Happy Thanksgiving

Good morning! Its a cool damp morning here and I'm up early giving the turkey the spa treatment. Thank goodness I woke up pre-crack of dawn so I could submerge the bird in his bath of cool water. I guess we have our fridge set on the "Ice Age" setting, I could barely find a soft spot on that dude. No surprise really, that always happens. In spite of my flippant ways when it comes to so many things, defrosting meat on the counter is just no longer an option for me. I live in fear of that kind of thing.

Lots of people were sharing stories this week down at the shop. Scary. Food. Stories. My favorite scary food story is one my girl friend told me about 5 years ago. Her grandmother would stuff the bird the night before and cook it, maybe 2 hours, maybe less, THEN LEAVE IT ON TOP OF THE STOVE TILL THE NEXT DAY WHEN SHE FINISHED COOKING IT. I'm telling you to this day, that story still scares the crap out of me. And she'd done it for years. YEARS. And was still doing up to her death a couple of years ago. (shockingly not from tainted food)

Anyhoo, I've enjoyed reading all the lovely pre-Thanksgiving posts. I have it pretty easy, with picky eaters there is just not that much stuff to cook. In the old days I'd be up chopping and sauteing, me and Martha. But now that the number of family members has dwindled, its not worth making all the stuff. Many of you young women will scoff at that idea, I know I did when my mother-in-law said she just got tired of cooking food no one ate. I scoffed. But its true, you just tire of it. I remember the big Christmas eve dinner I made one year. I found wonderful expensive Christmas Crackers. It was before you could find them practically on the side of the road like you can now, and I was quite pleased with my find. The people LAUGHED at me. Made fun of my Christmas Crackers. Those rats. *

So now days its the all white dinner. Turkey, mashed potatoes and rolls. Not those lovely yeast rolls I used to make, but those little square rolls that come in that waxed chipboard box. You've seen them. Sometimes just to have a laugh to myself, I make cauliflower. Its like my little private joke. And nothing says Thanksgiving to me like that can of jellied cranberry sauce, making a CSI style statement on the plate with the all white food.

But of course it's not really about the food (although I love my turkey shot full of chemicals HEY, that's how we roll), its about family, about the people who are important to you. I'm grateful for all my blessings.

Hope the day finds you enjoying yourself.

*Disclaimer: For those of you who know my very kind sweet husband, no he did not make fun of my Christmas Crackers. Those rats.