Thanksgiving Prep

I am so excited for this years Thanksgiving dinner. This will be our first Thanksgiving back in the states in 8 years. This will also be the first Thanksgiving in our house, with family and friends. OMG and guess what...I am cooking the turkey and ham. Oh yeah, for real. The run around of how that was going to go down has taken an interesting turn but in the end I think what we are choosing to do will be awesome. Originally I was going to order a deep fried Turkey from Popeyes but it seems they don't actually deep fry the turkeys they sell, they did on Spangdahlem. Then I decided we would order a turkey from Honey Baked Ham along with a ham but J wasn't sure that was such a brilliant idea either. So at the commissary today we looked at the various hams and turkeys for sale and decided that we would take the cheaper (half or more of the price of Honey Baked Ham) route and bought a honey glazed ham and smoked turkey. Both items are pre-cooked so my life is still rather simple and that makes me VERY happy.

I talked with my brother today about who all is coming and currently we are looking at 8 adults and 4 children. We have a few more invitations out there but not sure if anyone else will make it. Our first Thanksgiving should be a fabulous one.

Here is the menu so far...

Main Dishes:
smoked turkey
honey glazed ham

Side Dishes:
sweet potato bake (Jamaya's recipe...have you seen her new beautiful baby girl? Go over and give congrats, shes gorgeous!)
green salad
baked macaroni and cheese
ambrosia salad
mashed potatoes and gravy (my brother is in charge of this)
stuffing (he is also in charge of this or I would be doing Stove Top)

cheesy broccoli bake (? another vegetable dish...yes or no)

Extras:
dinner rolls
cranberry relish (another Jamaya recipe, its freaking divine. Online version)
whole cranberry sauce (as requested by J)
olives
mini pickles
deviled eggs (not your ordinary deviled eggs)

fruit/cheese platter (?)

Desserts:
pumpkin pie + kool whip
pumpkin cheesecake
pumpkin spice cookies
gingerbread cookies

I picked up 3 new platters for the occasion and am on the search for a deviled egg dish. I am beyond excited if this post hasn't clarified that. Bring on Thanksgiving. Bring on family, friends and LOTS of food.