Medicine transcription - Thanksgiving dinner

Author

Thanksgiving dinner

Judity01

2004-11-21, 11:19 am

I know many of you have family coming over this Thursday, and I wonder if you
have a traditional meal as I did when growing up. Maybe you could share what
foods are typical for your family.

I can remember as if it were yesterday the smells filling my home back in West
Brookfield as Mum got ready for that holiday meal. Days before, a naked dead
bird would be out on our side screen porch until Dad brought it in the night
before Thanksgiving to thaw out. This and the breaking of the bread to dry out
for the stuffing was his contribution to the meal.

By the time the four of us girls got up on Thanksgiving morning, the bird with
a delicious-smelling sage stuffing would already be in the oven ready to be
basted throughout the morning under its tinfoil tent. The refrigerator would
have been filled days before with a cranberry, celery, and walnut molded thing
that seemed to be big back in the 1950s for some reason. I never cared for it,
though, that much. There would be all types of vegetables ready for their
pots, too.

There would also be cartons of store-bought eggnog, although Mum's homemade
that she gave me when I had migraines as a child tasted much better with a dash
of nutmeg on top and served with a dollop of love. However, I do see why she
didn't have the time to make it on Thanksgiving.

The day before, it was always my job to take the heavy silverware and silver
gravy boat out of the dining room buffet and polish them with some
foul-smelling concoction that took off all the blackened guck on their surfaces
that had built up since the previous year. Since I never was allowed to cook,
the dirty jobs like this fell on my young shoulders.

I also got to actually set the table for the big meal after Dad put in extra
leaf into the dining room table, and Mum had brought out the pretty tablecloth.
Out would come the newly polished silverware and company plates along with my
favorite, the heavy red crystal goblets for our eggnog. Lest you think we did
this every day, all of this finery was saved for Thanksgiving and Christmas
dinners only, very special. The rest of the year, the dining room table was
usually used for playing games like Monopoly or Canasta or for school projects
like sewing.

Meanwhile, back in the kitchen the aromas were driving us kids crazy, so Mum
let us nibble on the olives and pickles in their divided dish. Well, not me
since I'd empty the whole dish if I could since I love olives. I was given
celery sticks and felt very much the deprived child. Please don't do this to
your children.

As the time crept toward the actual time of the meal, steam would be rising
from the stove from all the pots of vegetables. We would always have mashed
potato with cream and butter mixed in, buttered baby onions in a cream sauce
(yumm), mashed golden squash, and green beans or peas all to be served piping
hot, so somehow Mum was a master at having everything come out cooked at the
same time. I have no idea how all of the Mums in this country do this year
after year. There would also be hot rolls ready in their cute little covered
basket.

The big moment would FINALLY arrive as we all were told it was time to eat.
There would be Mum and Dad, the four of us girls, and usually Uncle Ray, Dad's
brother who is a bachelor and a real part of our extended family when I was a
kid.

First all of the vegetables would be brought in by Mum and my sisters while I
got to carry in the gravy boat filled with delicious gravy to be followed by
Dad carrying the big platter with a golden turkey on it. Eggnog would be
poured, plates passed down to Dad for slices of turkey, and vegetable dishes
seemingly floated around the table as each of us took what we wanted. Having
learned by past experience, in front of me the family would put the gravy boat
and extra dish of stuffing along with the olive dish. This saved lots of time
passing them to me during the meal.

Along with the food would be conversation with everyone talking at once, it
seemed. I think this also might be what made the food taste so special even
though Mum was a fantastic cook.

After the main meal was done would come the cleaning up by the females while
the men went outside to do whatever men do. A couple hours later when the meal
had settled a bit, out would come dessert. In this way, with a gap of time to
really appreciate the main meal fully, dessert would become more a meal by
itself.

Mum's pies that had been behind the glass doors in the kitchen buffet not to be
touched by us beforehand would be carried out to the newly cleaned dinning room
table along with a big pot of coffee for the adults and glasses of milk for the
rest of us. There would be pumpkin pie with real whipped cream on top, newly
warmed mince pie (I loved this), and a banana cream pie that was Dad's
favorite. Uncle Ray would have brought up from Boston a box of fancy cookies
as his contribution to the meal that would be gone by the end of the day. He
had also brought up the eggnog. Maybe I got my cooking habits from him,
store-bought food. LOL

Anyway, that more or less was my childhood memory of a New England
Thanksgiving. Anyone want to share any of their meals, then or now?

Judity

djgordon

2004-11-21, 11:19 am

Your memories are pretty much what my three sisters and I went
through--almost to a T except for the eggnog- gag. Drying out the bread for
stuffing--although that's a northern tradition that my mom brought with her
as southerners are more a dressing people. Now we have both. But just about
all your memories mirror mine almost exactly. And we still do it today. It
isn't every year that us four girls get together on holidays (two of us live
here where we grew up and the other two in Branson 6 hours away), but for
the last few years all have come in and again this year. It's going to be a
madhouse. Vona with her 3 year old. Theresa with hubby and two kids, me with
hubby and two kids, and Clarissa with her little one along with my parents
and anybody else we see fit to invite.

