Little Dash: Gobble Gobble Muthafuckaz

I like to joke about how I'm a poor Soviet immigrant, ignorant of the ways of my shrewd American friends and neighbors (despite the fact that I've been here since I was 4 years old and have no memory of ever living in Russia). But I was raised by Russian immigrants, so there is some stuff that feels completely new about creating our own American family traditions.

Thanksgiving has always been a REALLY big deal for my family growing up. In addition to giving thanks for our more abstract blessings, we used the day to enumerate the many, very real, very specific blessings we received after coming to this country--things like being able to discuss our government without worry of being jailed. The ability to go to the store and just buy a pineapple if we felt like it. Living without fear that our home would be burned down because we are Jewish.

So creating our own new Thanksgiving traditions has been an important and beautiful (and maybe sometimes fraught) opportunity for us to imbue the day with meaning for our family and our loved ones. One of the most meaningful steps we've taken in that direction is to open our home to our beloved friends as well as family. Since we three are only children, I think it may be more natural, possibly more important, for us to build families of friends around us. And so every year, when the head count grows, when the kids' table gets more crowded and more raucous, I count one more thing to be thankful for: the blessing of friends who honor us by sharing this most important day at our table.

Some street hockey to get them good and hungry (and sweaty) before dinner.


Kids' table "centerpiece." (I try. I really do.)

Dash spent the day with our beloved Verlaques while Josh and I prepped dinner. They made these excellent pine cone turkeys. Will is thankful for, among other things, cheese.

Dash is grateful for, among other things, "my personality." It's nice that we won't have to worry about confidence issues with him.

The calm before the storm. (This year I finally came to my senses and rented tables, chairs and tablecloths. Not having to cobble together seating out of fifteen rickety card tables and dozens of borrowed & mismatched chairs was another thing I was very thankful for this year.)

I love that you can just stick a couple of hydrangea stems into a vase and it looks like you know what you're doing.

These potatoes, tagged by Josh, were tight. You make regular mashed potatoes, but then mix in some caramelized onions that you've pureed with a stick of butter. Then add Parmesan. You can only eat them once a year if you want to live past 50, but damn, that day is a good day.