Traditional Thanksgiving

Hubby’s father carves the turkey. Hubby injected it in several places with non-alcoholic wine. Flavor was terrific.

Thanksgiving at our house is the most traditional holiday of all. We eat the exact same dishes annually: Turkey, Out of This World Cranberry Salad, Sweet Potato Pie, Bread Dressing, Tossed Salad, Mashed Potatoes and Gravy, Relish Plate and Pumpkin Pie. Generally, we have another two or three dishes, but our Thanksgiving just is not complete unless we have the traditional dishes. That tradition extends to the next day, when we eat Sweet and Sour Turkey and I turn the turkey carcass into turkey stock. Dad used to tell my mother to buy two turkeys, one for Sweet and Sour and the other for the traditional bird. All these are my mother’s dishes, the ones I grew up eating. I remember when most of them began to appear on the menu. I remember grinding cranberries and cutting apples for the cranberry salad. Some years later, Mother obtained the Sweet Potato Pie recipe. I do not like sweet potatoes and at first refused to try the new recipe. When I was finally convinced (maybe even ordered) to eat it, I skeptically tried one bite, then started devouring the pie.

Dining room decked out for Thanksgiving.

As for every season, I deck out the living and dining rooms for Thanksgiving. Decorations are our own traditions. Hubby says that the palm frond turkey on the sideboard at left is his favorite of all our numerous and varied seasonal decorations. Besides eating S&S Turkey, Thanksgiving Friday and Saturday are reserved for two activities: Christmas decorating and Husker football. Now that we’ve eaten our fill of Thanksgiving delicacies, I’m ready to bring up the trees, garlands and ornaments for my three-day decorating spree.