Thanksgiving

Tomorrow is Thanksgiving, and I am so excited. Thanksgiving is right up there as my favorite holiday, along with Halloween and New Years. Some days I think it is my favorite-- until one of the others roll back around. I think, mainly, because Thanksgiving involves a ton of food and spending time with your loved ones. I know what you're going to say, so does Christmas. Yes, but Thanksgiving is wholly focused on food and the preparation of it. There are no presents to distract from the feast.

Cooking is how I show my love for the people in my life, and this holiday lets me do just that. Nobody will judge me if I spend two days straight cooking. This year is shaping up to be more of a feast than normal. The family is making turkey, ham and gumbo (a family tradition), in addition to what everyone else wants to contribute. We have almost twenty people coming. So yeah, lots and lots of food.

For my part, I'm making a pumpkin pie totally from scratch-- crust, filling and the whipped cream that goes with it. There are a few other things I'm making-- garlic-brown butter roasted mushrooms, and a citrus green bean salad-- but the pie is what I'm really excited for. I've been wanting to make one for several years but have never found the time. Here is hoping it turns out well and doesn't make anyone gag.

What is everybody else making for Thanksgiving?

Thanksgiving

It's that time of year again, where amazing food and the people you love come together for a memorable day. Thanksgiving is one of my favorite holidays because it's about spending time with the people you love and giving thanks for the blessings you have in your life, both big and small. I have a lot of things to be thankful in my life right now.

This is the first year where I am responsible for the Thanksgiving meal. My kitchen is small as is my dinner table but it will work out somehow. I'm particularly excited about the turkey that's currently roasting in the oven. I decided to go bold and tried for a whiskey, maple brine that I got out of a magazine. It'll either be amazingly delicious or frighteningly horrible. That's what's so fun about cooking for me. The adventure. You never know if the end product is going to turn into something that will make your taste buds scream in delight or if it's going to be an epic fail your family will be ribbing you about ten years from now.

Along with the turkey, I am doing mashed potatoes, another thing I don't have a lot of experience cooking, corn bread spoon bread, roasted mushrooms and pumpkin pie. All of my favorites.

Now I think I will stop typing and get back to cooking! Hope everyone has a memorable Thanksgiving.