As We Gather Together

Every year, my family acts as if Thanksgiving had just been invented. In mid- November we each start to notice that something is happening. Maybe it’s the sight of canned cranberry stacked at the grocery end-cap. Or it’s all the pumpkin spice we encounter that finally jars an old sensory memory. My sister is the first to realize that Thanksgiving is something we might like to try. And really, we should try to celebrate because in recent years we have added many delightful young people to our family.

She sends the first text: So…Thanksgiving… (turkey emoji)

Me: Oh, right…(drumstick emoji)

Her: I don’t know who will be in town this year (crying face emoji)

Me: I’ll ask my guys (smiling emoji, and wine glass emoji just for fun) *2019 update, sparkling water for me)

We don’t need to communicate much more, 60 years of us being thankful people finally kicks in, and on Thanksgiving Day, around 1:00 pm we all gather at my sister’s house where she has created a full reenactment of Thanksgiving at Versaille, if Louis XIV, etc had celebrated Thanksgiving and invited Norman Rockwell. We have a blessed and bountiful day.

This is the year- I am going to be brave and expand my cooking horizons.

But somehow when I peruse all the latest cooking magazines and online sites, all the recipes sound too trendy. Not everyone likes kale, or turmeric. Would the Pilgrims have roasted tofu? So, as I wrote in 2016, reposted below, I always bring the green bean casserole. Happy Thanksgiving to all!

NOVEMBER, 2016 Do you stand in line at the grocery beguiled by the food magazines and their lure of delectable Thanksgiving delights? I do–85 Easy Thanksgiving Side Dish Recipes, 23 Holiday Potato Recipes. Then I see The 98 Best Thanksgiving Side Dish Recipes, and 24 Make-Ahead T Day Recipes. Maybe I should take a peak at Thanksgiving Recipes Across the United States. The line at the grocery checkout is moving slowly so I grab a magazine with a busty bronzed turkey on the cover and leaf through the pages–Radicchio Salad with Pickled Grapes and Goat Cheese, Tandoori Carrots with Vadouvan Spice and Yogurt, Roasted Broccoli with Pickled Shallots and Peanuts. I raise my eyebrows and give up when I get to Slow-cooked Tuscan Kale.

When we troop over the river and through the woods for Thanksgiving at my sister’s I bring a ham, a can of the cranberry sauce that is a shimmering tube, and the ubiquitous casserole. My sister is a marvelous cook and her turkey is always glowing and moist, we all love her mashed potatoes, sweet potatoes, dressing, and then she outdoes herself with her amazing pies and pastries. This year, I am going to surprise my loved ones with a side dish that is gourmet and bold and memorable. But, we all love green bean casserole.

Should I put my cans of cream of mushroom soup, green beans and french fried onions on the counter? Should I check another magazine or look online for something snazzy and exotic? The clerk asks if I want paper or plastic, I dither a minute and then blurt, “I’m going to make something different for Thanksgiving NEXT year.”

Happy Thanksgiving!