Our little, belated Thanksgiving

Human Highlighter Suit Tally: 9

We spent our day preparing—and eating—the Thanksgiving feast.  Seeing as how it’s so quiet here on Sundays, it seemed like the right day to do it.  We also had the El Classico (Real Madrid vs. Barça) hype on the TV in the background, substituting for the American Thanksgiving football game noise.

Milo went to his friend Mario’s house for a playdate, and in between cooking steps I worked with C.C. on her samurai diorama project.  I prepped the green beans—a new recipe which was terrific.  Green beans with a mint vinaigrette, toasted walnuts and dried cranberries.  The recipe called for dried sour cherries, but I couldn’t find any.   The crisp beans and tangy vinaigrette provided a nice counterpoint to all of the other rich food.  We made a yummy wild mushroom stuffing using three local varieties of mushrooms, and I made the Potatoes Anna.  This turned out to be a challenge because Potatoes Anna works best when you make it in a cast iron skillet—kind of like Tarte Tatin.  We only have a large, straight-sided cast iron pot.  So I made it in that, but then it was very tricky to get it out.  We flipped it, and then I had to bang on the bottom with a hammer to release it.  Pretty good, all things considered.  And the Ocean Spray cranberry sauce?  Not as bad as I thought it might be, although I prefer it more tart, less sweet.

While everything else moved along, Alec and I played a running game of Scrabble.  I bought the iPad app a couple of weeks ago, figuring it would come in handy on a rainy day or a long plane ride.  Then, when Milo and I were waiting, and waiting, for his test results at the clinic last week, he asked to watch me play it.   So I did, and quickly became addicted.  I challenged Alec to a game that night.  He acted as though he was indulging me by saying yes, but he is clearly hooked.  He is a fierce competitor, and takes no prisoners when it comes to grabbing those triple word tiles. Last night we were passing the iPad back and forth in bed until I got too tired and had to turn out the lights.  I’ll bet you didn’t have so much fun on your Saturday night.

When we sat down to eat, C.C. said it didn’t feel like Thanksgiving because we don’t have our whole families here.  She’s right, but we also reminded her that the holiday is about being grateful for what we do have, rather than focusing on what’s missing.  So what are we grateful for?  For having the kinds of jobs that allow us to be here for the year.  For toys.  For the big pumpkin that still decorates our table.  And for having the ability to grow and learn about ourselves, and to be able to see ourselves reflected in another culture.