Our Thanksgiving was lovely this year. Jed was visiting, giving us an extra set of eyes and hands to help with Kavi and the rest, and perhaps as a result, the prep wasn't nearly as frantic as normal -- at one point a few hours before the meal I actually was wandering around, bewildered, saying, "I don't have anything to do right now. How can that be?"
I love the ritual of setting the table, laying out each element, step by step. Linens and flowers. Napkins and napkin rings. China. Silverware and crystal. Place cards and lit candles. So often in our lives we don't have (or don't take) the time for this kind of ritual. It's lovely to have a day given over to celebrating family and friends. And food, of course. Can't forget the food.
We always go traditional with the food. Started with easy stuff, store-bought -- nuts for cracking, shrimp cocktail, cheese and pate and crackers, spinach dip and a sourdough bread bowl.
My stuffing and cranberry sauce were excellent, Kevin's turkey ditto, my sweet potatoes needed salt -- oops, too hurried at that point to taste before serving. Rookie mistake. Ah well. Everyone loved classic pillsbury croissants as well. Don't know why I don't make those more often, just for us -- so delicious. Australian guest astonished by what Americans can buy ready-made in a tube. Guests brought many other delicious foods, including squash soup, mashed potatoes and gravy, salad, vegetable gratin, rice pilaf, cranberry jelly, and a pecan pie-cream creation.
We had ten adults, four children, and one infant -- had a kids' table for first time ever -- milestone! V. exciting! All in all, lovely T-giving, although per usual, very tired at end of it! And oh, while it was fun having the kids running around like maniacs for much of the evening, I think we were all grateful to park them in front of the tv for a bit at the end, so we could talk in peace. :-)
