Liver, Onions, Spinach, and Thanks

2.5 inches. Looking back, you may wonder what made the difference and led you to where you are. For us, it was 2.5 inches.

We planned a non-traditional Thanksgiving this year. 2020 has had a few curves and even a knuckleball or two. So we decided to limit the preparation time and have a meal of steak, baked potatoes, and a nice salad. It would be no great fuss for anybody involved. Then our plans were altered. One of our party of four became symptomatic for a virus that has become widespread, if not popular.

Since our fourth for an afternoon of bridge was temporarily out of commission and we agreed that mingling would be a poor notion, we found ourselves on the hook for our own meal planning. We still didn’t want to do the turkey or ham thing. Way too much bother when we wanted to focus on thankfulness. But what to do? We had no good ideas, then we discovered a gap in the freezer door of the downstairs refrigerator. If you think it was about a 2.5-inch gap, you’re already a step ahead of me.

Stuff that should be stiff had become squishy. This led to a post-breakfast meal of shrimp yesterday, because why not? It was toss it or eat it and half of our household has a horrible aversion to food waste. That aversion caused Steckler’s Grass-fed Beef Liver to become the centerpiece of our plates today. I cried. Not from happiness. It was because my wife made me slice a very large, pungent onion to cook with the liver. Some thawing spinach found its way onto the menu and we rounded it out with instant brown rice and mixed olives.

Success. We eschewed tradition in a big way. Our only concession was using the good plates because my Mrs. wanted to take a photo of the meal before we began. 

Do I like liver and onions? Not a bunch. Do I like olives? Not much more than I care for liver and onions. Do I like spinach? Ah. You’ve found me out. Swimming in apple cider vinegar, given my choice. But today it was sort of plopped onto the plate and we called it a day. 

Despite the menu comprising foods that foster ambivalence, I admit I enjoyed it. So much so that I wiped up all the bits with a well-buttered slice of sourdough bread. And I genuinely am thankful for a gap in the seal of the freezer door. A 2.5-inch column of invading air brought us surprise, creativity, relaxed preparation, quick cleanup, and a story worth sharing with our friends.

May all your mishaps be as rewarding.