When I was a kid in South Carolina, Thanksgiving and Christmas included meals to look forward to. I get them mixed up in my memories — like, Mother swears we never had ambrosia at Thanksgiving, only at Christmas — but I certainly remember the sights and smells of preparation and consumption. The thing was, though, those special meals began at dinner. A main course, multiple vegetable dishes, things involving cranberries and green beans and elbow macaroni. Which meant we had to wait through the entire day. A whole day of waiting! On Christmas, we would have a bowl of cereal for breakfast, or maybe a plate of grits, but because we had candy from our stockings, we could feel the specialness of the day regardless. Thanksgiving, alas, offered no such mitigation. (Read more for this Roasted Asparagus Quiche recipe.)