It’s Wednesday, 12:21 in the afternoon. On my kitchen floor are all the things I need to make Chicken a la King. This was a dish they made in the cafe at university and I loved it. It is a cool, fall day, gorgeous, actually. So, I am home, hating that the clock is ticking faster than I wish. There are so many things that I need to do and yet 2:20 will be here and I will need to pick up my high school crew.
Canadian Thanksgiving is this weekend. This means 2 Thanksgivings for me to see to. There is the one we do as a school. It is Thanksgiving Lunch we put on for seniors that may or may not have a dinner with family. The younger kids sing and do a little program. The gym is set to a dining room with glass ware and the whole 9 yards! I love this day. I love the air that is charged with friendly banter between moms, the smell of home cooked food and the excitement in the air.It is a busy morning. Setting up, heating up the food, making sure all the stuff is ready (one year we forgot to cook the veggies… it the last minute)! Seniors always come early. 12 o’clock is what the invite says. Every year, 11 o’clock in comes a little lady, eager to grab her spot. So cute!
We make enough food to feed the staff, the grade 8s that help and all the helpers. It is quite the gig. Then there are the dishes. I have to admit, seeing the piles of plates, saucers, silverware…sends my heart racing. It is a HUGE pile. Thank goodness for many hands and big hearts that make light work.
Then there is the weekend… the Norwood fair, which the boys often have their stuff from school displayed there. Last year we went, it was FREEZING! We may even hit the pumpkin patch. Sanj hates this kind of stuff. Sometimes I let him off the hook and leave him with the older ones. They usually hit the golf course, if the weather permits.
Monday, my in-laws are coming here for our Thanksgiving Dinner. I have gotten so used to doing it. Yet, year after year, I always google “How to make the perfect turkey.” I am hoping to come across that “thing” that will make the meat tastier. Indians as a whole are not partial to white meat. One year, I cooked a bunch of turkey legs with the turkey. It was a 6 legged turkey!
I have never brined a turkey before. Have you? There is the wet method and the dry method. Does it make a difference? I will likely try it this year. Did you know that there are 2 kinds of people? Those that have made a turkey and those that haven’t. They are actually frightened to make one. If you are one of those folks, you really should grab the bull (or turkey) by the horn (or beck) and do it!
Yet I guess if you have a family home to go to, there is no need, eh? My mother-in-law is too tired and feels unwell all the time to tackle this. I am looking up cranberry sauce recipes too. Here’s one I may try. I like the thought of the orange in it. One recipe even added walnuts.
Then there’s stuffing. I love Stove Top. I am not even going to lie or be embarrassed about this. It is what I had at home. I am not sure that we even had turkey dinners till I was a teen. Usually we would have a Indian feast! Yum! ( I am still partial to this over turkey dinners, but my mother-in-law prefers and voices her preference to this meal). My mom only started making (learning) the traditional Thanksgiving meal after we had our nursing home in my teens.
Sanj loves the turkey best after it has been de-boned and sauteed with onions and lots of spices… eat this with some rice and dahl… yum. Guess you can’t take the Indian out of me!
At our house, we still used paper plates. I hate dishes. Oh, I spend the extra dollars and get the pretty ones that they have at Hallmark or such. With so many of us, the added guests just make that job more bothersome.
I hold the kids hostage at the table. My nephew is a little eager beaver. He can’t wait to come, eat and then in 5-10 minutes be off to play! I figure I have spent HOURS… literally, over the food. They must at least pleasure us with their presence for a bit. Then when they are free, there is the mad pounding of feet to go back to the games that they had to disentangle themselves from. lol
AH… family and food. Oh, and don’t forget the thanks, there is always so much to be thankful for!
Then there’s stuffing. I love Stove Top. I am not even going to lie or be embarrassed about this. It is what I had at home. I am not sure that we even had turkey dinners till I was a teen. Usually we would have a Indian feast! Yum! ( I am still partial to this over turkey dinners, but my mother-in-law prefers and voices her preference to this meal). My mom only started making (learning) the traditional Thanksgiving meal after we had our nursing home in my teens.
Sanj loves the turkey best after it has been de-boned and sauteed with onions and lots of spices… eat this with some rice and dahl… yum. Guess you can’t take the Indian out of me!
At our house, we still used paper plates. I hate dishes. Oh, I spend the extra dollars and get the pretty ones that they have at Hallmark or such. With so many of us, the added guests just make that job more bothersome.
I hold the kids hostage at the table. My nephew is a little eager beaver. He can’t wait to come, eat and then in 5-10 minutes be off to play! I figure I have spent HOURS… literally, over the food. They must at least pleasure us with their presence for a bit. Then when they are free, there is the mad pounding of feet to go back to the games that they had to disentangle themselves from. lol
AH… family and food. Oh, and don’t forget the thanks, there is always so much to be thankful for!