I love that many of you come back here at Thanksgiving time, year after year, to look up fave Thanksgiving recipes, to schedule out your prep with my Thanksgiving planning guide, to see how much salt to rub into the bird, and when (today for me – I’m late!). I do the same myself.
It’s kind of funny, isn’t it, how we’re old friends here, from the long-lost glory days of food blogs. Way back in the day when scrolling through low-res food porn from people’s actual homes was our online excitement. So quaint and wholesome.
Back in 2012, I wrote in my Thanksgiving meal planning post,
“Thanksgiving, with its focus on gratitude and a generous meal with loved ones, is easily my favorite holiday of the year. In contrast with the frenzied, materialistic rush that Christmas has become, Thanksgiving is a day to slow down and be grateful for all that we have (at least until Black Friday sales start at midnight).”
Hilarious. Now Black Friday sales start the minute Halloween ends. My kids scroll through 20 TikTok videos in the time it would have taken to read a blog post in the old days. Sometimes I’m not sure if we’re swimming in abundance or being blasted with a firehose.
In complex times, I’m increasingly focused on simplicity. I try to be smarter about where I put my effort for Thanksgiving so that I can be a more relaxed, engaged participant, not harried family caterer. I’m more aware of the preciousness of these gatherings. The older generation is getting more frail. The younger generation now drops in from college for a too-brief holiday visit. A meal with everyone together is a rare event to celebrate and cherish. I remind myself to slow down.
These days, my streamlined Thanksgiving employs the slow cooker for stuffing and the Instant Pot for autopilot mashed potatoes. Stashing the stuffing in the Crock Pot frees up valuable oven space, and I’m able to make the dish and cross it off my prep list much earlier in the day. Mashed potatoes are still one of the last dishes to be completed, but I can cut the potatoes, cover them with water, and set the pressure cooker aside until I hit the start button hours later for hands-free cooking. I pour out the water and then do a quick hand mash in the Instant Pot bowl with butter, hot milk, salt and pepper. Usually I’ll just leave the two dishes in their appliances for serving, which helps keep them warm.
I admit I still have a high bar for real food, and I resist trading convenience for health. But I’m trying to give myself more breathing room. For years my whole family would head out Thanksgiving morning without me to play flag football with several families, good friends and their kids. I always stayed home to cook. But the last couple years I’ve done my morning prep, including the Instant Pot and the slow cooker, and left home to socialize and watch the fun from the Turkey Bowl sidelines.
We’re particularly excited for this year’s game, which will be a reunion of core players on the Turkey Bowl roster who all went to college this fall. I will be there. I know I can’t slow time, but I’m trying to stretch the experience of my life by giving more attention to the present. …
