Friday, November 23, 2012

Thanksgiving Remembered

Last year Thanksgiving found me in my bathrobe, taking the good china out of the storage boxes and setting the table upon the arrival of our guests. This year, I set the table on Wednesday. Good start, right?

Then I took a shower and got dressed between taking the turkey out of the brine and putting it in the oven. I also put on an apron like a grown up to protect my favorite dress. So by noon, I had totally outdone Thanksgiving 2011.

I aimed to get our feast on the table for 3:00 but it was closer to 4:00 when everything was ready. No one starved to death, though. We had cheese ball, plantain chips, and chicharrons (as you will) (when you're sister's MIL is Cuban) for people to munch on while I got things together in the kitchen. Our turkey was accompanied by roast green beans, mashed sweet potatoes, the most delish but fatty fatteningest stuffing alongside some really high calorie potatoes (my sister made those), gravy, and homemade cranberry sauce. The dude made rolls. For dessert we had apple crisp, vanilla ice cream, and molasses cookies.

The older I get, the lighter the Thanksgiving feast becomes. Coincidence? 

Of course, we simply don't eat today like we did in the 1970s. 


Actually besides the Waldorf salad, this isn't that bad. I think things must have gone downhill in the 80s, those days of rampant excess. Of course back in the 70s, we cooked the shit nutrition out of all the vegetables and loaded them with butter. And then, as now, the gravy was a total afterthought.

I hope you enjoyed your Thanksgiving day...or this trip down memory lane.

6 comments:

Nicola said...

It all sounds scrumptious. I love cooking but it can be stressful when catering for several.

Beth said...

Loved your Trip Down Memory Lane ephemera! You look to have set a truly lovely table with a great menu. I hope you are having a well-deserved rest today.

Anonymous said...

I can only imagine the mayhem that would ensue if I attempted to set the table a day early, LOL! "Hmm, a little cat hair with that? Oh, never mind where the dog licked your plate, we all know that a dog's mouth is cleaner than a human's." Not to mention the mischief the kids would get up to with all that loose silverware!

Charlene ♥ NC said...

Sounds like your plans worked very well. Getting the head start instead of trying to get it all done in one morning is the ONLY way to go. Enjoy the movies!

Laura said...

Love the list.'Booze' was always on our menu, too. LOL!

Jennifer said...

I love that 'booze' is in quotes and doesn't encompass beer and wine.

My MIL sets her table at least 2 days ahead of time for any holiday meal.

Your stuffed celery - does it involve blue cheese and butter? Yes. You read correctly. Take a bunch of blue cheese, a bunch of butter and a little Worcestershire sauce, mush it all up and stuff it in celery. Sprinkle it with paprika and there you have a stuffed celery dish that absolutely must be present at all Fritzen Family occasions or the natives riot.