Our Newest Tradition: Thanksgiving Dinner at the Bolingbrook Golf Club

We started a new tradition in our home for Thanksgiving this year: we dined at the annual Thanksgiving buffet. 

I've cooked our holiday dinners for two for the past 15 years. Now, with my disability, I don't have the stamina to stand for hours preparing such a complex meal. Last year, I was so winded after cooking the meal I coudn't enjoy it. And after cleaning up, I slept the rest of the afternoon. 

What a nice change the buffet was. I didn't even break a sweat! And at a cost that was close to what I usually spend making a holiday dinner for two, we had a fabulous meal with many more options. 

I made reservations for the first seating at noon so that we could beat the crowd. Boy, talk about intuition paying off. There were dozens and dozens of people in line while we were sitting there, enjoying our feast. 

The lines seemed to move smoothly because there were two identical buffets of salads, sides and carving stations to accommodate everyone. I got the first slice carved off of a beautifully seasoned turkey! The baked ham was tempting, but I continued and filled my plate up as I proceeded to open all the covered chafing dishes, sampling their delicious contents of golden sweet corn, mashed potatoes, candied yams, wild rice stuffing, green bean casserole and several different cranberry sauces.

One dish worth mentioning was a light custard of cranberries and mandarin oranges that was heavenly on the turkey.

I skipped the salads altogether, figuring that if I still had room, I would need it for the fantasy table of desserts. If I had seen it first, I may have given up the turkey, too—just kidding. 

The Ronald Reagan Room was elegantly decorated with colorful table linens and fresh flower arrangements on every table. It was filled with happy families covering every generation. Even though we sat at our table for two, we still had a feeling of being part of the larger families that surrounded us. 

We sat for a few moments before we made our way over to the desserts. What a table full of festive-themed treats! Wow! We wanted to try them all but narrowed it down to just a few of the incredible delights. They had chocolate on chocolate layer cake, white chocolate-covered red velvet cake, carrot cake, pumpkin cheesecake, pecan pie, pumpkin pie, turtle brownies, lemon slices, fresh fruit slices and probably some things that I forgot.

We both agreed that the turtle brownies were to die for. There was a buttery caramel on top that made them extra good. The pecan pie, smothered in fresh whipped cream, was my dream pick, as well as the red velvet cake. 

All were conveniently sliced into thin wedges, so that it was easy to indulge your taste buds without overdoing it. 

Oh, and I almost forgot, the huge cookie platter. Gary loves to finish off every meal with a chocolate chip cookie. He picked one out and it was crunchy—just the way he likes them. Poor guy could only eat half of it before throwing in the towel and announcing that he was just too full. I was, too.

The service was excellent. Mary kept my glass of milk full and made sure everything was perfect. And it was. She kept telling us to take our time and to eat as much as we wanted. 

So, we left in a stuffed condition but not so bad that we couldn't walk.

And guess what? I still slept the rest of the afternoon. Some things won't change. Our two dogs are used to having turkey scraps, in fact they eat more of the turkey than we do.

I saved them half a rotisserie chicken from the other night and served it to them warm, for their dinner. They couldn't tell the difference and they sure were happy. Gary and I will miss the leftovers but I planned ahead and made a pecan streusel-topped pumpkin pie last night that will hold us over for days.

I think we made the right choice this year. And next year, I think we'll be the first to make reservations for Thanksgiving at the Bolingbrook Golf Club.