While the holidays are usually very hectic, I do love them indeed. I so much enjoy our family traditions, old and new. It has always been my desire to create memories for my boys that they will take into adulthood. Not only memories built around holidays, but year round. And not just frivolous memories, but memories of eternal and spiritual value, as well.
With that said, if you read my sister's blog, you will know what kind of Thanksgiving I grew up having. I was laughing as I read her post, because all of it was true. It made me laugh, but it also made me miss Mom. She always put love into our meal, even if that love did come from a can! And I have truly warm feeling when I recall our many Thanksgivings together as a family of four- Mom, Dad, Karen, and I.
When I got married, my sister and I began taking over the task of making the Thanksgiving meal, and letting my parents enjoy just being the recipients! I remember the first time I cooked my very own turkey. I was very nervous about messing that bird up. I felt like all the expectation for a perfectly moist turkey like my Dad used to make was on me. Wow, what a burden. I remember calling my Mom more than once for directions. OK, pull out bags of stuff from cavity (yucky). OK, temperature, Got it. OK, so-and-so minutes per pound. OK, got it. And actually, it came out perfect. I was surprised. I still get that nervous feeling every time I have to cook a turkey. I am always afraid of undercooking or overcooking!
Anyways, my story of the Thanksgiving meal I grew up having versus the meal Dave grew up with is not unlike my sister's story of her first Thanksgiving with Rich's family. Our table had turkey, homemade stuffing (made by my Dad usually), sweet potatoes with mini marshmallows perfectly melted and browned on top, canned gravy, no vegetables whatsoever, canned cranberry sauce, brown and serve rolls served with "I Can't Believe it's Not Butter", and pumpkin pie for dessert, with a huge dollop of Cool Whip. Dave's Mom made the entire meal, all by herself. It consisted of ham or turkey, mashed potatoes (what?), gravy, sometimes sweet potatoes, "green stuff" (explanation later), no cranberries, and honestly I don't remember the rest. Because it wasn't too many years until I began making my own meal. And when I did, Dave advised me that it was necessary to make mashed potatoes and gravy. Actually the word "necessary" is kind of an understatement. It was more like a "how-can-you-have-Thanksgiving-dinner-without-mashed-potatoes?" kind of statement. I didn't dare to leave them out, out of fear for being questioned by one of his family members. I envisioned someone saying "Where are the mashed potatoes?" I honestly think I made one Thanksgiving meal without them and having one member of his family ask me where they were. Dave insists he would not have let me make the meal without them. Who knows?
Today, Thanksgiving is usually a joint effort between my sister and I, alternating houses each year. Whoever hosts does the turkey, mashed potatoes, and stuffing, and the remaining sides are split up. We usually include my family and Dave's as well. Dave's Mom always brings the "Green Stuff." I promised to elaborate, so here it is. It is actually called "Watergate Salad," and it is made with Cool Whip, crushed pineapple, pistachio pudding, mini marshmallows, and sometimes pecans and mandarin oranges. It is fluffy and green, hence the name "Green Stuff."
For some reason, I have loved that stuff since the first day I tried it. And it's a tradition in Dave's family that I wanted to continue. One year, we spooned a dollop of it onto Austin's plate, and he lamented almost in tears that he "didn't want the Grinch on his plate." Ha! I guess to him green had a negative connotation. This is the same child who now enjoys eating green stuff every year. So I always ask Lorrie to make it. This year I am hosting at our house, so I am doing turkey, Rich's Mom's stuffing (which I have been doing for years...mmm....), of COURSE mashed potatoes & gravy, and rolls. In years past, the rolls have always been homemade. But I am cheating this year and purchased them. Bad, bad, Mommy. I'm also adding in the token canned cranberries just for my sister's sake. When Vance saw the cans I bought at the market yesterday, he said "OH! I love those." So there you go. Karen is doing her amazing sweet potatoes that taste like candy, a kugel (first time for this one, a little Jewish tradition added on this year), and a cold and crisp green bean salad with blue cheese, walnuts, and black olives (yum). Desert will be homemade pumpkin and apple pies, and Karen's amazing banana bread pudding, as requested by my Dad, lover of all things banana.
After the huge Thanksgiving feast, we will head up to the desert with our trailer for our 3rd Annual Thanksgiving Camping Trip! We go with about 8 families, and do an amazing feast out in the middle of nowhere, complete with deep fried turkeys!!! We can't wait to ride dirt bikes and just spend the weekend with our most wonderful friends. So here we are building these memories I spoke of, all because of God's gracious provision and great mercy towards us. To Him be the glory for all of it!
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