A Touch of Elegance

My grandma Shirley would be proud of me today. I used her Pickard China I received from my mom for Christmas last year for the first time tonight. We had a lot to celebrate, so I figured, why not?

The predominate reason my husband's family and I feasted tonight was in celebration of the marriage between Robert and Diana, my husband's cousins. They were married in California two weeks ago and were home this weekend for a Minnesota reception. On their way back to the Cities, they stopped by for supper. I asked Robbie last night what he wanted to eat, and without hesitation he replied, "turkey." So that's what we had, Thanksgiving in October: turkey breast, mashed potatoes and gravy, stuffing, squash, cheesy green beans, fruit salad, pull-apart buns, whole cranberry sauce, relish tray, and, of course, desert... apple crisp pizza and home-made pumpkin pie ((thanks Amy)). YUM!

The other cause for celebration is that my mother-in-law, Deb, finished her last chemotherapy treatment on Thursday. Deb was diagnosed with breast cancer last spring. She had surgery to remove the cancer almost immediately, spent the summer undergoing radiation treatments, and finished this fall with a series of four chemotherapy treatments. And through it all she has chosen to remain positive and solid in her Faith. She is a survivor (in more ways than I can even put into words at this moment); I can't think of a better reason to break out Grandma's China.

Call me crazy, but I believe Grandma Shirley was with me tonight. The turkey turned out perfect, tasty and juicy, the potatoes were "ridiculous" according to my brother-in-law, Blake, and, most importantly, I remained calm throughout the whole evening. The calm is important to emphasize because even though I LOVE (love-love-love) to cook for and entertain my family, I usually end up going into a "high-stress-frantic-Becky" kind of mode and forget to relax and have fun. Grandma was never like that. She also loved to entertain for her friends and family. In day-to-day living, Grandma was gentle, kind, encouraging, fair, silly, creative, supportive, casual, and unruffled. But when she entertained, she was elegant: fine linens, gourmet meals, decadent desserts, and of course, everything was served on her Pickard China. I truly feel like through all of my most elaborate dining endeavors there was just something missing... until tonight. Tonight I felt like she was here with me, guiding my judgement, directing my cooking symphony, but most notably, she was my calm.