‘Twas the Night Before Thanksgiving

‘Twas the night before Thanksgivin’, and all through the kitchen,
all the creatures were stirring…well, all except this black kitten.

black kitten 

The pumpkin French toast casserole was pre-prepped with care…

pumpkin French toast casserole

…the scents of pumpkin, cinnamon, and brown sugar thick in the air. 

A few eats were prepared for the big day ahead –
pumpkin cheesecake along with whole grain- and cornbread.

pumpkin cheesecake, whole grain bread, cornbread

With the turkey in brine and the food in Saran wrap,
I settled my brain for an overnight nap. 

In the morning, I arose with a half-asleep stagger,
but my coffee-filled penguin and French toast casserole soon cleared up the matter.

penguin coffee mug  pumpkin French toast casserole

Of importance, the Macy’s parade was utmost,
and when Santa brought up the rear, we cheered with a toast.

champagne + pomegranate juice

A pom-champagne spritzer eased all our troubles
as we watched the small arils dance up and down on the bubbles. 

When the drink was all gone and my senses came back,
I prepared lunch – a finger-food snack.

cheese, crackers, crudites

With more food in my belly and a plan in my head,
here came the moment I had begun to dread. 

Several dishes I had planned and some even started,
but roasting a turkey is not for the fainthearted!

Now turkey! Now cranberry! Now sweet potato mash!
On dressing! On casserole! On stress-induced hot flash!

 kitchen prep

To the top of the stove, to the back of the oven!
Now cook away, roast away, bake it with lovin’!

With impatience we regarded our impending feast;
The wait was too tough on these little beasts.

kittens napping

Impatience turned to boredom for this domestic dame;
I made some more coffee and whupped Mom in a game.

Scrabble

A few hours later, as dinnertime drew near
The bird was de-ovened, oven mitts donned with cheer

roasted turkey!

The gravy was whisked and the casseroles were baked
And against our wishes, Lucky’s claim was staked.

Lucky on the table

What to do when your dining room/kitchen’s being renovated?
A card table does the trick, as above he has demonstrated!

The casseroles, how they glistened; the table decor – how merry!
All from scratch, we had pea and asparagus

pea and asparagus casserole

sweet potato

sweet potato casserole with Halloween marshmallows

dressing

dressing

…and cranberry!

cranberry jell-o salad

Some chardonnay and candlelight accented the meal

DSC_1341

“Thanksgiving is here!!” I began to squeal.

Though the cheesecake was cracked, I had not a care

cracked pumpkin cheesecake 
Hope y’all had a great Thanksgiving in Blogland out there!