Thanksgiving count down..

It is that time of year, it is getting cool out, christmas is knocking on our door and you have giving out halloween candy to the little munchkins or zombies as the cause was this year. Since I have moved into my house, thanksgiving has been the one holiday where I didn’t have to travel and I was able to cook for my family and friends.

Now I know you might be thinking.. but you do cook for your family and friends. BBQs and birthday parties are a completely different beast than a thanksgiving feast. Thanksgiving is a time for giving thanks and this year, I feel that I have a lot to be thankful for.

During the past few weeks an email has been sent out to the invites. They have picked what they would like to see at thanksgiving and what they are going to bring. This is very helpful to the host because then you don’t have to make everything. What is going to be at my thanksgiving?

Apps

Veggie Tray
Fruit Tray
Bread Bowl
Cheese platter

Drinks

Mulled Cider (with the option of cinnamon schnaps)
Coffee
Tea
Cranberry Lemon/Lime Soda
Red Wine
White Wine

Dinner

Turkey
Ham
Oyster Dressing
Two kinds of Stuffing
Mashed Potatoes with garlic, rosemary and sour cream
Sweet Potatoes
Green Bean Casserole
Broccoli Casserole
Cranberry Sauce whole and jellied
Gravy
Rolls

Dessert

Apple Pie

Pumpkin Pie

It might seem like a lot and it probably is, but I like thanksgiving to be an all day affair that can start at noon and go until six (or more) that night. I love the house full of friends/family, the smell of cooking turkey and laughter.  But how can a host not feel the pressure of thanksgiving? Time management and delegation!

The delegation process has been started and it is four days until thanksgiving. Today, I purchased a turkey that is big enough to feed my people and to have leftovers. That will be hanging out in the fridge until thursday morning.

Monday and Tuesday – I will start cleaning the house so that I don’t have to stress about it too much on Thursday.

Wednesday, I will go shopping for the items I need (I would love to go shopping earlier but pay checks are important for that) and I will make the cranberry sauce. I would also make the pies that night, but this year the pies are in the hands of another.

Thursday.. I will not wake up at the crack of dawn to put the turkey in. This is one of the reasons why I like to eat later in the day. Then I will start getting the apps ready the only thing I will need to cook is the spinach dip I am going to have for the bread bowl. After that it is just prep until I pull out the turkey and load the oven full of the sides.

Something I have learned to help me through the day.. wear sneakers while I am cooking. With my back I have found that it really helps me last longer and not crumple onto the couch after dinner wanting to die.

As the days move towards Thanksgiving I will share some of the recipes that I will be working on. Happy Holidays!

What are you grateful for this year?

A day out

So today, I headed out to run to a few shops that I love in Downtown Melbourne and to go over to my StepMom’s house to visit her mother Peppy. Peppy is a Puerto Rican woman who is in her sixties, and I was honored (and I must admit begged) for her to make her rice for me. I have been in love with her rice since we were introduced six years or so ago.

There was no recipe card, nor did I write any of it down. It was a show and tell, with me asking questions here and there and sniffing her special ingredients (which I later found out to be sofrito). Sofrito has this tang smell that is fantastic, I could not stop smelling it and I knew that this was one of the keys to her rice. Something that if I had not watched her, I would have never known and would not know how to create this wonderful dish.

I also had another kitchen lesson in how to make fried plantains . The first time I tried to make them, I did not let the plantains get ripe enough. They seriously need to look like you would throw them away before you cook them. I can’t wait to try and replicate these!

I did what I love to do when I don’t know someone and they interest me. I asked about her life, I learned that she became married at 14! and was married for sixty years. That her husband Leo (a wonderful man) was her first and last. She moved to NYC in her later teens to live with her husband’s family while they started their own.

This was something that I was hoping would happen but didn’t think would because I am only a stepchild and not her full blooded children. I was so honored for her to share her heart, her kitchen and pieces of her life with me. It meant a lot to me and I let her know.

Just the two of us..

So it has been a little over a week since I have been in Florida and helping my dad after his surgery. It is Sunday, so of course it is football day, and I figured this is the best time for me to spend some time on my laptop because I just LOVE football *rolls eyes*.

My first day in FL, my brother picked me up at the airport and away we went to pick up our dad from the hospital. I still am amazed that a day after surgery he was being discharged, but the nurses I know have informed me that a patient heals better at home than in a hospital. They are less likely to get an infection at home than there as well. I am still not sure how I feel about this.

The first few days were okay, dad was just uncomfortable. Then on Sunday we had to rush to the hospital because he has a complication. That was a rocky and revealing day for my brother and I. After his procedure again, we were heading out of the hospital. I swear, it really amazed me.

Then on Monday night my brother headed out and it was just me and my dad. We have slowly gotten into a pattern. He is still uncomfortable but he is here. So I am okay with him being uncomfortable. Tomorrow, he heads back to the doctors and hopefully, things (a catheter) will be removed and he will be able to start moving about without being in pain.

While I am sad about why I am down here, I am glad that I could be here with my dad. During the last week, I have had a few cooking adventures as well. Soon, I will be posting about my stuffed peppers (I just need to make them right).

Be well everyone!

Today is my Dad’s Birthday..

and he spent the day in the hospital getting tests because he was diagnosed with prostate cancer. He called me last week to let me know and during the last few days I have been trying to wrap my head around it and be positive about it. This is something that runs in my father’s family and he has images in his mind of his father and grandfather who suffered through the same thing.

I know that the most of my readers (if any) are probably not males that are in the age range to get their prostates checked but if you are, don’t delay. I know it is not the most enjoyable thing in the world but it is better to catch it early then to not catch it at all.

When my father called me with the news I started to cry because no matter how I would love to deny it, I am a Daddy’s girl. I have been since I was little, it was something that caused me pain in my teen years because I was treated like Daddy’s only and when I saw him going down a path that I knew was wrong and I couldn’t stop it, it caused friction between the two of us. So for a number of years I gave my father space so that he could find his own way, and I would not be hurt in the process.

When I was in my early 20’s I had emergency gall bladder surgery (another wonderful family trait) and that brought my father and I into talking again. In the process of us becoming close, I have found (to my pleasure) that I am a lot like my dad. We both enjoy our gardens and find our center when we are playing in the dirt. We also both take pride in our homes and enjoy being with our friends. I have picked up his no-stress attitude (even thought it fights with my urge to plan).

So while I was on the phone with him he is explaining what is happening and all I wanted was to be with him. I am find that it is very difficult for me to be here in NY and have him in FL. The only saving grace is that my brother is only a couple of hours from him and can be with him quickly, also that his wife is there and she is a no-nonsense type of woman and will let me know when I need to be done there.

I am finding this waiting game to be painful. Having work be so crazy is a bonus right now because it is helping keep my mind not totally focused on my dad.

I am not much for prayers, but I am trying to keep positive and have thoughts of my father in a healing white light. For those of you who have experienced family members with cancer or are going through it right now. I wish you the best and hope that things turn out for the best.

While my relationship with my family has not always been the best. I do love my Dad and know that he has not had the easiest life, but then again not many have. He has not let that put him down, or drag him into places that some go and can never get away from. He tries to move away from it and not let his past hinder his future. He is a goofy man, but I love him.