A Thanksgiving Feast with the Fam

This isn't a post about food, it's a post about family and friends, eating food. For many of us these days, simply seeing family means getting on a plane and traveling for hours. My short commute to Cleveland from Chicago is cake compared to what some others do. My cousin Sarah, for example, travels from NYC to San Fran to be with family, and all for a Tofurkey (do you cook a real turkey Aunt Pat?). My good friend, Kendra, only sends love to the States from the Gold Cost (see you in 2 weeks, friend!!!) and shares the holiday spirit with her new Aussi friends and family. So you see, this post truly is about friends and family, food is only the glue that brings us together for this holiday.

Brian was lucky enough to get to come home and spend some QT with the Platzbecker clan. Dad probably could use some men around the house anyways....

A holiday tradition at the Platzbecker home, Bloody Mary's brought to you by the man of the house himself. He really outdid himself this year with shrimpies, pickles, peppers, chives, and a liquid concoction only he knows about. It's a real necessity for the cooks that slave in the kitchen all day (okay we all chipped in). And we realistically would have had them even if we weren't cooking.

As you admire the wonderful spread of Brussels sprouts, from-scratch green bean casserole, homemade cranberry sauce and fluffy biscuits, you might be wondering, well where is the picture of the turkey? It's a good question. Well let me tell you, the meat from the turkey literally fell of the carcass before any pictures could be had. Brine my friends. Brine away. That turkey was so juicy and delicious, the meat fell right off the bones. 

At dinner, we of course gave thanks for the wonderful lives we all pursue in Arizona (little sis moved way far west for a great job), Chicago (where me and the baby sister reside), and good old Medina (the place we all call home). Mom couldn't deal with us all talking about being thankful for family and such, and made us stop so she wouldn't cry (you can't eat when you're crying). She reverted to jokes instead and said she was thankful for "not being a conjoined twin". Oh, Mom.

Debatably the best part of my trip home was the satchel of goodies I emerged with. Dad pack us turkey, cranberry, cheese and horseradish sandwiches for the car ride home, and I had a bag FILLED with spices (a giant jar of saffron!), dried mushrooms, rice and sauces. A good friend of the family, Julie, works for a major food company as an ingredient taster! So what does that mean for everyone in her life? Tons of leftover product from suppliers! Thank you for all my wonderful goodies, Julie! I'll be cooking up a storm with dried mushrooms in the coming weeks :)