Thanksgiving...a day to rejoice! Primarily because someone else is cooking...for 43 years of my life that was the case. For the last 18 years my children have had their Thanksgiving-day dinners prepared by a non-Mom relative. We did the day with my folks for years, then my sister, then my brother...eventually after the divorce the kids would have turkey-day with their dad and then we'd all head down to my parents' home on Friday or Saturday after to celebrate with the family. Erin's birthday was always a part of the fun, too.
This year there was a death in the kids' dad's wife's family so she is out of town and my ex decided not to have the kids over for dinner. He will never cease to astound me in his callous disregard for his kid's feelings...oh well. Thus, for the first time in 18 years I am cooking a family Thanksgiving.
Yes, it's true, the turkey is precooked and all I have to do is put it in the oven at 300 degrees for 2 hours, but I do all the other sides. (Sweet potatoes, no marshmallows, greenbean casserole, cornbread stuffing, gravy and mashed potatoes) Erin wanted "real" mashed potatoes so I said she had to peel them. I ended up doing half. The pies were also store bought. But even so, damnit, I think I can take some credit for "cooking" Thanksgiving dinner.
I set out the good china and my great grandmother's silverplate flatwear...let the wine breathe...ahh...it was good. Amazingly nobody has taken a nap!
Now it's hours later, Erin is having turkey and mashed potatoes on King's Hawaiian rolls, Glenn is doing dishes, I'm looking forward to hot turkey and gravy sandwiches...that's the really neat thing about doing one's own Thanksgiving...Leftovers!!
Posted by Dawno at November 27, 2003 07:27 PM