stevenpiziks (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
stevenpiziks) wrote2023-11-23 01:29 pm
stevenpiziks) wrote2023-11-23 01:29 pm
Thanksgiving Prep 2023
When I was growing up, most of my family worked in hospitals as medical workers. Hospitals never close, and someone always had to work a given holiday. This led to a great deal of negotiation and fluidity in the family. Who has to work? Who's off? Who can make it? Who can't? We eventually developed the idea of having holidays =close= to the actual day and not necessarily on the day itself in order to maximize the number of people who could come. It also gave individual family members negotiating power. ("Sure, I'll work on Thanksgiving, but I want the following Friday and Saturday off in return.")
This tradition has continued now, even though the family has branched into other fields. Aran works at a casino, and he works every Thursday, even holiday Thursdays. Max works in security, and the same applies to him. My sister lives out of state, and she discovered that the airports are dead on Thanksgiving Day, making travel effortless but also making it difficult to appear at an afternoon dinner event.
So we've been doing Thanksgiving on Friday.
And I love it.
We have Thanksgiving at my house, and while I'm good at putting dinner together, it's also difficult. I work the rest of the week, including Wednesday, and Thanksgiving week at school is always fraught. Especially lately. The students (who are still showing the after-effects of the pandemic--immaturity, poor social skills, etc.) are more difficult to deal with than usual just before long weekends, and the marking period is coming to an end, so all the grading has to stay caught up. It makes for an exhausting three days at work--and I still have to prep for a major party. But Friday Thanksgiving is great! I have all day Thursday to prepare, it's way more relaxed, and after the gathering, I still have a full weekend to enjoy. Cool!
The prep began last weekend, of course, with the shopping. The main grocery store down here is chronically short on workers--they don't pay market-level wages--so the lines are long even on regular days. Pre-holiday times are way worse. But I soldiered through it and got everything home. I love having a garage again! In Michigan, November is cold enough to use it as a giant refrigerator, and you don't have to worry about finding space for all the extra food.
Tuesday after work, I made pirgai--Latvian rolls stuffed with ham and onion, then set out bread so it could go stale for stuffing. That was enough for the day! :)
Wednesday after work, I made the pumpkin pies and a batch of dessert piragi (stuffed with Nutella instead of ham), and I dry-brined the turkey. And that was all.
Thursday (today), I did the rest of the prep. I peeled potatoes and sweet potatoes and set them in pots of cold water. I peeled and sliced apples and baked an apple pie. I chopped bread into cubes and mixed it with melted butter and spices for stuffing. I set up my timetable for tomorrow's cooking and prep. And that was all.
Tomorrow, I basically just have to put everything on the stove or in the oven in time to eat at 2:00. And now I have the rest of the day off. It's lovely.
Happy Thanksgiving!
This tradition has continued now, even though the family has branched into other fields. Aran works at a casino, and he works every Thursday, even holiday Thursdays. Max works in security, and the same applies to him. My sister lives out of state, and she discovered that the airports are dead on Thanksgiving Day, making travel effortless but also making it difficult to appear at an afternoon dinner event.
So we've been doing Thanksgiving on Friday.
And I love it.
We have Thanksgiving at my house, and while I'm good at putting dinner together, it's also difficult. I work the rest of the week, including Wednesday, and Thanksgiving week at school is always fraught. Especially lately. The students (who are still showing the after-effects of the pandemic--immaturity, poor social skills, etc.) are more difficult to deal with than usual just before long weekends, and the marking period is coming to an end, so all the grading has to stay caught up. It makes for an exhausting three days at work--and I still have to prep for a major party. But Friday Thanksgiving is great! I have all day Thursday to prepare, it's way more relaxed, and after the gathering, I still have a full weekend to enjoy. Cool!
The prep began last weekend, of course, with the shopping. The main grocery store down here is chronically short on workers--they don't pay market-level wages--so the lines are long even on regular days. Pre-holiday times are way worse. But I soldiered through it and got everything home. I love having a garage again! In Michigan, November is cold enough to use it as a giant refrigerator, and you don't have to worry about finding space for all the extra food.
Tuesday after work, I made pirgai--Latvian rolls stuffed with ham and onion, then set out bread so it could go stale for stuffing. That was enough for the day! :)
Wednesday after work, I made the pumpkin pies and a batch of dessert piragi (stuffed with Nutella instead of ham), and I dry-brined the turkey. And that was all.
Thursday (today), I did the rest of the prep. I peeled potatoes and sweet potatoes and set them in pots of cold water. I peeled and sliced apples and baked an apple pie. I chopped bread into cubes and mixed it with melted butter and spices for stuffing. I set up my timetable for tomorrow's cooking and prep. And that was all.
Tomorrow, I basically just have to put everything on the stove or in the oven in time to eat at 2:00. And now I have the rest of the day off. It's lovely.
Happy Thanksgiving!