Happy Thankschili!

So, I decided to shop for our Thanksgiving dinner this morning. Man was a I surprised. (Actually, I kinda wasn’t).

I do all the shopping around here, so I’ve seen the prices of things sky rocket. Like eggs, for instance. I buy a LOT of eggs. Its a quick easy protein and you all know that my 110 pound body needs all the protein it can get. (I love making shakshuka, or eggs poached in marina. TRY IT!) But, eggs alone have gone from $1.50 a dozen to nearly $5. We’re thinking of getting some chickens. We have plenty of room in the backyard for a coup.

We usually have meatloaf, mashed potatoes and peas for Thanksgiving, but not this year. Just the price of ground beef set us both into a tail spin. And so we refused the notion that this is what we are supposed to do, rather than just be grateful for what we have or for just the day together.

So, we slimmed down our grocery list and decided to make chili with sausage (only $3!), and the cans of rotel, the beans, and spices were all “buy one, get one free.” (I love me some BOGOS!) So, we have plenty to toss in the crockpot for Thanksgiving dinner, the left overs will last us a few days, then we have a back up supply to make another batch some other day.

We’re actually looking forward to it, for another of our traditions is watching disaster films on Thanksgiving. We love good CGI films and there is nothing better than watching a movie about a giant earthquake, where thousands of people are plunged into a crevice, structures collapse, and heroes die….only so you can sit back and go, “Whew! Thankful that ain’t me! Pass me some more chili. OH! And pause the movie, I have to pee.”

Adaptation. Shifting things up. Just exactly who said we have to have Turkey and trimmings for Thanksgiving? I don’t recall any Thanksgiving dinner at my grandmother’s where a turkey was present. She would do all sorts of fun and interesting, or beloved dishes, that they never had very often. Steamed oysters from a pit out back, or a pig picking, or kampong chicken. I don’t ever remember having turkey, so maybe it’s justifiable that I never think of Thanksgiving as “turkey day.”

Besides, the one thing we haven’t had in a while is a home cooked meal. The aroma of a long day, simmering stew has been absent around here. I think it is probably the one thing that keeps a house from becoming a home….that smell upon entering of something delicious welcoming you. If a house doesn’t have that, it never really becomes a home.

Phillip brings food home from the restaurant, so we basically eat take out every night. And you can only take so many burgers and chicken fingers before you feel redundant.

So, we’re both looking forward to Thanksgiving, cuddled up with some chili in our pajamas, sipping a little Southern Comfort….and watching civilization being destroyed by aliens!

Please be safe if you are travelling, love the ones you spend the day with, and for Pete’s sake, talk to each other about things that make you both laugh and feel joyful. After all, the whole point of the day is to say, “I am so grateful, thankful, you are in my life and that we are sharing this great meal and wonderful day together.” 🙂

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