Vegetarian Thanksgiving?
We are going to my sister’s house for Thanksgiving, and I have to figure out something to bring for my family to eat. I’m really sick of having the Thanksgiving meal be such a letdown for me. And this year, Arp is planning on skipping the Turkey himself since he has been trying to avoid eating meat that is not free-range.
Here’s how Thanksgiving normally goes for me: I sit around all day watching the furious activity in the kitchen as my extended family busily cooks a huge turkey in the kitchen. I gape in horror at such things as giblets and the carcass of the pasty bird. Then I sit down and grit my teeth at the annoying constant noise of the football game being watching on TV while my relatives avoid conversing while they stare at the game. I shovel in as many of the appetizers as I can because I know the meal will not provide me with much protein. When the meal finally comes, I hunker down to a meal of mashed potatoes, boiled vegetables, and maybe some mushrooms and cranberry sauce. Somehow that never seems like a celebration. Last year I managed to piss off my older sister by exposing the truth about stuffing to my nephews: that it is cooked in the carcass. That part was great fun!
Here’s how it will be different this year: Firstly, My sister (the younger one), I believe, plans to ban all television at her house (GO SIS!). Secondly, I really want to bring a meal with me that my family will enjoy. I’m not sure what though. Anyone out there with recommendations? I was thinking that maybe a casserole of homemade macaroni and cheese would taste really yummy and seem more celebratory. It doesn’t have to be particularly healthy - it is a holiday, right? I just want something that will taste positively yummy and not seem like someone else’s side dishes for a change. I have to think on it some more.
