Countdown to Thanksgiving

I decided to post recipes that we have for Thanksgiving. I love the holidays, and even though it's hard work, I do love to cook dinner. Being that I worked retail for the first 7 years or so of our marriage, it was hard to get to visit family over the holidays. I worked late the night before Thanksgiving and then I would have to be at work first thing in the morning the day after Thanksgiving. The only thing I wanted to do was hang out in my sweats and cook. Lee didn't like going anywhere either, he was tired too, and it was a good chance for us to be together. Being that most of the time is was just the two of us, I liked to experiment with different recipes. Simple things like adding Cinnamon and apples into the stuffing, or trying a new side dish was always fun. But when it came right down to it, we preferred simple & basic.

The first time I made Thanksgiving dinner, was 1991. Lee and I had been married for 6 months and we were living in Seattle. We didn't feel like going anywhere, so I decided I was going to make dinner. We invited our good friends Kris and Alex (we had our first dates together), and I cooked. This was a lofty goal for someone who only knew how to make lasagna 6 months prior. I was armed with my Step by Step Cookbook, and I felt like I could do anything. The recipes I use now are from 4 different cookbooks or sources. Some are family favorites.

I know it sounds terrible, and it sounds like we prefer to be by ourselves for Thanksgiving-but we have spent several Thanksgivings at The Bryant's (Lee's family) and with The Dawson's (Hope's family). We lived 1 mile away from Lee's family for 3-4 years. And it was a potluck situation, I would make Pumpkin Pies (I made 8 one year, Lee's brother's eat alot) and I would also make another Turkey-and bring it. Lee is the oldest of 9 kids-5 of them being boys. The year Mac was born, we went to Lee's parents house. I made Pies, a Turkey, and something else. Not bad for just having a baby 3 weeks before, huh. Anyways. If we do go somewhere for Thanksgiving, I have to make another "Thanksgiving Dinner" for us the day after, because we LOVE leftovers. I will also post my Turkey Soup recipe for leftovers. And, another reason why I make so many pies if we go somewhere else....Lee has to have at least 2 pies to eat over the Thanksgiving weekend.

I know this post is kinda all over the place. It's Sunday, and my brain is a little scattered anyways. We also love Thanksgiving because it gives us a chance to reflect on the year, and be grateful for all of our blessings. We are grateful for family, good friends, the church, work, a home to live in, and a country which we are proud to live in. So, it's not all about the food.