Thanksgiving is rapidly approaching. Spoiler alert: Its in like, a couple of days. Crap. If you’re like me, you’ve lost your damn mind again and you’re having a bunch of people over. If you’re not like me, congratulations! Drink up and enjoy the turkey.
A few years ago I hosted my traditional huge Thanksgiving . I unpacked in a frenzy to get everything snazzy and uncluttered for my in-laws. I planned a menu. I set up a Livejournal community for my husband and friends to help me decide who was making what. I bought wine glasses. I went crazy, people.
Then I made my “famous” cornbread casserole. Which basically consists of butter with some corn in it. I added some extra butter, because butter makes everything better. Including, apparently, fire. Because about fifteen minutes after I put the casserole in the oven in its disposable casserole dish, smoke started pouring out of the brand new oven into my brand new rental home in front of all my friends and family.
Like any wise hostess, I started crying. Then my brother opened the oven and flames started spewing out of it. I’m talking serious flames here. Three-feet-long flames shooting into my kitchen.
Somebody somehow got the other dishes out of the oven before my brother filled it with toxic fire extinguisher goop. I hid in a back bedroom, holding my toddler and shaking and being royally, shatteringly embarrassed.
A small glass of wine and several thousand jokes later, I felt better. We carried on. The house only smelled like rancid burning plastic for about an hour. And while the casserole landed in the garbage, everything else turned out okay. And thankfully, the turkey had already been finished.
Don’t stress about the details this Thanksgiving. I mean, you should probably try not to set your house on fire. But beyond that, remember that the people who can laugh with are treasures. Be thankful for them.
{ 19 comments… read them below or add one }
Twitter: shaunaglenn
November 23, 2009 at 8:20 am
Poor Maria. And I’m really sorry but this made me laugh. I totally would have hid in the bedroom too.
Happy Thanksgiving, friend.
Twitter: MommaIncredible
November 23, 2009 at 8:27 am
Thanksgiving is THIS WEEK? Crap. Better get that bird out to de-thaw.
Thanks for the smile…hope it hasn’t scarred you for life.
Twitter: alotofnothing
November 23, 2009 at 8:39 am
This is why I make my 2-ingredient green beans and let my mom & aunts make the rest.
Happy Thankful Day!
Twitter: ArtistMother
November 23, 2009 at 8:54 am
Shit. I’m hosting 10 on Thanksgiving. Glad to say I’m not making cornbread casserole. So hopefully no fires. I can say with confidence that it will be so hot in our house from all the cooking that I’ll probably have to turn the furnace off and open all the windows. In Ohio. In November.
Maybe I should tell my guests to bring shorts.
Twitter: kidthingsnet
November 23, 2009 at 9:12 am
We’re are hosting our very first Thanksgiving this year and this? Is exactly what I’m afraid of.
OH no!!!! you did well with all that happened. Baking soda is your friend for situations like this, it will also clean your oven! :)
I have learned over the years and there are quite a few years, that there is always one thing that does not turn out. no matter how ahrd I try one thing either doesn’t get done right or burns or just doesn’t taste well.
So relax and enjoy the family and friends and just do your best.
Twitter: ladyjess78
November 23, 2009 at 11:13 am
That shall be my Thanksgiving mantra… “At least nothing’s on fire.”
Twitter: tenakim
November 23, 2009 at 11:57 am
first- my family LOVES that corn casserole. Second- I swear- my MIL’s turkey caught on fire last year and she’s on my boundaries list that I can’t blog about, but I still reveled a little.
I’ve only hosted once…no fire…maybe I could do it again.
Twitter: SillyJaime
November 23, 2009 at 3:43 pm
This year I’m helping my family by making the hors d’oeuvres.
THAT’S RIGHT! I said hors d’oeuvres!
I had to Google how to spell it. Lucky for me someone had already wikihow’d it. :D
Those are the stories that make holidays even better. I’m glad you were able to laugh because you’re right, it is not worth worrying about all the details.
You make me laugh, girl! You poor thing… I’m glad you’ve since come out of hiding though. Indeed, things don’t always go the way one plans, but I’m glad you had family and friends around to help you stay on the lighter side of things. And feed you wine. Thems is some good peeps!!
It’s the “thanks” part that counts the most. Enjoy your holiday – you’ve got it all, lady. xox
Ohmigosh! That story is wonderful and the “moral” is sooo true! What a great time for THAT reminder!
Worse yet, I had a friend who ran out of gas in the middle of cooking the turkey….yeah nothing like a little raw poultyr on Thanksgiving!
The flames were a message. One that you got!
Love you, MM!
Well, you are not the only one who had flames on Thanksgiving. My mom, who is an excellent cook, was roasting the turkey in a paper grocery bag (to keep it moist without basting or something). You see where this is going. Yes, the paper bag caught flame where some grease got on it. It wasn’t much flame so it was easily smothered and the turkey was fine. Luckily Mom was a Girl Scout leader for like 25 years and knew several ways to put out a small fire (smothering with a pot lid, baking soda, etc) and never fully lost her cool. Also, it was just immediate family not a huge gathering with all that pressure. I just wanted you to know you aren’t the only one this kind of thing happens to. Have a good holiday.
After cooking for 20+ people this Thanksgiving, I was worried that the same thing would happen to me, because it should have, things like that always happen to me. I’m glad I am not alone.
First off great page. Im unsure if it has been talked about, however when using Chrome I can never get the whole page to load without refreshing several times. Maybe just my connection. Appreciate your work