The Pagan Mom Blog

So as I mentioned in several posts now, I don’t normally cook Turkey Day Dinner. Usually we go to the inlaws farm for the day and my mother in law does the cooking. This year however, Mr.P  offered to host dinner at our home. Not a biggie, I love cooking large meals to be honest. And this year proved how nice it was for a change of pace.

I know some people spend alot of time whining and crying about making a bunch of food for ungrateful people and how they wished they had the nerve to say “No”. This is not that kind of post. For starters my sis in law and her family did not come because they wanted to spend time with her hubby’s family since we are all going to be in Florida for Christmas. So I set about letting our friends know of our Open Door policy. Basically anyone wanting to get away from their family or had no plans could drop by. No pressure, come if you want and if you don’t….no hard feelings. As it was two of our friends decided to drop by. Mr. J brought a homemade pumpkin pie and a chocolate cream pie from J&S Cafeteria. If you have a J&S Cafeteria near you, run (do not walk) over and get a pie. They have the BEST pies ever! The pumpkin isn’t made with canned pumpkin, they gut the pumpkins themselves and grind everything up for their pie. So yea, he spoiled us! Mr. B came by and brought homemade brownies that I have yet to eat because I was so full I got nauseaus yesterday. It’s on today’s to-do list. I promise. And my mother inlaw made stuffing (oyster and plain) and her pumpkin pie.

I decided to go with my family tradition of eating at 2pm. I like it because I have more time to spend with family. Everyone showed up around 2:30 which is when dinner got done anyway lol. My mother in law likes a prayer before dinner so I had already talked to little man about him doing the prayer. Since he goes to a Baptist Daycare, I knew he knew a prayer or two. It was so freaking adorable. Here it is, if I remember it properly:

God our father, God our father
once again, once again
Thank you for our blessings, thank you for our blessings
Amen, Amen

It is sung to the tune of “Here is thumbkin” and little man says Oh Man for Amen lol. Anyhow, real heartfelt moment and my mother in law was thrilled with his prayer.

We sat for dinner which I had set up buffet style since our table is small. It’s funny but yesterday I was kinda stressed about our dishes not matching (we don’t have enough place settings for 6 adults and 3 kids) and wine glasses for cider not matching, and not enough table space. Kinda like I wasn’t “womanly” enough or something. But who the hell was paying attention with food in front of them? No one, that’s who!  We dug in and was pleased with the reactions. I had never made sweet potato casserole before and Mr. J & Mr. B were arguing over who got the last spoonful. My inlaws raved about my Spinach & Tomato Quiche and the Green Bean Casserole.  Everyone loved the cranberry sauce I had made and canned last year. There is none left so I am going to have to crack open another jar and warm it up today for leftovers lol.  After we ate, we sat and chatted. At some point I got up and grabbed the girls to start bringing in dishes so I could get them cleaned up. Our dishwasher is broke so I wanted a good jump on them before dessert. Normally my girls fight with me on not wanting to do dishes. Yesterday they fought over who got to help me and who did it better. Even little man came running into the kitchen to help (he put away silverware). Never had I thought I would be blogging about my children wanting to help clean up without threats of groundings and no dessert for the evening! In no time we were done and we started bringing in desserts to the dining room. My mother in law started admonishing me because she wasn’t helping. As far as I was concerned she cooked for the last 3 years so she deserved a break. I informed her of this and got a “but…you don’t have to do it all”. Mr.P spoke up with “Mom just sit down and enjoy dessert”. And she did happily. We dug in with renewed gusto and I am surprised anything is left. We cleaned up again and sat down to chat. My mother in law gushed about how lovely it all was and she hadn’t felt that relaxed in awhile on Thanksgiving day. We made the offer to alternate years. She wants to take it a step further and get my sister in law to host once in awhile as well. I like this idea, that way no one gets burned out on hosting a meal.

 It wasn’t long before people started to leave and that was good. Mr. P and I sat on the couch. Little man hopped up and curled next o me. Before we knew it, we fell asleep in a food induced coma. I think we woke up around 7:30. Dinner was the only time I ate yesterday. And it was all so good. I cannot wait for lunchtime and enjoy a turkey and cranberry sandwich. I am drooling just thinking about it.

