Stories Collected While Living in France

French la Vie

The Day after Thanksgiving

Faces-in-the-musee-d'orsay

How do you feel today? 

I feel happy, content, slow moving, an still full from last night. What I realized was how I love the taste of Thanksgiving food, the sweet
savory mixture of spices and the hint of sweet flavors. It is the taste of Autumn perfume.
Don't you think the trimmings are the better part? You know the turkey
was never my favorite, but it does bring up a certain atmospheric memory. (Is there such a thing?)

Early this morning, I baked chocolate chip cookies in my nightgown, with my 89 year old French friend Annie. She wanted to know how to bake les Kook-EES Americain.

Painting-d'orsay

While we were enjoying our meal Sacha asked, "Now if we were in America when does the turkey come out? And how do they bring it out and serve it? Is it like a big deal?"

"Oh boy is it ever! Some bring the turkey to the head of the table and carve it in front of everyone… and some parade it around the table on a platter high above their heads, and some eat Turkey TV dinners…"

"Wait, what is a TV dinner?"

Ah, I have so much to teach my Franco-American son.

But at least he knows about chocolate chip cookies.

Not: Photos taken of paintings from the Musee d'Orsay in Paris.
P.S Recipes will follow as soon as I can pull it together.

Comments

23 responses to “The Day after Thanksgiving”

  1. Jeanne

    I love you

    Reply
  2. Karin

    The face in the painting mirrors my own today. I am stuffed full still and it is almost 9 in the morning. Ack! Why do I do this every year?!
    I remember when I was a little girl and TV dinners were a treat. My brothers and I only had them when a babysitter came and my mother would take out the TV trays and place them in front of the living room sofa so we would not make a mess. Turkey with gravy, peas the size of marbles, mashed potatoes and gravy and fried apples all nestled in their little places in a silver tray was my favorite. TV dinners are just not the same any more.

    Reply
  3. Miss Sandy

    I feel full of love, laughter, memories, and happiness and I also think I might be feeling the effects of two pieces of pie, pecan and pumpkin, on my thighs!

    Reply
  4. Dee

    The woman in the picture looks stuffed and miserable…that would be me. 🙂

    Reply
  5. Evelyn

    My husband and I enjoyed a very nice day together, cooking and sharing a wonderful meal. Then we took a nap!

    Reply
  6. Suzanne

    It sounds like you all had fun! I also would LOVE to know how to bake Kookees americaines (french accent sound, right?) ;)!
    Waiting in suspense for the recipes to come, dear Corey…
    Lots of love*

    Reply
  7. shannon in oregon

    i feel full. from the food, from the loving family, from the fact that the food all turned out really well. 🙂
    i could still smell the scents of stuffing, sour cream mashed potatoes, and all those pies as i drifted off to sleep last night. perhaps that’s why i had some WILD dreams…quite scandalous dreams, really.

    Reply
  8. Marilyn

    What a wonderful, peaceful Thanksgiving. We sat in front of the fire letting the food digest and enjoyed good company. That is the best part of Thanksgiving. A share family and friends event. Your mom’s apricot pie makes me want to run in the kitchen and make a pie. It looks so good.

    Reply
  9. martina

    We had ham, green beans with almonds and roast(no sugar added) yams last night. I have the day off of work today and will just relax, wrap some presents and enjoy home.

    Reply
  10. beachy

    How thrilling for you to experience your life through the eyes of two cultures! I think that is wonderful! =) hugs!

    Reply
  11. Debbie

    What about the left over turkey sandwhiches!

    Reply
  12. Melissa’s Cozy Teacup

    I worked in a tea/Victorian themed store once. On one of the walls was a print title:The Corner of the Table. It has remained a favorite. i love table settings whether before, during or after a meal. I love the sense of what sort of conversation has taken place, what was eaten or not eaten, did they like it? Did they enjoy themselves? Were they old friends, or new acquaintances? Alkemie is a great blog for not only decor, but table settings as well. Is that weird of me? lol Oh well.

