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Happy Thanksgiving

Pecan pie, whipped cream, NY Times

It’s a typical thanksgiving day at the geek house. The genius husband is upgrading our laptops to the Ignorant Ibex…otherwise known throughout the land as the Intrepid Ibex. Dexter woke up and said “pie me”. I downed my usual massive dose of caffeine and then settled at the table to read yesterday’s food section as I ate a delectable piece of pecan pie, and Dave and Alex have already had pie too. In our house thanksgiving is an incredibly laid back day in which we eat pie whenever we want and then around 2:00 we dig into a simple meal of turkey, stuffing (that is not stuffed), green beans, gravy, and dinner rolls. Yes it is a carb fest and you might as well know right now that if the men had their way the green beans would be shunned and banished…they’re for me, as is the weirdly delicious cranberry chutney.

I enjoyed the If Pilgrims Went To Business School article in the NY Times. I’ll be delegating a few chores today too. Sweet Husband will load the dishwasher multiple times, Alex is in charge of beverages, Dex will set the table, and Lovejoy is like the crazy old Aunt…always getting in the way and demanding to go in and out.

Thanksgiving is all about managing expectations…as long as you realize that the meal will not be perfect and the presentation and any familial interactions will not in any way resemble anything that has, is, or will be iconically represented in the pages of a glossy magazine, then you too can enjoy the great American holiday.

Here’s my recipe for success:

    4 pies in store bought crusts the night before…they’ve had plenty of time to chill.

    Serve a unique and tasty cranberry chutney from this recipe.

    Make these simple dinner rolls.

    Make a delicious and simple stuffing using bread cubes, onions, celery, and herbs…it is perfect.

    Roast the turkey (breast down) until the instant-read Thermapen reads 165 degrees Fahrenheit.

    Don’t over-indulge on champagne…serve just the right amount throughout the day.

    Don’t bother with food no one cares about (mashed potatoes, sweet potatoes…jello!!!).

November 27, 2008 | Filed Under bits and pieces, food 

comments

2 Responses to “Happy Thanksgiving”

  1. Cristie on November 28th, 2008

    I’m grateful to hear that you eat pie for breakfast too! I agree that Thanksgiving should be laid-back, but for over a decade it hasn’t been for me. The party was always at my house with me the main chef. This year I celebrated Thanksgiving at a friend’s house. Now that was laid-back! All I had to bake was pie! Of course, I made a double batch so there’s pie in my own fridge, ready for breakfast.

  2. cheezmaker on November 30th, 2008

    Vanessa- thanks for the stuffing recipe- I am always looking for new ideas. We go “over the river and through the woods” to my Aunt’s house ( the family matriarch) and she makes this soppy stuff with the giblets- not my fav so I compensate with the pan of cornbread and andouille with lots of peppers, onions and cajun seasoning.

    Pie- yes, I do those also- 8 this year. Putz built a pie case to transport them- has slide out shelves with little spacers to hold the pies and a plexiglass door so we can admire them.

    and of course elastic waist pants are a MUST!

    cheezmaker

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