Teaching myself to be Thankful

I'm not naturally the most thankful person on earth. I'm actually quite ungrateful a lot of the time. I have no one to blame and I can usually scrounge up some politeness for social situations, but in my head I'm always wanting something more. So is it ironic that I love Thanksgiving dinner? Not necessarily the big event that occurs in November (I'm kind of an antisocial hermit, so these family meals end up freaking me out), but the meal: tender, juicy Turkey meat, rich gravy, luscious roasted potatoes and vegetables, hearty stuffing, and the whole berry cranberry sauce that ties everything together.

I never really appreciated the Thanksgiving meal as much as I have since I met my husband. Thanksgiving is his favorite holiday. He is always reminiscing about the turkey his mom spent days preparing. When we first met, he'd talk about Thanksgiving pretty much daily. It was May. So when it came time for our first Thanksgiving together I was totally intimidated. We were pretty much inseparable at this point, but I had convinced myself that if ended up ruining Thanksgiving dinner he'd find someone who could make one just like Mom's. Well, I found myself super relieved when I found out I'd get to dodge the bullet; his boss gave us a gift certificate to Honey Baked Ham. We picked up a Turkey breast and two sides. I popped them in the oven and in 45 minutes we had an unbelievable meal. When I was cleaning up I started to realize I was really in for it the next year. Now I had to live up to Mom's and Honeybaked Ham's. The next year would be our first Thanksgiving as a married couple. I spent hours trying to figure out how to make the perfect Thanksgiving dinner for two. When I was looking at the sales papers I was excited to see that turkey prices were so low, but when we went to the grocery store 2 weeks before Thanksgiving I was surprised to find out that I could not pick out a "small turkey." I somehow didn't know that turkeys were kind of huge, and even the breast itself weighed at least 3-4 lbs. Definitely not what I was planning as the perfect healthy Thanksgiving for two. I actually cried on the way home. Then the next day his boss invited us to his house. He was planning on deep frying a turkey and wondered if we'd like to join his wife, mother, and kids for dinner. I really wanted to make my own dinner, but we couldn't turn down his offer. I was secretly glad the pressure was off again, but after dinner I realized I now had to compete with Mom's, Honeybaked, and a deep fried turkey.

Then in the spring of last year I found a pack of Turkey breast cutlets on sale. I'd never cooked turkey before, but I was more than willing to give it a try. I seared them first, then pan roasted them with vegetables in the oven. I think we both knew we had a hit. The next time we went shopping we got another pack and "Thanksgiving" trimmings. After that meal we decided to have "Thanksgiving" once a month. When November came around last year I wasn't freaked out at all. I just made my favorite monthly meal and added a tiny little individual sized pecan pie I found at Walmart. My turkey dinner is probably not as good as his mom's, but it is definitely better than Honeybaked's, and is way healthier than the deep fried version.

"Thanksgiving"
Throw

1 potato cut in 3/4 in chunks

1 sweet potato cut in 3/4 in chunks

4 carrots cut in 1 in pieces

1 cup fresh Brussel sprouts

1/2 chopped onion

1 roughly chopped clove garlic

in a lightly oiled slow cooker. Add

1 T fresh rosemary leaves

1 t sage

dash of salt

few grinds of pepper

Quickly sear

1 lb turkey breast cutlets sprinkled with S&P

and add on top of veggies in slow cooker. Cook on high for 4 hours or low for 6-8 hours. Add a few tablespoons of water if needed. Serve with Stovetop Stuffing and a small can of whole berry cranberry sauce (R doesn't like the real stuff... go figure) and maybe indulge in a mini pecan, sweet potato, or pumpkin pie.

I wish I could say that we always act like it's Thanksgiving while we're eating it: that we sit at a candle lit table confessing what we're Thankful for once a month, but I can't. Last night I made our July Thanksgiving meal. We both sat on the couch, scarfed it down quickly, silently, but happily and went on about our night. But while I'm cooking it and after I realize what I've made to do start to reflect on what this meal means to most people and the things that make my life better. I may not always the most thankful person, but month by month I'm working on it.

True Story: During last year's holiday season Walmart put Stovetop Stuffing on sale for $.44. We bought 12 boxes of the low sodium chicken variety- enough to last us all year, since we had been springing nearly $2 for the regular turkey variety during the year.