12 Days & Counting

Hard to believe it, really. Just 12 days from now, another Thanksgiving! Thanksgiving was always a BIG day in my family growing up. All of us would gather at someone's house, whether it was my aunt & uncle's turn or my mom & dad's turn to host, and as the family grew bigger, so did the turkey. It was a favorite time of year because (maybe it was my naivete') we all had a great time together, and the food was always perfect. Always.

 

 

 

The standard fare was: (to serve typically 15+)

• A HUGE turkey (20+ lbs at least)
• homemade mashed potatoes
• pan gravy
• mashed butternut squash (they boiled the squash)
• mashed carrots (boiled those too)
• my family's recipe for stuffing (to drool over)
• various other sides, like corn, cranberries (both canned)
• celery
• desserts, typically a couple of different pies

After hubby & I moved to New Hampshire and had our daughter, it became impractical to be driving the 3-1/2 hrs down to RI for Thanksgiving with the family, only to rush back to NH for Jimmy to go to work on Friday.  So I began cooking Thanksgiving dinner for my small family.

The first couple of years, I struggled with cooking the turkey the way my mom did and my nana before her.  Last year, I finally – FINALLY – decided to do it like my mother always did – and like my grandmother always did.  It’s not the preferred method of Butterball, but it’s tried and true. Why fight history?

Last year, and this year, I’ll be going with this menu and I’ll be posting the recipes over the next few days.  If you are cooking Thanksgiving for your family and/or friends this year, won’t you leave your link so I can come visit you as well?

The menu will consist of:

• a 12(ish) lb turkey
• sausage stuffing from my nana’s recipe
• cornbread & cranberry stuffing
• oven roasted sweet potatoes
• oven roasted squash
• home-made rolls
• pan gravy
• home-made mashed potatoes
• home-made pumpkin pie

I can’t wait!