IT’S THAT TIME of year. Thanksgiving, historically, is my favorite holiday. But this year, for various reasons, I’m entering the turkey countdown exhausted, and somewhat lacking in the spirit of the season. As my friend said, when it’s just your immediate family, the big day sometimes feels more like “dinner” than “Thanksgiving.” To counteract my holiday malaise, I decided to capture the best bits of holidays past: to make it festive by making the group bigger, and to let go of my control-freak tendencies over the menu, location and décor.
The result? This year, we’re gathering with another small family that is flying solo for the day. We still haven’t decided whose house, or what we’ll each prepare, and you know what? That’s fine with me.
I learned a few years back how to let go, and I’m pretty sure that I’ll get to do more than just make a salad, so all is well. I might even make a pie or two. (I will not, however, be serving that stuff in the picture above. No way.) Wherever I am and whatever I eat, I’ll be feeling grateful for health, happiness and love in my home and in those of the people I love and treasure. Happy Thanksgiving to you all, and be sure to tell us what you’re planning, and what’s on the menu. I can’t wait to hear!
(Thanks to The Portland Pickle for the image of the cranberry ‘sauce’!)
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{ 4 comments… read them below or add one }
Oh Paige,
You remind me so much of me! This whole holiday meal control thing — I remember when you first blogged about it, the year it actually happened — shades of me and Pierre’s family.
I always thought Christmas dinner isn’t Christmas dinner if it isn’t “just so” — a totally alien concept in his family. I remember one year Pierre and I made Christmas dinner for his family (brother, sister, spouses, kids, parents…), hauling all the stuff from Ottawa to Quebec City, everything from the $125 organic goose, through chestnut purée, white chocolate and several varieties of Christmas cookies to my bread knife. Oy.
Maybe it is because we are both only-children, maybe it is the product of the specific year we were both born in, that has governed and shaped us, but our struggles with this are quite similar.
Since being here in Switzerland, I have had to let go. I have been reformed. (mostly)
Standard Swiss ovens are too small for a turkey (if you can find a good one) or a goose, our kitchen too small and my counter space (a mere 18 inches) too meagre to allow me to cook, so I have surrendered. We have joined other Canadian orphans for a potluck Christmas each year until now, so the unhappy task of finding a turkey and fitting it somehow into the oven (spatchcocked) fell to someone else. The first year, I brought several more contributions than the one I was signed up for (control is so hard to cede), but now, I am thrilled with the arrangement (still disappointed that I have not made more converts to bread sauce though).
This year, we are supposed to be spending Christmas in a chalet in Verbier, with our friend the writer from Zim and her son. Have no idea how equipped the kitchen is, and shudder at the thought of meal planning for the holidays.
I should note that the reason Swiss kitchens are so small (besides it being another way in which to subjugate women in this society) is that they generally don’t cook; they just melt cheese.
– Happy Thanksgiving Paige!
Hi Paige,
Thanks for your nice comments. The school has been lots of fun and a great diversion from my normal life back home. Who can complain about being in Paris! Here is the recipe for the Vegetables A La Grecque:
Ingredients:
20 pearl onions (skinned)
2 celery stalks (cut into juliennes)
10 baby artichokes (leaves removed, all green peeled off ,trim tip of stem but keep stem attached and peeled, and cutoff 1/3rd off the tip)
1 lemon’s juice
2 tomatoes (peeled, seeded, and diced)
1/4 cup dried currants
10 baby carrots (peeled)
olive oil
1 1/4 cup of dry white wine
2 tsp coriander seeds
6 garlic cloves (crushed)
1 bay leaf 3 sprigs of thyme, sprig of parsley (tie all 3 into a bouquet garni
1/2 cup cilantro (chopped)
1.Prep the vegetables. After peeling the artichokes rub with lemon and place in water to prevent browning.
2.Heat olive oil in a sauté pan to line the pan 1/8″ with the oil on Med High heat. Add artichokes. After a few minutes add onions, celery, currants, carrots, coriander, crushed garlic, and bouquet garni. Season with salt and pepper to your liking.
3. stir and color the vegetables. reduce.
4. When most of the liquid has been reduced, deglaze with white wine and lemon juice. Reduce until the wine has evaporated.
5. Add tomatoes. Mix. Leave on heat for a few minutes to reduce liquid.
6. Toss with the chopped cilantro. Taste, and adjust seasoning.
Enjoy.
Mark
Sounds like a plan! We share TxG with one other family at their family farmhouse in NH. My only responsibility is mashed potatoes and we have a running joke about how at some point in the process I will freak out and worry that there won’t be — Heaven, forefend! — ENOUGH (and therefore I will have failed to provide for and likely to cause my extended family to go hungry, at least in the potato department). I consider it progress that I can laugh about this now, and we can all enjoy more time by the fire as no one person has to be the put-upon auteur of the meal. Hope you had a wonderful day..