Thursday, November 22, 2012

An All Day Affair: Thanksgiving Prep

TheOccasionist, AllDayCooking6

One thing I love about Thanksgiving is waking up in the morning, turning on the oven, and using it all day.  There are so many dishes to make, the kitchen becomes a stage and the cooks become performers dancing between one another, juggling knives and balancing pans.
This probably sounds absolutely dreadful to some though.  I happen to enjoy cooking, and have prepared Thanksgiving dinner with seasoned cooks who know the kitchen we use together and are organized and thoughtful about sharing the space.  However, I know that preparing the Thanksgiving meal can be a pretty stressful event.  So I like to think of it as a whole day of celebration rather than putting all the focus on the meal.  For me it begins with the preparation: Planning the menu, doing the grocery shopping, assigning tasks, beginning to cook, lots of pots of tea which melt into glasses of wine as the time comes to actually eat.
What are your Thanksgiving traditions besides the eating part?  A walk in the woods?  The Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade?  A quiet breakfast at your favorite diner?  Whatever you do on Thanksgiving, remember that the meal itself is only a fraction of the occasion and that there are many ways to make it memorable.

TheOccasionist, AllDayCooking7
Preparations begin with plenty of tea on hand

TheOccasionist, AllDayCooking1

TheOccasionist, AllDayCooking2
Caramel popcorn

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Rolling the chocolate chile truffles

TheOccasionist, AllDayCooking5 by ElizabethVanBuren
Two sauces: Pecan-chile sauce and Roasted chile-pumpkin seed salsa

Can you guess what our theme is this year?  .... Southwest Thanksgiving!



   

1 comment:

  1. Mmmm! Looks delish! Can't wait to see pictures of the whole meal!

    One of our thanksgiving traditions is drinking prosecco and toasting our dear friends in NYC!

    -Karina

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