Happy Thanksgiving everyone!
Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday of the year; Jenn likes to refer to it as the “forgotten holiday.” I suppose, in a sense, she’s right. It seems that every year Christmas creeps into our lives a little earlier and earlier. Decorations appear in stores before the leaves start to change, the radio stations turn to an all Christmas format before the turkey is carved and houses seem to be trimmed with lights before the “black Friday” madness begins. I love the Christmas season as well, but as of late, by the time December 15th or so rolls around, and I’ve heard Andy Williams sing about the holiday season and how “he’ll be coming down the chimney, down” or how Paul McCartney is “simply having a wonderful Christmas time” for the 300th time each, I become a bit dismayed. But more on that later. My English teachers always said never to start a sentence with “but” or “and,” yet is seems to somehow work in this case…… I digress. Let’s get back to Thanksgiving!
It’s always been a tradition in my family to smoke the Thanksgiving turkey out on the Weber and this year will be no exception. When I was a kid, I couldn’t wait to get up early and help my Dad get the grill cleaned out and the coals going. My Mom would be in the kitchen getting the traditional polish meat stuffing geared up and the smell would be terrific. Dad would get the smoking chips soaking and then dress and stuff the bird. For me, Thanksgiving day was more exciting than Christmas morning just knowing that I’d get a chance to get outside in that crisp, Upstate NY, late November air and soon see and smell all of the wonder on that grill. It was kind of Norman Rockwell’ish in my eyes then and still is.
Dad knows how much I love to smoke the turkey ( and I know how much he loves to do it as well) and he’s kind enough every other year to let me have the honors….I do appreciate that, Dad, if you’re reading. Jenn’s mom lives in Texas, so we rotate holidays each year and Dad smokes the bird in the years I’m away.
So in the days ahead, I will be sharing the “the cooking of the bird” with you all on the blog as well as all of the other goodies that Jenn and I are going to make. We all know about Thanksgiving leftovers as well……….arrgghhh. What to do? So be on the lookout for Jenn and Gary’s “Top 3 Ways to Turn Thanksgiving Leftovers into an Ethic Meal.” Coming to the blog right after the holiday.
I hope you all enjoy the day and try not to let Thanksgiving be that “forgotten holiday.” Spend time with family, friends and other loved ones and reflect on and appreciate all that you have to be thankful for, from yesterday, today and for the future!
Happy Thanksgiving!
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