THANKSGIVING IS HERE...MY FAVORITE TIME OF YEAR!
I am not hosting this year which feels weird. When I host it is chaotic and tons of prepping and crazy and FUN! I LOVE IT! It really becomes a 2 day party where my family comes and we cook and eat and drink and laugh and turn my kitchen and house upside down and when it is all said and done...I get to decorate for Christmas! YAY!
This is year is different I am a guest and I am only in charge of mashed potatoes, my nemesis. I am going to make them now so that if I screw them up I can remake them in time. Yes I bought more then double the needed potatoes. I also am throwing together a few of my side of the family staples like cucumber salad and cranberry relish. I have made the mistake of making too much to bring in the past.
It is funny how certain food items are "have to haves" in some family and not in others. Think about it, what are your favorite sides? I mean everyone has stuffing and gravy and cranberry dressing and green bean casserole, mashed potatoes...but every family has those extra sides, that only come out on special occasions. For Joe's family it is Frozen salad, a frozen fruit cocktail of sorts. In my family it is my Nana's lime jello with cream cheese and pineapple chunks in it. Cranberry relish (see link below) Cucumber salad and Ambrosia Salad (see recipes below) These are sides I could not enjoy my turkey without. They are special flavors and tastes from my childhood and I MUST have them in order to enjoy my dinner :) They are my Nana saying Eat Ashley Eat! And her arms around me as I ask for seconds. It is her kiss on my head as I enjoy every bite. She loved to watch everyone eat and enjoy. I wonder if that came from either not having enough to eat as a child or maybe that even though they didn't have very much of everything else, they always managed to eat delicious food. That is a great question for my Aunt. I will have to find out the answer to it.
So in the past, I mentioned above, that I had brought all these things to Joe's family Thanksgiving and frankly WAY too much of them. But see, these are MY food memories, not theirs so not surprisingly they weren't eaten up as I thought they would be. SO this year I bought ingredients enough to make 1/2 as much of only the cranberry relish and cucumber salad. These are the 2 things Joe really likes so I know at least 2 of us will be eating it :) And that's just great cause maybe we'll have leftovers. I should have bought a small turkey to smoke, so we could have leftovers. I think that is really the only thing that really bugs me about not hosting. NO leftover turkey :( Boohoo. No turkey soup and sandwiches or turkey pot pie....Ok that settles it I'm getting a turkey Friday :)
Well I hope that you all have a wonderful holiday. Eating, drinking and being grateful for the people around you! I am thankful for all of you! Have a wonderful holiday. I linked my Thanksgiving posts from last year below keep your eyes peeled for lots of Crazy Wonderful to come!
Thanksgiving HELPlines!
-and just for good measure-
-and just for good measure-
Cucumber Salad:
Cucumbers: Peeled and sliced thin
Sweet Onion- Sliced thin
Tomatoes- I like cherry or grape sliced in half (big enough Joe can pick them out :)
Bernsteins Restaurant Italian Salad Dressing
Dill again to taste- Fresh is the best but dried will do
Dill again to taste- Fresh is the best but dried will do
Basically I don't have a REAL recipe on this. Depending on how much I am serving I just kind of eyeball it. I probably will use about 3-4 cucumbers, 1/2 an onion and a couple handfuls of tomatoes, dress to your liking. I like a LOT of dressing but that's just me :) Toss all the ingredients together. Chill before serving. I am making mine tonight for tomorrow. This is so fresh and on a day with so much heavy food it is a really welcome contrast! enJOY!
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