Ordinarily, despite all good intentions, holiday meals get quickly out of control. If there are eight people involved, for example, there are essentially eight different holiday meals to be prepared, followed by more leftovers to stash and more dishes to rinse than anyone imagined at the start of the day.

Many of these holidays have, for me, devolved into grueling chores. I do not often look forward to them.

Today, though, due largely to my own flexibility about the meal, my wife Abby and I had a relaxed, intimate Thanksgiving dinner, just the two of us, and afterwards, due to my planning and efforts to stay ahead of the kitchen chores, putting away leftovers and getting dishes in the dishwasher took less than ten minutes.

Here, then, was our menu…

• Chicken thigh filets for Abby, since Wal-Mart was out of game hens, and since Abby tends to prefer thighs and legs
• Abby in her tall brown boots, since I prefer thighs and legs. ;>)
• Abby’s giblet gravy for Abby, served in the turkey gravy bowl
• Abby’s stuffing for Abby
• Abby’s Broccoli casserole for both of us
• Asparagus for Abby
• Corn for both of us
• Vegetarian Chik’n nuggets for me
• Pull Aparts® garlic bread for both of us, my new holiday favorite bread

We have lots of pie (sweet potato, pecan, Dutch apple, and four-berry), but we both think of is as a “long weekend” dessert.