It’s been a busy week. While we have gathered at my daughter’s house for Thanksgiving for at least fifteen years, either in the city or here in the country, this year everyone is coming here again, same as last year. Grocery shopping done and housecleaning started on Monday, food prep and more house cleaning on Tuesday, more food prep and house cleaning and cranberry sauce and pie making on Wednesday. I made a chocolate fudge pecan pie, having been inspired by Mary Moon. I dug out my Aunt Mimi’s heritage very basic seven ingredient recipe with minimal instructions and no sister to ask about it, my first time to make this pie. It turned out a little over cooked even though I set the timer for the lower end of the cooking time, and then at dinner I learned from my daughter, who has made it before and did ask her aunt about how to make it, that I was supposed to melt the butter and sugar and chocolate together, not just the butter and chocolate, which I didn’t do. It was still fudgey and rich if a little sugary crunchy against the pie crust. Oh well, next time.
Yesterday I put together and baked the dressing and the butternut squash and cranberry casserole.
Sarah will bring the rest of the food; turkey, ham, sweet potatoes, broccoli rice casserole, green beans, mashed potatoes with a small vegan version, brussels sprouts, eggplant; Autumn will make and bring the dinner rolls.
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We were expecting 10 adults and one three year old but Robin and her boyfriend got delayed at his mother’s house and Audra and Paisleigh were stuck in Arkansas where she had gone to visit her family last weekend and Mikey elected not to join us. It ended up being just the six of us; Marc and I, Sarah and Mike, and Jade and Autumn who came from Austin, and way too much food. It was a fun evening sitting around the table eating way too much with no drama.
After four full days, I’m being a couch potato today. I'll get back out in the yard tomorrow.
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I have a correction on my object #3 post. Marc reminded me that my father not only co-signed the loan papers, he loaned me the 10% down payment so the loan was for $17,100 plus interest. Still an astronomical amount to me at the time. He never asked me to pay that money back but it all worked out later when my siblings and I bailed our parents out of a financial bind many decades later that they never paid back. Also, an addition. I forgot to add that Marc and I got married in that house, a quick little ceremony by a friend and then a big party.
You can have Thanksgiving for days! You really did work hard on that dinner and truly deserve a day off. It's chilly and drizzly here so I'm staying in and doing house things. Gibson's coming to spend the night so I'm getting ready for him by making the guest room bed up all clean and cozy and I've got more fruitcakes in the oven. I like feeling unhurried, unrushed, and unbothered. That pie looks amazing! You are such an artist.
ReplyDeleteThat pie looks gorgeous. Sadly, pecan nuts are very hard to get here and if so, are extremely expensive and often ancient.
ReplyDeleteA lot of work. My entire contribution was holding the pie on the way to my sister's.
ReplyDeleteBefore she died, my grandmother had a pecan tree that produced every other year. She would shell them and share with my Mom and me. They were so good. After that, I was ruined for grocery store pecans. Just not the same. You did a lot of work there, hopefully left overs will hold you for many days.
ReplyDeletemy pecan crop is going to be seriously reduced after the destruction of hurricane Beryl took out all but one live branch on one of my mature trees, took out two limbs on another of the three and left one tree intact. they didn't produce this year so we'll see what I get next year. and yeah, store bought pecans...not the same.
DeleteMy sister-in-law just had knee replacement surgery and was confined to her recliner. Her daughter made most of the food and brought it to her mom's house to be cooked there. I made butternut squash, peeled, cubed and tossed with salt and pepper and olive oil into the slow cooker for 3 hours. So good was my dish that I am without leftovers. I helped my brother-in-law with the clean up and that took longer than the prep! I am now bloated after two days of shoveling all that food down, followed by pie.
ReplyDeleteYour meal sounds and looks delicious. I was with friends, and we were far from traditional Thanksgiving fare, but we sure were Texan: ribs, brisket, pickled coleslaw, broccoli/rice casserole, peach cobbler. I'm still sort of longing for pecan pie, but I finally decided to hold that back until Christmas. I was visiting in the hill country for a few days before Thanksgiving, and put down enough pastries, barbeque, and such that I'm ready to walk the straight and narrow for a while. I didn't eat too much, but we ate constantly -- it was great fun, but it's time to stop.
ReplyDeleteAs you know, Thanksgiving in Canada occurs in October, and though it is widely celebrated it is nowhere near as big an event as in the US. We don’t pay it much heed and it comes and goes like any other day. I was recently at a meeting led by an Oneida elder from the Six Nations Reserve and he began, as they do with all meetings, large or small, with the Thanksgiving Prayer, which thanks the Creator for the soil, the air, the water, the trees……and so on. It was very meaningful, far better than an orgy of gluttony it seems to me. We should be teaching this in school in place of jingoistic statements and the singing of warlike national anthems.
ReplyDeleteI couldn't agree with you more. if it was just Marc and I it would just be an ordinary day. for us, my family, there is nothing nationalistic about it and no prayers or speeches made. it's just the one time a year that the family, as many as can or want to, come together for a meal. although now that there is a small child and a baby soon birthday parties will serve the same purpose.
DeleteLooks like a lovely feast, Ellen, and the pie is pretty! We had 12 for our gathering and it was nice to have the whole week to get ready for it. It was a very pleasant day but I am always glad when it is over. ;)
ReplyDeleteThat pie looks amazing! Mike did all the work here - made two green bean casseroles which was a lot more work than I thought it would be. As usual, he wouldn't let me help.
ReplyDeleteWell, your food looks yummy, especially that carefully-topped pie! I imagine it was nice, in some ways, having fewer people.
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