Thanksgiving Eve

Tomorrow is the Big Day - Thanksgiving Day. In tonight's post, I am going to focus on the food part of the day, and tomorrow, I will focus on what Thanksgiving means to me.

This is the second time that my wife and I are hosting Thanksgiving Dinner. The first time was when we lived in Harrisbrug and had my dad and Shannon's mom and dad. That was when we were a family of three and a half - Shannon was pregnant with our second, Jillian. This year, we will have my wife's mom and dad and my mom, brother, and nephew, plus the five of us. You may be thinking we are crazy for bringing two families togehter on a holiday; but, it is not that way for us. Our families get along.

I have to say thank you to my mom for relinquishing dinner at her house. Most of our married life, my wife and I have been going to my mom's for dinner. We asked my mom if we could give turkey day a shot this time around. She graciously agreed. However, just because it is at our house does not mean that we will not have my mom's stuffing. I will be the care taker of that dish. Fortunately, I have made her recipe before just not on Thanksgiving. I should note that I found out tonight that the recipe is actually my grandmother's recipe. I am definitely feeling the pressure now. I cannot let those two wonderful ladies down. Nana, if you have some time tomorrow, can you give me a little guidance from you place from in heaven?

I did take some of the pressure off of myself by cutting up my celery, onions, and bread tonight. With three little ones, we have to get that prep work in when we can. That is why Shannon and Molly already baked the Carmel Apple pie. Shannon is also prepping the mashed potatoes and Sage butter (for the turkey), and she made the "kid's dessert" - a pie sized sugar cookie with Pumpkin pie orange frosting. Get it, it is a Faux-Pumpkin Pie.

We are also going to have Brussel Sprouts picked straight from our garden. I am really excited about those too. I planted two of the plants from seeds in May and they are finally read to harvest. The entire family has been waiting six months to sink our teeth in those beautiful little green orbs.

Everyone in my house is on pins and needles waiting for tomorrow to come. We still have a good bit of work to do; but, I think the prep work we did tonight will help ease some of the stress tomorrow. Besides, my wife and I make a good team. Remind me to tell you about the year we hosted Christmas about ten days after moving into our current home. Yes, I know that was crazy. Like I said, we make a good team.

With that, I am going to enjoy a glass of wine with my wife and talk about our game plan for tomorrow. Good night to you all. May you have a happy and safe Thanksgiving.