Two Thanksgivings to be Thankful For

I'm thankful for a lot of things. As I mentioned in my Thanksgiving post- I wouldn't be who I am without my family and so many amazing friends.

The best part about my family and friends?? That we all love to eat. And the fact that planning and preparing a meal is how we choose to spend time together. Hours shopping in the markets, prepping in the kitchen, and finally hours gathered around a table together.

This year, I was especially lucky. I had not one, but TWO Thanksgiving feasts.

The first was with my family. And as I've mentioned before, one of my family's Thanksgiving traditions? Crab. Turkey doesn't usually make it's way to our table- but rather we eat crab, and supplement it with a number of other Chinese dishes. Some other meat, fish, and plates and plates of veggies. Oh. And rice. Always rice.

There's also a flow of wine and beer (there is just something so good about having a nice cold beer with a spicy salty crab.)

Well, this year, in addition to my family's feast, I was lucky enough to have a second, belated Thanksgiving with some friends! Back at home in San Francisco, a number of my chef friends worked through Thanksgiving and the entire weekend. They were finally able to celebrate the Monday night after Thanksgiving and I was lucky enough to be invited to join them.

The turkey was the BEST turkey I've ever had. The gravy was a nice touch, but the turkey was so tender and soft, that no gravy was even really necessary. There was also a braised turkey with pasta, sweet potatoes, sauteed spinach, and not one, but TWO kinds of stuffing. It was so special that they were sharing their Thanksgiving with their friends.

The company was what made this Thanksgiving feast the best. The hosts, Sarah and Evan, are part of my extended family. These are a few of those friends that I would choose to be part of my family. And hey, we don't always get to choose our family (although I lucked out with mine!), doesn't it mean more to be able to choose friends that you WOULD include in your family?

Friends gathered around the table four days after 'the real' Thanksgiving had passed. Proving once again, it's not the date that makes the occasion, it's the people you choose to spend it with. And that we should be thankful EVERY day, not just on Thanksgiving.