Boy oh boy, what a weekend it was.  This was perhaps the greatest Thanksgiving of my entire life.  Actually, that’s not true, but this year was notable for being the first all-vegetarian Thanksgiving I’ve ever had.

Like most folks, I got started doing the cooking last Wednesday, when, after a trip to Whole Foods, Trader Joes, Strack and Von Til, and Dominicks, I was finally ready to get started.  Wednesday was pie day- I made a pumpkin pie like I always do, and, in another Thanksgiving first for me, a cherry pie.  The cherry pie was notable for being the first pie I’ve ever made with a top rust.  Generally I stick to things that are open.  I’m into transparency.  Pies came out well, and I went to bed early on Wednesday in a house bathed a delicious aroma.

Thursday morning was when all the real radness began.  Around 10am, the whole house began to flutter with excitement.  Colin (first floor) and Steve (garden) were the only other folks participating on our meal, but you wouldn’t have known it from the beehive-like activity that had taken over all three of the kitchens.  Mashed potatoes, sweet potatoes, baked potatoes, roasted cauliflower, spinach salad, cranberry sauce, apple dumplings, green beans, Hawaiian sweet rolls, mushroom gravy, some other gravy, and, the cute little football shaped centerpiece…  a tofurkey.  I’d never had a tofurke before, but it wasn’t half bad.  Colin says he’s had better fake turkey- the one he had last year was shaped like a turkey with a cavity for stuffing and even fake little drum sticks and wings.  Maybe next year.

We sat down to eat at 3:00, and around 3:15 we’d all scarfed down massive plates of food and were deep in food coma.  By 3:30, however, we were back in it, polishing off second and third plates of deliciosity.  Post dinner, we settled down for some video games and then went our separate ways to nap before the dessert.

Dessert started around 9:00, when G7K got back from the ‘burbs.  We had about ten people over for dessert, which included the cherry and pumpkins pies I made (the former turned out to be kinda gross. oh well), an apple pie courtesy of Colin, bars lemon and tubby from K, and some vanilla ice cream.  I even made freshly whupped cream, which was very easy and very delicious.  Colin suggested using maple syrup as a sweetener rather than sugar, and I think it was a great suggestion.

Around midnight, all parties had left, and I began cleaning up and went to bed, with a big round belly and a big smiley face.  Ha.  Or something like that.

The rest of the weekend has, so far, consisted of eating leftovers and dealing with the resulting lethargy.  All in all, a fantastic weekend.  I do miss going to the parade like those down south american way, and there’s something to be said for parties so large that they require kids tables.  That said, the small size of our dinner was great, especially in that it opened the door for a meat-free meal.

In non-Thanksgiving related news, last night I went to see Clouds at the Bottle, and…  they are awesome..  I got their LP at the show, which comes with a bonus 12″ that has them covering GBV, which is fan-freakin-tastic.  I haven’t yet listened to the main record- you know, the one with the actual non-cover songs on it, but they did “Motor Away,” so it was already worth the money.  Fantastic packaging as well.  Great great great.  Clouds- they are above us.