Thanksgiving! We gather together with family and friends to give thanks for our blessings. My day usually starts with the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade.
Displays of giant balloons of favorite cartoon characters drifting through the streets of New York are captured in living color on our TV, while I struggle with a turkey that should have taken three days to defrost and is still rock hard!
I pray to the turkey gods and somehow the bird becomes pliable. Prepare the stuffing next – sausage, nuts, butter (lots of butter) and breadcrumbs.
Then the big decision…should the stuffing go inside the turkey or be baked separately? No matter, it’s guaranteed to be devoured in record time, so I flip a coin.
The bird in the oven and I tackle the sweet potatoes, baked under a thick layer of marshmallows because nothing says “vegetables” like a sugar-coated topping. Prepare the green bean casserole and mash the potatoes to a creamy whipped delight.
I collapse while the turkey bakes, then pray the cranberry mold doesn’t disintegrate while it’s being unmolded.
Call everyone to the table and the big moment arrives, the carving of the turkey! Dad’s time to shine. Armed with an electric knife he approaches the bird like a surgeon and delicately begins to slice.
“White or dark meat or both?” We pass the plates filling them with the sides – stuffing, potatoes, vegetables. We toast with a sip of wine and begin to eat!
No Thanksgiving is complete without that one relative who insists on going around the table to share what everyone is thankful for. I’m thankful we’ve been able to dodge the scrappy political conversation between Aunt Mary and Uncle Joe!
I try to distract. “Leave room for pie! Apple, pumpkin or pecan… topped with ice cream and a dab of whipped cream!”
As the evening winds down, everyone reclines in a food coma, and I slip outside for a breath of air. I’m thankful for another year of family, food, and the fact that I won’t have to do this again for another 364 days.
Oh wait, I almost forgot…Christmas!
