Who And What Will Be At Your Table?

Planning for turkey day

One Thanksgiving, we had our daughters, three dogs, four cats, a gerbal, guinea pigs and a rabbit…but they did not all sit at the table for the meal. Many were under the table, waiting patiently.

I can already feel the holidays descending. I find myself slowing down just a little bit, thinking about cooking and getting together with people. I bought the frozen turkey last night, which is always the symbol of the start of the holidays for me.

I love to cook for Thanksgiving, taking traditions and putting my own spin on them. Our daughters will bring food and start their own traditions, building on the ones we raised them with. To my surprise, everyone still likes the sauerkraut with our meal, an addition handed down from my Grandmother Donnelly—who knows how far back it goes. She also used to make beaten biscuits with butter and ham— an old Maryland tradition. I never made them because I was frequently told how labor intensive they were, all that beating! After my mother died, my father used to cook for our thanksgiving meal, and while a good and enthusiastic cook, he used boxed mashed potato mix. It tasted yummy, but I yearned to make handmade mashed potatoes with garlic. Now I do. This is how traditions shift over generations.

What is your favorite tradition?

I hope you have a good Friday, and see you tomorrow.