Thanksgiving 2024

      The day started out with Ephraim running into my room and shouting that we had to watch the Macy's Day parade.  I'd been laying cozily in bed, reading, but rolled out at top speed as I realized the time zone difference meant the parade was about to begin!   We served out slices of pie for breakfast and enjoyed the marching bands and floats from the comfort of our living room.

Snug and warm parade watcher

        Last year, I felt like I just spent all of it coooking, and was too tired to enjoy it at the end of the day, so I planned things differently this year. We enjoyed the relish plate/hors d'ouvres / cheese and crackers for lunch, while we played a board game.

Our board game snack buffet

Ephraim crushed us at Root, again.

Once Sylvia got home from work (yes, she worked all day at the hospital in Janesville!), we sat down to a main meal, with turkey. Sometimes it is nice being a small family on hoidays. It didnt' matter that the turkey took an extra hour to cook, we were on nobody's time schedule.  

The little McMullin family

Our dainty carnivore

      Since 50% of the dinner attendees are rolling as vegitarians this year, I put extra effort into finding tasty/intersting vegetarian recipes.   "Mushroom Wellington" was one trial: spinach, onions and portobello mushrooms wrapped in a puff pastry.  Verdict:  Loved the inside, not a fan of the wrapping.

Vegetarian recipe trial #2, Glazed Lentil Loaf.   This was actually REALLY good.  Flavorful, and filling.   It also reheated well the next 3 days.  Definately a keeper for the menu.

Also, SUPER exciting is the air rifle that Ephraim saved money for all year. We ordered it last week, and it showed up right before Thanksgiving.   It was shipped from the Netherlands, but is a German made gun, the Weihrauch HW 30 S. 

Unwrapping his first gun

   I have fond memories of going duck hunting with my brother Dave on Thanksgiving in Weiser, Id (at my Aunt Elaine's farm) when we were kids.  It was exciting this year to have something to go do outside with Ephraim that I also loved.   We both had fun to shooting pellets at cans (at a friend's farm), and drinking hot chocolate with them inside afterwards.  This outing was definately one of my favorite memories from the holiday weekend.