tv for $210 and two big ipads for $247 which I thought were very good deals, even when converted to CAD. Though the exchange is a killer, I think they were probably still cheaper.

I too hope 2017 is a better year for your family.

beachem, so sorry to hear about your Dad. Two and 1/2 years ago we were in an almost similar situation, so I feel your pain and frustration.

Beachem, I'm sorry to hear about your dad, and I hope he recovers quickly! I hear ya on the bending & squatting - DH & I replaced the bottom screens on our back porch a couple of weeks ago and I had serious sore muscles for a few days!

No cooking was done by me (that's a good thing). My FIL moved to a retirement community earlier this year and he invited us to lunch there. The food was delicious (a bit lacking in texture, but tasty anyway).

Donna

I know it looks like we were only having pie, but there really was other stuff - turkey being sliced, gravy on the stove. Just finished the veggies for breakfast yesterday, there's a little of the 20 lb turkey left, and one piece of pumpkin pie. Also froze 3 meals for 2 of split pea soup with lots of turkey bits last night - so yummy!

We miss Mom. She taught me how to make pie crust when I was about 11 and it's been my job ever since. Maybe the almost 4 year old GD (artist of record for the art on the wall) will be next in line in a few years.

I know it looks like we were only having pie -- to which my kids would reply, "And the problem with that is.....?" What a spread!

We just finished our reno - opened the wall between kitchen and dining/living room. Still a few things to tweak. Sink needs to be set for the third time (don't get me started). I never thought to take pictures while cooking for the first holiday in our new space, but I did take a few of the gang at the table, which would never have fit in our old kitchen.

Wishing your dad and you a smooth recovery. That's a hard way to spend Thanksgiving! I hope this is good food porn for you. We decided to have a multicultural Thanksgiving menu with prayers for all who feel vulnerable these days. I'll say a prayer for your dad and other medically fragile folks as I eat my enchiladas made from leftover turkey molè today!

From the top of the picture: Rainbow Salad, Wild Rice with Mushrooms, Mashed Potatoes, Herb-Roasted Turkey, Mama Stamberg's Cranberry Relish, Roasted Squash with Lemon-Tahini Sauce, Turkey Molè, Cornbread Stuffing with Green Chiles, Gravy. Then there were the Collard Greens, Chocolate-Pepper Pie (chocolate pie with cayenne, SOOO good), and Pumpkin Pie that somehow didn't make it into the picture! We started off with a Baba Ganoush, Hummus, Olives, and assorted cheeses.

Wishing you a wonderful season of good foods soon!!