my cup runneth over

Thankfully Thanksgiving was a smashing success. The “oven ready” turkey I pre-ordered from Jensen’s that came cleaned, brined, seasoned, already in a bag, and in a pan, was seriously one of the best birds any of us had ever eaten. Not only did my daughter’s cute beau make a trifecta of scratch pies- sweet potato, pecan and buttermilk, he transformed the requested little bag of gizzards, liver and neck into an amazing low-country gravy. My two quarts of Jensen’s secret recipe back-up gravy didn’t make an appearance until Black Friday on our leftovers. The only snafu- a single oven and several dishes that vied for that coveted real estate.

With the bagged turkey, sausage stuffing, souffléd potatoes, sweet potato pie and cheese puff cups there was much jockeying for a place on that single rack. While the creamy potatoes puffed perfectly, the sausage stuffing was a bit moist. After the bird came out I turned up the oven and crisped up the top. Homemade cranberry chutney and Brussels sprouts with bacon were all in place and while I turned my back for a split second out of the corner of my eye I spied my husband with a big serving spoon… stirring. Before I could cry out for him to stop he had turned the toasty top of my stuffing into the wetlands below and had moved on to the now deflated spud soufflé. The fact that he had compromised my hours of toiling was completely lost on him so after the briefest of scoldings I gave him a kiss and we were off to the table.

After seconds and plates of pie we settled in front of the TV to watch the Ravens beat the Steelers. At halftime my husband volunteered to load up the dishwasher. Talk about valuable property, there was not a single slot or space unclaimed in that machine. As I sipped a remarkable glass of Barolo that my oenophile daughter had brought I heard the most unsettling sound. Grating glass, puffs of exertion and snapping metal. I leaped out of my chair and before I could cry out for him to stop my husband made another attempt to shove the now-lilting top rack back into the washer. I grabbed the top rack and with the calm of the eye of a hurricane deftly unloaded the crystal burden. I then disengaged the wheels from the bent metal, gave my husband another perfunctory kiss and banished him from the kitchen.

An hour later I shed my rubber gloves and seventh dishtowel. I thanked my lucky stars that our evening had not ended as smashingly as it could have. And then I laughed at the turn of events and how seemingly small the infractions had been. My table, plates and goblets had literally runneth over, the same holds true for my life. My blessings abound- top of the list incredible family, dear friends and the absolute best mate a girl could wish for.

Speaking of stars here’s a little showstopper that kicked off our holiday. Simply divine ingredients top these caviar and egg cups.

These light crispy cups from the other night made an encore performance.

For the egg salad start with 15-minute hardboiled eggs.

Finely chop the cooked peeled eggs.

Finely chop two tablespoons of sweet onion.

Stir in the mayonnaise and mustard. Season with salt and pepper.

The egg salad can be made a day ahead of time, place in an airtight container and refrigerate.

Make sure you use high quality fresh caviar from your market’s fish department. American Sturgeon is an excellent and relatively reasonable option.

Spoon a teaspoon of egg salad into each cup.

Top with a dollop of caviar.

These tiny treasures, like my blessings, are certainly worth toasting.