Happy Thanksgiving

(This is a great little book full of historical details, plays, stories, etc....my children like "The Pumpkin Pie Procession" for all the grit and determination of two girls who are tasked with making pies and looking after their siblings while their parents are helping an ill neighbor...not to mention the humor inherent in trying to manage kitchen tasks while trying to manage children.)

Thanksgiving is so easy for me because my mother-in-law does all the real work.  She hosts, cooks a (wild) turkey {watch out for the pellets from the shotgun....they're in there}, prepares the ham, dressing, rolls, and a pie.  Aunt Charlotte brings mashed potatoes and a pineapple casserole (?!), my husband's sister and her husband bring green things like brussels sprouts and kale salad and red wine, and everyone throws in a pie. 

My contribution this year is eerily similar to my contributions every year:

*green beans (my husband is making them)

*butternut squash-kale gratin, with lots of parmesan

*sweet potato casserole with buttery pecan topping (my signature Thanksgiving dish)

*gluten-free chocolate pie

*a bottle of Clos du Bois chardonnay, because it's one of my favorites

I do make my contribution by washing her fine china at the end of the evening...unless my husband beats me to it!

I love this holiday because I can cook in the morning while the children watch the parade, everyone is full of merriment and anticipation, and it's totally low-stress and low-expectation: all we do is cook and eat (that's so easy!!) and then we have three more days left in the weekend.

Happy Thanksgiving!