Pre-Turkey

It's been a busy, busy day in my kitchen so far this afternoon.  I'm trying to get as much done as possible today.  That way I can relax tomorrow, snuggle on the couch with The Man of the House, and watch some football while the smell of roasting turkey fills the house. 

Pumpkin pies are in the oven.  The house is smelling delicious!  There is something so comforting and homey about the smell of baking cinnamon, nutmeg, and cloves.  Who needs a Glade plug-in when you can have the smell of baking pie?  Cherry pie will be following closely behind.

Sweet potato casserole is pre-made and in the fridge.  All ready for baking and a topping of toasted marshmallows tomorrow.

Green bean casserole is ready to go.  Thank you Paula Deen!  No more boring, bland green bean casserole around here! 

My mouth is already watering.  And there are over 24 hours until dinner tomorrow!

(Paula Deen's Green Bean Casserole recipe: http://www.pauladeen.com/recipes/view2/green_bean_casserole)

Thanksgiving Isn't Just A Day

My head is already spinning with thoughts of turkey, dressing, sweet potatoes, and pumpkin pie.  Oh, the pumpkin pie.  Mmmmm...  Oops, sorry.  I got distracted.  It's just that it's that time of year again.  When food and feasting becomes a big focus for many of us.  

We spend days, or weeks, planning.  Will we stay home, or visit friends or family?   What will we prepare? 

We  spend hours, or days, preparing.  Baking, boiling, roasting, mixing, blending, mashing.

Me?  I even spend time thinking about the leftovers.  The turkey sandwiches.  The way that pumpkin pie always seems to taste even better the day after Thanksgiving day.  I'm almost as excited about the leftovers as I am about the initial meal.

It's easy to get completely wrapped up in the yummy-ness of the holiday.  And just focus our thoughts and attentions to the meal.   Which - let's face it - is pretty darn good stuff!   But I don't want to forget the other good stuff.   The "thanks giving" part.  I want to be grateful.  I want to look at my life and realize the many blessings I have been given.  The people I love.  The people that love me, surround me, support me, and cherish me.   The "stuff" I have, which is far beyond meeting just the basic needs of life.

I want to take a while to indulge myself in all that I have been given and really appreciate it.  In that vein of thinking - many of my posts for the next week will be just that.  A celebration of the many things I have to be thankful for. 

“Thanksgiving was never meant to be shut up in a single day” - Robert Caspar Lintner