Thanksgiving recap and a giveaway!

Let me start by saying I had decided I would not click photos for the blog on Thanksgiving. I didn't think you would want to see my family's Thanksgiving again but I received several emails and comments from customers stopping by the store last weekend mentioning how they are looking forward to a recap. I guess I will look at it as a Thanksgiving card to you, sharing the splendid day with you all.  To inform those newcomers to this blog my sisters and I all live in the same town and for a few years now share the Thanksgiving dinner with each home hosting a different course. A nice tradition is we walk from house to house.  For the cooks, (and I know you all can relate to this) it gives us time between courses to be out of the kitchen and chatting with everyone as we walk ....good bonding time. My Granddaughter, Madison helped with the prep all day Wednesday (which really means everything took twice as long but was also twice as memorable)...nice socks! We found this simple table decoration idea on Pinterest and it was perfect for her age of 3. The trouble is when you are only doing one course you kind of go overboard ...I host the turkey portion and my husband is all about the prep for his fried turkey. He runs around getting the various equipment,  fills the propane tank, shops for the injection marinade which includes beer, honey, butter and 8 different spices and with my sons bring up the big tables and 27 chairs to convert the dining room into a banquet hall.  Also worth mentioning are the calls he gets from me about picking this or that up. I'm still prepping Wednesday night and they set up their nightcap for the evening, above. The party has started.... Danielle's home is abuzz with baking as she is hosting the dessert course.  Thankfully her children took over some of the tasks. On Thanksgiving day we started at my sister Denise's home.  WELL, she totally outdid herself with the appetizers.  A traditional Italian antipasti looked like a food magazine picture arranged on one of the French breadboards (available) Her table looked beautiful.  My brother in law made cranberry apple cider martinis and he is also known for his delicious bread we call THE BIGGA, which is in a basket, above.  The BIG hit of her course was the candied bacon, yes you heard that right CANDIED BACON!!  Everyone was dying... CANDIED BACON Mix together 1 cup of brown sugar and a teaspoon of cinnamon Dredge each piece of thick cut bacon in sugar mixture and place on rack on cookie sheet. Bake at 350 degrees until done. She also prepared 2 kinds of homemade crab cakes, my fav... Deviled eggs. Stuffed mushrooms and she even made her own herb breadsticks, an apple slice appetizer wrapped in pancetta is to the right. There was a whole other table with goodies I'm forgetting but the pecan baked Brie that she prepared without pastry was delish!   You didn't leave this house without enjoying a favorite . We continued our walk on to the soup course where I have no pictures of my sister Nicole's magnificent homemade breads and breadsticks :( and Tom's seafood chowder and cream of mushroom soup served in footed porcelain bowls with lions heads.  Wonderful!  The pictures  posted today were sent to me after a shout out for any pics for my blog so they are not complete. My husband and I with the two birds.  The roasted one (24 pounds roasted in the bag for 3 1/2 hours) where I blended all the chopped herbs with butter and lifted the skin allover and pushed the mixture underneath.  I had my whole hand under the skin!! ..I thought this baby is going to be flavorful!  BUT the consensus is and has been for 2 years that the fried bird (14 pounds and cooks in 35 minutes) tastes so much better. I didn't have turkey until the Saturday afterward and the fried was superior.  We discussed frying 2 next year but how will we make gravy, not to mention presentation?   The fried bird can easily be mistaken for a charred football with 2 black sticks in its side. Each year my son and husband discuss a different selection with the entree....(last year's turducken was NOT a big seller)  Ryan was out on the deck this year with ANOTHER cooking unit making his shrimp boil, which, in addition to the turkeys, roasted brussel sprouts, bread stuffing and wild rice goat cheese dressing, (Bobby Flay) whipped potatoes (made ahead,)  was mouth watering. My mother makes her homemade cranberry sauce and my favorite, her candied sweet potatoes. Needless to say plenty of leftovers were also enjoyed the next day at my house. My sister Danielle's home (where we walked down the hill thankfully from mine) had desserts.  Cameras were not out here but I did snap this one of my niece Hilary's homemade samoas and Zoe's terrific cupcakes! Cheesecake, pumpkin soufflé and Italian pastries complimented my brother-in-laws Italian coffee gelato, which was just that...espresso poured over gelato!  I would love to hear about your Thanksgiving traditions and also about your turkey....do you fry a bird?  How do you make a good gravy?? AND FOR A GIVEAWAY ANNOUNCEMENT!!!  Sign up to receive talented friend Cindy Potters' blog HERE by Thursday to see how you can enter the giveaway I'm sharing with her readers. Cindy is owner of SHED, an eclectic home furnishings store in Maplewood Village NJ.  (100 Baker Street). She mixes modern and vintage and the unexpected.  The BEST part is her inspirational blog which covers interior design news and trends. When you stop over to her blog make sure you see the latest West Orange home she visited....it's magnificent and Cindy was so lucky to be able to photograph it adding to the photos from Elle Decor.  Thank you Cindy.  Good luck to all Cindy's readers!! Today it was snowing so, "ON TO THE NEXT HOLIDAY!" I just decorated these planters on Saturday and they are the perfect entrance to the offerings inside. New items from the container are brought in each day and I have posted a couple HERE and will post more later this week. Warmest regards, Bonny  We are open Sundays until Christmas from 12-5 Bonny Neiman Antiques & Artisan  p.973-714-4541 www.bonnyneiman.com    Trouvaille 12 Beechwood Road  Summit, NJ  Monday-Saturday 10-5:30