Be Thankful For A Renewed Sense Of Life
I Am Dreaming Of A Green Christmas

I don’t usually cook Thanksgiving Dinner but this year we decided to invite the inlaws over. So commence the rushing around and pre-cooking. Yep, I pre-cook. Mostly because my stove is small and there isn’t much room in my kitchen anyway. So here is what I plan on making:

Turkey
Mashed Potatoes
Sweet Potato Casserole
Green Bean Casserole
Spinach & Dried Tomato Quiche
Herb Stuffing
Dinner Rolls
Turkey Gravy
Chicken Roaster for my mother in law (she is allergic to turkey)
Pecan Pie

My mother in law is bringing
Pumpkin Pie
Oyster Stuffing

The Pumpkin Pie is Molly and Mr.P’s favorite dessert. The Oyster Stuffing is Mr. P’s favorite stuffing. I won’t make either because the smell of pumpkin and raw oysters makes me gag and dry heave. I do realize that I commit a major Thanksgiving sin with my disdain for pumpkin pie. It’s ok, you will love me anyway.

We are also leaving our door open to any of our friends who have nowhere to go or want to escape their family. Anytime we have had Thanksgiving at home I have done this. I would hate for someone to be bored or lonely….unless they so choose to be. We are eating at 2pm and will be munching throughout the day. As of right now one of hubby’s friends is coming by. We have another that might come over in the evening. Who knows? We are flexible about it!

So what are you going to be eating/doing for Thanksgiving????

P.S. I have my very first article up on Associated Content. If you would like to see it, click here!

As you can see I have a theme going on around here lately. See…I am a holiday ho. I enjoy passing on some of the traditions I grew up with and creating new ones for my kids. I also don’t like change too much (unless I initiate it…can we say control freak much?) and I almost become fanatical about preserving tradition. Oh who are we kidding, I love nostalgia! So I thought I would share my memories of Thanksgivings’ past. My own version of Ebenezer Scrooge sort of….except in my world Jim Carrey couldn’t get near it.

In school I loved this time of year. We would create things to decorate the class and then take them home for Thanksgiving break. Things like turkeys made from cutouts that were tracings of our hands. And even diarama’s of the first Thanksgiving day. Remember making those? With old shoeboxes? Gah kids are missing out these days! We also had a play every year in our classroom reliving the first Thanksgiving. We reminded each other of how the first immigrants survived thanks to the Native Americans. I always wanted to be one of the Indians, they were way cooler in my eyes. We would practice for a couple weeks and my grandmother and mother would come to see our small production with their big butts crammed in our tiny seats. Smiles on their faces and my grandmother snapping off 200 hundred pictures in 20 minutes.

We would get off those three days for Thanksgiving breaks. I would be so excited because I would see some family I hadn’t seen in awhile. I come from a large family. Not all would be there, some we only saw at weddings and funerals. But I had two sets of aunts and uncles and 3 male cousins that would come to my grandmother’s home (whom we lived with) and it was a full house. My grandmother and mom would be bustling in the kitchen getting things ready. My aunts would step in to help, I would try and get yelled at for being in the way. The men would be in the living room watching football and discussing work. My cousins would be kidnapping me and locking me in the basement and I would freak out. They would get in trouble and kicked out and I would be told to suck it up and stop making all that racket. The adults ate in the dining room, us kids would be at the kitchen table. Food would be everywhere. A huge turkey, gravy, mashed potatoes, creamed corn, greenbeans, hot bread, and cranberry sauce. We kids would be engaging in our usual bickering and the occasional food fight. The adults would be talking more about work and whatever other upcoming events they had their way. I would also try to sneak my green beans into the trash. Oh how I hated those! Most times I was successful because the adults were too busy chatting to see me at the trash (my father had the view of the trashcan from his place at the dining room table). We kids would be hollered at 9390357905 times that we were being too rambunctious. Then dessert…..oh wonderful and glorious dessert. I always had the apple pie after fighting with my mother for 30 minutes that I hated pumpkin pie. After 34 years she still seems to think I like pumpkin pie.

