A Peek Inside Our Thanksgiving

How is it already Thanksgiving?!?! I just got my bags unpacked from a Labor Day camping trip. Why is it that time passes by so quickly the older I get?

I’m in charge of the dessert table for the Turkey day this year and I have a lot to do this week but because it’s all about dessert, I’m motivated to tackle this to-do list with gusto. Here is what I’m planning to include:

• This apple pie sans the raisins AND I’m using Trader Joe’s pie crust (slacker!)
• These brownies to which my mom will provide vanilla ice cream and homemade hot fudge
• A slightly modified version of these, which I call Peanut Butter Bon Bons.
• Rustic Pumpkin Cake with loads of cream cheese frosting for which I’ll have to post the recipe. It was given to me by a colleague a while back.

Wish me luck! I’ll post some pics on Instagram, follow @KitchenComposure to see how it turns out.

“People who love to eat are always the best people.” -Julia Child

Throughout the years our Holiday celebrations ebb and flow from eight, to twenty, to sometimes just six depending on the year.

This year we’re back to the good old fashioned Thanksgiving throw-down of the past with almost all of my siblings home for the Holiday. The kind where my mom has the table set two weeks in advance, on the hand-made table extension my dad engineered using plywood and liquid nails. The kind of holiday where, by 3:00 PM everyone is in a food coma on the couch, unless you’re still at the table polishing off the rest of the wine and laughing so hard your cheeks seize up.

TIP: Get some fun and light-hearted conversation started at your table by writing a Thanksgiving trivia question or joke in each place card. Guests can take turns sharing their question.

For several years I’d write a Thanksgiving joke or trivia question (download them here: turkeyjokesandtrivia ) on the outside of each place card with the answer on the back/inside of the place card. Guests would take turns reading their questions and we all have a good laugh. After I had used up all of the trivia, I wrote this poem to celebrate our Thanksgiving and remind us all of the fun and good times together.

I hope you have a friendly house to visit, a full plate, many warm hugs, and continued good health on your Thanksgiving Day and everyday. Here is a peek inside our Day….

Our Thanksgiving
The leaves have changed color and fallen from the trees,
The air has a frosty chill which beckons long sleeves.
We begin our day early with the turkey trot,
Our tradition knowing we plan to eat a lot.

And we’re off! With the leaves crunching under our feet,
Our pace is hurried knowing we get to go home and eat.
The air is fresh, crisp, and smells fall,
But the conversation is really the best part of it all.

We arrive back at the house to find mom at the oven,
Basting the turkey with buttery lovin’.
“Get out of there!” she screams as we all want a bite,
“Save you appetites” she says and she’s always right.
We watch football and catch up on events from the year,
And discuss why we’re thankful and celebrate good cheer.

Finally the turkey is done and the stuffing cooked,
We gather round the table with not a detail overlooked.
It is together as a family we sit to appreciate our bountiful living,
And wish one another a Happy Thanksgiving!