Day 312: Thanksgiving Reflections

I guess it's fitting that this year I hosted Thanksgiving since I'm supposed to be keeping track of what I make each day for this blog.  Of course, even though my mother reminded me to take pictures of the food, I didn't get great pictures of each dish!  Most of my recipes came from Tyler Florence.  I used his Maple-Smoked-Bacon Turkey with Cornbread Stuffing, and his Sausage-Chestnut Stuffing (though I used toasted walnuts in place of chestnuts.)  I also made the usuals: mashed potatoes, corn, rolls, requested green bean casserole and sweet potatoes from my mother, and put together a first course of Bourbon-Butternut Squash Bisque followed by a palette-cleansing green salad as a precursor to the main course.  For appetizers I made Goat Cheese & Onion Tartlets and served a shrimp cocktail.  I offered 4 different pies for desserts: my apple pie, pumpkin pie, a pecan pie, and a frozen cranberry pie.  But Thanksgiving is not just about the food, though that's a big part of it! ;)

Today did not feel like Thanksgiving.  It was very different from my Thanksgivings in the past.  But today was one of the best and most tiring days I've had in a while.  It was wonderful!  I woke up and was literally sick--twice.  I was afraid I was coming down with something but when after getting the turkey in the oven I felt fine, we chalked it up to nerves and stress.  After my huge catering jobs that I've done in the past, I can't believe how nervous I got about cooking Thanksgiving dinner for 6 adults.  Just goes to show how much weight this day and dinner actually carries in our society, in my family, in my mind.  haha!

Smoked Bacon Maple Turkey--YUM!

But onto the day...Randy and I practically had a revolving door.  One of the first things we had to be grateful for was our driveway being plowed out by a friend who offered out of the blue to plow it!  All morning, things continued to go smoothly while we prepared for guests.  My parents came for the whole day and it was so nice having them here!  Friends from Randy's work joined us for dinner and conversation afterward.  When they left, friends of ours who are just like family stopped by for dessert.  On their way out, more family from Randy's side came over for (our second round of) dessert!  We made turkey cookies and candies and played a few rounds of "Catchphrase."  I kept looking around and feeling so grateful for our new home, new couch, and the ability to accommodate more people.

So I sit here, on the couch, feet up, and trying to relax.  It's hard, though, with so many things still on my mind to do this weekend.  I'm working on my blog and trying to watch "Blacklist" with my husband, and oh yeah, thinking about writing a catering menu for Tuesday night.  Not to mention that there's laundry sitting in front of me that needs to be divided so I can wash it at my parents' house tomorrow when I arrive there at 5:15 so my mom and I can go shopping!  I am so tired, but I am so happy.  The day we remember to be thankful has come to an end, but of course we know that our actual grateful hearts should never cease.  One of my favorite episodes of Veggie Tales is "Madam Blueberry" where the message is, "A grateful heart is a happy heart."  This is something I could stand to remember all year long, not just today. 

As I was getting Abby ready for bed tonight she asked, "Mom, when is going to be turkey?"  I replied, "You mean, Thanksgiving?  That was today!  It's over!"  But let's not be done giving thanks!