In The Weeds

I'm so far behind, I may never catch up. I've been given at least three awards in the last few weeks and I haven't had a chance to put that information together for a post.

November is a strange month. The Evil Twin's job has many holiday days, so he's home more often. He also has half of Wednesday, Thursday and Friday (at Thanksgiving time) and he plans on taking the half day off on Wednesday. Buddy will also be home those three days and I'm looking forward to it.

Thanksgiving is my least favorite holiday and not for the day itself. I "get" that and I respect that. I just don't care for Thanksgiving foods. Specifically, since I was a vegetarian for nine years, and I still don't really like ham or turkey, it's a holiday of side dishes and rolls for me.

That's cool. I still enjoy the planning of it and the anticipation.

Up until 2005, we had always gone to my parents house for the big meal. My mom was one hell of a cook. They only lived 10 minutes away from us, so we were there quite often. Buddy was the first grandchild for them and they enjoyed a close and special relationship with him.

Then, my dad died in September of 2004. Then, my mom got really sick in October of 2005 and spent roughly 5 weeks in either a hospital or nursing home before she passed away two days after Thanksgiving 2005.

So, of course, 2005 Thanksgiving planning was on me. Instead of enjoying time with my parents, I was trying to keep things as normal as possible for Buddy. I was about 6 months pregnant with Sissy (in a VERY high risk pregnancy) and worried about my mom in a nursing home.

Since then, I have tried to keep the holiday very fun for us all. I include the family in meal planning. I accommodate all requests - but I have yet to cook a bird (or a ham).

Let's face it, any large production is going to be wasteful as I won't eat any of it. This is where Heavenly Ham steps in. I buy the amount of ham and turkey I feel appropriate - Sure, it's a bit on the high priced side, but I have to offset that with the amount of no waste. I think it evens out. Everything is eaten, nothing is wasted... Win/Win!

I do make all the sides by hand, though. That's the part I love.

The kitchen is so warm from the oven/stove action and the house smells wonderful.

I'm already working on my menu.

At Buddy's school, they've already had the family Thanksgiving lunch (they always do it early). And they always have some sort of cranberry concoction that is not just the cranberry "can form" thingie. It seems to be a mix of items.

I won't eat it because I don't like cranberry much, but Buddy really loves it, so I'm on the hunt for various cranberry recipes. If you have a special one you'd like to share, you can email me at eviltwinswife@gmail.com.

Why do my last few posts seem to be about food? Seems to be the season for it! :-)