Well, Thanksgiving is over again.
I sit here thinking about all the cooking I have done for the past week - the “special” dressing, all the sides and my fresh coconut cake.
Now I look at the wreckage in my kitchen, huge pots sitting on my stove with parts, pieces and only a spoonful left of the delicious, delightful sides so painstakingly made and WOW, just WOW!
What took me several days to accomplish was demolished in less than 30 minutes. Was all the planning, shopping, cooking and preparing really worth the effort? Yes.
As all my children and their children and my brother and my sister-in-love came in and looked at the bounty with wonder in their eyes at the amount, sight and smells that permeated my kitchen, I quietly said a soft thank you that I was once again physically able to prepare this thankful meal.
As we bowed to return our thanks to our God, my son-in-law prayed our blessing and my heart was full of gratitude and praise.
We have grown from a family of two into a family of 23. How amazing is that?
After all the gobbling and gorging, my “little brother” began the cleanup and began to wash all the dishes, those not paper, I mean. It still humbles me to see him take the lead to clean up my mess as he usually does. Then he is tagged and one of my daughters-in-law took his place as we all began to make order of the messy cluttered space.
All of my children’s children, some of them by natural birth, others by miracles, were hugged and kissed and hugged and kissed.
I do not know for sure, but I am positive they realize by now that I am one of those grandmothers that will kiss them, in public, when they are 40 years old, just as I have Michael, Marc and Pam. It is probably something they will get used to — or at the least learn to endure.
Now it is officially Christmas season, and LET THE SHOPPING BEGIN!
We have drawn names for our “white elephant gifts.” I just wonder how many ugly Christmas sweaters will be exchanged.
Now I begin planning our next big meal, and maybe this time, I will assign tasks to the ones who usually do not “KP” the kitchen.
This is my recipe for my fresh coconut cake, one I have added to, taken away from and enhanced through the years.
FRESH COCONUT CAKE
2 boxes of yellow cake mix
16 ounces of sour cream
1/2 cup of vegetable oil
6 eggs
15 ounces of cream of coconut
Mix all together in a big electric mixer and pour evenly into three 9” cake pans. Heat oven to 350*.
FROSTING
16 ounces of softened cream cheese
4 T. Pet milk
2 pounds of powdered sugar
2 teaspoons of a really good vanilla extract
4 bags of fresh frozen coconut, thawed.
Whisk powdered sugar and cream cheese, add vanilla, and add milk to reach a spreadable mixture. Watch your amount of milk. Frost the cakes as you stack them and press coconut into the sides and tops.This is a really big beautiful snowball of a cake.
