Thanksgiving Plans

With the exception of rolls, my household now has all of the stuff we need for Thanksgiving. The stores are going to be nightmarish over the next couple of weeks, and we wanted to have as much already stocked up as possible. This is our way of saving collective sanity.

Our main dish will be a dressing with chicken. We used to get a small bit of turkey, but it's really out of our price range these days. Instead of turkey, we're opting for chicken (deboned by yours truly) that will be baked on top of cornbread dressing. For me, one of the things that is important about Thanksgiving is linking back to the past. This dish does that for me, because of of the meals my grandmother could actually cook really well was her chicken and dressing. Every time we have this, it reminds me of her.

There are some differences. We're using box dressing. Yeah, I know. Say what you want. For us, it's quicker and easier. No one in my household wants Thanksgiving to be a huge chore. Besides, we don't keep seven tons of left over cornbread in the house. The other difference between ours and Gran's is that we don't put boiled eggs in and/or on top of our dressing. Growing up, I liked it this way a lot, but these days, it is probably out of our price range to use up our eggs in this way.

The dressing will be made the day before Thanksgiving and left to sit overnight. This not only keeps there from being waaay to much stuff to do on the holiday, it also allows the flavors in the dressing to marry. This same tactic will be applied to our apple enchiladas dessert. Said dish of sweetness is a new addiction to the household holiday meal. It's a dish we both like a lot and it solves a problem for us. The pumpkin pies we could afford just really aren't that good and this time of year, pecan pies are really expensive. Sweet enchiladas and ice cream will suit us  just fine.

I see my family on Thanksgiving, but the meal I share with my roommate is always my favorite part. It's quiet and simple. It's something we planned and discussed, something we put a lot of work in to. I like that because it's a celebration of what we can manage to pull off based on our limited resources . . . you know, kind of like the people at the First Thanksgiving.