Our Thanksgivings weren’t perfect. We fought alot. When my grandmother died, my aunts and uncles and cousins stopped coming over. My parents would fight alot. I got in trouble alot. But it will always hold a special place in my heart from those early years. I don’t have dinner with my family now, I live 500 miles away. Instead we have an intimate dinner at my inlaws home. Sometimes my sister in law and her family come, sometimes they don’t. This time last year my brother in law was alive and present. I remember that was when he said “I won’t get cancer because I don’t want cancer”. He said this when we discussed cigarrette smoking, addiction, and the long term effects. I am sure we will be thinking about him alot this year. My mother in law isn’t cooking, instead the inlaws are coming to my house. I get to make everything, fuss at the kids, and enjoy every minute of it.

I think I will look for some shoeboxes and show my kids how to make a diarama. What are you going to do this Thanksgiving?

I don’t cook often on Thanksgiving, usually we go to the inlaws. I do cook Christmas dinner since we do a dinner with them on Christmas Eve. Although that changes this year with our trip to Homestead. Anywho I love to cook big meals. I usually precook all week long so that I spend the day cooking just a couple of things and reheat the rest (in the oven at that). Anyway I thought I would share a few of my recipes….perhaps you will find one you want to try out.

Easy Turkey – this is by far the best way to make a turkey imho. After the first year I tried to cook a turkey my mother in law shared with me this secret. It really isn’t a secret anymore since I share it with whomever will listen lol. You will need;  2 brown bags from your grocery store, a turkey, turkey pan, heel of a loaf of bread, and some olive oil(or oil of your choice). Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Put your turkey in your pan and rub down with oil. Season to your liking and place the heel of bread on the breastbone of your turkey. Put the entire pan in the two bags, one on each end of the turkey so that the entire thing is covered with the bags. IMPORTANT!!! The pan MUST be inside the bags. If you put the turkey in the bags and then place in the pan you WILL have a fire! Put the turkey in the oven and cook 20 minutes per pound.  No need to baste. With the bags enclosing the turkey and the heel it will create a self cooking bag. Another note: You will smell the bag as the turkey cooks, don’t be alarmed. Also make sure that your using the lowest rack in your oven. If the bag touches the top you will have another fire.

Green Bean Casserole – You will need:
16 oz pork sausage
1 cup of milk
2 10.75 oz cans condensed cream of mushroom soup
1 tbsp soy sauce
1 clove garlic minced
2 16 oz packages of green beans
12.8 oz of fried onions

First brown and crumble the pork sausage.
Preheat your oven to 350 degrees
Coat a 9×13 baking dish with cooking spray
Mix everything else except the fried onions and place in baking dish
Bake for 30 minutes
Sprinkle with onions and bake 5-10 minutes longer.

Pecan Pies – this will make 2 pies (great to give one to a neighbor)
1 cup sugar
1 cup light corn syrup
1/3 cup butter
4 eggs
1 tsp vanilla
1/4 tsp salt
1 1/4 cup pecan halves
2 shortbread crusts
Preheat oven to 325 degrees.
Cook sugar, corn syrup, and butter over low heat. Stir constantly until sugar dissolves and butter melts. Cool slightly.
Stir in eggs, vanilla, and salt.
Pour into pie crusts.
Arrange pecans on the top.
Bake for 50-55 minutes.

Peppermint Hot Chocolate – serves 8
3 cups heavy cream
3 cups milk
1/2 cup sugar
1/8 tsp salt
12 oz bittersweet chocolate, chopped.
6 drops peppermint oil
4 cups whipped cream
Chocolate shavings for garnish
In a saucepan, over medium low heat; combine the cream, milk, sugar, and salt. When the cream mixture just begins to steam add the chopped chocolate and stir until melted. Stir in the peppermint oil. Divide the hot chocolate among mugs and top with whipped cream and chocolate shavings.

Enjoy!

Since my girls take a bus to our office in the afternoons, they need something to occupy them when their homework is done. Their favorite thing to do is decorate my door with pictures for whatever upcoming holiday there is. The Halloween stuff came down and they set about to decorate for Thanksgiving. I didn’t really supervise them over it: I envisioned pictures of family, indians, and turkeys plastered all over. What I got was not quite what I envisioned. One shows a turkey being shot. Complete with a bullet heading towards the poor turkey and one hell of a terrified look on the birds face. Another one features a trickster. A girl is coaxing a turkey to come to her, she even says “Come here turkey, we love you”. It’s apparent that she has a wicked evil grin on her face. Look closer and you see her holding a butcher knife behind her back. And Mr. P’s favorite picture is a glass of champagne and it says ” Get Drunk! It’s Thanksgiving!”. FYI….we have never shot a turkey, butchered a turkey, and I don’t make a habit of getting drunk at every single holiday event either.

