Growing up in my house food equals love. Both of my parents are great cooks. So were my grandparents. And I do a pretty good job myself when I make the time for it. This year, I was really looking forward to cooking dinner from scratch. But surprise, surprise, COVID threw a wrench in our plans for a special, family-filled Thanksgiving at home.
But we decided not to let that stop us. We were still going to make the big, fancy dinner and drive plates to the people we love. We’d still make the punch and the bread and the big turkey. It would be simpler, probably a little more relaxed, but we were going to do it. And I’d still photograph it all like the big deal it still got to be. Here’s a little photo story of how our day went.
The days leading up:
This was our first attempt at making dinner for Thanksgiving at home. We prepped pretty much everything but our turkey Tuesday and Wednesday. Our menu included goat cheese mashed potatoes, spiced cranberry sauce, apple crisp, fresh pumpkin pie, cranberry vodka punch, brussel sprout salad, green bean casserole and my grandma’s stuffing (which always require a Facetime with mom & dad to get right.)
The morning of:
We prepped the turkey, ate some Thanksgiving morning cinnamon rolls and crammed our oven full of delicious dishes. It was also pure chaos and had me questioning why I decided to do it all myself in the first place. And MAJOR props to any of your reading this who made Thanksgiving dinner with your kids around. You deserve a medal and all of the vodka punch your heart desires.
Time to eat:
Dinner was honestly incredible. I’ve always loved cooking, but never made a meal quite like this. The turkey was moist and so good that I would eat it every week if I could. The stuffing had just the right amount of sage. The cranberry sauce was spicy enough that my old faithful can of cranberry jelly stayed put in my pantry. Totally worth the chaos of that morning.
After we ate, we packed up meals for my boyfriend’s mom & dad and a longtime friend of mine. And yes, the vodka punch was definitely included in our deliveries…
(And of course, some we gave some love and turkey to our fur baby Bubs.)
The finale:
We ended our Thanksgiving at home on a sweet (in every sense of the word) note. With puppy love and pie for my boyfriend’s mom and dad outside at a bonfire. It was the perfect way to end our day, that was simple and wonderful just as it was.
This year has been weird. You don’t need me to tell you that. It’s been lonely and felt like life has been moving in slow motion. We’ve all had plans changed (hello, 2020 brides!). We are all missing people we loved. And we’re all hoping this is the last holiday season that feels this weird and lonely. Know that wherever you are, I’m sending you a hug.
And a nudge to try the recipes I linked here. I promise they all taste like holidays and love.
