Early Wednesday Thanksgiving

Our holiday celebrations are now scheduled around my brother's family. Everybody works and most of their schedules are variable. My niece works for the hotel industry so she often has to work during the holidays.

Last year, we celebrated Thanksgiving on the Saturday after Thanksgiving. This year, we celebrated Thanksgiving a day early.

I bought a super large 23.5 pound turkey and read that it would take 6-6.5 hours of roasting time.

I was reading Gigi's post when the turkey had been in the oven for 5 hours. Her post made me go down and check on the turkey. It was already done!!! Good grief! Thanks Gigi! It was even a little overdone, but we salvaged it by basting it a lot. I really think the brining helped it retain the moisture.

Everybody began arriving with their wonderful dishes. My nephew and his wife brought a tomato-mozzrella-basil insalata caprese dish that I haven't seen served in Hawaii. I loved it on the mainland. They also prepared sauteed mushrooms which were scrumptious.

My sister-in-law really worked her fingers to the bone making a macaroni salad, yams and mashed potatoes. She always has that task since she's Irish.

This was one of the rare times that mom did not cook anything. I told her she should take a rest. She wasn't thrilled about that. She said it was boring not to take part. Therefore, next time, it is dully noted that she will not be standing in the side lines.

She did LOVE sampling everybody's creations in the buffet line though.

Art says my eyes were bigger than my tummy again. I took too much and had a hard time finishing my plate.

Everything was wonderful!

Here's mom, nephews, niece and brother, Dennis.


Then Dennis took over the camera and got us all in. There was a better shot, but our family has a lot of blinkers.


Art cut the pumpkin pie he made and the chocolate bundt cake that I baked.


I love how my three nephews have such a strong affection for each other. Their brother Shawn could not be with us because he was working in Waikiki.


Dennis and Nancy did most of the clean-up and when everybody left, there was not a dirty dish in sight. Everything was put away or divided so that we would all have a lot of left-overs for tomorrow's meal.

Happy Thanksgiving, everybody! I'm getting ready for Black Friday. Somebody is going to get those Costco truffles for sure!

Happy Thanksgiving, Everybody!

I read this article last week in the Honolulu Advertiser about brining your turkey. I've brined before so I think I'll brine again on Black Friday night. Art isn't totally sold on brining yet. He's not really positive it makes THAT much difference. I do. Maybe I didn't do it well the last time but I'm not giving up yet.

I have a 16 pound turkey. I paid $3.97 for it. No kidding! How you cook your turkey in the U.S. is serious business. Some people deep fry their turkey in oil. I've even heard of doing your turkey in an outdoor grill. Some locals take their turkey to a Hawaiian imu (underground oven). Not me. Roasting a turkey in the kitchen oven is challenging enough.

I just read that you should prepare your stuffing separately and not put it in your turkey because it isn't as safe to do so. Hmmm... I didn't know that. We'll make some gravy which is always tricky for me. I'm the worst gravy maker. Sigh...

I'll also prepare cranberries. Yup! Right from the can.

Art will bake the pumpkin pie. He does it every year. His mother happened to be the best pie baker on the Big Island and sold her pies at their shop in Honokaa. I'm glad she taught him a thing or three.

That's the menu so far. We'll see what else we come up with. We used to always have a broccoli casserole because that's what my daughter insisted we have every year. Since she's in Illinois right now, I'm not sure we'll be having that. But then again, who knows? My brother's family will be bringing some broiled veggies and the potatoes and yams.

Happy Thanksgiving, everybody!!! We'll be having ham today since our real Thanksgiving will be on Saturday. What are you having?

Thanksgiving Memories

It's a different Thanksgiving this year. When we moved to Illinois we had no family close by. Our family was all in Hawaii and California. New Chicago friends warmly included us in their festivities. Moving into our first house we met our neighbors Peggy and Jim and they made us part of their family. I was heartbroken when they moved away.

Another family moved into the same house and we again became part of a calabash family. Bill and Caroline are anthropologists in African Studies and for a couple of decades we alternated Thanksgivings in each other's houses. They often invited interesting, world aware guests who added a lot of spice and knowledge to our full Thanksgiving table.

But now it's our turn to have moved away and I understand that Bill and Caroline and their children are all in different locations around the country and our two children are in the Midwest and Southwest and we are here in Hawaii.

However, for the first time we've got my mother, brother, sister-in-law and nephews for the holidays and that is something I'm looking forward to. I'm missing Bill and Caroline, Peggy and Jim and all their children but I guess life brings changes. This Thanksgiving I'm thankful for the friendships we've had even though we have to sustain them from far away and I'm thankful for our family and friends here who are opening up their lives to welcome us in. If the airfares go down far enough maybe someday some of those friends and Tif and Jon could come for Thanksgiving and we could have a Thanksgiving of our old and new lives brought together. Now that would be something indeed!