The pictures have come down. My father in law thought they were hilarious! But I was concerned about what some of our clients would say if they came in and saw them. Actually it might have done some good, save a few turkeys this year. I was seriously contemplating not eating turkey anymore after the look of fear in shooter turkey’s face.

Courtesy of one of my peeps on Twitter (I am so bad, I forget who it was and can’t find that tweet!) I found this article on WalMart Easing into Black Friday. As we recall, last year an employee was trampeled until they asphyxiated at a Long Island WalMart. Now if I had my way…..the doors would have been locked right back up with whoever inside as soon as the cops got there. ANY AND ALL customers in the store would be arrested for acting like damned fools. I hope those jerks remember that poor mans family this Christmas as they go out fighting each other over whatever latest gadget is up for grabs. Hope that when they shout “Hurray” for getting it that they also maybe shed a tear for this mans children (if he so had any), mother, and wife (if he was married). I doubt it. Because that is all Christmas is to them, kill whomever just to get a freaking game station or tv

So thank you to those murderers in Long Island, now other employees have to work on Thanksgiving so that they don’t have to worry about you trampling them to get a new BluRay. Sure, you will blame WalMart and their marketing techniques but you know what, YOU DON’T HAVE TO BE THERE AND RUN PEOPLE OVER. I doubt highly that any of the WalMart ads had some sort of subliminal message that says “run people down, trample them, punch them, shoot them, get this *insertitemhere*. It’s NOT WalMart’s fault your more concerned about getting some present and saving 20% then celebrating family.

So now..people have to work on Thanksgiving because of commercialism. Thank you Long Island Murderers! I will be happily at home boycotting Black Friday like I do every year. Can’t go out anymore, people will freaking kill you.

So, like many other people, I am just irritated at the overwhelming amount of Christmas stuff being shoved in my face. It actually started 3 weeks before Halloween. Not so much commercials but stuff in the stores. I would look for a Halloween section and see a 6′x6′ area for it next to two complete aisles of Christmas stuff. Since Nov 1 my tv has been threatened with it’s life.

So in my effort to enjoy an upcoming Thanksgiving holiday, I decided that I would unfollow and boycott anyone touting Christmas stuff on Twitter. Now I understand that some of them target international people as well….I just have the option of not seeing it in my stream. This has ticked off a few and that is ok. They have a right to post their ads and I have the right to get rid of it from eyesight.

So I wanted to take this a step further. I decided to boycott any products or stores touting Christmas sales. I apparently didn’t think this through. It started with Glade. Well that’s not too bad, I don’t buy their stuff anyway. But then came Target and Kohl’s. Now Walmart is on the list (oh the irony since I applied for a job there!). QVC joined today but they won’t miss me either. I am starting to see that I am going to run out of options to shop for, not that I need much anyway since I shop all year long.

It just bothers me that people get so caught up in the commercialism. It’s not like I hear anybody talking about what they are going to make for Christmas dinner or planning a caroling event in their neighborhood. It’s all about what am I going to get Junior that will make him think I love him. Christmas is so much more than just presents. Obviously if your religious it has a spiritual resonance. But for the non-religious it’s about being with family and having fun. I have always made our Yule/Christmas celebrations a month long event with crafts and good deeds. We keep presents to a minimum. I try to make memories for my kids. I grew up in a home with materialistic people. None of my memories were about being with them or getting presents…..all of my memories  are about spending time with the family members who made it special. The meals and the time we spent engaging with each other (which did not include my immediate family as they are lacking in the ability to engage with each other).

I think if more people spent time planning what they were going to do to enjoy the holiday instead of what they were going to buy, I could handle all the Christmas hub bub. Until then I am going to continue whining while I plan out how to stake out the best spot at our Holiday Parade on the 21st. I need the best spot so we can see it all AND get a hold of hot cocoa quickly.