Thanksgiving Menus, Memories & More

Well, I have just finished chopping 4 cups of celery, 2 1/2 cups of onion, 2 1/2 c. of green onion, and 2 c. of green pepper for my Thanksgiving dressing.  I don't mind chopping, especially when so many fond memories are tied to this chore.  It's almost cathartic in a way, to chop each ingredient so perfectly, sealing it in a plastic tub and checking it off my list. 

You see, I have some lists that I like to read, re-read and remember.  My grandmother kept a steno pad on her kitchen counter.  She often jotted down items that she needed the next time she was at the store.  She also made organized lists of ingredients, menus and day to day lists of what needed to be done to pull off the best holiday meal ever.  I treasure these lists.  They are written in her handwriting, crossed off painstakingly after checking to make sure everything had been completed.  I love the list by days of what to do first, then next, and finally on the day of the event. 

As I chopped this afternoon, I remembered my grandmother checking my work to make sure I was chopping finely enough to suit her.  It was hard for her to accept help in the kitchen, but I so enjoyed this time with her.  I like to think what she might say about my menu for Thanksgiving this year.  She always enjoyed reading new recipes, but the older she got, the less interested she was in actually trying those new recipes, but oh how she loved it when I brought something new home to share.  She loved anything as long as she didn't have to make it.  I think that's what 70 years of cooking does to a gal. 

So I imagined this little conversation about my menu.
Me:  Well I am trying some new dishes this year, MaMa.
MaMa:  Oh, you are?
Me:  Green bean casserole, MaMa, but without soups or canned green beans.  That's right, freshly steamed green beans, fresh mushrooms, sauteed to perfection, bound together with homemade sauce, french fried onions and panko bread crumbs.  Doesn't that sound good.
MaMa:  Oh my goodness, yes!
Me:  I am also making pumpkin macaroni and cheese.  I thought the girls would like it.
MaMa:  I thought you didn't like macaroni and cheese?
Me:  I didn't for a hundred years after using my hot pot in my college dorm room to make it almost every day, but this sounds really yummy.  And it has fresh sage, fontina cheese, and soft bread crumbs.  It's gonna be so good.
MaMa:  I know it will!
Me:  I am also making Amaretto Sweet Potatoes.  Everyone loves them.  You use buttermilk to make the sauce.
MaMa:  You don't say...
Me:  Oh, and I forgot to tell you how I am going to brine my turkey. 
MaMa:  Brine?  What in the world?
Me:  Oh my goodness it is this bath with fresh herbs, limes, oranges, bay leaves, sage, garlic, lots of salt and fresh ground pepper.  It makes that turkey so juicy!  You won't believe it.
MaMa:  You did get a Butterball, didn't you?  They are the best, you know. 
Me:  Yes 'mam.  I've been paying attention. 
MaMa:  I know it's going to be wonderful.  Afterall, you got MaMa's cooking genes, you know?
Me:  I sure hope so....

Thinking of my precious grandmother as I prepare for Thanksgiving.  I thought I would share my menu just for nostalgic purposes. 

Turkey (bathed in a brine and roasted in my handy-dandy roaster)
Cornbread Dressing (my grandmother's recipe of course)
New & Improved Green Bean Casserole
Creamy Brussel Sprouts
Amaretto Sweet Potatoes
Buttery Creamed Potatoes & Gravy
Pumpkin Macaroni & Cheese
Deviled Eggs
Iced Tea, Chardonnay, and Pinot Noir

Fudge Cream Pie, Pecan Pie, and Apple Pie

Happy Thanksgiving!  I hope your day is filled with wonderful dishes, family, friends and special memories.