I had an awesome idea for today's post. But I didn't write the post or write the idea down and, of course, I forgot it.
So, let's talk about Thanksgiving.
I don't remember a lot of my childhood. And not for the same reason a lot of people can't remember the '70s LOL. I think Thanksgiving was always sort of a big deal, though. What I can remember was a house full of family and loads of awesome food.
We'd start the day watching the Macy's parade and then whatever was on - usually some movie or other on one of the four channels we got - to stay out of Mom's way in the kitchen.
Mom would make a huge turkey - which I loved. Candied yams - which I hated. Pumpkin pie, easy on the spices. And cranberry sauce right out of the can. There may have been other staples, but I don't remember those exactly. Corn? Green beans? Mashed potatoes? :shrug:
We'd eat and then Dad would watch the Lions play whoever on TV.
As we got older, and hooked up with special someones, more people would be there. Then the babies started arriving. It was something of a madhouse sometimes in my parent's home. I do remember hiding in my room to escape the chaos. Then dinner would be served and we'd all sit down - the adults at the big table and the kids at the card table.
We'd eat and then Dad and the other men would watch the Lions play whoever while the women cleaned up and then had coffee while they chatted around the big table. At some point pie would be served. Then everyone would depart for their own homes. Taking leftovers with them.
In 2001, I moved away from Michigan. No more family holidays for me. It was during these years that I discovered I suck at making turkey. I never have the patience to leave it in the oven long enough so the center isn't still bloody. (And I never trusted the pop-up thingy.) Thank goodness I never gave anyone food poisoning. Thank goodness I married Hubs because he makes an awesome turkey.
These days, it's just Hubs and I. He does the turkey, I do the dessert. We have stuffing that he makes and crams into the bird. And canned, jellied cranberry sauce because that's how we roll. (I take care of that, too. I'm such a chef. LOL) And that's pretty much it. No corn. No mashed potatoes. Definitely no sweet potatoes. Bleh. Sometimes we have rolls that I've bought at the store, but usually the rolls are left for tiny leftover turkey sandwiches. (Hubs puts cranberry sauce on his, I just use butter. Butter and turkey sandwiches... mmmmm.) After we digest some of the dinner, we have dessert. This year, I'm making pumpkin cheesecake. Last year, we just had pumpkin bread. It's not like we really need dessert. Lord knows, we're already pretty stuffed after dinner. Which we usually eat around 1:00.
And that's about it. This year, I bought a 14.5 lb turkey, so we'll be eating leftovers for a good long time. Woohoo.
What about you? Any good memories of Turkey Day? What's your holiday like now as opposed to when you were a kid?
Interesting food fact: Yams and sweet potatoes are two different species! Yams are members of the lily family and sweet potatoes belong to the morning glory family. Who knew? And they are NOT interchangeable in recipes. I'll admit that I sorta like the sweet potato casserole (the one with marshmellows on top) but a liittle goes a long way.
ReplyDeleteMy family wasn't huge--Dad had some cousins spread around the country, Mother was an only child and there was just Gong-Gong and Grandad, and my brother and me. Still, it was a feast. Big turkey, stuffing, taters with giblet gravy, all the sides and homemade rolls. We also did the Macy's parade with homemade cinnamon rolls for breakfast. Lunch was around 1-2-ish and then football on the TV. T-giving night was turkey sandwiches and either "It's a Wonderful Life," "White Christmas," or "Miracle on 34th Street." We had 3 stations, and sometimes got to watch the OKC stations if the waves were working right with the antenna.
After LG and I married, T-giving was sort of passed around but always a big deal. Then people died, families got weird, and new family arrived. LG, Only, and I were perfectly happy just doing turkey sandwiches and pumpking pie. Then Uncle Fix-It decided to take it on for us and his in-laws after Aunt Hooey's stroke. Now we head over there for the feast. I still often to a small breast or turkey "roast" so we have enough leftovers for sandwiches because...they're still our favorite. LOL
Some years, I miss not having all the commotion and decorating and then I think, nope. Don't really miss it at all. That said, I still love the full spread and will eat myself silly.
Happy Almost Thanksgiving!
Greg loves to eat and it's the one day of the year I'm not so strict with his diet. Although I make a lot of dishes I try to make things that will freeze or keep in the fridge for a few days.
ReplyDeleteMy reward for all that cooking is that I get several days off after that. Greg and the dogs bow to me in reverence. ...as it should be. :D
My Thanksgivings were a great deal like yours, jellied cranberry and all, except it was Mom who loved football. I really don't remember them much - it's not my favorite holiday.
ReplyDeleteThese days, my tastebuds are shot so I enjoy food even less. But the kids are all grown up, and so are most of their kids, so the day is far more peaceful.