Thanksgiving..........

Last year Megan was in the kitchen with me while I was preparing Thanksgiving dinner. She named the Turkey "Tom" - not too surprising, although she did name the ham at Christmas Tom-Ham, and any time we roast a chicken, it's Tom the Chicken...so the name has stuck. With the great deal on Turkeys at Walmart going on all over the country (still 40 cents a pound), I stocked up and am the proud owner of 4 Tom's in my freezer. I know I'm not the only one who loves Thanksgiving, so I wanted to share a few of my memories and recipes from over the past 30 (and holding) years.

My first memory was when we lived in Ramona, CA. We had relatives visiting us that year - specifically my Aunt Kathy - I was about 10 and someone (probably my aunt because she is a great cartoonist) drew a huge turkey on paper that covered the table. We had pre-cut a bunch of feathers out of construction paper and took turns writing down the many things we were grateful for that year then gluing the feathers in place. It was a significant moment for me as I reflected on the things that I was really grateful for.

A Thanksgiving meal at my home always includes the following:
(Click on the highlighted links for yummy recipes at allrecipes.com)

Roasted Turkey
Homemade Mashed Potatoes
Homemade Gravy (from the turkey drippings)
Stove Top Stuffing (tried many kinds - always go back to stovetop) (add in diced onions and celery to the water)
Green Beans (sometimes Green Bean casserole)
Dinner Rolls
Cranberry Jello (if you can't find black cherry jello, use cherry jello)
Sweet Potato Pie
At least 1 pie per person (you may think that's alot, but there has to be plenty for leftovers)

6 years ago, we invited a new girl at church to join our family for Thanksgiving. She became very dear to us and we love having friends join us every year.

Please share your favorite memories and recipes. I would love to try something new this year for my family.