Giving Thanks

There are a lot of things to be grateful for. During a global pandemic, having the luxury of being healthy, employed, and together and as a family is something that is not lost on us. We are so fortunate and lucky in our situation, and that is not lost on us.

Sure, we may have to stay at home and work in the same space. Sure it's been 50 ish days since I've been out of my house for more than a walk around the block. Sure there are some times I get delusionally riddled with anxiety about the socio-political and economic state of our country. Sure, the quarantine fifteen is no joke. And sure, there have been maybe a few times one of us has slept on the couch. But how lucky we are, truly.

So, while browsing Meijer's website to figure out what to buy for our weekly grocery delivery, the thought of Thanksgiving popped in to my head. Well, really, it was "why is a whole turkey reserved just for one holiday?" and then "dang, it's not that expensive to grab a turkey" and then "dang, the last time we roasted a turkey it lead to a very interesting evening back in college...." but that is a completely different story I will never, ever continue discussing. And before you say anything, those Thanksgiving dinners I made for the lovely folks at S2Games and for those heading to Dreamhack were a replacement of the upcoming Thanksgiving meals they would be missing. In November. So that was different. That being said, I am now quite versed in making a bomb-diggity turkey.

So....

Why not have Thanksgiving in May?


So, we ordered a turkey from Meijer, grabbed the fixins as well and had our little blessed family a Thanksgiving feast on Saturday May 23rd.

Earlier it was in the 70s. MID 70s! We actually released butterflies we watched emerge from cocoons just days before. It was the epitome of a spring day. Then I turned around and roasted a turkey. 

I roasted the turkey for 3+ hours, stuffed with garlic cloves, and covered in a butter-herb mixture (rosemary, thyme and garlic). Not being one to usually brag, but dang, that was delicious!

I made the gravy with the turkey drippings and a little bit of thickening agent. Also delish. 

The stuffing was a box mix. Sorry. I'm not super fancy. I did, however, add some turkey drippings to it and used stock instead of water. So that also rocked. 

Breaky made the mashed potatoes. He is always in charge of the mashed potatoes for family and holiday get-togethers. The biggest difference this time was he used the Instant Pot. Green beans were easy. We literally had all the ingredients anyway. Our daughter LOVES canned green beans. And lima beans. And pickles. 

As well as reminding ourselves how lucky we are, it also made me miss my Aunt Bette. She always loved to dress up a table. She gave me those place-mats and napkins. That Sailor Moon wine stopper, however, was a gift from Santa this year. Surprise surprise, I got more than coal. Boom!


Seriously though. We are blessed and thankful for what we have and who we get to share it with, despite and through this very trying time. I could not have done it without Breaky. I am also so thankful for being able to spend all of this glorious time with our daughter, who is not only growing up so fast, but is making me one of the proudest Mommas out there