Thanksgiving From Long Ago

Just about everyone has special memories of holidays from days gone by.  I feel lucky that I have vivid memories of those good old days. My family enjoyed most of our Thanksgiving dinners at our old house in Central Illinois.  It was a day that we looked forward to with great anticipation. The preparation of the meal began several days before the big day with the baking of pies for dessert.  It took a great deal of self-control not to sneak a slice of pie early.  I must admit that on occasion a piece of crust “broke off” and couldn’t be left to go to waste. The night before our Thanksgiving feast I was allowed to help by tearing up the bread for the stuffing.  Remember when you didn’t buy stuffing in a bag or box? It was broken into pieces and allowed to sit out on the counter all night so that the bread would dry up a bit.  It was placed in a big bowl and covered with a dishtowel to keep out any unwanted guests. On Thanksgiving morning we would awaken to the smell of the turkey neck and giblets being simmered on the stove.  The resulting broth was used to moisten the dressing and to make that wonderful homemade gravy.  The dressing in our family consisted of bread, chopped onion and celery, along with browned pork sausage meat. Of course it was simply seasoned with salt, pepper and sage. Some went in the bird and what wouldn’t fit went in a baking dish…we needed lots of stuffing! Our Thanksgiving feast wouldn’t be complete without cranberries, sweet potatoes with melted marshmallows on top, mashed potatoes, corn and the ever-present green bean casserole.  Are you getting hungry yet?  The star of the show was the turkey of course.  It was always a fresh turkey because that’s the only way they came. The refrigerators back then didn’t have much of a freezer. About all you could get in it were an ice cube tray and a pint of ice cream.  The turkey was purchased just days before the meal and sometimes stored outside. After the bird was all prepared to go in the oven, it was placed in my grandmother’s old Wear-Ever aluminum turkey roaster.  This old pan has been passed down several generations and is now one of my prized possessions.  The rest of the morning and afternoon seemed to pass slowly as we anxiously awaited the dinner bell to ring. The aromas that came from that old kitchen drove us all crazy with anticipation. I hope that you too have special memories of Thanksgivings past.  It’s truly a time to be grateful for all of God’s blessings. Happy Thanksgiving!

 

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