Thanksgiving in Review

So I hadn't originally planned on it, but I ended up making Naked Potatoes for Thanksgiving. I'd already planned mashed potatoes with celery root (I mixed in a little dijon for a bit of zing since I forgot to get horseradish. And of course, about half a pound of butter!) but I wanted something a little more traditional and with a bit of crunch.These sounded perfect! I actually saw a very similar recipe in the December issue of Bon Appetit, only they call them Fork Potatoes. Here's the rest of my TurkeyDay Dinner:

Turkey with Lemon-Sage Butter

Jordan's Awesome Gravy (He actually came up with the recipe on his own, and it's pretty good if he remembers to degrease it...)

Black and White Quinoa Dressing

Celery Root Mashed Potatoes

Kale and Brussels Sprouts Salad : Definitely a dish to make more often than just Thanksgiving. I put in extra almonds and made some really crispy bacon bits. This is savory, tangy, and going into regular rotation. We all had seconds of this before we even started in on the rest of dinner!

Dinner Rolls

Cranberry Sauce and Cranberry Orange Relish (Yay Trader Joe's!)

Spinach Madeleine

Scalloped Potatoes

And for dessert: Homemade (of course) apple and pear pies with fruit we picked ourselves. (served with fresh whipped cream, of course!)

It was maybe a little too much food for the number of people we had (considering of the seven of us, three were under the age of five) but that just means more leftovers! And yes, we did have three kinds of potato. According to my husband, the role of the potato at a holiday meal is purely to become a vessel for gravy. He made about two quarts of gravy, so we needed lots of vessels!

Pictures are coming!

Kate

Thanksgiving Eve 2011

It’s not Thanksgiving yet and I’ve been cooking for the better part of two days. I probably didn’t need the whole two days.  Could have gotten by with one, but for the last week or so I’ve found my mind wandering to the upcoming meal.  One big bird or two small; regular cranberry sauce or something special, what sides, how many?   Do I have at least one dish that each person will love? It was too much.  I couldn’t focus on what I was paid to be doing and it was a slow week – an extra day off worked was in order.

I’m not sure I knew why,  I just knew this Thanksgiving I wanted to spend time in the kitchen before the guests arrived.  I found a rhythm in the past two days. Stirring cranberries, cleaning beans, chopping carrots, frying bacon…my mind drifted and I prayed. 

I haven’t been praying much lately.  I’m not sure why I haven’t, I just haven’t.  It must have been something about the purposefulness of my task that led me to pray, the simple motions like chopping, cutting, and stirring that started the prayers.   The prayers just came.  They came from within me, surprising me.

This Thanksgiving I am creating a meal for nine people from five unrelated families.  I think we are all seeking connections and a place to belong. I feel a strong desire to make each person feel at home; to be welcome at our table.  So I prayed.  For Mary while I prepped dressing ingredients, for Eden as I fried the bacon, for Jack, for Duane, for Rod, and Pat, and Dan and Geila, and Judy.  I prayed for Kate and her family, and my Dad and Gayle, and this world, and my in-laws.  The prayers weren’t sentences or words but pictures, wordless memories, blessings, and thanks. I don’t know where these prayers came from but they came from somewhere deep, someplace I don’t often visit because I don’t know how to get there. I think that the rhythm and rituals that the cooking provided over the past few days showed me the way.  

This Thanksgiving Eve I’m feeling more relaxed than I can remember feeling before such a “big meal” holiday.  I think it is because this Thanksgiving I’m remembering to be thankful.