Thank Goodness!

Last year, Mike, Cam, and I cooked Thanksgiving dinner for the staff and their family members at Mike's employer's establishment . It was one of the BEST Thanksgivings I've ever had. I got to spend the day in a commercial kitchen with the two people I love most, doing what I believe Thanksgiving is all about - sharing with others.

The response we got was overwhelming and heartwarming. Everyone loved the food and many of the staff would not have had any sort of traditional Thanksgiving dinner had we not spent our day doing what we did.

*SIDE NOTE* I got EXTREMELY inebriated the night before, and about 4 hours into the meal preparation I sobered up and got one hell of a hangover. Don't try that at home kids!

This year will be different. Mike may still carry on his workplace tradition, but Cam and I will not be a part of that.

As such, I decided that I wanted to cook Thanksgiving dinner for my mom and Cam this year - in my new place - making new memories/traditions. My break-up with Mike is still very fresh and raw, and rather than wallow in my own misery (trust me, wallowing would be my preference), I've decided to use vodka distraction as a coping mechanism.

The challenge? Planning/cooking Thanksgiving dinner for three people without going overboard, and working in a VERY small kitchen.

Off to Pinterest I went. Originally I thought I'd just cook a turkey breast, but then my mom let me know she likes dark meat *surprise ... surprise* The one thing that will FUCK UP my Thanksgiving holiday is giving my mother less than what she wants. Turkey breast off the menu - plan B in effect.

Fresh green beans (not that NASTY green bean casserole) were also on my menu. Ran that one by Cam and he wrinkled his nose. When I asked him what his vegetable of choice was, I got a solid "CORN"! Green beans off the menu - plan C in effect.

Oh! And then there was dessert. Pumpkin pie? Cheesecake? Sweet potato pie? Nope! None of those were acceptable - looks like it will be apple pie.

This is what my Thanksgiving Menu looked like yesterday ...

That's clearly not going to do. Time to implement plan B ... C ... D ... oh goodness! I don't know what plan I'm on!

Today I finalized the menu. We will be having:

• Slow Cooker Turkey
• Pork Sausage Stuffing (a bit of an alteration to this recipe)
• Garlic mashed potatoes (no recipe needed for these)
• Sauteed Corn
• Creamy Garlic Mashed Potatoes
• Gravy (yes I make mine from scratch)
• Cranberry Sauce
• Lime Fluff (I have a severe aversion to Jell-O salads, but this is a family tradition. I just need to suck it up!
• Black olives (it isn't Thanksgiving if you don't have black olives stuffed on the end of each of your fingers)
• Dinner rolls (most likely these)
• And of course? Apple pie!

I'm kind of excited to be doing this. I need to create new memories/traditions. I can't do that if I don't *do* it!