I am tired tonight, so don't expect much
So. Thanksgiving. Food and stuff.
I am wondering what your favorite Thanksgiving dish is? In my family growing up we had two Thanksgiving dinners, one at each of my grandparents' houses. My favorite was always the mashed potatoes and gravy, all made from scratch by my dad's mother. Pretty much everything she made was fantastic, her rolls, her fruit salad... she even made her own pickles. She would jar the cucumbers over the summer, and let them pickle for months. Traditionally, the first jar of that year's batch would be opened for Thanksgiving dinner. Since she died 4 years ago, Thanksgiving has dulled for me. It doesn't feel quite as special or warm. She truly made her food with love, and it came through strongly. I miss her a lot.
Luckily, my other grandparents are both alive and kicking, so Thanksgiving with them is the same as it's ever been. They always get a Honey Baked Ham for Thanksgiving and Christmas, so I associate tasty brown-sugar crusted ham with holidays on that side of the family. Both sides of my family always have the traditional dishes; green bean casserole, cranberry sauce, stuffing, pumkpin pie... Mmmm, I'm getting hungry just thinking about it! Everyone is always sent home with days worth of leftovers. The one thing I've never liked is the yams. I don't think anyone actually likes them, but we still make them every year. One time, the grocery store was sold out of the regular marshmallows, so we tried making them with the mini colored ones instead. Yeah... that wasn't so good. I'm trying to slowly phase out the yams, and replace them with this yummy squash recipe:
1 large Butternut squash; peeled, seeded and cubed
3/4 C milk
6 Tbs butter, melted
3 eggs, beaten
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
3/4 C sugar
3 Tbs flour
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/8 tsp ground cloves
1/8 tsp ground nutmeg
TOPPING
1/2 C vanilla wafer crumbs
1/4 C packed brown sugar
2 tbs butter, melted
Place squash in a large saucepan and cover with water. Bring to a boil and cook until tender, about 25-30 mins. Drain and place in a large mixing bowl, beat until smooth. Add the milk, butter, eggs, and vanilla; mix well. Combine the dry ingredients; add to squash mixture and mix well. Transfer to a greased baking dish; cover and bake at 350 degrees for 45 mins. Combine the ingredients for the topping until crumbly, sprinkle over squash. Bake uncovered for 12-15 mins. So tasty!
So, in summation: Mashed potatoes? Good. Yams? Yucko. Grandma? I miss her. And you? What do you want to tell me about your Thanksgiving?
I am wondering what your favorite Thanksgiving dish is? In my family growing up we had two Thanksgiving dinners, one at each of my grandparents' houses. My favorite was always the mashed potatoes and gravy, all made from scratch by my dad's mother. Pretty much everything she made was fantastic, her rolls, her fruit salad... she even made her own pickles. She would jar the cucumbers over the summer, and let them pickle for months. Traditionally, the first jar of that year's batch would be opened for Thanksgiving dinner. Since she died 4 years ago, Thanksgiving has dulled for me. It doesn't feel quite as special or warm. She truly made her food with love, and it came through strongly. I miss her a lot.
Luckily, my other grandparents are both alive and kicking, so Thanksgiving with them is the same as it's ever been. They always get a Honey Baked Ham for Thanksgiving and Christmas, so I associate tasty brown-sugar crusted ham with holidays on that side of the family. Both sides of my family always have the traditional dishes; green bean casserole, cranberry sauce, stuffing, pumkpin pie... Mmmm, I'm getting hungry just thinking about it! Everyone is always sent home with days worth of leftovers. The one thing I've never liked is the yams. I don't think anyone actually likes them, but we still make them every year. One time, the grocery store was sold out of the regular marshmallows, so we tried making them with the mini colored ones instead. Yeah... that wasn't so good. I'm trying to slowly phase out the yams, and replace them with this yummy squash recipe:
1 large Butternut squash; peeled, seeded and cubed
3/4 C milk
6 Tbs butter, melted
3 eggs, beaten
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
3/4 C sugar
3 Tbs flour
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/8 tsp ground cloves
1/8 tsp ground nutmeg
TOPPING
1/2 C vanilla wafer crumbs
1/4 C packed brown sugar
2 tbs butter, melted
Place squash in a large saucepan and cover with water. Bring to a boil and cook until tender, about 25-30 mins. Drain and place in a large mixing bowl, beat until smooth. Add the milk, butter, eggs, and vanilla; mix well. Combine the dry ingredients; add to squash mixture and mix well. Transfer to a greased baking dish; cover and bake at 350 degrees for 45 mins. Combine the ingredients for the topping until crumbly, sprinkle over squash. Bake uncovered for 12-15 mins. So tasty!
So, in summation: Mashed potatoes? Good. Yams? Yucko. Grandma? I miss her. And you? What do you want to tell me about your Thanksgiving?
November 22, 2005