The best food holiday of the year is already behind us, and just like that, it’s December and Christmas is just three weeks away. I know the media has been saying that the Christmas shopping season was short, but I didn’t realize just how short until I actually flipped the calendar today. Yikes!
This year our Thanksgiving celebration landed on Saturday so that all family who could attend was able. As the week went on, I wasn’t so sure I liked that. I was a little jealous of people who were discussing their feasts while we dined on chili and party food. But then Saturday happened.
I kept the meal straightforward and simple. I could do no cooking ahead this year, as our extra fridge in the basement has been acting up, and while we could put beverages in it, I was not going to put any part of the meal in there due to the fact that at any moment it could stop working. Our meal consisted of my cider-brined turkey, a simple ham, several sides, and 16 assorted pies for pie hour.
I do still love the concept of Pie Hour. Instead of lunch, we feast on pie. It just works so well! We are able to enjoy the pie, eat several slices, and by the time we have room for more food, Thanksgiving dinner is ready as the evening meal. Anyone who wants can cap that off with more pie, but there is no longer that obligation to eat small slices of pie. We all love Pie Hour, and as long as we are able, I think we’ve created a real tradition for our family.
As we wrapped up Saturday evening and said our goodbyes, I still wasn’t sold on the Saturday Thanksgiving idea. But then Sunday morning happened. The kids enjoyed pie for breakfast, lunch was with family, but then our late meal on Sunday was a few snackies from the weekend. The light was slowly dawning. This morning another round of pie ensued for breakfast. Lunch was ham sandwiches from our leftover ham, and dinner…
Well, the light bulb has fully blinked on! The best part about a Saturday Thanksgiving? Now that family is gone and we have a regular week ahead of us, I have a fridge full of leftovers, and the entire week to consume them! Normally, with a Thursday or Friday Thanksgiving, those leftovers sit while we visit with family the rest of the weekend, and by the time we get to them on Monday, the clock is ticking on using them up. Not so this year! It is my intention to utilize every scrap of leftovers for this week’s meals. On top of that, I doubt I will even need to visit a grocery store!
Tonight’s leftover repurposing is a pasta dish. I’m boiling up some fettucini, which I will toss with a sauce made from leftover Broccoli and Cauliflower Gratin, Chopped Turkey, and leftover Cheeses. It’s delicious, and the first of several creations I intend to concoct this week. (By the way, that Gratin from Eating Well? Quite tasty- everyone at the table enjoyed it.) We’ll have some cranberry sauce on the side tonight along with some toasted baguette.
This morning I also made turkey stock from the carcass- it’s outside on the deck for the night to chill and allow the fat to rise to the top. Once it’s skimmed, some will be used for a soup night this week, but if there’s enough left I plan to pressure can a batch of homemade stock. It will be lovely to add that to the basement pantry.
Anyway, Thanksgiving was lovely. I love that we stretch it out to encompass a full four day weekend. I trust that your Thanksgiving celebrations were just as wonderful, and as we are thrust full steam ahead towards Christmas, I hope we can all find the time to really enjoy the season.