The Dance of the Sweet Potato Fairy

I want to take a brief detour for a rant so hang on.  Why the heck is it you always need to find your glasses when you don't have them on?  Drives me crazy!  I can't see heck and now I have to wander around the house like an Israelite in the desert groping around trying to find my glasses so I can see where I put them.  Maddening...

Thank you for allowing me to get that out of my system and let's move onto the business at hand which is talking about how sweet potatoes can fly.

First, some background.  November 2014 was the month/year of "the bug."  For those of you living in the Memphis area, you will remember this nasty bugger sidelined several of our dear Grizzlies which caused much weeping and gnashing of teeth as they are having a spectacular season.  Since I live in the suburbs, I felt no threat as not many folks want to make the drive from downtown to our humble little abode way out East so my confidence was high that the bug would stay quarantined near the river.  Unfortunately my theory of bug travel turned out to be wrong and it hit our family like a firestorm in a dry desert.  First Mom, then me and finally my hubby.  All "sidelined" during Thanksgiving Day.

Being the good Southern daughter, wife and daughter-in-law that I am, the holiday could not pass without some type of large feast so, after recovery, I set to cooking on the Saturday after Thanksgiving.  Pulled crowder peas from the freezer that had been purchased from The Farmer's Market in the summer, cooked cornbread dressing and bread stuffing, turkey, cranberry sauce, bread, broccoli and the most requested dish of the day - sweet potato casserole.  My feet were flying across the kitchen floor as I directed pots and pans and skillets and ovens.  The Joy of Cooking application was singing to me in the background.  It was one of my finest performances.  The timing on every dish was just perfect and each star of the show was going to finish cooking at just the right moment.  Sockfoot Contessa (my cooking alias) was in the zone.

Well, there must have been a small meteor shower that caused some type of atmospheric disturbance because as I was gently whisking the turkey stock into my roux to make that silky gravy I remembered the sweet potatoes were browning in the oven.  Dropped that whisk and sprinted over to find I was within seconds of having some crusty marshmallows. Grabbed my trusty mitts, opened the oven door and whooshed out the casserole dish.  This is where the dance comes in....

BAM!  I am not sure what angle the earth dove into when the casserole dish achieved orbit and flew out of my hand but let's just say Sockfoot Contessa did a dance only rivaled by Mikhail Baryshnikov.  Sweet Potato flew all over the house.  It ended up on the back on my jeans and we even found some on the back on my Mother-In-Laws pants and she was not even in the kitchen!  A spot ended up on the couch in the living area which had to travel 20 feet and turn 2 corners.  I am sure they felt the earthquake in Japan as the entire house shook.

Everyone was very sweet as we scrapped sweet potatoes from every surface within a 5 mile radius.  I recovered and arranged the rest of the food for us to eat.  I have to admit, the meal turned out well but I sure did miss my sweet potatoes and especially those browned marshmallows on top.

So, kiddos, the lessons I have learned from this adventure as as follows:

1. Never try to make gravy when the sweet potatoes are browning in the oven and
2. Yes, Virginia, sweet potatoes can fly. 

Thanksgiving 2014 is officially over for the Citrones but, I  have to confess, harm was done to innocent vegetables while making the dinner.

PS:  I have the top to a nice 2 quart round casserole dish with holder if anyone needs it.

The Storm has passed - for now

The Thanksgiving holiday is over.  I even survived Black Friday while shopping with my 17 year old niece.  After almost 12 years of marriage, we successfully melded an Italian Yankee with a "Suthern" Thanksgiving including 2 types of stuffing - bread (cooked in the turkey) and cornbread.  Everyone ate both!  We dropped the pasta dish in the interest of time and the pumpkin pies were supplemented with banana nut cake.  My Mother-In-Law and Mom had equal cooking duties assisted by my Sister-In-Law and me.  No one got sick (just a wee bit uncomfortable from eating too much) and we shifted, and glided, and rerouted and adjusted to each other with ease.

Of note this year was the subtle shift in the balance of power.  My Mom and Mother-In-Law are slowly handing over the Grand Matriarch duties to my sister-in-law and me.  They both shifted in and out of the kitchen giving some orders as we prepared the last minute food offerings.  We made sure we asked plenty of advice (which quite frankly was needed for the sweet potatoes and bread stuffing) but, for the first time in my memory, they sat in the living room and chatted with the rest of the family.  Hearing their laughter was precious.

This has been a great week.  The kids, grandkids, and my Mom and Dad were in and out, the 2nd floor was full of overnight guests and I constantly cleaned up the kitchen and fed hungry people.  I was the first up but usually the first to bed because I was exhausted from the constant activity and coordination.  We even got the old projector working and watched family movies made 50 years ago.  My poor niece had to sit through five full reels of her Mom and Uncle as little tots but was an awfully good sport.  I caught her slipping in a text message or two but that's ok.  

THIS is what life is all about.  Family, friends, laughter and remembering the good times from the past and making new memories with the younger generation.  I made sure my niece got a big hug every a.m. from her Auntie Cheryl so she would go home with a big store of love.  The only thing that is missing are the movies she needs to show her kids when they are teenagers but I have TONS of scrapbooks she will be able to show them and, of course, The Southern Belle Blog to read.  :-)

God is truly good and has blessed this family to overflowing.  We are healthy, have everything we need and most of what we want.  I am truly grateful and hope the same for each of you.