Stuffed ’Til We Pop?

Thanksgiving was a flurry of activity at the May household. Mom and Dad Vassallo and Mom May joined us for the “big eat.” It’s hard to believe that you prepare, prepare and prepare for this day and it’s over within 45 minutes of eating!


I love to cook and bake and was having quite a bit of fun getting ready for the day, until I started grocery shopping – that’s what really set me over the edge! You see, I’ve been really trying to watch my carb intake and other no no’s due to my pre-diabetes. Well…that pretty much goes out the door for Thanksgiving! EVERYTHING has 2 sticks of butter – I’m not kidding. You might as well slap those puppies right to your thighs…because that’s where they’re going!

I managed to stay on course with time and everything turned out fabulous except for the mashed potatoes. I could kick myself because I used a recipe different from my own and tried to save time by prepping and boiling the potatoes ahead of time. Well…the thing is sometimes prepping ahead is not a good idea – the potatoes were just too starchy; lesson learned.

Potatoes aside, we had some yummy treats: a moist turkey with gravy, Nana’s Maltese stuffing (we FINALLY converted Larry!), green beans, Mom V’s butternut squash with butter and maple syrup (my favorite), homemade cranberry sauce (yum), yams, Mom May’s yummy pumpkin cake – it was all delicious. But you know what? When you set it down on the table and realize…Yikes!...there are 5 of us here and we actually have to eat all of this…it gets a little overwhelming.

It was so cozy in the house – Larry lit a fire in the fireplace, we had nice music going and of course the parades on TV and the football games – all around it was a very cozy atmosphere.

The day/evening went very well and we divvied up the leftovers – we had a 12 pound turkey and lots of sides, so the amount of leftovers would keep everyone stuffed for a week!

Brett, Carol and the kids enjoyed the day with Carol's family in Wilmette and Mom and Dad V. visited on Friday for post-turkey day fun. We're looking forward to seeing everyone for Brett and Carol's Christmas Eve extravaganza and then Mom and Dad V's Hawthorn Woods Christmas day feast - lots of enjoying each other, eating, and watching the kids' excitement with seeing what Santa brought them.

We hope everyone enjoyed your Thanksgiving with family and loved ones – it truly is a day to be thankful for.