#86 Low Key. Less Stress
Well, not exactly our complete pajamas.
We gave a nod to formality by putting on nice shirts.
But below the dinner table it was comfort all the way with polar fleece and slippers.
The goal this year was a low stress holiday and I think we managed it pretty well. It helped that our gathering was very small – just immediate family – and no one had to travel on the day. Just roll out of bed and engage with food prep and food consumption.
And post-feast couch coma.
Another great reducer of angst was the ditching of the turkey.
For as small a gathering as we were having, a giant bird in the middle of the table seemed like overkill. (Pun intended.) Plus, we have a vegetarian in the family, reducing the ensuing consumption of turkey leftovers by an entire stomach.
It's amazing how taking that turkey out of the equation lowers the general stress of the day – especially when it comes to allocating oven space and figuring out baking schedules.
Thanksgiving turkey is the diva of the kitchen, pushing its way past all side dishes and desserts to dominate the oven for hours. I can see why people are willing to risk life and limb - moving the thing outside and attempting to deep fry it in the driveway.
Having a vegetarian in the mix meant less meat.
But it didn’t mean no meat.
We swapped the turkey for a delicious dish of chicken marsala with pine nuts. Slathered in a flavorful brown sauce, it fills both the gravy and poultry requirements nicely without a lot of waste and drama.
This was not our first foray into non-traditional Thanksgiving food.
Years ago, we eighty-sixed the candied sweet potatoes (I could never get more than two people to eat them anyway) and replaced them with a tasty spicy sweet potato soup. (Not only does this recipe free up more oven time, it can be made the day before and reheated.)
And canned cranberry glop was shown the door. We now honor cranberries by adding the dried berries to the green salad and to our homemade bread.
But really the nicest thing about the day wasn’t the food. It was being together and carving out an entire day off. The hubby and I are both self-employed so we work pretty much seven days a week. Twenty-four hours without a deadline is hard to come by and a real treat.
Oh, two other things.
First, we cocooned ourselves away from social notifications and news and politics and general hubbub.
It was heaven.
Secondly, my husband casually mentioned that, once upon a time, his grandfather offered us a giant dining room table and chairs, including a chair with a bullet hole in it.
I have no memory of this offer.
And now I need to get to the bottom of this bullet hole story.
Details to come if I get them.
Copyright© 2024 Anne Morse Hambrock All rights reserved.
Oh, Christmas Tree…
Christmas trees are magical.
I don’t mean that in the Hallmark movie awe and wonder sense.
I mean it in the “Christmas trees have the ability to magically fling needles into every room of my house” sense.
I am not kidding when I tell you that those pine needles keep turning up in unexpected places all year long.
I’m not sure if this is a statement on my housekeeping skills or if there is something deeper going on.
Maybe mice shuttle them about when I’m asleep.
We just brought home the tree for this year, making it impossible to tell from this point forward if the next needles I find are new or old.
Disappointments
Speaking of vacuums, these two have joined the ranks of “what was I thinking?”
The handheld unit was an Aldi find and, at $25 it was overpriced by about $24 dollars. Because it has the suction power of an asthmatic.
The Roomba does its best but is simply overwhelmed by the quantity of hair produced by the two double coated dogs - one of whom is a 100 lb collie.
By the time I have repeatedly emptied the little chamber and unwound hair from all the little moving parts I could have vacuumed my whole house with the big Kenmore beast.
Plus, if I wanted to get my hands that dirty I could just scoop the damn fur up off the floor myself.
Tomatoes again
These are truly the last of the garden tomatoes and the paper bag ripening trick is working just fine! The nice big red one was totally green when I picked it.
Soothing Music
A track from my album Round & Round for your “dialing things down” pleasure.
And a nice image to look at while you listen :-)
Christmas Trees
Thanksgiving weekend is when we traditionally put up our trees - a real one and a fake one.
The fake one was a thrift store find a few years ago for $20. At that price I happily took the three hours required to cut off all the old non-functioning lights (welded to the tree in copious amounts by some poor factory worker) and added my own.
I love that our trees feature an eclectic assortment of ornaments from ages past, including lots of homemade family ones.
A bit of trivia, the fake tree sheds as many needles as the real one. Doubling my vacuuming duties.
Holiday Gifting!
Shopping season is here!
These books make great holiday gifts!
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Trees look nice! I appreciate our poor beleaguered roomba but would not buy again. It helps with the dust and hair but murders itself over dog toys and my husband’s wayward shoes all the time - poor thing never stood a chance.
Your description of the Aldi vacuum literally made me laugh out loud. So funny and relatable. Thanks!