It's one week away, in case you had forgotten. I want to step back a bit and give you a chance to take a deep breath.
I assume that many of you are cooking some part of the Thanksgiving meal: you're cooks and you love food, that's why you subscribe to our emails. If you're like me, you can get a little wound up with all the preparations, and then the day hits and oops, maybe you forget just a little bit what this day, in theory, is all about.
What I love about Thanksgiving is that it is a day when the most people, at the very same time, stop working and set aside the better part of at least one day to cook. So it gets a big thumbs up from me.
Take your time with the cooking. Don't cut corners, just ask for help. Here's an idea if you're feeling overwhelmed: have fewer dishes instead of buying things out of a package. Thanksgiving is an opportunity to eat real food. Don't feel pressured to get fancy or innovative. There is nothing better than a well-seasoned roasted vegetable.
Put your spirit into the food. Take deep breaths. Listen to great music while you cook. And don't forget the table: set one that is rich and bountiful.
The table pictured above was the one Maxwell set last weekend when we did our mock-Thanksgiving (I was testing a mail-order turkey). He did it in about ten minutes, five of which were spent foraging around the yard with our daughter for branches and dried hydrangea. To make a beautiful table, we didn't buy a thing.
Now, to help you cook a deeply satisfying Thanksgiving meal, we have some support to offer.
And here are some highlights from this year's posts:
Happy Thanksgiving. Enjoy it.
A version of this post was originally sent to our email subscribers yesterday. To receive Sara Kate's weekly email, sign up in the column to the left or click here. Something tasty will arrive in your inbox every Thursday.
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Lovely post, Sara Kate. And lovely table, too!
view lisadinnerparty's profile
Thank for this. I've been fretting all day about when I should go to Costco & Whole Foods this weekend for all the fixings.
view Jen in Chi-town's profile
My view of holidays is to do what's fun, what matters to you, and forget about social pressure, "that's the way we've always done it," and traditions that do nothing but stress you out. The traditional family Thanksgiving isn't all that fun for us, so we go out to a restaurant, then take a long walk. We do the big family food-fest on Xmas, and that works for us.
I've never been a big fan of Thanksgiving, but I do like the reminder once a year to appreciate all the wonderful things in our lives. It's become especially meaningful to me the last couple of years since my love and I found each other. Yes, I have some health problems and the company I work for is about to go under, but, oh, I am so, so lucky. Last November, my honey was recovering from a stroke; this November, he's strong, healthy, and here with me.
Happy Thanksgiving, everyone.
view STH's profile