Planning Thanksgiving around here is not the same for me as it used to be. I make the meal that Mom would call “traditional”. That would be the turkey, oyster dressing (nice and moist, not dry like some others make), and sweet potatoes. She will make scalloped corn and “her” cranberry sauce. For my family, I will make a pot of greens, a rutabaga with mushrooms(seasoned with a splash of homemade pear wine and lots of butter), stemmed broccoli (with lots of butter), some place in among this menu I will find a way to use my can of oysters. I will also make “my” cranberry sauce (made without jello and sugar) and salad (years ago, I was invited to a college friend’s house for Thanksgiving and her mother always made a salad to fill up on instead of all the “heavy stuff”—I thought it was good advice and for years have always included it with my menu.)
I will also make a “turkey leg” for Helen who lives in the nursing home. This has become a yearly tradition for me and each time I wonder if there will be a next time. In addition to this, I will make a pumpkin pie for my parents, pumpkin custard for the gluten free folks in my family, and a small individual pumpkin pie for Helen.
In addition to cooking, I am going to clean off my parents table, add a leaf to it and haul out my assortment of china and set the table and we are going to set around the table and eat like family. The past two or three holidays, Mom didn’t want to bother and so we kind of ended up perched here and there. This year, I want it to be Thanksgiving. I will not offend my parents with our bottle of wine but I plan to open it and we will enjoy it either coming or going. It has been a very difficult for year for me and I want to enjoy the day.
I hope that your day will be an enjoyable one. Don’t forget to hug those that you love. And more importantly, don’t forget to thank God for putting them and all good things in your life. Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change. James 1:17