Thanksgiving

The nice thing about Thanksgiving is that it's an easy holiday.

Although one can go all out on the menu, preparing amazing dishes for appreciative company, everyone is perfectly satisfied (maybe even happier) with the tried and true never-varying menu.  The triumvirate of turkey, stuffing, gravy.  The supporting cast of sweet potatoes, mashed potatoes, cranberry sauce and that ubiquitous Green Bean Casserole, which we only ever had at Thanksgiving and Christmas and thus took on an importance that far exceeds what one would expect from a casserole recipe from the tradition-challenged 1960's.

The recipes (minimal), grocery list, and sequence and countdown of preparation and cooking (including which of the double ovens each thing goes into and in what order) noted on a single sheet of paper inclosed in a page protector which comes and lives beside the stove from about a week before Thanksgiving.

No thinking, little stress, easy preparation, minimal decor, and then it's over.  Tomorrow (Sunday) is supposed to be rainy and cold, and enough of the fridge should be cleared out so that I can tackle the turkey carcass and make the gallons of turkey stock and turkey soup that follow Thanksgiving.  70 degrees today, down to highs in the 30's and chance of snow on Monday and Tuesday.

linking to The House in the Roses Show off Your Cottage Monday .