The air smells like pumpkin pie right now. I'm cozied up on the couch with my darling (aka. my MacBook :), and I have a cup of black tea with milk at my side. We may see a teeny bit of snow later on. The sky is a wintery gray with lots of spindly, bare tree branches clouding my view. The boys are sleeping because a) that's what the littler one does everyday at this time, and b) the bigger one has the stomach flu.
And so... our Thanksgiving dinner will come tomorrow, and that's okay. I'm grateful that we're not travelling when one of us is feeling so Icky. And relieved that we're not bringing the Ick to someone else's table.
Earlier this month we spent time in California; all of us in Southern California for a big birthday celebration and then C and I in Northern California where Mike was missed (again!). All of the friends and family we visited are fresh in our minds today. Though we miss our friends and family, the wonders of Skype will allow us to say hello and see the faces that we might have chatted with had we flown elsewhere.
This is my most favorite holiday because it centers around people and food. Not stuff. (Just stuffing!) It's a time to think about the little things and the big things. A time to openly proclaim one's gratitude for the comforts of a home, the stability of a job, the rosy cheeks of a baby and the warm arms of a beloved relative. The only material competition might be something along the lines of "whose turkey is the juiciest?" or "to have whipped cream or ice cream or that frozen-marshmallow-stuff with my pie?" These are serious considerations made sweeter when I think of how lucky I am to even be considering them.
On our table (tomorrow night):
- Turkey. Mike is going to BBQ it, Mike Beltran-style. Hey, it's only going to be 31 degrees out there, not like it's single digits or anything. And! This is the first time we will have cooked meat since early August. We're a 99% veggie household these days. It's nice.
- Cornbread stuffing. Let's see... this year it has cornbread (duh), onions, celery, a little Italian sausage (again with the veggie thing flying right out of the window in the name of Thanksgiving), mushrooms, apples, veg broth, parsley, rosemary. Should have added that fennel in the bottom of the fridge. Maybe to beef up the leftovers. Pun intended.
- Cranberry sauce. Details tomorrow.
- Roasted brussels sprouts, carrots, and parsnips. Toss in olive oil, salt and pepper. Roast. Easy.
- Garlic mashed potatoes. Mike would be very vocal about his disappointment if I didn't make these.
- Pumpkin pie. Williams Sonoma Pie & Tart book recipe (a go-to source given to me by Auntie Jenny at my bridal shower), with a slight mod (but, of course). I added a dash of cardamom (there's your kardemumma, Kate)! Let's see if we even notice. This recipe is a favorite because it is a real custard pie made from cream and eggs with cinnamon, ginger, cloves and freshly ground nutmeg.
Here's the cheesy part: I hope that what is most prevalent on our table is Gratitude and Love. And, why not? That's what the holidays should be about, I think. To wit: my mom recently told me a story about a Thanksgiving dinner we had growing up that sounded straight out of a Chevy Chase National Lampoon movie. My addition to the evening was to tell everyone that we should all be thankful for the dinner we had because there were people out there who didn't have anything to eat for dinner (in so many words, or less). I was what - 8? Despite the irreverence and cynicism for which I am so well-known, it turns out that this very basic level of Gratitude has been there from the beginning.
So, go forth and in between bites of turkey and pie... feel all that Gratitude wash over you. It's pretty awesome.
Happy Thanksgiving from our corner of the world to you and yours!
xo,
MM&C
