Well, the once-in-a-lifetime phenomenon known as “Thanksgivukkah” has come and gone. Turkeys were roasted, latkes were fried, and Jews all over America are nursing leftover comas this weekend. My family came to town. My mom and I cooked for 22 people. Three turkeys. It was epic. So epic, in fact, that I became overwhelmed with holiday prep. Because of that, I owe some of you an apology.
Leading up to the holiday, I had hundreds of comments and questions come in from all over the world… questions like:
“Can I freeze this?”
“How do I transport this to my mother’s house?”
“Can I make this gluten free?”
“Can I leave out the nuts?”
“I burned my crust, how do I save it?”
It’s not surprising how many questions came in, given that two major food-oriented holidays converged. I always have lots of comments on the site, but I must admit that I was a bit unprepared for just how many there would be this month. Meanwhile, I had just wrapped a TV shoot (a sci fi show that I co-wrote/exec produced). I was juggling media deadlines and requests from major websites, TV networks and radio shows all over the U.S. My family was in town. I tried to answer as many questions as I could, but it became impossible to keep up. At a certain point, I had to take a deep breath and realize that I just wasn’t going to get to all of them before the holiday. This is a first for me. I’ve tried so hard to be there for you all and support you in your holiday cooking, even during the busiest times. But this week, I really felt like the site grew faster than I was prepared for. If I didn’t get to your question (there are still 90 waiting to be answered right now), I’m sorry.
I’m not sorry, however, for taking a break and spending time with my family. I needed to cook my own Thanksgivukkah meal. I needed to spend quality time with my mom, which doesn’t happen often enough anymore. I needed to forget that I have a website for a couple of days and just enjoy our holiday. As you can see from the pictures in this post, it was quite a meal to prepare for.
I hope you understand.
Here are a few more pics from our holiday table:
That’s my mom! 🙂
Did you celebrate both Hanukkah and Thanksgiving? Did you do a combined holiday celebration? What did you end up cooking?
Nancy Oyer says
So glad your Thanksgivvukah was epic! Thank you for all the inspiration you provided. My nod to Thanksbivvukah was your harvest fruit puree. It was gorgeous, delicious, and received rave reviews! Thank you for so many perfect recipes.
Patricia Lyons says
I made your Pumpkin Challah bread and it turned out divinely delicious. I made 5 loaves from your recipe.Some were smaller sizes. The last one I kneaded in dried cranberries & walnuts. I took it to my cousin’s gathering and sent some along to my boyfriend’s family dinner. All comments were positive, the bread was much appreciated and kept nicely too. Thanks for the recipe and great idea.
Carol says
Absolutely no need for an apology!!! So glad you enjoyed your family….
Jackie Jacobs says
Not only did we celebrate Thanksgiving & Hanukkah, it was my hubby’s birthday…truly a once in a lifetime happening. We had turkey and latkes and everything else related to holiday cooking. My husband is a vegetarian so we also had other interesting foods like quinoa with roasted vegetables and honey roasted tomatoes on whole grain baguettes. This was my first attempt at baking challah bread and everybody said it was wonderful. A good time was had by all.
Evie says
Not only did we have Thanksgivukkah last week, but it was both my sons’ birthdays (13 and 19) so we had a gigantic celebration with friends and family. Now I am broke. Love your table, we collect Madonna Inn glasses too!
Tori Avey says
Evie I’ve never met anybody else who collects these glasses. Too cool!
Jeannine says
We celebrated both Chanukah and Thanksgiving even though I had to work through the holiday. My husband grilled a fabulous turkey for Thanksgiving and we had latkes the next day. Like you, I am a shiksa.
Chaseburgmama says
Kids were asked to help this year so It’s too bad we can post pics because our table and plates were full as were we by the evening’s end. Squash Turkey Buffet Centerpiece with feather breadsticks, Pinterest’s turkey shaped cold salad fixings, bar-b-que beef brisket, roasted root veggies, sweet potato latkes with cranberry applesauce, sephardic fruit stuffing,garlic mashed potatoes with dessert served much later: Pumpkin Crunch/ Cranberry White Chocolate Cheesecake. We were full for the next 4 days!
Linda Merryman says
says YOU deserved it.. I LOVE the tree Menorah… even though I am not Jewish… really always loved the concept of the holiday!!!
Gabriela Jiménez Ortiz says
I have the same menorah! It was a gift from my mother before my conversion and I absolutely adore everything about it.
Theresa Hickinbotham says
I always like your creativity.
Lindsay Treger says
love the menorah
Cheri A. Bosell Rubin says
So glad you spent time with Family!
Hugs
Cindy (MartiniDoll) Walters says
No apology necessary. EVERYONE should ENJOY the holidays !
Yours looked EPIC ! Someday in my dreams I will do that…not really :/ I’m the person who wants to be invited to THAT party ! Much Love <3
Ruth Smith says
I’m sure many will agree that we are really glad you took the TIME to relish family and togetherness and let other things GO……you more than deserved to. Your table is a work of art!
Ruth Smith says
That is SO beautiful, Tori Avey. Thank you for sharing
Bonnie Banters says
Wow, Tori…that’s pretty magnificent! We had half as many people; and I just gave in to enjoy Thanksgivukkah with my family also! Two holidays combined..it was wonderful and overwhelming all at once!
Susie Schulman says
Swirled Peas into World Peace is what you do so well. Don’t be sorry. I was curious to learn that others write to you with questions…you always have each step and usually pictures, so I was surprised. Perhaps you could charge a bit for the personalized service to deter so many questions during the holidays. Keep doing what you do so well!
Joseph Bacon says
🙂
Marla Rosenthol says
I would love to know where you got the goblets!
Cheryl Simon says
What a cool menorah!