Turkey Day My Way

So, me, miss bah humbug, no travel, no family, no Holiday Spirit, went a little overboard this Thanksgiving. It started with a recipe for chocolate pudding layered dessert that  reminded me of french silk pie. Nobody here eats pie, so it was worth a shot. We're the strangest bunch of picky eaters known to man, so I was going to make a simple meal.

I stopped by the grocery store after my late shift Tuesday for a handful of items and filled the cart, reminiscing about my childhood favorites. It was all downhill from there.

My husband grilled a turkey breast on the rotisserie, I roasted some wings and carmelized onions, garlic, carrot and celery for my gravy stock. We played music and cooked all day, and I didn't mind a bit.

Here's how the menu ended up:

Roast turkey breast and gravy
smashed yukon gold potatoes
cornbread stuffing
slippery dumplings
long grain and wild rice
cooked carrots
steamed broccoli
grean beans
rolls
roasted brussel sprouts *
cooked kale and onions *
yellow squash casserole *
whipped acorn squash and sweet potatoes *

coolwhip cream cheese pudding pecan pie for dessert, also known as better than sex, but I didn't call it that because I wanted the kids to try it. At least one of them did. My husband and I loved it, and thank goodness I only made half a batch, because we're stuffed from eating too much everything.

* These are the items that I alone ate. I tried to get everyone to at least taste them and then decide, but all three of them said no thanks. That's ok. I'll eat this stuff all week. I can't decide which was my favorite.

I took no pictures, skipped the formal dining room, the fancy plates, the shiny gold and silver flatware, the candles, the linen napkins, and we served everything right off the stove from pans and casserole dishes. It just seemed silly to put it all into serving dishes for just us, although I've always done that until this year. And guess what? Nobody cared, in fact, it was easy keeping it casual. Maybe I shouldn't have used the Halloween paper napkins, but oh well, and again, nobody noticed.

Our families may be scattered and our traditions a little threadbare, but at least we had a nice meal together,  just the four of us, with something for everyone, and a lot for just me! I didn't stress out one tiny bit this year and that is a first, because pulling a big meal together with precision timing is not my talent. We made it happen just fine, though, and it was all good. We were appropriately thankful, and grateful, which is the point, I think. That and eating more than usual because you can, and it's all just too good.

I hope your Thanksgiving was all you needed it to be, nobody stressed out and everything was yummy. What's the best thing you ate or did today?