Holy Cow

Thanksgiving is a time that I like to reflect upon what I have been given and what is important to me. Family is always at the top of my list. To have warm loving relationships with those in ones family is priceless.

This year I was so lucky ??? to be the hostess (and cook) for two Thanksgiving celebrations. The first one was small – 7 in total. It was a peaceful day with the traditional food -- turkey with all the trimmings. The second one was for 30 people and the menu was roast beef which, for the most part, included the usual side dishes.

The roast was a real shocker! I ordered some side dishes from the owner of a local restaurant and also ordered a top round roast (which was half the price of the meat market). He never knows exactly what size roasts he will receive but thought that a 15 lb. roast would be about right for the lunch then some left for sandwiches for later.

Holy Cow! The smallest one he received was 21lbs! It was so huge that it looked like the whole back end of the cow! No joke! It was approximately 2 feet long, 10 inches wide and 6 – 8 inches thick. I had planned to do what is called a dry roast. It’s so yummy and slices beautifully.

My problem now was deciding how much of this beast I should cook. I finally decided to cut it in half and then cut that in half again. That gave me two 5+ lb. roasts. The next decision was – how long do I cook something so thick!! I spent forever on the Internet trying to come up with a formula and deciding when it should go in the oven and be ready for 1:00 P.M. But I conquered it and it came out perfect! The meal was a success and everyone seemed to enjoy themselves. Prep ahead helped to minimize stress.

The best of all was that my hubby had reserved a cabin on a lake (not too far from our home) from the Sunday before Thanksgiving until the Monday after Thanksgiving. I didn't get to be there as much as he did – because I was COOKING & COOKING & COOKING. Saturday evening we enjoyed cuddling and watching a movie. Sunday night after church we took off to the cabin again and relaxed then returned to real life Monday evening in time for me to meet two dear friends for dinner and a movie in celebration of two of our birthdays. (I was one of the two. :)

It’s been a great holiday, and yes, I count myself lucky and blessed to have had the health and energy to be able to host and cook for two Thanksgiving dinners. Today was all things normal. God has been good and faithful once again.

And tonight, Life at the Parsonage is peaceful – whew!

Sherry