Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving is one of my favorite holidays.  What could be bad about a holiday where you can eat all day and not worry about calories?  When I was young I would love to wake up to the smell of the cooking turkey and the Macy’s Day Parade on the television.  When my parents moved to Melbourne Beach, Florida, I hosted Thanksgiving each year.  It did get hectic a few times, especially the year when the septic tank backed up, the kids were sick and a few guests were added on at the last minute.  My mom and I got smarter each year by hiring a cleaning lady, ordering pizza the night before and having the septic tank cleaned out more often .    We always managed to have a great time and inevitably my dad would say, “Good job,” to my mom and I.  Our feet were always in pain by the end of the night so to this day when our feet are really tired we say we have “Thanksgiving Feet”!  Now we head up to Melbourne Beach and my sister Mary does the hosting.  There’s always plenty to go around, even for my brother-in-law, Andy who falls asleep within five minutes of leaving the table.

To make Thanksgiving a little easier, here’s a recipe for mashed potatoes that you can make a day or two  ahead of time and then heat them up in the oven.  They are not for the calorie counting, but they are delicious and really, who wants to count calories on Thanksgiving?   My friend,  Jennifer requested them so everyone is not in the kitchen helping with the potatoes at the last minute and they get to the table piping hot.