Thanksgiving Fare...

I admit, every year when all the glossy magazines come out with new ideas for Thanksgiving Dinner, I'm tempted to want to try some of them. But then I never do. I just stick with the traditional fare.

In talking with some of my kids the other night though, I have finally figured out why. I don't have Thanksgiving fare any other time of the year except at Thanksgiving! So, of course, what I want at Thanksgiving is that traditional Thanksgiving dinner! That's the only time I fix that.

Some of the foods I remember from Thanksgivings as a kid were, wild turkey, goose, or duck...whatever someone had shot at the appropriate time. There was sometimes ham or pork or other meats to go along with it. There were always the set of sides; mashed potatoes with gravy...real mashed potatoes...dressing (stuffing to some), squash, peas, cranberry sauce...real cranberry sauce...sometimes sweet potatoes if they were available. My Great Aunt Lulu always provided some sort of seafood, which none of us would ever try. Then there was the relish tray with various pickles and olives, the rolls and steamed brown breads, and the pumpkin and apple pies. There may have been other stuff but these are what I associate with the traditional meal.

So I'll keep fixing the traditional dinner as long as that's what I want to eat once a year. Fortunately my husband likes the same thing so it works out good. This year we plan to roast a lovely, organic, heritage breed, pasture raised turkey, potatoes from our own garden, homemade dressing, gravy, pickles, pumpkin pie, squash (pumpkin and squash from our garden), and rolls and breads. We'll add boughten peas, sweet potatoes, olives and whatever else we need. Looking forward to it...although we'll miss Tim, Abbie and Josie this year, but I'm sure as great a cook as Abbie is, their Thanksgiving feast will be wonderful.