Gratitude

The holiday weekend was excellent.

We had a lovely time with our Baltimore friends. Despite beating me at Scrabble, they are very good house guests and are more than welcome to come back and stay anytime they'd like. It felt really good to have friends we've known (and loved) for years come to share the holiday with us, and meet and get to know our little Liam. We sent them off this morning with muffins made from the leftover custard from my Pumpkin Pie, and we're looking forward to their wedding this August.

Of the four pies I made there is little less than half of one pie left. Next time, I will slice the lemons for the Ohio Shaker Lemon Pie much, much thinner (when the recipe says "paper thin" one should oblige) and let them macerate a bit longer. My favorite pie this Thanksgiving was, hands down, the Chess Pie, a sweet-rich-tasty pie very closely related to the Pecan Pie and every bit as Southern.

The feast itself was a delicious success. I managed to include all the traditional favorites (with the exception of green bean casserole) and correctly prepare Marcia's rolls, an heirloom recipe I can now include in my own repertoire.  I highly recommend the shield and baste technique for preparing any large bird as it resulted in terrifically tender and flavorful meat. While it may seem like I'm just raving about the meal because I prepared it, I really am a humble cook genuinely impressed with my ability to churn out a full-on Thanksgiving meal with an active, six-month old son clinging to my breast. I'm excited to do it again next year.

And since no Thanksgiving would be complete without an expression of thankful reflection, here goes.

I'm thankful for the eggs, the milk, the butter, the flour, the turkey, the yeast, the nuts and fruits of our meal, and for the earth it all came from. I'm thankful for our wonderful companions, and for our families so far away. I'm thankful for my husband and his Super Daddying and dish-washing. I'm thankful for our boy. I'm thankful for our friends and the lovely brisk weather and for my dog. But what I am most thankful for is the simple realization that I have so much to be thankful for and the opportunity to express my gratitude.