Home & Season

I know I know it came and went, but come reminisce with me……. 

It’s Thanksgiving morning, 12:00 a.m. to be exact and I am still awake cleaning the remnents of cookie dough and sprinkles that the kids have left behind on the kitchen island. The kids are all fast asleep and I am placing the last batch of cream-of-tarter cookies into the oven. My sister-in-law is prepping the banana bread, Isaac is cleaning upstairs and Michael is nowhere to be found. My feet ache yet I am determined to have all desserts prepared for the Thanksgiving Holiday. Oh darn, I almost forgot the apple-butter pumpkin pie in the oven, a delicious recipe from good’ole Southern girl, Paula Deen (food network channel).

A few minutes pass and I realize I don’t have enough of the spice I will use for my rub on the turkey. Isaac and Micheal head out to HEB to pick up more…so sweet! They return with Taco Cabana…crazy, you can’t send those two out without having an agenda of their own! I quickly begin toasting the blend of spices as the recipe specifically calls for and then onto the blender it goes. I am beginning to get worried…”will it be good, was this a dumb idea to try and take on the big bird myself?” Ok, enough of the paranoid talk….gotta get the regular pumpkin pie out of the oven. Denise is now onto her pecan pies. I am finally done (2:00 a.m.)…at least for now. Time to go get some rest…at least what I can get.

The alarm sounds, it is 9:30 a.m. Time to rise and shine! The outside temperature has dropped significantly, God you sure know how to bring in the holiday and warm my heart. I am feeling confident. No one else is awake in the home, so I quickly run to the kitchen and begin peeling the sweet potatoes to boil. I get the defrosted turkey out of the refrigerator….Denise and Isaac join me. Denise slices the veggies as I prepare the chicken stock for the gravy. We’re moving now….all four burners are going and the turkey is now being stuffed with lemons and rosemary. Isaac pours the olive oil and I embed the special blend of spices onto the bird. Oh what a site! I run to my room to freshen up…guests will be here shortly. Three hours later its done…WHAT!!! No way, grandma would not approve or believe! All credit is given to the special blend which formed a nice crust and maintained the juices.

12:00 p.m. and I hear Isaac calling, “You’re parents are here.” I run down the stairs, take a quick look at everything. The house smells of fall spices, the freshener is of apple pie, the living room is neat and not to metion the aroma of a suculant turkey. As I open the door I am greeted not just by my parents baring gifts for the kiddos but also by my nephew James and Isaac’s cousins, Abel and Roxanne. Wow…perfect timing. Hugs and kisses are exchanged and we all walk in anxiously to celebrate together. We are later joined by my in-laws, who made it in the nick of time. Picture time….enjoy

 I was a happy camper as I heard many compliments on how delicious the food was. This was by far one of the most memorable Thanksgivings I will never forget. More family joined us later on that evening. Everything went so smoothly, everyone ate, laughed and asked for seconds. Oh Thank you Lord for family, food and fun.