Happy Thanksgiving!

Wishing you all a very Happy Thanksgiving!

I know I complain a lot, but I have much to be thankful for. Things I am thankful for:

That even though my menu was very last minute and dependent on the kindness of friends, I am still able to provide a feast in keeping with year's past.
That my daughter has been fairly healthy this year.
That both my children are doing well in school. My daughter currently has straight A's!
That I have made some wonderfully caring and giving friends this year.
That my social life has blossomed more than I ever dreamed possible.
That I can count on my many blog pallies for support, a kind word and a good laugh.

This year I shopped for our Thanksgiving dinner very last minute. A friend paid back part of a debt and that allowed me to shop for my turkey and fixin's. I went to Jewel Foods and Berkots Wednesday. Am I freakin' crazy? Jewel Foods was a nightmare, and I really only went for some basic everyday essentials. The store was full of men, shopping alone, looking like lost souls, yet in a mad hurry. They all had attitude and had no patience for the women blocking the aisles chit-chatting and me texting on my phone while I leisurely strolled the aisles. Hey! I was in no hurry. I had a mission, yet I was perfectly happy catching up on IM with a friend while I pushed my cart. At least 4 guys muttered loudly about not being able to pass quickly through the aisles. By the 2nd or 3rd one I muttered back "why don't you really say how you feel?", but thankfully my comments weren't heard and there was no brawl in the baking aisle.

Here is the menu:

A big Turkey- at least 18lb. (I cook it in my Nesco or out on the Gas Grill with my smoker boxes filled with hickory wood....weather permitting, I'm not running out in the rain, been there done that and I just don't find it fun. Since it was icky out yesterday, I'm going for cooking it in the Nesco, thereby keeping my oven free for cooking the stuffing and the side dishes.)
Stuffing - (4 loaves of bread toasted and left to get stale; celery, onion, gizzard, liver, heart finely diced; chicken or turkey broth.)
Mashed Potatoes (probably instant. Don't judge! I'm baking my pies from scratch and I do all the food preparation, cooking and baking solo.)
Canned yams (again, don't judge! Why should I go through the trouble of baking them if I've got canned yams in my pantry?)
Green Bean Casserole (Cream of mushroom soup, Durkee Fried Onions, etc.)
Roasted Brussels Sprouts.
Carrots and cheese and crackers for noshing while the turkey cooks.
Apple Pie (homemade, but the crust is store bought. I spent the time yesterday that I should have been making the pie crusts cleaning my kitchen because teens who cook are damn messy! At least mine are.
Pumpkin Pie (homemade, store bought crust.)

I was reading the Chicago Tribune online and one of the writers had done a story about the horrors of Jello with fruit and marshmallows and aspic. That made me recall one of the horrors from my childhood holidays...pickled herring. My Dad would eat that stuff every chance he could around the holidays because that's the only time my Mom would buy it. That stuff was disgusting! The smell! Ugh!

So is there anything served at your Thanksgiving celebrations that you find vile and loathsome?

What are you thankful for this year?

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