I think I am supposed to post something about being grateful for things today. People have been doing that all month long & while a part of me wants to join in the rest of me knows it will soon get awkward because I am not good at meaningful and will instead post about being grateful for office chairs that have adjustable arms so I can support my arms whether I sit upright or slouch. Doesn’t mean I am not grateful for the good things in my life like husband, kids, family, a roof over my head, food in the fridge, etc. It just means I have issues expressing it seriously. I blame this on my grandmother Iona who told wonderful stories and had an irreverent sense of humor that stood her in good stead during the ups & downs of her life. I come from a long line of strong women who faced adversity & tragedy & picked themselves up with grace & humor and I am forever grateful to them for passing that on to me.
And now for something mildly amusing, updated slightly & reposted from 2008.
I envision this conversation between my sons, some Thanksgiving far in the future, when they are sitting around the table with their children & grandchildren.
Havoc: Remember the savory mashed sweet potatoes?
Mayhem: What about the apricot glazed turkey?
Havoc: the one with the cornbread & oyster stuffing?
Mayhem: No the sourdough and fig stuffing.
Havoc: Oh yeah. I’m thinking of the stuffed maple turkey breast. How about the prime rib that one time?
Mayhem: with the horseradish mashed potatoes!
Havoc: *sigh* Mom made the best reservations didn’t she?
Mayhem: Yeah, no one could dial like our mom. She was a wizard with the phonebook.
Havoc: Remember the time Dad did Thanksgiving dinner?
*laughter*
Together: Waffle House!!!
I don’t *do* Thanksgiving dinner you see.
We go to my folks in Florida for a week every year, usually this is for Thanksgiving but occasionally it is for Christmas.
Mom controls Thanksgiving. Attempts to help or change or add anything to the menu is generally met with firm but polite refusal.
We’ll be there for Christmas this year, so the Thanksgiving ‘feast’ is on me. Considering just what parts of the traditional thanksgiving meal my kids are willing to eat – the bread rolls & the whipped cream on the pumpkin pie – I can’t really call it a ‘feast’. Oh they might take a few bites of turkey & if I stand over them gulp down a bite of sweet potatoes & a green bean. If corn is on the cob Havoc will eat some & he’ll eat the pie if enough whipped cream is added. Mayhem will pull a couple leaves out of his salad & eat them while complaining about the lack of chocolate desserts. DH doesn’t like dark meat or cranberry sauce, which I love.
It’s hard to work up much enthusiasm to make a big meal when this is what you are facing.
I’m not yet willing to make cheese pizza or mac & cheese our traditional Thanksgiving dinner so we go out to eat. There are a number of local restaurants that put on Thanksgiving buffets or special Thanksgiving menus. Everyone gets what they want. DH doesn’t have a stack of dishes to wash. I’m not annoyed that the food I made isn’t being eaten and we don’t have pounds of leftover turkey in the fridge. Honestly? Turkey is ok, but after one round of sandwiches on Friday or Saturday, I’m done with the leftovers.
I’m figuring it will be a special family tradition. My future DILs might thank me for lowering the bar so much. If they don’t want to deal with cooking Thanksgiving, their husbands will not be expecting it anyway. If they do want to make a feast they don’t have to worry about including any special items or any expectations from our side of the family.
"Oh they were great reservations honey, really. I love your reservations. But…I guess there is just something special about the way my mom made the reservations. "
Hmmm… been there – My DS won’t eat anything of the vegetable variety, except for potatoes and tomato sauces (assuming they are mushed to within an inch of their existence, so that not one tiny “bit” remains intact!). If I puree a sauce, heavily disguise it with tomato and put cheese on top, then he will eat veggies – so long as no-one has told him what is in the sauce (other than “tomatoes”). Sigh…
Luckily, DH eats most veggies, though he doesn’t enjoy peas or carrots (he eats them if they’re in stew or soup etc). I converted him to broccoli and spinach, so the options are better… he will try pretty much anything too…
I suppose it’s not so bad, eh Stacey? I can make a roast dinner and some of everything will be eaten…
But I know what you mean about left-overs!
We don’t have Thanksgiving here (though I think we should come up with our own reason to be very thankful and have a British Thanksgiving at some point in the year!) – so our turkey is eaten at Christmas. I now reserve my main items in advance, with the company who do my weekly shopping delivery (oh, something to be Thankful for – home shopping delivery… no pushing trolleys, no trailing round the supermarket, no loading & unloading the car in pouring rain… I pay an up-front annual fee – around $130 – and they deliver as often as I wish, with one Christmas-week delivery included in the subscription too)…
So I buy a Turkey Crown at Christmas – larger or smaller, depending on the number of visitors we expect. It’s quite an expensive way to do it, but it fits in the oven ( why do they make ovens so small inside?) and it leaves almost no waste. True, we don’t have the dark meat from the leg/wing parts, but then, I don’t have the stress of trying to strip what’s left of the carcass, because DH thinks it’s a waste to throw away good turkey meat… (to be fair, he would strip the carcass, but then I’d have to clean the kitchen after him….turkey-grease spots, anyone?)
I don’t know… I think I have talked myself into a seriously Thankful mood now! Thankful that I can have my shopping delivered weekly, for a reasonable annual fee; that I can buy my turkey oven-ready and with all the “nuisance” bits removed; that I can get the boys to eat a traditional roast dinner – even if DS won’t touch the veg. Thankful that I have a lovely family and a good home, so we can actually sit down together and share that special annual meal.
Oh, dear… I have had to stop moaning… Now I’ll be cheerful for the rest of the day. I blame Stacey!
Happy Thanksgiving, Stacey and Family!
While I enjoy grocery shopping I would love the option of grocery delivery, but they only have it in the bigger cities around here. Mom does ham for Christmas & I make prime rib with Yorkshire pudding at our house (the boys love Yorkshire pudding) but one of these days I will find someone around here to sell me a goose. My boys only eat pureed veggies or raw veggies, there is no cooked texture in between that is acceptable. *sigh*
Have a terrific Thanksgiving!
Great post Stacey
We’ve managed to time our visits to Florida for Thanksgiving a couple of times, and I’ve made a point of going for those buffet dinners as I LOVE all of the turkey and trimmings that you have over there and especially the pumpkin pie. We’re aiming for it again next year. I will be thankful if I can get affordable flights
Pumpkin pie is my favorite part!
LOL! My husband just said, “I think for me, the holidays are often about celery” followed by a long explanation about how celery is the ball bearing which keeps all holiday meals running smoothly . . .
Rinda
I’m thankful for your posts – always an entertaining read. Like Lizzie, we often buy turkey crown for Christmas too, along with a separate turkey leg for my daughter who likes dark meat better than white!
Happy Thanksgiving
)
I hope the buffet was everything for all of you! Your last line made me laugh – that is such a typical male comment!
Hope the reservations were fruitful, your weekend peaceful and no further interesting chapters written…
Love my food delivery – I have often thought of having dinner delivered but Wookie actually likes cooking a roast and of course Christmas/Thanksgiving is actually just a big roast. So we eat with everyone helping. My two eat most veggies and for that I’m grateful too.