She asks me what I want for the book cover. I'm waffle and debate, indecisive. I know whatever she does will be awesome. She lets me natter, talk things through, until I come to a decision.
"Giving Thanks" is a my 2016 Thanksgiving story. Yes, I know I'm terribly behind. Life happened.
I decided on a Thanksgiving feast. The picture will not magically appear. It must be created. What did I want? Turkey was a given. Except, where does one find Turkey in February? Which was the least of my trouble. I didn't want to cook a turkey, more precisely, I didn't want copious amounts of turkey I'd be eating for weeks. What to do? Improvise.
Create a menu: Turkey, stuffing, potatoes, green bean casserole, rolls, pie, and anything else I can think of and find available, in February. It also can't be too expensive. I'm operating on a budget.
My sister agrees to a photo shoot on my grocery shopping day. I'll buy everything in the morning, and she'll stop by after work and take pictures. I have one day to pull it all together.
Instead of turkey, I'll use a chicken and miniaturize everything.
Things I already had on hand: Pork and beans, stuffing, green beans, marshmallow, heavy cream for whipped cream, pistachio pudding mix, spaghetti squash (I disguised as yam with marshmallow).
Astonishing what I find on sale: Potato salad, grape tomatoes, and cornbread.
What's available for less than a dollar: Fried onions and crushed pineapple.
What was sold for the first time the previous week and is still available: Single-serving pies.
Brownies and rolls are available for a reasonable price and will add to the overall look.
The last thing on the list: Chicken. Imagine standing at the meat counter, looking at the rotisserie chickens, and trying to decide which of all the dozen chickens there is the most photogenic.
Head home and create a feast in one day.
My sister arrives. I help her set up a card table, outside for the light, throw on a table cloth, and hold up a blanket as a backdrop instead of the carport. She takes 75 pictures, rearranging the food and taking different angles.
This pictures shows everything I prepared:
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