Thanksgiving Celebration

Before the holiday weekend is complete, I wanted to be sure I included a little entry about our celebrations. Our dear friends arrived around 11pm Wednesday night and slipped their six sleeping children into the readied beds. The turkey was delivered shortly thereafter at 11:15pm. At last, everything was in place for the big day.

I must preface the following by stating that I love cooking Thanksgiving dinner and I love the Thanksgiving holiday. This is so, because there is nothing to distract me from the culinary tasks and nothing to plan around, except the turkey. Thus, we spent a great deal of the day cooking. The Professor got the coals hot by mid-morning and tossed in the soaked mesquite. Meanwhile, dear friend M and I worked in the kitchen. What a blessing she was! Since she was not familiar with my recipes, M just kept me company and washed dishes at the sink as fast as I could use them. The mixing bowls and measuring cups and innumberable baths on Thursday. The Professor floated between chopping vegetables and herbs in the kitchen and keeping up with the children and the turkey outdoors.

It was a beautiful day, warm and sunny. M's husband, R., played football with the boys and raked up about six or eight bags of leaves for us...some of that grass hadn't seen direct sunlight in years for all the leaves. Anyway, the weather was perfect for grilling the bird...not too breezy and temperate. Unfortunately, I missed capturing a photo of the bird before it was carved. The skin was an incredible mahogany and was smoked to a crisp. Carved on the tray, we surrounded it with sweet potato medallions:




When we at last sat for our dinner in the late afternoon, everyone was too hungry and exhausted to be think of anything except how hungry they were for that food. I did stick with the original menu, opting out on the soup and adding homemade cinnamon ice cream as I couldn't find it at the store. In addition to whipping up some regular cream topping for the pumpkin pie, I also made a small batch with a couple of splashes of bourbon. (Note bene: Bourbon whipped cream atop homemade cinnamon ice cream is a combination that is sure to help you forget your woes.) Here are pictures of our desserts:

Traditional Pumpkin, prepared by The Prof
and receiving the highest praise: "...as good
as Aunt Helen's!"


Chocolate Pecan, prepared by The Professor

The Wensleydale Apple Cake, prepared by Almamater.

The children had all finished up and headed outside to play when the lingering adults had an abrupt end to their meal; Little Queen pulled over a card table sending plates and glasses crashing to the floor. Hopping into action, the four of us had the floor wiped and vacuumed in no time and just continued on with the kitchen cleaning, knowing there was nothing good in stopping once we had the momentum going. We went out for a stroll, enjoying what little remained of the sunlit evening. After we had returned, I popped some popcorn and children (all ten of 'em) gathered round to watch a couple of Little House on the Prairie Christmas specials I had on DVD.

Friday there was a little shopping, a little party and a very sad parting as the H's made haste in the late evening for their distant home in the city. We hugged and wept and then waved until they were out of sight. And then we collapsed. With a glass of that wonderful Santa Cristina wine R. brought for us in hand.

Saturday, Firstborn left first thing in the morning to go to Cabella's with a friend, but he wants to post about that "most fun of all days" himself. The girls and I met up with a friend and went to the Farmer's Market...the perfect start to any Saturday as far as I am concerned. Later on there was a little of the sale shopping that The Professor let me do on my own and it was, indeed, remarkably productive, perhaps because it was post-frenzy hours at the stores.

Today I felt the return of a persistent bug-one that I thought I had beat, but, it seems the intensity of the weekend made me weak and vulnerable once again. So, Firstborn (who also wasn't feeling so hot) and Little Queen and I stayed home from Mass this afternoon to take it easy. Nonetheless, I couldn't resist doing a little "window shopping" over at Beads of Mercy and a little gift planning at Shutterfly. Plus, I should have a new Late Autumn album up at Phanfare soon as I transferred new photos to the computer this evening.

All of the important things that I am thankful for can be found at this previous post, but for tonight, despite my swollen glands and spinning head, I am grateful for a really lovely and blessed weekend.