Thanksgiving

I thought you might like to know what our Texas sized Thanksgiving will look like.

I will post after pictures, but for now….here’s a written plan.

My parents will arrive the night before. I am planning to have most of the prep work done before they get here so Mom doesn’t have to work too much. It’s her turn to be waited on. She has made many a delightful holiday meal.

We will have the linens pressed, the china washed, the onions chopped and everything ready to prepare our delicious Thanksgiving dinner.

Mom is bringing a pre-cooked turkey from some place in Houston that she swears has the best turkey ever. It’s ok with me because that means I don’t have to get up at 5AM to put the bird in the oven.

After a breakfast of coffee cake and fruit, we’ll start setting the table. I have gorgeous chargers and china. The centerpieces will be pumpkins and candles. I will use a few of my grandmother’s serving pieces along with some that I have collected over the years.

Some friends are coming to join us for dinner, which will make for a festive time. We will have a houseful of people whom we love and who love us. Did I get my whoms and whos wrong? I can never remember. Anyway….

The menu:
Turkey
Ham
Dressing (it wouldn’t be Thanksgiving without my grandmother’s dressing. If I didn’t make it I might have a mutiny on my hands)
Mashed Potatoes
Rolls
Gravy
Green Beans
Broccoli Casserole
Creamed Corn (made from fresh corn on the cob…yum!)
Deviled Eggs
Fruit Salad (don’t mistake this for healthy…this will have whipped cream and marshmallows in it…no healthy here people. It’s Thanksgiving!)
Lemon Pie
Pecan Pie
Apple Pie
Chocolate Pie
Pumpkin Pie

I’m not sure why we need so many pies. I think it’s because, for some reason, we don’t make pies any other time. It’s our one and only chance to have pie for another year, so we’re going for it.

Most of it can be prepared ahead of time, so Thanksgiving day should be easy.

The most coveted recipe is the dressing….passed down from generation to generation. It took me a long time to figure out how to make it. It’s not like I had to send it off to a lab to be analyzed. It’s just that every time I asked an aunt or my mom, the conversation would go something like this….

Me: Hey Mom, how do you make Meemaw’s dressing?

Mom: Oh, you just make some cornbread…

Me: How much cornbread?

Mom: Oh, I don’t know, just some. Then you chop some onions…

Me (pencil in hand): How many onions?

Mom: Oh, maybe a couple…whatever. Then you chop some celery….

And on it went. It took me several tries, but I finally worked out my own version of the recipe. It has become a family favorite. I’d give you the recipe, but it really is like they said….just a little of this and a little of that.

I hope you have a wonderful holiday.

I’d love to know what some of your Thanksgiving favorites are…..

This will be reposted on my second blog.