Adulthood called, and I answered

I know I've done plenty in my life to deserve the title of adulthood - getting married, buying a home, opening an IRA - but nothing has made me feel more adult than hosting my first Thanksgiving.

(Here I am stuffing my face with my in-laws. Yes, our kitchen is in need of an HGTV makeover, and no, I had nothing to do with what it currently looks like.)

After much fretting - both publicly and privately - I'm proud to report that my first holiday meal was a success. Nothing was burned, no one got sick (not yet at least), and not one call was made to the turkey emergency hotline.

Thanks to Rachel's find of this awesome recipe from Ina Garten, my first turkey breast was a hit.


(It smelled so good that I, as a pescatarian, almost fell off the wagon.)

I also tried Paula Deen's corn casserole,


(I substituted margarine for the butter and used fat-free sour cream in an attempt to not clog my guests' arteries, though this dish is so good, I'm not sure they would have cared.)

Rachael Ray's cranberry-orange sauce (which did not get photographed), and vegetarian stuffing.



Then I made a few tried-and-true recipes that I learned from my mom: sliced garlic potatoes and spinach casserole.



And as if I haven't given you enough reason to be proud of me, you'll also be amazed to see that I've already gotten a jump start on the next holiday.

(Maybe this bodes well for us getting our holiday cards out on-time for once...though I wouldn't place any bets on that. Note to self: buy a tree that is tall enough to be seen through the window without the boost of a table.)

Happy Thanksgiving!