Actually, all I can do is laugh. Let me assure you that Thanksgiving ended well, and we enjoyed every bite. The leftovers are just being finished.

But it was an exciting day starting with the unfrozen Rock Cornish Game Hens (note to readers: start defrosting earlier,) the loss of a pumpkin pie, and the Spode dishes from .. well, the first was made in 1879, but this set is more likely from the 1950s.

This year instead of turkey, we had Hens — which are basically small chickens. Too small to stuff, so the stuffing was made separately. After being removed from the freezer, they were frozen solid even after two hours in the warmth, so we took extreme measures.

Which leads to a discussion of the sweet potatoes. (Work with me here.) They were boiled in the largest of the ancient dutch ovens, removed, mashed and the pineapple was added, and set to one side. The marshmallow topping would be added later.

Back to the birds. Having now a very large pot of steaming hot water, and hens still in their plastic covers, we – plop! step back! – put them into the hot water. Back on the burner for 15 minutes. Mostly unfrozen by the time we put them on the cooking sheet. Good enough.

Then they were seasoned with Dash and rosemary and popped into the oven to cook. Mission accomplished, right?

Off to dessert. We made two of the best-looking pumpkin pies. The first was deposited safely outside to cool. The other… well, the flimsy aluminum bottom folded in half, the filling slopped over, and it was all over the floor. I have seldom laughed so loud and long on a Thanksgiving. We cleaned up the mess, mopped the floor, and were happy with the single pie.

Now we move onto the matter of Thanksgiving dishes. We had decided to use the classic India Tree of our parents. Well, dishes of the earlier period are smaller. A lot smaller. (And, no, these weren’t the salad plates. They are the dinner plates. They are smaller than the ones from the last 30 years.)

So we put the hens on the plates. We found out within a few seconds that the Rock Cornish Game hens were as big as the plates. There was no room for the sweet potatoes, the green beans, the macaroni salad or bread.

So we dug out the smaller plates to hold the sides. Luckily, we have a large table.

We also discovered that the hen defrosting hadn’t been total. No problem. A bird-filed plate fits nicely in the microwave. Two minutes. Perfect.

The desserts of pie and with apple strudel cupcakes were enjoyed. No wine but Welch’s sparkling grape juice worked well in the mis-matched goblets from local wineries. Then there was the after-meal entertainment.

Barbie.

A memorable Thanksgiving made by the problems as well as the successes. Bring on the holidays!