Thanksgiving is the holiday I look forward to all year round. Turkey, stuffing, cranberries and gravy! My mouth is watering just thinking about it. Many people complain about this holiday, and I am nothing but baffled. How can one hate a holiday that is centered around food?
I look forward to the days after this holiday, where I can make my "left over sandwich." This sandwich isn't just the typical turkey and cranberry sandwich, this sandwich it a work of art. My mom always gets this sourdough bread from a local bakery in my hometown. This is the perfect foundation for my sandwich. The soft dough of the bread makes for the turkey and gravy to sit and mix just perfectly, while the strong but not too hard crust does a great job of keeping the cranberries from leaking out too much. The first step in making the perfect Thanksgiving leftover sandwich is applying just the right amount of turkey. I usually do two to two and half pieces on one piece of bread. Next apply about a tablespoon of stuffing and spread it along the bread and press it down a little. If you forget to press down the stuffing your entire sandwich will fall apart. The stuffing acts as cement for your sandwich. It’s now time to add the cranberries. Depending on what type of cranberries your family has during Thanksgiving dinner will determine how to properly place them on to your sandwich. I prefer the canned cranberry slices. Just pile about 3-4 of those babies on, and you're golden! The cranberries act as the walls, floors, and ceilings of the sandwich. Now the final and most important part is the gravy. I like adding just a little bit of gravy along the turkey and having a side bowl of it to dip my sandwich in. The gravy acts as the paint.
I come from a huge family, 17 first cousins just on my dad's side and on my mom's side. I am constantly meeting new family members each and every family event. Now if you put that into context, that’s easily 30 people around the dinner table. That's a lot of food to bring, make, and eat, but hey I love every moment of it. For the past couple of years this sacred holiday has been held at my house. My family and I do not live in a huge mansion with 35 different rooms, but instead have your average split-level house where people can fit comfortably, except when it's Thanksgiving. Dinner is split throughout the two levels of my house. The living room, kitchen, and dinning room are where the "adult tables" are. And downstairs in the family room is where we put the "kids table." I have now officially earned my spot at the "adult table". This past summer I turned 21, which is now my excuse as to why I cannot sit at the "kids table". Great excuse, huh?
My very large family is also very nosey. Time and time again, I always get asked the question “Did you find that nice guy yet?" And instead of telling them no, I can easily deflect the question with "throw some more turkey and stuffing on to my plate". Who needs to talk about relationships when you have food and alcohol on the table?
