Sunday Surfin’: Thanksgiving

A holiday centered on eating an elaborate meal with friends and family. Yeah, I’ll admit to loving Thanksgiving. I’m incredibly grateful this Thanksgiving to actually be able to celebrate with my family on Thanksgiving day. For the past few years working in the restaurant industry meant working on the holiday. If it were my restaurant (not yet, but soon) we’d always be closed Thanksgiving day.

Seriously this is America, people. Can we close on at least one of the biggest National Holidays? Sheesh, buinesses everywhere get it together. Actually while we’re at it, close on July 4th too. Stop giving people opportunities to eat out and force people to be hosts and invite friends and family to celebrate each other. Okay, end rant.

Despite knowing my family and I will be together for this Thanksgiving, we have very little planned. So, I’ve been doing some research as to what sort of menu will be executed this year. We have a few traditional staples in the family: made-from-scratch spiced cranberry sauce (seriously, don’t buy that crap from the can) and New England style oyster dressing usually grace the tables as well as some sort of preparation for sweet potatoes. But other years we’ve had very non-traditional Thanksgiving meals featuring salmon sashimi or boiled lobsters. Actually, I feel like the pilgrims would’ve tried a lobster or two, so maybe that is a traditional meal after all.

• Leave it to buzzfeed to perfectly compile all the best Thanksgiving and turkey related infographics. This page is also making me hyperventilate that I don’t currently have a bird defrosting in the fridge. When I said little planned, I really meant nothing planned.
• Thanksgiving is always a great time to surprise relatives with changes in your lifestyle. Like inviting everyone to your house and surprising them with the news you’ve turned vegan! Okay, okay maybe that wouldn’t go over so well, but a vegan Thanksgiving doesn’t have to be boring or filled with weird tofu lookalike foods. I’d happily indulge in these Spiced Rice Stuffed Pumpkins. I’d drizzle drench them in some mushroom gravy for a truly decadent Thanksgiving main course.

• But since there is no turkey to be found (and no I’m not actually going vegan), I’m thinking maybe I’ll just take a walk in the footsteps of my newfound Canadian BFF. She doesn’t know we’re BFFs, yet. shh! Yolanda is a cake genius and makes me thankful this Thanksgiving that America has such sweet northernly neighbors. This may be an attempt to butter up Canada in case I ever need to move there.
• Thinking about the Thanksgiving meal also means thinking about the copious amount of leftovers for days post-holiday. I love using my waffle maker for everything, so these waffles made of stuffing are speaking deeply to my soul. I’m just imagining using the waffled stuffing as bread for turkey sandwiches Friday afternoon.
• Of course, Thanksgiving isn’t just about the food. Otherwise we’d rename it Turkeyeating. Unlike Gretchen, I’m not going to try and make that happen. I love this holiday for making all of us really think about the things in our life that we are so grateful for, yet often take for granted. But imagine a life where you always recognize something to be thankful for. Can you imagine how much more productive and happy your life could be if you don’t dwell on the things you don’t have, but instead take the time to appreciate what you do have?

So tell me, what’s on your Thanksgiving menu? And what are you most grateful for this year?