thanksgiving!

So, I've been having kinda a downer week, for no reason in particular. I knew i needed to cheer myself up, so i've thrown myself whole-heartedly into thanksgiving preparations. Karen and i are co-hosting a thanksgiving dinner on weds. night, and have been preparing for the past couple days. We've been on a supply hunt for specialty items in the grocery stores for about two weeks now (2 hour grocery shopping trips really are quite fun!) We've found most of the stuff we need, with the exception of the things you really can only find in America, like cranberry sauce, pie pans/crust, and pumpkin. We're ersatzing most of the stuff we can't find here, so it should still be quite yummy. I decided to buy turkey breasts instead of whole turkeys, as they are much easier to prepare, and don't require as much space to store/cook. We've been assembling our menu for the past couple days, and i finally put it all together, and have started! I made a brine bath for the turkeys with apple cider and a ton of spices, and the turkeys have been in there since last night. Those are going to get roasted tomorrow. The menu is:

Mashed potatoes with roasted garlic
Pureed Cauliflower with herbs de Provence
Karen's special Salad
Stuffing with roasted chestnuts
Lemon-Rosemary-Olive stuffed turkey
Bacon-Sage-Cider stuffed turkey,
some cider gravy (mmmm)
apple pie
cranberry sauce (ish)
plus, lots of alcohol.

I'm going to be spending most of the next 30 hours in the kitchen, and i can't wait. Sometimes i wonder why it is that i really want to be a chef, and then i remember the feeling i get when i'm in the kitchen, making stuff for other people. Its extremely calming for me to be in control of all the different aspects of preparing something(s), and really centers me. It reminds me of all the time i spent in the kitchen with my mom, standing on a stool (the one with strawberries) so that i could actually see the top of the stove, and "helping" to cook things. Mostly, i was making a mess, and eating ingredients out of the pot. :D I guess doing this whole big thanksgiving feast is the one way i can be close to my family during this season, and stave off the homesickness until they get here in a few weeks. This will be my first thanksgiving away from the family, and its strange to me to think that i'm growing up, and starting to have my own life. (yikes) I'm starting my own traditions, (no more boiled potatoes!!) and branching out, but that doesn't mean that i don't miss the family, or the crazyness that always occurs when we're all together. This thanksgiving, i really will be giving thanks for my family and friends, good and bad memories, big dinners (with family, and college friends) and the people that surround me and keep me happy.
I hope everyone has a great thanksgiving, and enjoys it wherever they are. I will hopefully post pictures after the fact, and look forward to hearing from you all!

-seany:o)