329- Some Favorite Thanksgiving Things

In the forty years that I've been married I can count on the fingers of one hand, and still have fingers left over, how many times I HAVEN'T been the cook! I think we had Thanksgiving at my Gramma's house in 1972 when Tony was a baby. I also know that we had Thanksgiving with Auntie P in 1986.

My point is that I've cooked Thanksgiving dinner A LOT! But that isn't a complaint...  it is a statement of familiarity. So, as I was cooking, pretty much alone, (which I've also not done for several years) I decided to capture some of my favorite cooking-Thanksgiving-dinner-moments:

One of the special-dinner things I always make is orange rolls. And I ABSOLUTELY LOVE!! the smell of oranges! It is one of my favorite fragrances... I think heaven just might smell like oranges!

Here's a first! On Sunday Stuart had a Fakesgiving with some of his friends and I asked him if he wanted to make orange rolls. He was a very quick study so he made them again today!

This is usually my *first smell* of Thanksgiving. I love the smell of onions, celery and carrots sauteing! How could any thing that starts with these simple, wholesome ingredients not be yummy?

I've never been one who wants anything except Turkey on Thanksgiving. (No ham thank you!) How can you go wrong with a beautiful bird like this? Years ago I learned about the Reynolds browning bag. I get a yummy, moist bird every time and in half the cooking time.

Anyway... these smells made me very happy on this busy and tiring Thanksgiving day.