The kitchen was always alive with chatter from the family matriarchs who’d settled into their roles as Thanksgiving chefs on the eve of “The Feast.” I can still smell the blended aromas wafting through the house: Grandmother’s sweet potato pie, Great Aunt Thelma’s candied yams and Great Aunt Queen’s peach cobbler, all competing with the savory cornbread dressing Mom had simmering in the ancient, electric turkey slow cooker, accented by the sizzle of the bacon-seasoned collard greens “pot liquor” dripping onto the over-worked and over-heated stove top. My senses were in overdrive as I observed this well-choreographed Thanksgiving pageantry.
This is the memory of my childhood Thanksgivings. All, except my mother, have passed on. And, while I had access to the most amazing southern food home chefs, I never quite learned how to cook southern food. Therefore, my home is the least popular destination for Thanksgiving dinners as I always make healthier food choices (less fat, salt and sugar), which are not very popular with my Southern family. This year I’m trying something new: Thanksgiving Brunch at a local restaurant.
Opentable.com is the resource I used to find a restaurant that could accommodate 12 people, at a reasonable price, for a Thanksgiving Brunch. This way, I’ll prevent being subjected to the family enquiry: are you making a real Thanksgiving dinner this time? Then subsequently, having tons of leftovers, as relatives tend to stay away (Martha Stewart doesn’t work for my crew). Yet, I love my family just the same. I’ll provide details later.
If you want to shake it up a little and do something entirely new, say… NOT SHOP, COOK or CLEAN, go to OpenTable.com and find a restaurant (in your price range) to cook for you and your family. Simply click on the Thanksgiving 2010 Special Menu Details then click “Find a Table”.
If you’d like the intimacy of having dinner in your home without having to prep or cook as much, your local grocery stores offer “prepared” or “ready to cook” meals, so reserve your meals if you haven’t already as they sell fast.
Whichever way you choose to celebrate, have a safe and Happy Thanksgiving.
HAPPY NOSHING!
