From the desk
Turkey day, also commonly known as Thanksgiving — or, as I have come to call it this year, possibly a complete disaster.
Thanksgiving is a time of celebration for families across the US. Too many people gathered around too much food serves as the icon for a great day.
In my family, Thanksgiving has never really been a day full of traditions — more like a day full of whatever food our best friends bring, a fried turkey compliments of my wonderful father and stuffing from a box compliments of my mother.
However, this year promises to shake things up in a whole new way.
This year, I am hosting Thanksgiving. Yes, that’s right. Yours truly is going to attempt to cook a turkey — and whatever else you are supposed to cook on such an occasion.
Originally, the plan was to head up to New York for a family filled holiday with my fiancé’s family. However, when he got a new job at the wonderful JCrew we soon learned that leaving for the week was simply out of the question.
So that’s how it happened.
Among the common fears I am facing are “How am I ever going to create a meal that can compete with his mom’s,” “What if I under cook the turkey, and we all die” and “Are there really cranberries in cranberry sauce?”
On top of these, it is not only my fiancé I am striving to impress, but also my best friend and her boyfriend who are flying in from Florida to spend the day with us.
No pressure.
As I sat brainstorming the kinds of foods that are expected, yet can’t be bought in a box, I realized another dilemma. I don’t have a kitchen table.
So, not only do I need to figure out how to feed four hungry college students with food that’s not only edible, but also traditional, but I also need to figure out where we are going to sit.
I contemplated doing it “Jesus style,” but figured relaxing on the floor surrounded by food — and my dog — may be a bit too first century for my soon-to-be house guests.
So this week my goals are to figure out what my Thanksgiving menu needs to hold and what will hold my Thanksgiving menu.