I had planned on being anywhere that most people aren't and that's exactly what me and MotH did (w/dog 1 and dog 2. The Boy had to work). There is a new farmer's market-type store, taking the dogs to lunch at the Happy Pig, visiting the new cupcake shops,* and checking out the Port Street Market.
The last thing I will do is go to the mall (never do that anyway) or any shop. I certainly slept through many of the sales that took place because being around that many people would make me crazy.
I've never been out shopping on that day and don't plan to start now. Yick!
* In our typical way of being behind trends by years, we have our first two cupcake shops. NYC is so over it, so it must be time for cupcakes to be popular in the Gulf Coast.
And what are we thankful for?
My wonderful husband and outstanding son.
Living in a free country.
A job that I enjoy and working with people that are fun.
Two great pups who take up lots of room, shed lots of fur, eat lots of kibble, and make us happy.
Gulf Coast Living (hurricanes and oil spills excepted).
Wearing shorts on Turkey Day - It's expected to be 75 degrees today.
Turkey and all that goes with it.
Having lots of things to be thankful for...
And especially a FOUR day weekend!!!!
Is it cheating at Thanksgiving to purchase all or part of the dinner already prepared? I've been thinking about this a lot lately. The only thing I've ever bought before (because I'm too chicken to make them) is Parker House rolls - which I love. But how far down the slippery slope do you go when you purchase your turkey and a pie and maybe even the cornbread dressing? I always called my mom to help me through the dressing, but since she's not here any more, I'm sort of at a loss. I don't want to do the first (fill in the blank) since my mom died, so I'm trying hard not it. It's not quite Thanksgiving without smelling celery and onions first thing in the morning though. This year Thanksgiving will be for the four of us, me, the MotH*, the Boy** and my lovely mother-in-law.
I'm accustomed to cooking for 8-12 people, so is it worth the work to do everything from scratch for just the 4 of us. So this year is an experiment... I am purchasing a few things and making the rest and we'll see how it goes. I may hate it. I may feel guilty (highly likely). Or, I might think it's the best thing I've done lately. We'll have to wait and see. Why are holidays so full of things that are hard to deal with especially after someone is gone?
Full menu (w/recipes) to be posted on Turkey Day.
*Man of the House
**I'll have to stop calling him the Boy in a few months - yikes!
Dressing (not stuffing, damn it!) is, for me anyway, just elusive. I can't get it right. My mom has a recipe in her head, but no matter what I do, I can't replicate what I remember from childhood. This year I decided to try and just not do that -- but I was disappointed. I made a dressing that was good - it was different for me with apples and bacon in it, but I was disappointed. I was fine - really, I mean it, but it wasn't the dressing I'm used to. Even my bad attempts at cornbread dressing are decent, but I can't get back to what's in my food memory. So, this year, we'll be having dressing every so often to try and get back to those details. I'll talk to my mom some more and see what I'm missing and hope for a better showing from the dressing next year.
Monday - Cranberry/Horseradish relish, Pecan Tassie Dough
Tuesday - Boil Sweet Potatoes, Spiced (maple-glazed?) nuts, fresh cheese, cheese straws
Wednesday - Bacon caramels (if weather permits), assemble bacon-wrapped apricots, leave bread out to dry for dressing, cook bacon for salads/dressing
Thursday - Turkey, dressing, sweet potatoes, salad, key lime bars
What am I missing - I'm sure there is something ... ugh.
It's a sad thing to look at grocery store advertising right before Thanksgiving. Take Target for example - yes, I realize it's not a grocery store in the strict sense of the word, but it's this ad that sent me off --Front Page "Hot Deals are Served" Del Monte canned green beans, Heinz home style gravy "roasted turkey" flavor, Kraft Stove top stuffing mix "For Turkey," Betty Crocker Au Gratin "Made with 100% read potatoes - disgusting.
And it gets worse Back Page of flyer: Pepperidge Farm herb seasoned stuffing, Ocean Spray cranberry sauce, French's french fried onions and the worst - Chinet Classic White plates.
Now a couple of these things I purchase - such as whole berry cranberry sauce - I use it in a recipe for BBQ chuck and it adds a nice sweet/sour taste. We also buy Del Monte green beans in a can ... TO. FEED. THE. DOGS.
Is Stove top on Chinet what people really serve on Thanksgiving? Lord help our civilization if that's the case. Maybe my family was an exception. My mom made real dressing - She made the cornbread on the days leading up to T-day and the smell of celery and onion to me is the smell of Thanksgiving. Now we had jellied cranberry sauce (with the convenient lines for slicing) but everything else was homemade - like it's supposed to be.
It's difficult to plan for Thanksgiving when:
1. You don't have a kitchen
2. You're not sure if you will have a kitchen
There are a couple of necessities for me for Thanksgiving - cranberry with horseradish and sweet potatoes from Wanda's recipe. But I'm not sure what else to do. Turkey - duh! but I want to have something special, plus I need to decide on apps and dessert as well. Won't be a large group, esp. will be missing Walt. Kids can eat at the bar IF it's finished.
