THINKING THANSGIVING
Thanksgiving
is my favorite holiday. No presents, no parties, no pressure. It’s all about
the turkey and the great stuff that goes with it. It’s a day devoted to cooking
beloved comfort food; a day to kick back and eat.
Being
the primary cook in our household, I stake my claim each year letting my family
and friends know that if they want to see me and my family, our home is the
place to be. The day is really about ME. It’s the one holiday I have control
over, the one my two grown sons most enjoy coming back for, and my high school
son likes the most. I get to plan the menu, decide who sits where, say what
time we’ll start. Several of my family and friends are loyal to their
Thanksgiving food traditions, or have dietary concerns (take my vegan niece,
please!), so I assign them the task of making a dish they’d like to eat.
I
get to this pretty early (like today) as I send out e-mails inviting them for
the feast, always more people than we can handle. The more, the merrier (and
inevitably a few can’t make it). Now is a good time to thumb through the
magazines that flood bookstores and supermarkets, to haul the cookbooks and
recipe boxes that have been tucked away. Now is a good time to eyeball serving
platters, plates, utensils and glasses and be on the hunt for bargains (look
for bittersweet, dried hydrangeas, curly willow while you’re at it.)
Here’s
a check list to get you going:
* Make a list of guests
* Send out e-mails asking them to reply
* Make sure kids coming home have made travel arrangements
*Ask for volunteers who might want to bring a dish (you
don’t have to give out assignments yet, just find out who is willing.
* Start going through serving platters, serving utensils,
plates, silverware, etc.
* Be on the look out for bargains to replenish your stock
* Keep an eye out for wine sales and stock up
