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By far, Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday of the year; it has been since I was a teenager. I was not only happy to help Mom but happy to be in the kitchen as well. Wednesday night I got out of pie duty as (my sister-in-law) Shelly made an apple pie and (my sister) Lori had two pumpkin pies ready, so all I had to bake was rolls that night. Thursday morning I made a broth out of the turkey neck, giblets, and wings, pulled the meat off them when they were done, then returned it to the broth. I made stuffing out of cut bread, sage, half a yellow onion, a bunch of green onions, sliced celery, and shredded carrot, moistened it with half the broth, and stuffed the 15-lb. bird that was to feed eight adults and six munchkins. The turkey went into the oven to roast with half of the remaining broth in the bottom of the pan. I made a cranberry sauce out of half a cup of water, half a cup of apple juice, half a pound of cranberries, and a quarter cup of blueberries, then put it in the fridge to chill. Guests arrived shortly thereafter, and I had a relish tray made of sausage, cheeses, celery, carrots, and dill dip. We snacked while the Packers lost. Grrrr! After the game, it was time for heavy kitchen duty. I peeled and cut fifteen potatoes and put them on to boil. Sweet potatoes were in the crock pot with butter, brown sugar, and a pinch of ground cinnamon. Green beans, tomatoes, onions, fresh herbs, and olive oil went into the oven. Canned corn with butter went into the microwave. The turkey came out of the oven to rest and the rolls I'd made Wednesday night went in to warm up. Potatoes were mashed with milk and butter. The turkey juices, some of the starchy potato water, flour, and milk went into the last of the broth on the stove for gravy. I carved the turkey, got everything to the table, and it was Thanksgiving. Adults got kids' plates filled, then their own. I took a break away from the table just to take everything in. It was wonderful. Once everyone had started eating, I finally sat down to join in the family feast. Friday night I went over to (my brother) Kevin's house for a few hours, helping Shelly put the lights on her Christmas tree. I had supper there, then went over to our friend Barb's house (where Dad was staying) to visit. Yesterday Mom let me borrow her car for the day and I was back here to pick up Cathy for the night. We had a nice talk together on the way down, and soon afterward she was playing with her cousins and accepting an invitation to stay overnight with Kevin and Shelly. I watched a movie with and took care of Mom... fetching Kleenex, a sandwich, or ice cream at her desire. The surgery had gone well, though she's now stuck with a metal plate in her foot for the rest of her life. This morning Dad continued his trek southward, going to visit friends of his in suburban Chicago. For me the morning was a leisurely one. I made blueberry pancakes for Mom, Lori, and her kids, then went over to Kevin and Shell's to check on the munchkins. After lunch there, we were back to Grandma's house for proper goodbyes. Two hours later, Lori, (her husband) Tony, and the tots were packed into their van to return Cathy and me home. We had half-an-hour to kill before we were supposed to have Catherine home, so I was host to the last of my visitors for the week. Cathy shared the toys she has here with her cousins and I had time to talk with Tony and Lori for a bit. We left Cathy with her mom, stopped for supper, I was returned safely home... and here we are. |