    Reply
  13. Maura

    What a blessed day you have described…thanks be to God!
    Thinking of you and also your dear mum, acknowledging the new rawness still, of holidays without the presense of your dear father.
    {{{Hugs!}}}

    Reply
  14. Kris

    Sounds like such a relaxing morning, baking in your gown. I can smell the aroma of your cookies in Texas. Do you put pecans in your cookies?
    Kris

    Reply
  15. Tammy

    I am at peace and enjoying my family. Loved the picture..looked like she was very content. I would love to be baking chocolate chip cookies with you.
    love and hugs
    Tammy

    Reply
  16. Amy

    Here is my Thanksgiving story. My family went to Mexico to celebrate Thanksgiving with my husbands’ family. My mother in law shooed us out of the house for most of the day to shop and sightsee. When we came back, the rest of the family watched TV and talked til the rest of guests were due to arrive. I went in the kitchen to see if I could help my mother in law. She had a look on her face like she didn’t know what to do. I asked what was going on. She handed me a package of turkey gravy and said “Well……I made this….” okay….what was the problem, right? Then she said “….and this one, too.” Well….the 2nd one was a package of chocolate pudding. LOL I tasted it, and you could not tell at all that it had chocolate in it! We were bent over in quiet giggles trying not to let anyone else know what was going on. At the end of it all, everyone raved about it. Heeeeheehee…it will have to be our little secret

    Reply
  17. carol

    Dear Corey,
    I can’t believe my computer didn’t boot me off as I attempted to leave you a comment today. I’ve been reading you each day and not had the luxury of leaving comments.
    I’m still feeling stuffed too and yummy leftovers are most likely the cause 😉
    Your menu sounds delish! I thought of you as I was preparing side dishes and wondered what you would be making. In addition to the foods you forbid mention of, we had ambrosia(try explaining that to Sacha), green beans with shallot balsamic butter sauce, scalloped corn and maple glazed yams with cranberries and orange zest. The yams were a new recipe, for me, that everyone seemed to enjoy.
    Tell Sacha our turkey gets carved in the kitchen and those across the counter in the family room can watch the process, if they wish. It is then put on platters and served in the living/dining room. That room is totally rearranged for the day and the dining room table is extended to seat as many as possible. Yesterday we only had eleven for dinner.
    I love today’s painting and continue to relsh your posts each day!!!

    Reply
  18. Robin Locker

    Stuffed, but disappointed that I have no leftovers.

    Reply
  19. phyllis

    My own boys asked the other day “t.v. dinner? What’s that?” I must buy them a stack of them 😉

    Reply
  20. naturegirl

    corey love choc. chip cookies and Musee d’Orsay in Paris!

    Reply
  21. Elaine

    I like all the side dishes the best. Mmmmmmm, cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice, sage, savory, sassafras, homemade cranberry sauce.
    Also, Sacha should never learn what a TV dinner is. It doesn’t really even exist as far as I’m concerned. How can one have dinner and TV at the same time?

    Reply
  22. Beverly

    I love your house…no TVs and no TV dinners!
    I love everything about Thanksgiving…even the football that plays on the TV all day long. I love seeing all the little nephews, as my boys are just getting too old. And I definitely love the trimmings…stuffing, cranberry sauce, sweet potatoes. YUM!

    Reply
  23. terri johnson

    I’m a day late getting around to everyone, but came by to wish you and your family a happy Thanksgiving, Corey. The side dishes are my favorite part. I love the dressing and the mashed potatoes, the cranberry sauce and the green bean casserole, all of the different salads…I can’t believe I’m starting to feel hungry again, lol.
    Baking chocolate chip cookies the day after Thanksgiving is a much better tradition than shopping on Black Friday, I think! And you know, all things considered, I think I’d rather eat those than turkey 😉
    Maybe you could start a new tradition – a turkey shaped out of chocolate chip cookie dough –
    I wonder if I could talk my family into that – maybe the younger generation…
    Happy day after Thanksgiving, Corey!

    Reply

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