is it just me- or is thanksgiving a lot of work? does it strike anybody else as odd that we spends hours and days and even weeks planning and preparing for one single meal? isn’t that a bit ridiculous?
don’t get me wrong: i love the gratitude part of it and i love the “spending time with family” part of it and i really enjoy the cooking and eating part of it. but, like most things in my life, it just comes down to a bunch of work.
for a single meal.
i have spent the last 2 days:
- using and dirtying and cleaning {and using and dirtying and cleaning again} every single baking sheet (with sides: 3) and 9x13 pan (2) and roasting pan (1) and muffin tin (5) i own.
- cleaning and messing up and cleaning again and filling and cleaning again- every surface of my kitchen counters
- [unsuccessfully, at times] juggling the contents of 2 ovens
- doubling recipes that didn’t need to be doubled
- shaping roll after roll after roll of bread dough
- letting 2 {very large} batches of dough rise at the same time so that both were ready within about 5 minutes of each other and not having enough hands or time to shape both batches [grunt- what was i thinking?]
- with flour all over my front side and sugar and potato chunks under my feet
- listening to the boiling pots of potatoes overflowing onto my newly cleaned stovetop (sorry damon)
- putting to-be-rising rolls into what i thought was a “proofing-temperature” oven- only discover 30 minutes later it was a much hotter oven. [loud grunt]
- using every attachment (times 2- since i conveniently own 2 mixing bowls, 2 whisks, 2 kneaders, etc) to my mixer
- loading and unloading 6 dishwasher runs, with 1 left to go in the sink
- dropping a can of Pam on a pan of just-risen rolls. [really loud grunt]
- making room in my freezer and refrigerator to store all this food in
- sticking to the orange roll filling covering my entire island
- at the end of the day, feeling like i just started a major workout at the gym
and i’m only in charge of bringing the rolls and the mashed potatoes.
what {mess} are you in charge of making for thanksgiving?
Technorati Tags: thanksgiving
Whoa! How many people are going to be there? I'm making two kinds of cranberry sauce, pear gorgonzola salad, and my mom just informed me I was supposed to bring rolls. Is your recipe in the ward cookbook? I've never made homemade rolls before.
ReplyDeleteWhew! I'm exhausted from just reading your post. I have been cooking the entire Thanksgiving dinner for my family for for 23 years. These days I have simplified things a little and no one seems to even notice that the pumpkin pie is store bought as is the cranberry sauce and Costco makes these great big bags of rolls that freeze beautifully. There is still that awful mess to clean, but just a little less of it, which means more family time :) and even though the table is dressed to the nines we eat Thanksgiving dinner in our jammies & the various guest that we have each year do the same. Have a wonderful relaxing Thanksgiving Barry family, you deserve it!
ReplyDeleteWow, you're amazing! I haven't even started cooking for my dinner, and I have to cook the whole thing! I just realized, mmm, maybe I should start thawing my turkey!?! I'm totally stressed, and sometimes, I too wonder, "why do we do this to our selves"? Hope you all have a wonderful Thanksgiving!
ReplyDeleteI'm getting away with sweet potatoes and a big tossed salad this year (and I'm even cheating a little on that and just doctoring up a big bag of Costco salad with some spinach, romaine lettuce and tomatoes). Cooking is one of the chores of being a wife and mother than I actually enjoy, but when it comes to huge quantities it starts to lose its charm. Your rolls look delicious! And if your cooking is anything like Brooke's I'm sure they taste as good as they look! Happy Thanksgiving!
ReplyDeleteBut the orange rolls are sooooooo worth it!!
ReplyDeletei'm with trina. maybe i should start even thinking about my thanksgiving dinner. the menu is yet to be decided. the mess is definitely a downer. hope you are recovered by thursday.
ReplyDeleteSeriously? Wow.
ReplyDeleteHere's my Thanksgiving...
Invite mom over (who will bring sweet potato something, rolls, and a dessert).
Call Sprouts and order their gourmet dinner for 8. To be picked up 2 hours prior to finish cooking at home.
Shop Costco for Martinelli's and egg nog.
Consider playing in the Thanksgiving Day Turkey Bowl (flag football).
Watch football on TV.
Sleep.
It doesn't have to be *that* hard.
Matt, are you seriously considering playing in the turkey bowl?? You'll have to amend your holiday list to cross off picking up the meal, eating, watching football, etc. You could substitute "spend the day at the ER" or "wrap ankle and lay on the couch all afternoon".
ReplyDeleteYUMMY!! homemade rolls are the best.
ReplyDeleteYes, I indeed feel your pain. I'm in charge of the turkey, gravy, stuffing, cranberry sauce x2, desserts x3. And like you, don't even mention all the dishes I have used, washed, used and washed again. I haven't hosted for a major holiday before...I'm a little stressed. I will however, have all my prep work done by today. That feels good. Then I can enjoy the parade in the morning. Happy Thanksgiving Berry Family!
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ReplyDeleteumm, I'm all for Rhodes Rolls. They're pretty dang good. But good for you! Hopefully you're thanksgiving will be so wonderful that you'll forget all about the messes and stress of preparing for it. :) Isn't that how every holiday is? expensive, time consuming, messy... but we still love it.
ReplyDelete