Sometimes I wish Mom, Aunt Nell, and Aunt Doris had not been good cooks. I wish they hadn’t made the most delicious pies and cornbread dressing and casseroles. Then preparing Thanksgiving dinner would be easier.
Aunt Doris’s chocolate cream pie is still a high standard that no one in my family has reached. Mom’s dressing was the best ever. I’ve tried to duplicate Aunt Nell’s asparagus casserole. I wonder if she added a secret ingredient that’s not in the recipe?
If my family had never eaten Thanksgiving dinner that Mom and her sisters prepared, maybe they’d be happy with a meal advertised by grocery stores and restaurants. Turkey, dressing, gravy, two sides, and pumpkin pie for twelve people for $114.95. Just heat and serve.
Although it’s been more than twenty years since my aunts and Mom served Thanksgiving dinner, my cousins, sister-in-law, and I have carried on the tradition of a home cooked feast. Which makes me wonder how many hours are spent preparing Thanksgiving dinner?
That question came to mind as I stirred cornmeal, an egg, and buttermilk to bake cornbread to be made into dressing three days later. The cornbread dried out for a few days so it could be crumbled and mixed with celery and onion, chicken bouillon, an egg, and a sprinkling of seasonings. The celery and onion were chopped and sauteed, and because a few people in my family don’t like celery I blend it with bouillon to hide the green. One time, I omitted celery and used celery salt (omitting additional salt) and that was the worst dressing ever.
When the dressing is mixed, I form balls, a bit smaller than a tennis ball like Mom did because we like crunchy dressing and every serving browns perfectly. Hours – just for the cornbread dressing. As I sometimes say to Husband, “I’m not complaining. Just thinking out loud.”
There’s nothing to roasting a turkey. Unless, you brine it so the meat is more tender and delicious. Dissolve sugar, salt, and spices in hot apple and orange juice and let it cool, and place the turkey in the brine for at least 24 hours.
Wash the salty brine from the turkey and dry it before roasting. Husband is in charge of carving and the turkey platter is a work of art. Each piece is evenly sliced. Hours – just for the turkey.
Then there are the sides. Green beans. Home canned beans are the best, but store-bought ones can be seasoned to taste almost like backyard garden beans. Corn. Lima beans. Sweet potato casserole. Mashed potatoes. Asparagus casserole. Cranberry salad and yeast rolls complete the meal
And desserts. The crusts of Mom’s pumpkin pie and Aunt Doris’s chocolate pie were made from scratch. Refrigerated store-bought crusts are almost as good.
A heat and serve meal would be easier, but when many cooks bring a dish or two, we get to enjoy the Best Meal of the Year. The Best – that’s what Daughter says. Soon it’ll be her turn to roast the turkey and make dressing.
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Susan Writes 