We now bake a turkey, deep fry a turkey, and smoke a deer shoulder to feed
this crew. Green bean casserole, mashed taters, mac and cheese, giblet
gravy, deviled eggs, corn, lima beans, on and on and on. And with family in
this holiday will last til Sunday.

Dani

"Judity01" <judity01@aol.com> wrote in message
news:20041121112542.06111.00000552@mb-m23.aol.com...
> I know many of you have family coming over this Thursday, and I wonder if
you
> have a traditional meal as I did when growing up. Maybe you could share
what
> foods are typical for your family.
>
> I can remember as if it were yesterday the smells filling my home back in
West
> Brookfield as Mum got ready for that holiday meal. Days before, a naked
dead
> bird would be out on our side screen porch until Dad brought it in the
night
> before Thanksgiving to thaw out. This and the breaking of the bread to
dry out
> for the stuffing was his contribution to the meal.
>
> By the time the four of us girls got up on Thanksgiving morning, the bird
with
> a delicious-smelling sage stuffing would already be in the oven ready to
be
> basted throughout the morning under its tinfoil tent. The refrigerator
would
> have been filled days before with a cranberry, celery, and walnut molded
thing
> that seemed to be big back in the 1950s for some reason. I never cared
for it,
> though, that much. There would be all types of vegetables ready for their
> pots, too.
>
> There would also be cartons of store-bought eggnog, although Mum's
homemade
> that she gave me when I had migraines as a child tasted much better with a
dash
> of nutmeg on top and served with a dollop of love. However, I do see why
she
> didn't have the time to make it on Thanksgiving.
>
> The day before, it was always my job to take the heavy silverware and
silver
> gravy boat out of the dining room buffet and polish them with some
> foul-smelling concoction that took off all the blackened guck on their
surfaces
> that had built up since the previous year. Since I never was allowed to
cook,
> the dirty jobs like this fell on my young shoulders.
>
> I also got to actually set the table for the big meal after Dad put in
extra
> leaf into the dining room table, and Mum had brought out the pretty
tablecloth.
> Out would come the newly polished silverware and company plates along
with my
> favorite, the heavy red crystal goblets for our eggnog. Lest you think we
did
> this every day, all of this finery was saved for Thanksgiving and
Christmas
> dinners only, very special. The rest of the year, the dining room table
was
> usually used for playing games like Monopoly or Canasta or for school
projects
> like sewing.
>
> Meanwhile, back in the kitchen the aromas were driving us kids crazy, so
Mum
> let us nibble on the olives and pickles in their divided dish. Well, not
me
> since I'd empty the whole dish if I could since I love olives. I was
given
> celery sticks and felt very much the deprived child. Please don't do this
to
> your children.
>
> As the time crept toward the actual time of the meal, steam would be
rising
> from the stove from all the pots of vegetables. We would always have
mashed
> potato with cream and butter mixed in, buttered baby onions in a cream
sauce
> (yumm), mashed golden squash, and green beans or peas all to be served
piping
> hot, so somehow Mum was a master at having everything come out cooked at
the
> same time. I have no idea how all of the Mums in this country do this
year
> after year. There would also be hot rolls ready in their cute little
covered
> basket.
>
> The big moment would FINALLY arrive as we all were told it was time to
eat.
> There would be Mum and Dad, the four of us girls, and usually Uncle Ray,
Dad's
> brother who is a bachelor and a real part of our extended family when I
was a
> kid.
>
> First all of the vegetables would be brought in by Mum and my sisters
while I
> got to carry in the gravy boat filled with delicious gravy to be followed
by
> Dad carrying the big platter with a golden turkey on it. Eggnog would be
> poured, plates passed down to Dad for slices of turkey, and vegetable
dishes
> seemingly floated around the table as each of us took what we wanted.
Having
> learned by past experience, in front of me the family would put the gravy
boat
> and extra dish of stuffing along with the olive dish. This saved lots of
time
> passing them to me during the meal.
>
> Along with the food would be conversation with everyone talking at once,
it
> seemed. I think this also might be what made the food taste so special
even
> though Mum was a fantastic cook.
>
> After the main meal was done would come the cleaning up by the females
while
> the men went outside to do whatever men do. A couple hours later when the
meal
> had settled a bit, out would come dessert. In this way, with a gap of
time to
> really appreciate the main meal fully, dessert would become more a meal by
> itself.
>
> Mum's pies that had been behind the glass doors in the kitchen buffet not
to be
> touched by us beforehand would be carried out to the newly cleaned dinning
room
> table along with a big pot of coffee for the adults and glasses of milk
for the
> rest of us. There would be pumpkin pie with real whipped cream on top,
newly
> warmed mince pie (I loved this), and a banana cream pie that was Dad's
> favorite. Uncle Ray would have brought up from Boston a box of fancy
cookies
> as his contribution to the meal that would be gone by the end of the day.
He
> had also brought up the eggnog. Maybe I got my cooking habits from him,
> store-bought food. LOL
>
> Anyway, that more or less was my childhood memory of a New England
> Thanksgiving. Anyone want to share any of their meals, then or now?
>
> Judity
>
>