My overworked oven

I am not traditional at all when it comes to holidays, especially not involving food.

I am not doing a turkey because TallBoy does not LIKE turkey and The Dude doesn't like bird on the bone, and SweetPea and I only like white meat. A whole turkey would be a waste and a breast roast would only feed 3 of us. No ham because TallBoy and The Dude do not like it either.

I sort of make it my "tradition" to make NON-traditional Thanksgiving day dinner. In Thanksgivings past, I have made lasagne, meatloaf, pot roast, steak and applesauce chicken (a family favorite).

This year I am making stew, mashed potatoes, an Asian inspired salad, home made bread and shortbread. With a pot of spaghetti for anyone that might not care for stew- a distinct possibility with TallBoy. We also have some friends coming over, and their girl is about 8 and not always reliable about what she eats. I like to at least TRY to have options.

I am trying to do most, if not all, of the preparation/cooking stuff tonight so that I can let the crockpot do the work and sleep in. When you have to be up no later than 5 am every day, sleeping in is a luxury I do NOT want to waste.

So I baked my shortbread and my home made bread tonight. My poor oven is very put out with me. But I really don't mind. There's something terribly relaxing and enjoyable about putting together flour, sugar and butter and getting some of the tastiest stuff ever out of it.

I think that's what I like best about the holidays- time to actually cook and enjoy myself.

Happy Thanksgiving- and I'm giving my oven a rest.