Well, thank goodness that's over.
I feel that way about most holidays, even when I have a good time and everything goes according to plan -- as our Thanksgiving did yesterday. Dave cooked up a storm and we served our guests parsnip soup, lobster and scallops on puff pastry in a tarragon sauce, and a 12-pound traditional turkey with stuffing, mashed potatoes, sweet potatoes and even cranberry sauce, which is not the easiest thing to find in England. Oh, and dessert: a pavlova and pecan pie, both courtesy of our friend Chris, and cupcakes from our friend Lisa.
And wine, needless to say. The "cats in space" wine was very good and we didn't even open the ladybird wine, because all our visitors brought their own bottles and we couldn't get through everything without going into liver failure.
We forgot to serve the bread, so now we have a big ol' somewhat stale baguette for sandwiches, and Dave also forgot to make a green vegetable. But oh well. A lot of people don't like green vegetables anyway, right?
Afterwards there was a freaking mountain of dishes to deal with. I'm on the third dishwasher load now. I think one more will have them all done.
So, yes, a success. I'm so glad the oven didn't die, like it did last Christmas.
We had a good talk at dinner about the mythology of Thanksgiving -- how the story of the colonists and Native Americans sitting down together for a cooperative, friendly feast wasn't quite accurate, at least in its broader context. It helped that we had two history teachers at our table.
This morning I was snoozing in bed at 6:45, after having gotten up once in the night to empty and reload the dishwasher, when I was awakened by slamming and grinding sounds. At first I thought workers were finally taking down the scaffold around the house, although it seemed awfully early. So I got up to investigate and saw the recycling truck making its way down the street. Crap! We forgot to put out the recycling!
So I raced out there in my bare feet carrying our waste food caddy and handed it off to the guys manning the truck. After cooking so much we had more peelings and other food refuse than ever, and I sure didn't want that to sit around for another week. The rest of it can wait.
(Photos: Rude kids street art in Bermondsey.)
Steve, Steve, Steve - it is outrageous that you have viciously slighted the very land that gave you sanctuary from the marauding Trump dictatorship! Even up here in the wild, heathen fiefdom of Yorkshire we can go into any supermarket and purchase multiple jars of cranberry sauce or indeed cranberry jelly. There - I have said it.
ReplyDeleteThank goodness that's over : exactly my feelings after one more exhausting marathon of holiday cooking.
ReplyDeleteFor the first time in over 40 years, I wasn't the Thanksgiving cook and it was magical!
(You made me chuckle out loud over your liver comment)
Our Thanksgiving was excellent. A good part of the reason was that it was mostly "only" us. In-laws were not there and so we were all of an accord, politically and religiously and no one had to watch what they said. Yes. That's sort of ugly. However, true as can be.
ReplyDeleteWe had so much fun.
Sounds like you guys did too and I'm glad!
I'm so glad your day went off well. Mine did too even though I ate too much, but that's the point isn't it? Now I can concentrate on my dinner party for Saturday. And, I think I'll do some baking today. I bet that was a cold trip to the curb to take the recycling out.
ReplyDeletethe dressing I made alone nearly filled the dishwasher since I doubled the recipe but have to make it in batches. glad you day was a success as was ours. like Mary, just family.
ReplyDeleteWe spent Thanksgiving just the two of us as we have done on many, many of these holidays. It's our favorite way to spend it, avoiding chaos and crazy. I'm glad yours went well.
ReplyDeleteSounds like a great Thanksgiving day to me. We all forget a few things and don't worry.
ReplyDeleteGreen vegetables are sort of superfluous in the presence of puff pastry. Did you get pictures? That was an ambitious menu - kudos to Dave.
ReplyDeleteI hope everyone applauded Dave repeatedly and told him what a great job he did. But I think the over abiding thought we all have from one of these feasts is: why on earth do we eat so much just because it's traditional. I know we did and it was just Judy and I.
ReplyDeleteWell, *I* wouldn't miss the green vegetable, that's for sure :D
ReplyDeleteMmm, puff pastry. And don't worry about forgetting the bread. I'm pretty sure everyone was full, or overfull, by the time they were finished. We have a tradition here of forgetting the coleslaw. I finally stopped buying it (because who has time to make it when they're doing all the rest of the meal???) because I never remembered to put it out. Now our son makes sure to ask if we have any coleslaw. Because he can.