Do you have family traditions for Thanksgiving? Is your family able to get together? Are there favorite foods served? Have you ever gotten up extra early on Black Friday to go shopping?
When I was in grade school, Thanksgiving meant a big dinner at my grandmother’s house in Dodge City. While I’m sure my mom helped, my grandmother was the primary cook. The menu was fairly traditional: turkey, dressing, mashed potatoes and gravy. However, my grandmother also fixed candied sweet potatoes and scalloped oysters. In addition, the menu included green beans, a jello salad of some sort, carrots, celery, green onions, and olives (both green and black). Sometimes grandma would sneak in a squash dish that I didn’t really like — but had to eat regardless. (See older post: Tradition)
The only dish we children were not required to taste was the scalloped oysters. After a year or two of forcing us to eat them, the adults gave up and let us pass up putting any oysters on our plates.
While the table was laden with food, another room had a spot laden with dessert. Grandma always made pumpkin, pecan and cherry pie.
Today, my ‘tradition’ is different. Like my grandmother, I am a pie baker, making several pumpkin pies (for church) and a pecan pie (for family).
Instead of helping to prepare a family dinner, I volunteer at our local church to prepare a community Thanksgiving dinner (delivered or carry-out only). Early on Thanksgiving day, I report to the kitchen to help prepare the dressing (from scratch) and put the turkey (already cooked) in the roasters to warm. Later in the morning, I sometimes stay to help the next shift package up the pumpkin pie and jello salads. Later that day, my husband I will enjoy a family thanksgiving dinner with my brother and his family.
