I wanted to share my Thanksgiving Day with you, and I hope you might share yours with me. Sharing has been something I’ve really enjoyed doing a lot of lately, whether with a friend or family. Of course, it depends on what I feel like sharing!
That morning—Thanksgiving Day—was, I admit, pretty slow going. These slow starts are happening more often than not lately, thanks to the cooler weather. Brrr!
I kinda wavered back and forth—not about going, but about when to go, and I don’t even know why. There was a part of me that wanted to wait until I was sure the food was ready. Good thing I didn’t! It was much later than I expected before we actually ate.
And let me just say, this is coming from a person who has never bought a turkey, much less cooked one!
I was happy to report that it was just myself, my daughter, granddaughter, grandson, and yes… the son-in-law. HEHE! There have been past years when other relatives from my son-in-law’s side were there, and let’s just say… it can be AWKWARD. My Español is limited, and his parents speak no English.
When I arrived, the smells were wonderful. Turkey, ham, dressing (that didn’t quite work out to my daughter’s liking), creamy mashed potatoes, macaroni salad—my favorite—green bean casserole, and rolls!
Wait a minute… the rolls have to sit out for three hours before you can bake them? My son-in-law wasn’t having that. The grandkids made a not-so-quick run to the store—“Thank God something was open!”—for bread rolls.
“As soon as they get back, we’ll eat.” Finally! I was starving. Fortunately, she had a few things to nibble on.
So yes, we did sit down to eat, and boy, was it good. Especially good because my fingers never got involved in cooking anything, but… I did wash some dishes.
The three of them—Dawn, Tyler, and Madison—worked so well together in the kitchen, moving around doing their part, while I played with the dogs. Other than eating pretty quietly, that was about it, just enjoying the food. Dawn is a wonderful cook.
I didn’t get a piece of turkey or ham because I prefer the vegetables. I can fill up on those for sure. My husband was the meat person. He would have really enjoyed this meal, just like he always did. Heck, he would have gone back for seconds, taken a nap, and then gone back for more straight out of the fridge.
My son-in-law watched football, and Mitch would’ve joined him, only to fall asleep shortly after sitting down. Dawn and I would go outside and just chit-chat for a while—the weather was perfect for sitting outdoors.
Dessert! Did I hear dessert? Oh boy.
My grandson made a bread pudding with a rich, gooey sauce to pour over it. It was still warm. The best ever. I was so impressed. Mitch would have loved it too… if I could wake him.
Poor Maddie missed out because she left a little early to celebrate with a friend.
Break out the to-go boxes! She always keeps those on hand because she cooks like she’s feeding an army.
Well, that was pretty much it. Simple, but full of good sharing time. A meal like that only takes, oh, about five hours to cook. Besides the prized delicious bread pudding, the time together—talking, laughing, just being—was my most cherished part of the whole day.
I miss Mitch very much. We all do. But getting together, eating, and talking….those things were his absolute favorite things to do. In that order, too. So in honor of him, that’s exactly what we did – out of love, and in his memory.
P.S. The dressing didn’t work out because she used French bread instead of cornbread. Now we know!
