Here we are about to celebrate Thanksgiving 2012. I love the spirit of dedicating a holiday to being thankful, and I am ever so thankful for my family, our home, my job, and the way our needs are graciously met at every turn. (And you - my blog friends!)
I am thankful that my mom is well cared for. I am thankful for all the things she taught me over the years. This year I have been especially thankful that she taught me how to knit( some 47 years ago). Visiting with her is difficult, since she has no short term memory, and tends to say the same thing or ask the same question countless times throughout a visit. Reading aloud helps a lot, as does having a knitting project to work on and talk about.
Since this holiday of thanks involves a lot of food preparation, I am delighted that I had a day off today to get some things ready. Our office is closed on Sundays, so I started yesterday, before going to visit my mom. I made two kinds of rolls, which are nestled in the freezer, ready for the big day. Today I roasted the turkey, sliced it, and it is also tucked into the freezer. A ham is sliced and ready as well.
I made applesauce and orange cranberry relish today, and just have a few things to do on Thursday. I will be working tomorrow and Wednesday, so I'm thankful for the freezer!
It's one meal I tell myself, and lots of people do it all in one day. I will never again try to cook a turkey the day I plan to serve it. The cookbook says to allow 15-20 minutes of roasting time per pound. Five minutes difference isn't much when you're cooking one pound, but when you multiply it by 14, that's 70 minutes of leeway. Over an hour! Years ago I would optimistically read the instructions and do the math, and have a turkey that was either ready an hour before everything else, or an hour and a half afterwards. I resolved to cook it ahead of time or not at all, and this works well for me. I am a do-it-ahead-when-possible kind of gal.
I wish the best to you and yours during this season of giving thanks.
