This year’s Thanksgiving was intimate—just my wife and myself and a dear old friend. Our regular Thanksgiving custom is for all of those present, starting with the youngest, expressing what they were thankful for in the past year. Our guest, as she led off our expressions of thanks, quipped that she is unaccustomed to being the youngest member of any group these days.
I made our customary Thanksgiving meal. I smoked the turkey, made something resembling my wife’s family’s traditional stuffing (as dressing), my wife’s cranberry chiffon, my spicy cranberry sauce, brussels sprouts braised with chestnuts, and pumpkin chiffon pie. I didn’t make rolls this year—my yeast was dead.
I have now been making Thanksgiving dinners since I was a kid. I took over from my mom the better part of a century ago. I think I have a few more Thanksgiving dinners in me but at the end of the day I can definitely feel it these days and I spend the better part of the next day recovering.
I’ll take this opportunity to give thanks for my regular readers and commenters. I hope in these troubled times you have had a happy and restful Thanksgiving.
In case you’re wondering the lace tablecloth belonged to my wife’s grandmother, our china is well over a century old, and our sterling is probably more than 150 years old. The perils of being a recovering antique dealer.
Ours was the opposite of intimate.
We tagged-teamed on the food with our best friends, who hosted at their house. We had my three kids, plus 5 more young adults – my daughter’s friends from college. Our friends, the hosts, had one of their sons (also in college), his girlfriend, and another college-age friend.
Needless to say, with 10 people between the ages of 18 and 21, we prepared a lot of food.
Sounds like fun. I’ve hosted as many as 20 people at Thanksgiving. It’s not a great deal more work than cooking for three.
There’s a lot more cleanup, however. Cooking is my department. Cleanup is my wife’s.
Believe it or not I can have 20 people to dinner with enough of my china for all. Normally, I bring out some Schuler family heirloom serving pieces when feeding a crowd like that. It makes for a festive table. Tables, actually.
“I took over from my mom the better part of a century ago.”
Uh. Er… I figured you for being in your 70’s. Not 80-something.
“I’ll take this opportunity to give thanks for my regular readers and commenters.”
Surely, Dave, no matter the heat of the moment, you know the thanks flow your way. Whether its designed to be or not, its the most thought-provoking blog I know of. I, at least, hope you don’t get bored with it. I doubt I am alone.
For only the second time in the last 30 years went to someone else’s home, that of our adopted “nieces”. We made the dressing, some pumpkin bread and curried sweet potatoes at home. I made the gravy there with the “help” of two 4 y/o little girls. Still came out well. We had one new addition to the group as one of the friends who joined has just got married and he brought his wife. She is Malaysian so we quizzed her about their food and growing up there. With the little kids it was controlled chaos.
Let me agree with Drew since i do that so often. Thanks fo 4th time, effort and analysis.
Steve