This year, my brother will cook the turkey and dressing. I have never cooked a turkey, but I will get the honor at Christmas. My husband and I bought a twenty-four pound turkey today and put it in the freezer. I am a little sad to be eating such a fine bird. I hope my turns out as nice as this one. It is all roasted and browned nicely.
My job is to bring a dessert, rolls, and deviled eggs to the table on Thanksgiving. This does not seem to be too much work.
Monday, I will go to the store and buy all my ingredients. I know the store will be busy since it is Thanksgiving week. Everyone will be buying their groceries for the upcoming holiday meal.
I often wonder if the Pilgrims really ate turkey when they celebrated Thanksgiving with the Indians. A few summers ago, I saw a wild turkey crossing a busy highway. The turkey did not care that he was on a state highway. Fortunately, he did not get ran over by a car or truck. My brothers go turkey hunting every year so I cannot tell them that I saw a turkey or they will want to come over with their guns. They are true hunters. They inherited this gene from my dad because he is a coon-hunter. He has owned coon dogs all his life. He said that there is something about a dog barking at a coon that is music to his ears. I would like to know what kind of music that is anyway. Since I do not have the hunting gene, I only hear a barking dog. When I was a child, my dad would train his coon dogs with a live coon. The poor coon would get dragged around and around until the dogs picked up his scent.
My dad won trophies with his prized coon dogs. He had Walkers, Black and Tan, and Blue Tick coon dogs. I believe he knows every kind of coon dog that was ever born. He waited every night until dark so he could go coon hunting along the river and in the woods. A few times, he got shot out by farmers. Even though we were poor, my dad always had coon dogs. I guess they are part of his identity. On his tombstone, he has a picture of a coon dog treeing a coon in a tall sycamore tree. Of course, my dad is still alive and is 80-years-old today. He does not coon hunt anymore because of his health and age, but he still loves to talk about it.
When I go shopping, I will pick up some Parker House Rolls. They are my favorite. I like to make yeast rolls, but I will just buy the rolls this year since I do not have much time to cook. The rolls are in the frozen food section. All I will have to do is thaw them and cook them in the oven. They will be golden brown and melt in your mouth.
For the deviled eggs, I will boil the eggs and cold water for 10 minutes. Then, I put the lid on and turn the burner out. The steam will make the eggs cook inside. I leave them on the stove for at least thirty minutes so they will be hard boiled when they are done. It is fun to mix the egg yolks with mayonnaise, mustard, salt, and relish and then fill them. I can taste them now. Deviled eggs always disappears fast around my family.
We will also have mashed potatoes, corn, gravy, and salad. After we eat, we will watch football or play with the young cousins, nieces, and nephews. This strenuous activity will create an appetite, and we will eat again later the same day.
Thanksgiving is a feast in which food, fellowship, and family come together. Relatives come from all around to share a meal together. Many of my relatives come up just for the day to eat and visit. They have traditions that go back for years and years. One great aunt makes a great poke salad, and another aunt bring her homemade chicken and dumplings.
I will have to pace myself with all the rich food. I think my favorite food is the dessert: pecan pie, peach cobbler, and cherry cheesecake. But I decided to start a new tradition and make a Weight Watcher's Orange Dreamsicle Cake. It is so good that you cannot tell it is low-fat. With all the rich foods, we will need something light to eat.
I have much to be thankful for this year. Even though my parents are both in poor health, they are still with us. They have been married for 60 years. I plan to celebrate with them and enjoy myself completely. It is a time to count my blessings and be happy with life. I also have two brothers and two sisters that I can laugh and joke with. Family is one of life's greatest treasures. It is not how long we live that matters. What truly matters is that we really live! Happy Thanksgiving!
