The day before the great mass eating

I've got all my prep work done. Rolls baked on Tuesday, pie crusts made, veggies chopped, and downstairs rooms cleaned. Wednesday, the stuffing, green beans, yams, mac n cheese, pies baked, gravy made, brine cooling. It's all done. Tonight the turkey gets brined and it will all go in the oven at varying times to cook. We've got 7 courses for 3 people.

Last night Goof asked about mac n cheese. His employees don't do mashed potatoes, but mac n cheese. Of course they also fry the turkey so there's no drippings for the gravy. Since he was expounding about jumping with both feet into the southern ways, he wanted that. Okay, we went to Kroger's and bought cheese. As he was looking at the wines, he asked me to grab some Tilamook. I looked around and couldn't find it. I told Goof no Tilamook, his response, "Must be a west coast item." So me being snarky, replied "Jump in with both feet"

I love Thanksgiving. What other holiday is about food and family? It's an over consumptive day. Lots of food, the choice to play in the crisp fall day, or lay about on the sofa napping or watching football. With a large family there is constant noise, most of the women in the kitchen either getting in the way, or sitting at the table helping as they can or gossiping. Kids running around trying to keep out of the way as the older male relatives sit around the tv watching sports or the teenagers watching a movie, or doing homework. Then the dinner is ready. Grown ups at one table, kids at the other. Some of us never outgrow the kids table. My mom and her siblings would all sit at the grown up table, and grandma would hold court. The cousins would all pile around in the family room, plates on laps or sitting at the coffee table, or the folding table. As we got older our spouses sat with us too at the kid's table. Joking and all, it was a lot of fun.

This will be the second year I've missed out the family dinner. We've made our own traditions. I did get use to making two turkeys for that day. I love eating at 4pm. I think it's a great time of day, plus I don't have to get up too early, and it still gave me plenty of time to roast the other for my parents house. I put the turkey in at 10 or 11am depending on the size, pull it out at 3, heat all my sides up, then put the next turkey in, eat at 4, then pull the turkey out at 7. Bring it over to my mom's house right after, and boy oh boy! We would eat about 8pm, and it would be just fine.

Most of my family never cared for turkey, well grandma's anyways. It took me being brave and effort in finding a decent recipe to please the family. I knew that it didn't matter if I failed as one thing was always certain. My mom's rib roast. It was not a family get together if not for the roast. One year we didn't have it, and mom just said cost. Well hell, every holiday is held at her house, and she does most of the cooking. So the siblings all chipped in. If someone brought something the receipt was added in and noted. It would then come down to dividing the amount by each person. If there was only two of you, then that was your share, like wise oldest uncle the stingy jerk would grump at paying for 5 people. Hey your penis in action. I always ended up getting money back. Same with mom, If you make 3 or 4 dishes the costs do add up. The diplomatic way to solve things in this economy.