Thanksgiving 2007

Thursday, November 22, 2:22 p.m.
Today we're having my family over for Thanksgiving. Included in "my family": my sister's friend Martina, who is sort of an adopted sister to me. Martina has been friends with my sister forever, and the two of them are very close - Angie is godmother to Martina's daughter, and my parents and Angie make many trips during the year to Sacramento, where Martina lives. I'm excited that Martina is coming - she's never been to our house before.

Preparation started on Monday. Since we knew we would be out all day at work and at the Van Halen concert on Tuesday, we wanted to get a jump on figuring out the dining table situation. We don't have a big dining room - in fact, we don't really have a dining room at all (and you can bet if we did, there'd probably be a drum set in it). Sometimes I eat in the kitchen, but most of the time we just (and I'm a little ashamed to admit it) sit on the couch in front of the TV. We have a borrowed long folding table, which, if we rearranged the couch and the loveseat, would fit in the living room - but getting 8 chairs around it and leaving each person enough room to actually eat wasn't going to work. So instead we took our awesome Ikea kitchen table (I've forgotten it's Swedish name, and I don't think they make it anymore) and unfolded it and then got our old kitchen table from our apartment, which I had forgotten about but which Patrick had, stowed away in the garage... and we managed to put the two together in a way that works.

I know, I know, long story about what? Tables? But that really was a huge issue for us, and now it's settled.

Last night I started the cooking. For the last few years I've been making a recipe for cranberries that I got from Ina Garten, over at foodtv.com. It's super-easy, and yummy, and way better than that weird stuff that comes from a can. So I made that last night. And then, this year I decided not to stuff the turkey - I usually stuff the turkey using a recipe Patty gave to me, which is simple and easy to make, and delicious. But this year I decided not to stuff it, and so, in keeping with my Food Network theme, I found a Bobby Flay recipe (I can't find it on the website anymore, so if anybody's interested, email me) and made that last night. I plan on reheating it in the oven after I take out the turkey. Speaking of the turkey, that's also an Ina Garten recipe, and it'll be done in about 2 hours. We decided we wanted to eat later this year, at what was more a traditional "dinner" time.

I spent the morning cleaning, cooking, and setting up the table (ironing the tablecloth and napkins...), and now I am sitting on the couch with the laptop, watching an old episode of the Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson. I guess I'm late to this party, because that guy is really funny.

...

Friday, November 23
Okay, so I had to get off the couch, because my parents showed up 30 minutes early. They caught me in my sweats and t-shirt, but they were super-excited to be here. I was really proud of the way I'd set the table and that I had everything under control. My mom got right to work, and started helping me wash some dishes, and my dad settled in on the couch with the remote (Patrick was finishing up something he had to do for work in the other room) and a bowl of nuts I'd prepared for him (my dad loves nuts. Don't all dads love nuts?). The cats were locked in my office (my dad's allergic, and also, it's not very sanitary cooking with them around: they're not very clean helpers). A little while later, Angie and Martina came by, with Martina's bowl of candied yams. They looked wonderful: she doesn't mess around with the mini marshmallows. I'm going to get the recipe from her - they weren't too sweet, but were delicious.

Later still, my brothers came over, and they brought a surprise guest: the dog. Patrick and my brother Dan got Goldie set up in the backyard, and my mom and I started preparing the potatoes for the mashed potatoes. I kept checking on my turkey (my brother works at Sur La Table, in Santa Monica, and last year he bought my mother a fancy meat thermometer - I've been jealously eyeing that thermometer for a year, and hoped she might "forget" it last night when she was packing up, but, alas, she didn't), which was golden and beautiful, but at that point (around 3:30 p.m.) only at around 160, 165 degrees.

Amazingly, dinner was ready at the time I was shooting for. Somehow the turkey was done about 30 minutes earlier than I thought it would be, but we were ready with everything else, so we were actually able to sit down to eat at 5. Everyone loaded up on food, the table was big enough, the cats got a few bits of turkey (Patrick bought them some special turkey-flavored cat food, too), and we all ate to our hearts content.

But before we ate dinner, Martina said grace, and asked us, around the table, to tell the family what we were thankful for. We gave thanks for each other, for the food, for our health and jobs and happiness, and I truly felt blessed and grateful for all the wonderful things I have. I hope your Thanksgiving was as nice as mine was.

...

This morning, we got up relatively early (9:00) and crashed on the couches and ate leftovers (I had a fried egg and ham sandwich on wheat bread; tell me you're not jealous) and watched two weeks' worth of taped "Ugly Betty" episodes. Patrick is playing with the Wii and I'm already planning to make the second batch of stuffing I should've made yesterday (we ate all of it: no leftovers!). No "Black Friday" shopping frenzy for us. Today is all about relaxing, the cats, and maybe a nice nap, soon.

Photos later. I think I'm still in a turkey-induced haze, and should avoid operating technology. The laptop is the only exception.