The turkey sits in the fridge, slowly thawing, getting ready for the food frenzy that is in two days...the feast of Thanksgiving! Everyone seems to love this holiday, a day to overeat, watch television and sleep...sounds like heaven to me!!
I personally enjoy the planning and preparation of the meal. There's something so basic and traditional about simmering the nasty bits, (the heart, liver, gizzard and turkey neck), in water, onion, celery and garlic the evening before to make stock for the stuffing. Oh sure...you can buy chicken stock, but why let those perfectly good organ meats go to waste? Stew those bad boys up! Let them simmer for hours until the entire house is filled with the savory aroma of Thanksgiving!!
I love getting up early Thanksgiving morning to start cooking, seasoning the bird and getting the sausage and mushrooms ready for the stuffing. Having a couple cups of freshly brewed coffee with my lovely wife is also part of the morning celebration...which eventually turns into a couple glasses of wine as the feast begins to take shape. Having a glass of crisp white zinfandel at 10:00 a.m. makes the holidays even more special! You can't cook gourmet without wine.
Turkey, sausage and mushroom dressing, Yukon gold mashed potatoes with homemade turkey gravy, acorn squash, brussel sprouts, buttered corn and soft dinner buns...oh heavens yes!! Cranberry sauce? Of that I am unsure. I have never really been a fan, though I do enjoy a cold glass of cranberry juice cocktail...maybe this year he will give cranberry sauce a try.
Afterwords we will all gather for pumpkin pie with whipped cream...as is the American thing to do!
So enjoy your Thanksgiving anyway you want to. Watch the parades, have a little wine, sleep all afternoon...oh yeah, I guess there's football on somewhere. Enjoy!
Happy Thanksgiving and Peace to you and your family this holiday season. This year I get a break from the traditional prepare/clean-up. My brother-in-law is doing the deed. This is the first one I've had off in 15 years. I'm feeling the blessings already. Your blog post made me hungry.
ReplyDeletePS~I thought about you the other night when I saw the weather on the news, looks like you guys got a good hit! --drive safe :)
When it comes to the traditional meal, as the cook I am thankful for how easy it is to make, and how (barring the jazzed-up contemporary versions and add-ons) inexpensive a meal for a crowd it is. Here’s to tradition!
ReplyDeleteThere is nothing so basic...and yet so satisfying as a traditional Thanksgiving dinner. Granted Martha Stewart can turn anything simple into some ridiculously extravagant event, but the simple meat and potatoes beauty of the Thanksgiving meal is the essence of comfort food. Tradition is everything!
ReplyDeleteWe did receive a nice snowfall here in central Minnesota over the weekend Mary Lou, but the unseasonably warm weather this week has caused most of it to melt away.
Happy Thanksgiving Everyone!!