Two Thanksgiving dinners cooked in three days, one here in
Northern California and one in Southern California.
Can you say food coma? What happened to my Weight Watchers plan? Pumpkin pie for breakfast, really?
Here is the tally for the two meals:
44 lbs of turkey, 7 lbs of ham, 36 rolls, 4 lbs of
sausage, 10 cups of rice, 16 lbs of sweet and russet potatoes, 2 pkgs of
marshmallows, 2 quarts of gravy, 6 pies; 4 pumpkin, one pecan and one sweet
potato. Plus all the assorted accompaniments.
Thankfully, we left half of one meal in Southern
California. But here in the
North, there are looming leftovers.
This Thanksgiving there were changes. I made my first ham ever and with a little help with the glaze, it was
delicious. I made port cranberry sauce that
brightened up the meal and got rave reviews. I am most thankful that I can cook a meal and share
it with the people I love.
Ho’omaika’i no ka’u ohana
The translation from Hawaiian is "grateful for my family". My son gave me this on a note last night after dinner. It prompted me to write this entry today. I get so busy with life that I forget to stop in the moment and reflect on what matters. Family and love matter.
Thanksgiving. I remember those who are
no longer with me and with whom I have wonderful memories of Thanksgivings. Shasta Lake
with my Papa and Grandma. The year my Mom picked up a hitchhiker and brought
him home for dinner because he was not going to make it to his home in time. Learning
to BBQ a turkey from my Mother-in-Law as I have done for the past 36 years. I miss my Mom’s smoked oyster stuffing and her plate of pickles, olives, wheat thins and more smoked oysters. The yeasty rolls my Grandma in Shasta made. The
pies GG made. The time we took her pecan pie and played Frisbee with it in the front yard because it was so hard! The year we had three turkeys;
smoked, fried and barbecued. The huge family Thanksgivings at GG's with
20-30 family and friends. Now, without her, we all celebrate the
holidays separately.
We let go of the one
thing that kept my GG alive 93 years, family gatherings.
It is time for new traditions like ham, traveling between
North and South and smaller tables. I
will welcome the day when my family grows and the Thanksgiving table gets
bigger. I already miss the laughter and the company we shared this year. I
count my blessings tonight by remembering my Thanksgivings past and look
forward to my Thanksgivings to come.
