Thanksgiving was quite an exciting affair in the Galbraith household. Johnny and I had never celebrated Thanksgiving on our own, and I don't think we knew what we were getting ourselves into. I had the following items on the menu:
- turkey
- corn pudding
- rolls
- stuffing
- sweet potatoes
- side salad
- sparkling cider
- pie
On Thanksgiving day Johnny pointed out that we didn't have mashed potatoes and gravy on the menu, which I never had growing up, but apparently that is a staple for most families on Thanksgiving. Who knew?
In my head everything was going to work out just magically, but cooking that much stuff is kind of intense! I prepped the turkey at around noon and stuck it in the oven. The prepping process almost turned me vegetarian. For some reason I was freaking out about handling a dead bird, and Johnny was right over my shoulder telling me to calm down. Pulling the neck out was especially traumatizing. Handling the turkey was my least favorite part. We both concluded that if we had to kill our own food, we would live off nuts and berries.
When the turkey had about an hour left, I started making everything else. The dough for the rolls was rising in the bread machine, Johnny mixed up the stuffing and chopped up the sweet potatoes, and I made the corn pudding. The temperature inside our tiny apartment with everything cooking had to have been close to 80. It was SO hot. We were sweating and running around like crazy.
Johnny was in charge of carving the turkey, of course. I was done with that thing. We cooked it in a large disposable aluminum roasting pan, and as soon as Johnny began carving, the knife went through the bottom of the aluminum. Suddenly turkey juice was spilling all over the counter and floor. It was absolute chaos in our apartment for a few moments there.
By the time dinner rolled around, we were so exhausted and we had so much food. At one point, Johnny said, "Jo, this is enough food to feed my entire family." Our dinner was super yummy, and then we both crashed afterward for about an hour. When we woke up, we enjoyed pie and ice cream.
It was a wonderful day, and it gave me so much appreciation for all the moms who cook dinner for their families each year. I was so thankful that Johnny helped me the whole time. I couldn't have done it without him! Next year if we're alone again, we may simplify things a bit :)
7 comments:
It looks amazing! That is totally how it was for us last year. We ate Thanksgiving dinner every meal for like a week. And I made Nate handle the bird--that part was awful!
It was crazy, but it's also a really fun memory.
INTENSE!! You did a fantastic job with the two of you! I understand the trauma of turkey handling, though. Touching that raw turkey neck and gizzards for the first time really is traumatizing. Then you realize why we all like to eat boneless skinless chicken breast. :)
After making Thanksgiving dinners for the last two years, I can relate to the turkey juice spilling everywhere. Nice work!
Those rolls and pie look soooo good! I am suddenly really hungry... :)
Congrats on your first Thanksgiving! It's so ridiculous that we cook for HOURS to eat the meal in like 30 minutes. But hey, it's tradition, right?
Hahahahaha I am laughing imagining you guys stressing out over your dinner. I can totally picture it! Haha. I love you guys. And if it makes you feel better we also had a little mishap with the carving knife puncturing the bottom of the aluminum pan. Crisis mode!
Your pics of the food looked delicious though! I bet you are still eating leftovers! ;)
What a fun memory you made! Everything looks delicious and I remember those rolls from last year. YUM!
Post a Comment