I get to prepare the Thanksgiving feast! It’s a huge, gigantic blessing to me… to combine foods and herbs and spices together and cook or bake or roast them for just the right amount of time perfuming the air with anticipation of something delicious… it’s a part of who I am! I love it when guests enter our home and say, “OOOOoooooo, something smells gooooood!”, knowing that it will be just a matter of hours until we are seated altogether, serving and giving thanks to God for every provision.
I have found over the years that the traditional meal is the one that my guests enjoy most. I used to scour cookbooks for a month beforehand searching for unique and unusual recipes for preparing the turkey and all those luscious side dishes. I remember one thanksgiving at our little house on Wright Avenue, everyone was coming over including my grandparents from Boston and I was honored to be hosting the grand event! I found all kinds of new and innovative things to serve, and I busied myself getting everything just right because I wanted it to be so special for them.
I don’t remember the menu, but I do remember my grandfather telling me I was a fussy cook. It wasn’t an insult, because he savored what I was serving, and he loved me with his whole heart.
It was a reminder.
Of what’s important.
It’s ALL about the people we love and the time that we get to be together. Over the years I have come to realize that the traditional menu and those flavors were enjoyed most because they were familiar, they were Thanksgivings gone-by and the memories that came with the meal were as important as the meal itself. So I have embraced those Thanksgiving traditions. Now I only change the appetizers that are served as warm-ups to the real meal! So this year’s menu at the McCoskey home will include:
APPETIZERS
Brown-sugared Bacon-wrapped Smokies
David’s Skyline Chili Dip with tortilla chips
Cheese Wafers with Jalapeño Pepper Jelly
Old-fashioned Shrimp Dip with crackers
Sausage Cheddar Nibbles
Mushroom Pate Purses
Gingered Almonds
DINNER
30 lb. Roast Turkey & Gravy
Traditional Bread Stuffing
Sweet Potato Casserole
Spinach Souffle
Whipped Golden Potatoes
Laureen’s Green Bean Casserole
Janet’s Pomegranate Salad
Fresh-from-the-cob Creamed Corn
Assorted Cranberry Jellies
Home-made Dinner Rolls
Butter
DESSERTS
Mom’s Assorted Pies
Lily’s Gingerbread Pumpkin Trifle
Acorn Cookies
It will be a feast, for sure. And there will be laughter and joyfulness as we reunite with our families. This year marks the first year that we will be including our very own grand baby and I know that over the coming years the events of our lives and our children’s lives may be cause for changes in the traditions. So I will stay flexible in the future and welcome this moment now… this year’s feast… this year’s togetherness… this year of thanksgiving in 2011…
Live Well.
Loves Doves 